"Y'all just came out of Dusky Grotto, yeah?" Rush inquired, throwing a stray branch poking out aside. "The little pipsqueaks in there just love pissin' everyone off, too bad they ain't a very strong bunch."

'Dusky Grotto' certainly seemed like an apt name, and indeed, most of the dungeon-dwellers seemed like ones that the Scrafty would deem 'pipsqueaks.'

"Yeah! It was way shorter than I was expecting, but hey!" Arashi happily answered.

Rush laughed. "Y'all ain't seen Forsaken Crater way up north. Only ten floors, but a hell of a lot of teams don't make it past the first. Dusky Grotto is one of the milder ones around these parts, but if you're one of those 'Mon like Scyther or Aegislash that can cut trees down, those damned Trevenants will give ya hell!"

The Trevenants, or any of the occupants, hadn't seemed happy with visitors as it was.

"But y'know, I've been hearin' a lot about you little pipsqueaks," the Scrafty remarked, smirking and giving both the Dartrix and Frogadier a glance, then to Raijin, "But not so much you, big guy. Guess we'll all just have to sit down and get to know each other some more, ehehe!"

Arashi looked like he wanted to squeal and dance around in excitement at the prospect, but by some miracle, he was keeping his unbridled glee hidden quite well. Astrid was surprised he wasn't going and fainting again- he definitely looked like it was within the realm of possibility. Perhaps him having excitement was akin to her eating a Blast Seed and having to expel the flames from her mouth, the Dartrix wondered, but of course, turning into a crazed fanboy in front of his idols probably wouldn't be the best idea if joining their group was the goal.

Some of the trees to their east looked as though they too were growing suspiciously close together, which likely indicated another dungeon someplace off in that direction. Given that Rush was steering clear of it, Astrid catalogued that piece of information in her mind too.

"I haven't had the chance to introduce myself to you, speaking of getting to know each other," said the Azumarill, smiling. "I'm Lazuli, but you can also call me 'Big Blue' if you want!"

"Nice to meet you, Big Blue!" Arashi instantly said with a smile.

"M-hm…" Astrid shyly concurred with a nod.

"You're a Water-type, right?" Raijin inquired, studying her.

Lazuli chuckled. "Water and Fairy, actually! I'm gonna assume you're Electric, yeah? I've never seen your species before!"

"R-right, I'm an Electric-type," the Xurkitree confirmed.

"Speaking of which," Rozen chimed in, giving Raijin a look, "what is your species? Under any other circumstances, I'd be more inclined to believe you were a mass of cables being possessed by a Rotom."

If a mass of cables could blush, Raijin would've been. "I-I'm a Xurkitree. We're not native to this world."

"Hah, then ain't we lucky," Rush laughed. "Raijin the Xurkitree, a zappy alien. That's fancy as hell, ehehe!"

"It is quite interesting," Rozen thoughtfully concurred, getting a small smile.

Perhaps it was, but Raijin didn't seem sure what to think of the 'zappy alien' label and shrank up a bit.

Nonetheless, as they made their way back, it did become clear that there were more dungeons than Dusky Grotto, for the Coalition members took care to point each of them out as they passed- Withered Ridge to their east and Whispering Lowlands to the west. Salem's flames hadn't scorched any of the vicinity they trekked through, which the Starstorm trio in particular was thankful for but their company didn't seem all that concerned one way or another. Still, what wild ones they did come across acted very frightened, probably having run away from her wild blaze in a frenzy. They certainly weren't keen on attacking, that was for sure.

If Rush, Rozen, and Lazuli hadn't been there to show the way, the Starstorm trio likely would've gotten lost in more than just dungeons, for the surroundings all looked nearly identical. Every direction was another mass of trees, another tangle of underbrush, another faint ray of sunlight drifting down through the canopy. Surely, someone would've had to traverse it many times to get a feel of what direction all the varying locations were in. Still, navigating around all the dungeons instead of going through them definitely cut down on the travel time, and thankfully, none of Salem's underlings showed themselves. It seemed they'd manage to evade her… for the time being, at least.

The forest started becoming sparse and thinning out, and once it did, they found themselves on another sandy pathway akin to the one leading into and out of Tranquil Town, but the surroundings were quite different. The craggy cliffs, rather than being off in the background, were almost everywhere, and the ground was covered in flat stones apparently weathered away by frequent traversing over them. Not too far in the distance, just after an ornate wooden bridge over a river-filled crevice, was a sprawling town hewn into the rocks, abuzz with a myriad of figures strolling, crawling, and flying about over the colorful rooftops that were impossible to ignore. It was quite unlike Tranquil Town, for rather than the rocky heights being further out of reach and everything seeming rather serene, this location seemed to outright try to displace the crags it took up in and deliberately eschewed the much more welcoming green grasslands off in the distance, even if more pathways lead out to them. A 'craggy crossroad' it was indeed.

"A'ight, y'all, welcome to the Crossroads," Rush said, crossing his arms with a smirk. "You ain't gotta worry about Salem or anyone else here, you can be damn sure. This place is a hub for expedition teams, and there's a hell of a lot of strong ones that have their bases here, us included. It'd be a dumbass move to go attacking this joint."

