Even if it felt nice, something didn't feel… quite right.

Rush's eyes shot open the second he had the agency to move his eyelids again, and instantly he could tell he wasn't where he had been aiming for. He was still sprawled on the floor, but instead of grassy dirt, it was something soft and fuzzy. It wasn't a room indicative of any house on Rugged Slope either, so that wasn't where he was… but whoever the pale green walls and gentle off-white ceiling belonged to, he had no idea. Whoever had placed the warm yellow blanket underneath him, he had no idea, and whoever's faint humming it was he heard in another room through a small hallway, he had no idea.

Whatever damage he had taken, and whatever poison had seeped into him, he didn't feel it. He felt perfectly rejuvenated, like nothing had ever been wrong. A very pleasant smell wafted through the air, easily the most attractive scent he'd ever stumbled upon, and he wondered what it was… but much more so, he wanted to know where he was and who had put him there.

Wherever this place was, it was cozy- a little sofa in the corner seemed to be made out of Wooloo wool and Altaria fluff, and pleasant paintings of lovely canyons and beautiful beaches decorated the walls. Out of a window in the room's back, there appeared to be a garden with several small berry bushes, a larger chestnut tree, and one lone pot of red and yellow posies that looked rather well cared for. Rush considered jumping out of it for it a moment, but no, the wooden slats were too close together for that to be an easy feat. Very carefully, trying not to make a sound, he picked himself up off of the blanket and crept over to the hallway, ducking out of sight as best he could.

"Ho-hum… hm hm hmmmm…~"

The source of the humming quickly became apparent when he peeked out and saw another figure, an Audino, slicing up a Figy berry that he then scraped into a simmering pot on a stove in a tiny kitchen on the other side of the little cottage. Clearly, it wasn't a big house, for besides the room Rush found himself in, the kitchen, and the parlor between the two rooms, there hardly appeared to be anything else save for the garden out the back door. Rush considered making a mad dash for the back door too, but as soon as the thought crossed his head, the Audino turned in his direction, reaching for some utensil hanging on the wall or so it seemed, and Rush ducked back out of sight.

"… Hm?"

It was easy to tell from the sound that it was an inquisitive 'hm,' and not a humming one. Rush cursed a bit under his breath, instinctively balling one fist up. Some pitter-pattering footsteps grew closer, and moments later, the fluffy pink figure traipsed into the room with curiously concerned eyes as he studied the empty blanket lying on the floor. Rush stayed pressed against the wall, completely unsure of what to do, but when the Audino turned around and gave a startled jolt upon seeing him, the Scrafty drew his fist back.

"Wha-!"

"Who the fuck are you?!"

The Audino scurried back, wide-eyed and throwing up a Reflect, and while Rush didn't attack, he certainly looked like he was ready to. The Scrafty knew that a single Brick Break would be enough to shatter any screen that could possibly come into play, but he hesitated to use it. Maybe it was the coziness of the surroundings or the genuine fright in the Audino's eyes, but something told him that there was no need to start swinging at the other figure.

"… Rozen," the Audino answered meekly, still backing away with careful, small steps. "And you?"

Rush's scrutinized the one in front of him, but he still replied, "… Rush."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're awake, Rush," Rozen said, nonchalant but with a hint of hesitance. "Something terrible must've happened to put you in a state like this. Don't fret, I mean no harm, but I am curious as to why you're making threatening gestures like that."

The Scrafty started to ease up a bit simply at the words leaving Rozen's mouth, but he still kept one fist curled up. "… Tell me what you know."

Rozen tilted his head to the side. "About what?"

"… Rugged Slope," Rush answered, still eyeing him. "Does the name 'Swaggy' or 'Nifty' mean anything to you?"

"No, should they?"

Rush eased up some more, but not quite all the way. He let out a heavy sigh. "… I guess not. You ain't part of the Scraggy line and you ain't from there."

The Audino chuckled. "Well, that is obvious," he remarked with a smile. "Say, Rush, can you unfurl that fist? I healed you, and you're acting like you want to use me as a punching bag. I assure you, it isn't necessary."