Arashi's eyes glittered at the description, while Astrid and Raijin were merely relieved.

As they were approaching, a Zoroark and Girafarig went bustling past towards the forest behind them, casting each other some exasperated looks.

"She fainted in Dusky Grotto?" the Girafarig inquired incredulously. "Man, your little sis is a piece of work!"

"Tell me about it!" the Zoroark said haplessly, throwing his arms out to the side. "Every time I tell her not to go cuddling wild Poochyenas, she just has to nuzzle right up to them!"

Astrid, Arashi, and Raijin all exchanged some awkwardly knowing looks of just where their gold coins had come from, while Rush and Lazuli couldn't help but giggle once the ones running off to the dungeon were out of earshot. Rozen gave them both a nudge to shut them up, rolling his eyes.

Once they reached the town perimeter, there were quite a few Pokémon chattering to each other and going about their business, but one in particular caught their attention. The tattered cloak and witch's hat might have given the impression of a larger-than-life Mismagius from behind, but the form of a Delphox met them when the wearer of such turned around.

"No!" Astrid breathed, her eyes going wide and feathers fluffing out.

"Are you kidding?!" Arashi fussed, likewise looking startled.

Raijin didn't say anything, only formed a few sparking bolts in his hands.

However, the Coalition members noticed their adverse reactions, but didn't seem concerned at all. The Delphox apparently did too, for her gaze instantly fell on them.

"Hey! Don't freak out- it's not Salem!" Lazuli quickly piped up, giving them a reassuring gaze. "That's Delphi! She's been here longer than Salem's been causing trouble; you've got nothing to worry about!"

The Delphox in question started smiling, studying them and taking a few steps closer. Astrid studied her in return, as did her two comrades, not fully ready to drop their guard, but one thing did stick out that assuaged them slightly- there was no purple tint to her eyes like Salem.

"R-really?" Raijin was still skeptical, not standing down quite yet.

Delphi, however, giggled. "Oh, and who do we have here? New to the town, I see.~"

Her voice was completely different, too- it wasn't dripping with haughty, aggressive flippancy, but rather sounded amiable and flirtatious. Her smile wasn't a blatantly sadistic one, either. That alone gave them more reassurance.

"Don't worry; I'm not here to cause your impending demise!" she laughed. "I might be in the same evolutionary family as that deplorable creature, but rest assured, I don't share in her mayhem.~"

That calmed them more.

"Yeeeaaaaaah, you ain't gotta worry about Delphi; she's part of another team and runs a fortune-telling shop," Rush brushed it off, looking amused. "Hah, I just love seein' the faces of new 'Mon when they stumble across her, ehehe!"

Rozen gave the Scrafty a hapless look, rolling his eyes. "Oh, you always act out at the most inappropriate of times."

Rush wasn't denying such, and only grinned even more. The new ones in question, though, were sufficiently assuaged and dropped their guard, softening up.

Delphi chuckled. "Oh, yes, you should come visit me at Soul Aria sometime. I'd love to read you.~"

Astrid blinked, but Arashi perked up at the mention and gave an excited glance to his comrades. "Oooh, fortune-telling?! You guys! Maybe we should!"

"Another time, Li'l Blue," Rush quickly cut him off, giving the Frogadier a poke. "Y'all can go do celestial shenanigans and all that after ya get settled in. I can't just turn ya loose so easily; y'all gotta tell us what the hell is up with Salem chasin' ya!"

That much was agreeable, and Astrid and Raijin definitely had no protestations. Again they were trailing after the Scrafty, trying to stay close while weaving through the busy streets paved with reddish and orange-tinted stones. An Altaria gave a downcast Meganium a pat with her fluffy wings, and a Gliscor and Simisage seemed to be having an argument while a Floette, Ribombee, and Corvisquire looked on with amusement. The buildings were rather bright and colorful, even those carved from subdued brownish-colored wood or hewn from the greyish rocks, for vibrant hues of magenta, orange, green, and blue colored the doorframes and windows. A few fountains were situated in the middle of several street intersections, and in a larger one, a Barboach carried on a conversation with a Persian laying on the edge. A small wheeled basket sat next to the fountain, which Astrid assumed was for transporting the aquatic one around if it desired to go someplace else. Some of the buildings were larger than others, and of those that were, most had signs on their eaves or beside the doors. 'The GNARLIEST Brigade!' was haphazardly painted on one along with what looked like a few claw scratches slashed into the wood next to the text, and on another was a very fanciful banner with ribbons and roses bearing the name 'Team Sweetheart.'

A few of the inhabitants gave Raijin a surprised glance, but most didn't even seem to question the otherworldly creature being present. Perhaps strange things weren't so strange in this town, or the occupants merely couldn't be bothered to pay it much mind.

Nonetheless, when they came upon a rather big grey stone-carved flat-roofed structure with a crimson curtain door and a simple sign reading 'EXPEDITION COALITION' over it, along with the same dark red tinting the frames on the rounded front windows, they knew they'd arrived at their destination.

"A'ight, you lot, this is HQ," Rush said, motioning at the building. "It ain't the fanciest HQ here, but I don't give a damn about fancy near as much as I give a damn about whooping ass."

Rozen shook his head again at the Scrafty's coarse musings.

Whether it was fancy or not, Arashi seemed about ready to faint again at the sight of it, and Astrid gave him a nudge to keep him from doing so. Raijin merely studied it.

"YO, DREN!" Rush hollered, looking up at the roof.

The large, draconic head of a Salamence peeked up and peered down at them, the rest of the dragon apparently perched on some floor they couldn't quite see from the ground.

"Yes?" the Salamence replied calmly, looking over the three unfamiliar figures. "Do we have company?"

"Hell yeah, we do!" Rush hollered back. "Y'know those little pipsqueaks and that wired weirdo?! This is them! They're all runnin' from Salem, apparently!"

"… Oh?"

A few mighty wing flaps resulted from the Salamence jumping down and landing closely, which nearly threatened to blow away the Dartrix and Frogadier had they not braced themselves.

"This is Dren; he's our guard," Rush noted, motioning at the dragon. "Don't let that fool ya, though- he's mainly here to keep anyone wanting to be an asshat away, not go and chase said asshats off unless both me and Adnea ain't here."

And surely he was good at that, Astrid figured- Dren dwarfed just about all of them, save for only Raijin who was taller (but definitely not near as... hulking), and gave off an air of intimidation. It didn't take any effort to deduce that he must've been powerful- the wings flaps alone stirred up quite a breeze even without an attack being at play. Astrid quickly noticed something else that would've been a deterrent to just about anyone else seeking to cause trouble, for a glinting sphere with two swirls of red and blue in the center hung around Dren's neck- a Salamencite. Her eyes went slightly wide at the sight of it, but she tried not to stare.

Arashi, however, obviously noticed it too, for his eyes went wide with excitement and he exclaimed fairly quickly, "Whoa, is that Salamencite?! Mega Stones are insanely hard to find! That is impressive, aha!"

Dren chuckled, his tail reaching around and giving Arashi a pat on the head. "Indeed it is. It is exorbitantly rare that I make use of it, but merely flashing it to a troublemaker is typically enough to make them stand down. I tend to become far more akin to the subjects of these 'crazy' incidents when I activate it, so I elect not to unless absolutely necessary."

Though Dren seemed like a fearsome creature, his voice was rather soft and gentle as if comforting a baby Bounsweet lost in a forest of hungry avians. Yet still, somehow, Astrid couldn't help but think of the phrase 'the blood-soaked crescent' when imagining a Mega Salamence, but couldn't quite place where such was coming from. She didn't particularly want to find out, either- it sounded horrific.

Arashi, though, was still entranced. "That's so cooooool…!"

Dren gave him another pat, then gave one to Astrid, who couldn't help but fluff out just a bit at the gesture on account of even the tip of Dren's tail dwarfing her.

"And I know you must be Astrid," the Salamence said gently, his tail going back. He looked to the Beast next. "But I am not very familiar with you. May I ask your name?"

"Rai-" the Beast started.

"Okay, what the hell?!"

A rather annoyed-sounding voice suddenly piped up, the source of which was quickly found to be a Fletchinder dashing out of HQ's door with frustrated eyes, looking ready to tear into someone if they got too close. His eyes narrowed on the newcomers as if planning to attack, but he did not and only tilted his head to the side.

"Sheesh, I hear all this commotion and it's just two worthless little runts and… some abomination," the fiery avian remarked flippantly, glaring at them. "If we were in the wild, I'd roast the lot of you and you'd be praying to Kyogre for rain!"

At that, he turned around and marched right back inside without another word, only a small grunt of disdain. Lazuli sighed haplessly and Rozen shook his head while Rush merely smirked mischievously.

"No need to be an ass to everyone, Cinder!" the Scrafty called.

"Go to hell!" was the response hollered back from behind the door.

The Starstorm trio wasn't quite sure what to make of the Fletchinder's antics. Arashi blinked, while Astrid and Raijin both shrank up uncertainly. Lazuli gave the two smaller ones a pat, giggling haplessly.

"Don't mind Cinder; he's an ass," Rush brushed it off.

"He does that to literally everyone," Lazuli added.

… At least it wasn't targeted, in that case.

Nonetheless, Dren turned back to the Xurkitree. "You were saying?"

"R-Raijin."

"Wonderful," said the Salamence, looking them all over. "Astrid, Arashi, and Raijin. You all must be quite special."

Two of the ones in question started blushing, and if the Beast was capable of doing so, probably would've been as well.

"They sure are!" Rush laughed, then motioning them inside, "C'mon!"

They followed Rush, while Dren gave another mighty flap and resumed his position on the roof. Wherever Cinder had scurried off to, they had no idea, for they could see him nowhere in sight. There was a rather large center room that met them, still the same greyish hues as the outside, with a rather large map plastered to the center of the wall with plenty of notes jotted down and markings made on it. There was one larger hallway on the left that opened into a much larger room with a big table in the center, likely the kitchen judging by the jars and cabinets lining the shelves and countertops of it, and another hallway to the right with what appeared to be another big room judging by the size of the blue curtain door covering the entrance, but of course, they could not see in. What appeared to be a staircase leading to a basement was next to the map, for the area beyond the opening was shrouded in blackness. Two more staircases lead to a floor upstairs, where Rush motioned them to follow along while Rozen and Lazuli strolled off elsewhere to attend to their own affairs.

There were a few more curtain doors drawn shut upstairs, but one rather large room opened up in the back center of the floor, where shelves upon shelves of documents and pages were stashed along the walls and some more littered the lone table in the middle. An Orbeetle floated about with her back turned to them, rustling through a few of the stray pages on the shelves while a fanciful quill, glowing a slight purple with the psychic energy controlling it, danced across an empty page in an open book on the table.

"Ah, so you're here," the Orbeetle mused rather simply, shoving a book aside and telepathically arranging a few disordered pages beside it before turning around. "I sensed your presence several miles away."

Her eyes seemed to stare straight through them, and indeed, she probably could see quite a bit more than the average Pokémon with her abilities. Rush obviously didn't care, but all three of the Starstorm trio (the outgoing Frogadier included, even if less so) couldn't help shrinking back a bit under her piercing stare. It wasn't malicious, but merely… strong.

"And that's Adnea, last one on the team you ain't met," Rush noted of the floating one. "Don't tell lies to her, 'cause there ain't no fooling her."

None of them were intending to, to be sure.

"He is right," Adnea mused flatly, floating closer and looking them all over in turn. "But I don't believe I'll have that problem with this bunch. I've already begun documenting what I have seen in your memories, but you three… have a lot to tell me."

Three nods answered her.

"Let's get that out of the way first," Rush declared, plopping down on a leafy chair with his arms behind his head. "Y'all tell us what's up. Astrid, I already know about you bein' a damned human in disguise- and don't ya worry, we ain't told no one that ain't part of the team here, but I'm guessin' there's more at play here."

The Dartrix nodded, relieved that she wouldn't have to explain her strange situation to anyone else.

Nonetheless, they started recounting everything they'd gone over in the cave in the cliffs, Raijin doing most of the explaining about Void's faction and the dealings involving such, while Astrid and Arashi (mostly Arashi) corroborated with their own experiences regarding her underlings. All the while, Adnea's pen floated over its page, furiously scribbling every detail they relayed, even sketching out an accurate but crude representation of a blindingly bright dragon to denote Necrozma's form. The more they went on, Adnea had the same countenance and didn't say a word, but Rush dropped his otherwise relaxed pose for a wide-eyed fist-clenching one at the mention of Salem's abilities and the source thereof, followed by a loud exclamation of "She wants to do WHAT now?!" at the mention of Void's true ambitions. Adnea's eyes narrowed, but still, the Orbeetle didn't seem particularly fazed one way or another.

"A'ight, so let me get this straight," Rush said, crossing his arms. "So this bitch Void is off somewhere in Ultra Space, she's tryin' to take the damn place over and succeeding, your gods and her faction can't do shit against each other at the moment, so your big boss in charge, Necrozma, got outside help from Salem, who got fucked up and became Void's strongest pawn. And you, Raijin, are the only bastard that's got the dirt on 'em."

The Xurkitree nodded, albeit seeming a bit shy at all the profanity. "That's exactly right."

"And you," said the Scrafty, looking to Astrid, "are the next in line to go raise hell with 'em."

The Dartrix fluffed out, but she nodded too. "A-apparently so."

Rush let out a heavy sigh, sticking his arms back behind his head and slouching back into the chair again. "… And here I thought I'd seen it all, then you little pipsqueaks and Beast show up. If this don't take the cake for the most insane case I've ever heard, then I don't know what will. But I'm glad ya told us, 'cause I can't ignore that shit now."

Arashi perked up at the Scrafty's words. "So does that mean you'll help us…?"

"Of course it does, Li'l Blue," Rush easily replied, getting a smirk. "Those asshats can't get ahold of your little friend there, now can they? And I ain't gonna sit back when some tyrant wants to ruin the world as we know it. Nah, that'd just be pathetic if I didn't do anything."

That much relieved them.

"But while we're on the subject, we need more information," Adnea said, her pen stopping for a moment. "Raijin, her faction is comprised mostly of Beasts, no?"

"The only ones in the faction that aren't Beasts are Salem and Salem's underlings," Raijin answered. "So… three, unless you want to count her temporaries."

"Well, we're all familiar with Delphox, Charizard, and Golisopod here," the Orbeetle remarked. "I'm not familiar with the inhabitants of Ultra Space, or Ultra Space in general, and I've been doing research for a very long time. Tell us about them, if you will."

Raijin nodded and did so, giving a description of each, their codenames that Void tracked them all with, and their typical roles. All of them present carefully took it in as he described each one.

The Nihilego species, codename UB01, while unfazed by special attacks, couldn't take or dish out physical damage without getting seriously hurt. While Void couldn't exert control over other Nihilegos, Salem could if she toyed with their minds just right, and Salem had no issue in doing so under Void's instruction. Thus, though Void had disliked them at first for 'stealing her hosts,' she had come to accept them as emissaries too. They were absolutely to be avoided, even if Void herself wasn't the one facing them, for their poisoning effects weren't easily overcome without serious intervention and could easily turn even the most docile of individuals into violent criminals. Even a tiny dose of their toxin was enough to produce effects.

Buzzwole, codename UB02A, excelled in the physical sense but couldn't take or give special damage. They looked extremely muscular, but their bulging forms were actually the result of stabbing their proboscises into whatever foe was unfortunate enough to be subdued. They flexed their bodies constantly, both in simple fun and to communicate with those around them what they were thinking, which tended to puzzle other Beasts that hadn't quite picked up on the cues yet. Their punches were to be avoided, for very, very little could survive one.

Pheromosa, codename UB02B, could only give but not take damage. Getting only a single hit on one would likely down them, but getting the hit in to do so was the problem, for they moved blindingly fast and hit hard. They were easily some of the more problematic Beasts to face, for while they looked beautiful and fragile, hardly anything that crossed them lived to tell about it. Void quite liked them for these attributes.

Raijin was as good of a reference as any for the Xurkitree species, codename UB03. However, it was to be noted that, while some life forms in Ultra Space appeared to be gargantuan Xurkitrees, they were rather just trees- trees that Raijin's species imitated very, very well. Wandering into a sparking, blackened forest would likely end in disaster.

If a Celesteela, codename UB04A, flew overhead, it could likely be assumed that it was a faction guard doing surveillance on the land down below. Their Steel typing prevented them from being poisoned by Void alone, but with Salem in the picture, the power boost afforded to Void and her host made poisoning them a trivial matter. They were far from the best attackers and not the best of defenders, but there was hardly a blindspot to take them down from which made them formidable in their own right. If what looked like a bamboo shoot seemed to be growing in an odd place, it was probably a Celesteela, and avoiding them was best.

While tiny and appearing to be fragile, UB04B, Kartana, was dangerous to merely brush up against. Their Steel-type status made them difficult to subdue at first too, but like the rest, Void eventually took control of them as well. There was hardly a thing they couldn't slash down, be it steel buildings, forests, or even other Beasts if one got too close. It wasn't uncommon to see them with red-stained blades, for the paper-like material forming their appendages didn't turn loose of stains very well.

Even if Void didn't particularly care for the Guzzlord species, codenamed UB05, she made use of them too. They were absolutely to be avoided at all costs, for their voracious appetite for literally anything meant that whatever didn't run the other way would likely never be seen again. If a location, such as the remains of a human village, needed to simply disappear, the Guzzlords would take care of it, and whatever had formerly stood where they tread would be reduced to rubble no later than the end of the day. Void had to give them particular attention on more than one occasion to prevent them from ruining faction territory with their tendencies.

Poipole, UB06, wasn't of much interest until it evolved into Naganadel, UB07. At first, they had been troublesome not only because their Poison typing prevented Void from controlling them, but also because a fair number were companions to the humans that Void targeted and fought back where their non-Beast friends could not. Nonetheless, with Salem's mind-warping intervention, they too fell and became a feared attacking presence, the number of their human companions quickly taking a nosedive as a result.

If a stray stone wall ever appeared somewhere in Ultra Space, it was likely UB08A, Stakataka. Like Kartana and Celesteela, their Steel-type attributes made them difficult at first, but it was taken care of with Salem's arrival. They could brush off physical hits with ease, and more often than not, if dealing with a strong foe, would function as (much welcomed) shields for the frailer faction members. Their myriad of eyes across all of their individual components made them virtually impossible to take by surprise. As Void was physically fragile, there was usually quite a few of them in her general vicinity to cover for her weakness if a foe attacked.

Blacephalon, UB08B, seemed to be whimsical and jolly to outsiders, but this was but a ploy. Once close enough, their own heads would explode- no permanent harm done to the Blacephalon, to be sure- to cause massive damage to anyone in the blast radius. While not the strongest, their attacks were anything but weak, and being caught off guard by their playful mannerisms and happy gestures was a surefire way to be utterly crushed. It was a tactic that plenty of dissenters had been done in by.

Then there were Cosmog and Cosmoem, two pathetic creatures that Void didn't even bother to give any form of identification or send out with other faction members. Even a Magikarp had some capability for defending itself, but these two species… not so much. Their battle capabilities were non-existent, thus their only use was to open wormholes for travel between Ultra Space and other worlds. Perhaps they would have had a saving grace in that they could eventually evolve into members of the Light Trio, be it Solgaleo or Lunala, but putting in the effort to get them to that point was simply too time-consuming and tedious, thus Void opted not to with the terrifying force of her other Beast underlings already accomplishing her goals flawlessly. They were rare, therefore every single one obtained was kept locked up at Void's discretion, brought free only to serve their only purpose. Poisoned underlings lacked the awareness or capability to protest their subjugation, and while these were no different… truly, they lead a miserable existence. Their days were spent either being locked away from any friendly interaction or being weak and pained from opening wormholes with no signs of it ever changing. Yet, pathetic as they were, Void was sure to never turn loose of one and was ecstatic when a new one was claimed by her underlings (perhaps since the possibility of it ever being able to evolve into a Solgaleo or Lunala were dashed as a result, and thus Necrozma's chances of ever getting formidable outside help dwindled even more).

No, if Void was going to get her hands on a Solgaleo or Lunala, it was the two in the Light Trio that she had her (seemingly non-existent) eyes on. Rarely was Necrozma not seen in either the Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings form, occasionally the Ultra form, fused with one of them and their light filling Ultra Space. All three of them were formidable in their own right, but Ultra Necrozma put every other creature in Ultra Space to shame with their power. Their light burned through anything, even the very sky it shone in, and aside from the benefits of her human-turned-Pokémon host, Void sought Necrozma's wild force. Salem's presence brought her dangerously close to obtaining it.

Adnea scribbled every single thing worth noting down, and Rush nodded as Raijin told them, seeming to scrutinize the details of every Beast described as if already formulating a strategy on how to beat them.

"I-it's not often that you see a Beast running around alone, either," Raijin noted, touching his fingers together again. "Void always forms teams to cover our collective weaknesses, since a lot of Beasts are specialized for one thing in particular- like me being a special attacker and, say, a Pheromosa attacking but not defending. You'll usually see things like a Buzzwole and Nihilego covering each other, or a Stakataka and Kartana, and so on… Point is, it's hard to take faction groups down."

Rush nodded. "Oh, I get that," he brushed it off. "That's why me and Rozen run together all the time. I attack, he defends, and everyone's happy."

"I take it this tyrant is clearly no fool," Adnea remarked, her pen stopping for a moment. "If Salem has trusted underlings like Zariel and Azure, would I be correct in assuming Void has her own also?"

"She does," the Xurkitree answered, shrinking up a bit again. "She has three, and obviously Salem is one of them. The other two are Remi the Pheromosa, UB02B-0001, and Knox the Stakataka, UB08A-2301. Remi was Void's first primary host before Salem from back when the takeover started… and they're scary. They're the only one audacious enough to give Salem snark, even if they know Salem outclasses them, and they're easily the most fanatical of the faction. They react violently to being criticized or touched, so really, you just don't want to tangle with them. Knox is their partner and Void's bodyguard, so if anyone tries to attack, Void hides inside of Knox's walls while Remi takes care of the threat. You'll never see Void without one of those three close by."

Adnea's pen scrawled that down too. "Is there anything else you should share?"

Raijin shook his head. "… I don't think so."

"Lovely," the Orbeetle said, her book snapping shut and floating to put itself away on a shelf. "Do tell me if anything else comes up."

The Xurkitree nodded. "I-I will."

Rush snickered, jumping up and stretching his arms a bit with a smirk while eyeing Astrid and Arashi. "Well, we got that out of the way, and hot damn, y'all little pipsqueaks really are somethin' else."

Astrid fluffed out a bit, while her partner got another twinkle to his eye (probably still trying to contain himself). The Scrafty strode over, studying all three of them with a grin on his face.

"Heh, maybe I shouldn't be callin' ya little pipsqueaks, since one of you clearly ain't and you and you can handle yourselves fine," Rush remarked, looking to Raijin, then Astrid, then Arashi. "Let me ask y'all somethin'. Y'all can still be the Starstorm brigade and all, but… whatcha say about joining the Coalition? I said I'd make a spot for 'Mon- or I guess 'Mon and Beasts- like y'all any day, and I meant that."

That… came completely out of left field from what Astrid was expecting. Her eyes went wide, and she blinked a few times in stupor, her partner doing the same (albeit with a few gasping sounds). Raijin appeared to have the same reaction, but obviously, it wasn't displayed the same way.

However, just as fast, the Frogadier fainted again.

"Arashi!" Raijin cried in alarm, twitching before reaching down and trying to rouse him. "Are you okay?! Why do you keep fainting?! You didn't get hurt that bad, did you?! Oh, by Necrozma!"

Rush studied him too, caught a bit off guard but not seeming to mind too much. Adnea chuckled, rolling her eyes and going right back to combing through her documents.

"H-he's fine, Raijin," the Dartrix said to her comrade, then to Rush, "H-he's a… r-really big fan, he just… didn't want to look like an obsessed fanboy."

The Scrafty crossed his arms, smirking and snickering. "Somehow, I figured."

"W-we'd love to, by the way," Astrid affirmed, still looking to Rush but giving her partner a nudge.

It seemed Arashi's excitement had done him in temporarily, for he wasn't budging. Rajin's hand (very) gently sparked, but the Frogadier wasn't coming to. Astrid sighed haplessly, shaking her head.

Nonetheless, Rush wasn't fazed. "Then I'ma go holler at Rozen to show y'all around town. We'll get ya a place set up in the meantime."

Astrid nodded. "Th-thank you."

Astrid and Raijin finally managed to prod Arashi awake again after a minute or two, and when they told him what had happened, he almost fainted again, but Astrid giving him a swift knock with one wing kept him from it. He tried to assert, yet again, that it was the best day ever, but the Dartrix shoved her wing in front of his mouth to shut him up before the words could audibly leave. Adnea chuckled, her back still turned to them.

Nonetheless, shortly they were off again through the busy streets, the soft pink second-in-command in front.

"This is quite the occasion," Rozen mused nonchalantly. "The last time we had a new member was Cinder, six years ago, and before that was Lazuli, two years prior to Cinder… But to think we went from six to nine in a single day. My, this is special."

Arashi giggled. "Is that why she was so happy?"

"Oh, of course, she quite likes meeting new individuals," the Audino replied, then waving at a few buildings with signs out front, "You'll find a lot of teams with headquarters here. The dungeons around these parts tend to get lots of traffic, so this town makes it rather convenient to reach them."

What Rush had said about not caring for fanciful appearances was true, for almost all of the bases were decked out with ornamentation akin to what their signs said. 'The GNARLIEST Brigade!' had spikes and a spiked metal gate for a door, the rest of the base painted in dark red and black. 'Team Sweetheart' was covered in pink and looked like a cutesy castle, a bed of pink roses growing out front with little white bows tied around the stems.

"Wooow, some of these are pretty well-known, too," Arashi noted, looking around in awe.

"Indeed," Rozen affirmed, then motioning to the dark and spiked base, "That's the Gnarly Brigade, lead by Shar the Garchomp. She wrecks just about any foe that isn't a Fairy-type with her Outrage." He motioned to the pink one next. "And that's Team Sweetheart. Their leader, Ama the Blissey, is ordinarily a very kind and loving creature that's happy to share her eggs, but she packs Counter to deal with anyone who tries to take advantage of the Happiny line's physical frailty."

That sounded like a definite way to lose a battle- having one's attack returned at twice the power it had hit with, especially on a Blissey. An Outraging Garchomp seemed like a terrible sight to behold, too.

"You'll find some others too," Rozen continued, traipsing along with delicate steps. "Team Charade is based here too, lead by Xeno the Ditto. He changes his form into whatever will give him an advantage, but alas, he always has the face of a Ditto. Delphi, whom you met earlier, is part of Team Mirage. Their most powerful fighter, Spirit the Dragapult, is quite fearsome, and their rogue, Joker the Unfezant, is a Shiny variant."

The Starstorm trio perked up at that.

"Really?!" Arashi cried excitedly, "That's super rare!"

"The odds of that are… tiny, right?" Raijin was likewise surprised.

"Oh, the odds absolutely are tiny- someplace between one-in-four to eight thousand," Rozen replied.

Some very tiny odds, to be sure. They followed Rozen up a staircase carved into the craggy surroundings, on the sides of which a Jigglypuff and Mienfoo chattered happily to each other.

"And up here you'll find Pelipper Post Office," the Audino noted.

It didn't take long to pick it out, for the place bore the likeness of a Pelipper with almost uncanny accuracy. Much like the post office back home, this one appeared to be carved out of a vastly wide, hollow tree trunk with an open top and a few shoots growing here and there. The largest part of the trunk was yellow and shaped like a Pelipper's bill, propped open at the top by a log holding the roof up at an angle, while the much smaller back portion was white with a window where the 'eye' would be and a bed of leaves covering the top. One of the eponymous avians fluttered out and off to someplace in the distance, its bill full of letters.

"You can send whatever mail you may need to here," Rozen noted, motioning at it. "Do keep in mind, however, that some hours tend to be busier than others. If you come in the evening, you may be stuck waiting for quite some time. It's best to take care of things in the morning before everyone leaves for the day's missions."

They made note of it.

"I gotta send Mom and Dad a letter," Arashi mused thoughtfully. "They're probably really worried about us…"

"That would certainly be a fine idea," Rozen concurred, giving the Frogadier a gentle pat.

Astrid had to agree, too- there had been quite an uproar the first time she and Arashi had set foot in a dungeon, thus with everyone knowing exactly who was on their trail this time, there was likely quite a bit of frantic feelings to go around. She hoped they were alright; everyone had been so nice and helpful to her lost, amnesiac self, and definitely didn't deserve whatever hell the wild-eyed Delphox may have wrought…

Not too far away down the street, though, was a familiar sight- a shop run by two Kecleons, albeit a much fancier-looking one than in Tranquil Town. Rather than just a tent, this one was far larger and elaborate, the shop made up of a dome structure bearing the likeness of a Kecleon, or rather, two Kecleons in one, for one half was green and the other purple. A tablecloth with a red zigzag along the center, green on the top half and purple on the bottom, ran across the countertop, at which several customers went about procuring their items and the Kecleons carried on in their singing voices.

"I suppose you're familiar with the Kecleon Shop," Rozen mused, motioning at the shop.

"Hah! They're everywhere; of course we are!" Arashi laughed.

"Is that where you buy new items…?" Raijin inquired, studying it. "I've never been to one…"

"That's right," said the Audino. "You can occasionally find them set up in dungeons as well. I should also issue the standard warning if you're unfamiliar- never steal from Kecleon. Only a low-down no-good thief would attempt such, but even so… you'll find yourself regretting the day you came into existence if you try."

Raijin twitched, and Astrid fluffed out in uncertainty even if the warning was nothing new to her.

"W-why is that?" the Xurkitree inquired, looking hesitant. "N-not that I would ever want to! I-I'm just curious!"

Rozen chuckled. "There are only three infinite things in this world- the universe, the boundaries of brilliant minds, and angry Kecelons. Even then, I'm not sure about the first two. But, that being said, while Kecleon may not look it, that species is easily among the most fearsome of creatures in this world if you are brazen enough to steal from them. You would not want to face down an endless horde of legendaries, and likewise, you would not want to face down an endless horde of Kecleons, which is exactly what would happen."

Astrid blinked a few times, and Raijin touched his fingers together in hesitance.

"... So that's what happens…?" Astrid inquired, studying the smiling reptilians behind the counter.

"Ah… D-duly noted…" Raijin's voice trailed off.

Rozen chuckled again, warmly smiling in amusement. "Oh, rest easy, you two.~ You all are better than that, I can tell."

Even if they weren't, the foreboding tales were enough to keep anyone away.

"C'mon, now, I've still more to show you," the Audino mused, motioning them to follow along again back the way they'd come.

They did so, brushing past a Jumpluff and Lairon that scurried over to the Kecleons' counter. The Girafarig and Zoroark from earlier had apparently returned, the latter of which was telling off a flustered-looking Zorua who kicked up a fuss. Astrid couldn't help but feel just a bit overwhelmed with how bustling everything was, and thus stuck close to Rozen and Arashi to shield herself away from all the hubbub. Raijin stayed close too, arms and tail drawn in close so as to be a small as possible (but alas, it didn't work very well).

On another street was a small and rather unassuming blue tent, the top pointed but the rest rectangular, with strings of beads forming the doorway. It had a somewhat mystical air to it nonetheless, as if somehow it wasn't quite real, and it seemed to gently beckon in passersby. Rozen stopped in front of it, and they couldn't help but study it.

"This is Soul Aria," Rozen pointed out, motioning to it. "Delphi does psychic readings here. If you're afraid your next venture might be a perilous, unlucky one, or you simply wish to see your future in another regard, you can consult her. She's rather skilled with her cards."

That seemed rather useful in its own right. Astrid certainly wouldn't be forgetting it, and her comrades already seemed somewhat entranced.

Nonetheless, Rozen beckoned them off again. "And I suppose there is one more place I should show you."

Once again, they followed.

The place Rozen stopped at had a sign out front reading 'Grumpy's Lounge' in very crisp yet fanciful text, but clearly, it wasn't a team base. It looked much like an old wooden lodge, a cozy and welcoming one at that, but from the windows and sounds coming from within, it was clearly rather boisterous inside. A nice smell wafted through the air too, which they didn't even have to be close to in order to pick up on. The black roof resembled a bridge, and indeed, a street passing up on a higher ground level above could use it as one. Still, the black-rimmed windows had little boxes of pink and purple posies underneath them, and similarly, a bed of the same posies surrounded the perimeter.

Rozen broke into a grin on nearing it. "This here is Grumpy's Lounge, run by Grandpa Grumpy the Grimmsnarl. His actual name is Samson in case you were wondering, but he's such a fun old chap that everyone calls him Grandpa. You can stop here after a long day of expeditioning to enjoy some great food or a mug of berry beer- provided you are responsible about it!- and unwind. It's become something of a hub around these parts; almost every team frequents it at some point or another. Personally I recommend the Mago and Pamtre tart above everything else, and if you ask Rush, he'll claim that my cooking is the best he's had… but of course, both of those things are subjective."

Somehow, Astrid didn't feel that she was quite old enough to be enjoying any berry beer, but kept that thought to herself since Rozen and Arashi didn't seem to be thinking much of it. Raijin, of course, didn't have much of an opinion one way or another, since he lacked the means to drink such in the first place.

"And that's all that you should be aware of," the Audino noted, turning back to face them. "Have you any questions?"

The three of them shook their heads.

"Lovely. Then we should be back to HQ for the time being."

Three nods answered, and again they were following the Audino back to their new base.

Astrid cast a glance to Arashi, who returned her gaze with bubbly, excited eyes, the Frogadier clearly still thrilled at their new status quo.

Of course, she would not be calling it 'the best day ever,' but at the very least, their turn of events seemed as favorable as near-death and interdimensional warring could get.


Author's note: Another mention goes to my friend and editor TheDragonSaver, who owns Delphi and Team Mirage.