Rush thought for a moment, not really wanting to, but the way the feeler-eared figure in front of him was acting so gentle and nonchalant was catching him completely off-guard. There was no aggression, no malevolent mischief, no flippancy… nothing. He had no idea what to take Rozen for, but if there was a reason for attacking, it wasn't presenting itself.

… Rush's fist unfurled, albeit still while he wore a pointedly uncertain expression. "You… You did what?"

"Oh, I'm sure you heard me fine," Rozen chuckled, his Reflect fading. "I was out to run an errand or two and I saw you limp in the middle of the grass. You looked rather beat up and I was concerned, so I took you back here, to my house in Green Overpass, just to be sure the surroundings were safe. Besides, I had passed a group of Scrafties and Scraggies giving a profanity-laced rant about something awful that happened back at Rugged Slope, so I figured it probably wasn't safe for you to return there anyhow, assuming that is where you live."

Everything leaving the Audino's mouth may as well have been gibberish, for Rush wasn't making sense of any of it. He blinked a few times in utter stupor. "So you're tellin' me… You healed me? And you were worried about me?"

Rozen giggled, giving him a funny look. "Yes and yes," was the easy answer. "Was that a mistake? Should I not have interfered?"

Again Rush blinked, for truly, he had no idea what to say.

"… Oh, never mind," the Audino nonchalantly brushed it off, taking a few steps closer. "I've been preparing a pot of stew; perhaps you'd rather have lunch first? Besides, I was attempting to mend that book you were carrying while I've been cooking- the cover was about to fall off and lots of pages were barely hanging on. It looked fairly important and I didn't want you to lose it."

Still more blinking.

Rozen playfully rolled his eyes, taking a few more steps closer. "Now, I'm no mind-reader, so I'm not sure what that silence is supposed to mean," he chuckled. He reached one hand out to grab Rush's. "Come on, let's-"

And all at once, Rozen was pulling back and putting up another Reflect when Rush instinctively balled his fist up again and drew it back, but at the same time, the Audino's concerned countenance made him pause.

Rozen shrank up a bit, eyeing the Scrafty in caution again. "Dear, are you alright? What's made you so jumpy?"

And again, Rush was standing down. "… You're not tryin' to beat me up when ya reach like that, are ya?" he asked uncertainly, eyes narrowed but voice sounding almost hesitant. "… I can't tell what it means comin' from you."

The Audino seemed to pick up on something as soon as the words left. "Oh, dear, no," he quickly replied, countenance flickering as his Reflect dropped. Still, with a hapless chuckle, he added, "The only Pokémon I could beat up are extremely small children, but it takes a special sort of evil to do that and as far as I know, I'm not pure evil."

It was Rush's turn to get a funny look. "A'ight, what the hell kind of game are ya playin'?" he exclaimed, unable to keep his confused frustration back. "I've been getting my ass kicked for as long as I can remember! And you're actin' all nice and sweet and cute and shit, and…! Just what the fuck is goin' on here?! You ain't actually tellin' me you're all concerned for my well-being, are you?!"

Rozen took his turn blinking as well, before his smile spread and he went chuckling again. "Oh my, that explains quite a lot," he noted nonchalantly, coming closer again. "That is what I'm telling you, Rush. You've got nothing to worry about."

Back to blinking Rush went, but rather than grabbing the Scrafty's hand again, Rozen merely motioned him along as he strode out of the room. Rush followed, albeit while still keeping his guard up.

"A'ight, Pinky, then I gotta tell ya something," Rush said, eyeing the Audino.

Rozen paused in the middle of the parlor, still smiling. "What is it?"

"Put another Reflect up, will ya?"

Rozen did so. It wasn't a serious attack by any means, but the way the shield shattered when Rush hit it with a Brick Break got the point across fine. The pink and fluffy one still looked friendly and warm, but he too eyed his company in turn.

Rush relaxed his fist again. "… Now ya know. I got an attack that gets rid of screens. That's just to say… I could still beat the everlovin' hell out of you if you try anything. I… I don't really want to, though. I'm just sayin'."

Rozen softened up again, not bothered still. "Well, I appreciate the honesty," he acknowledged, then getting a bit of a smirk himself, "But what was it you called me? 'Pinky?' I do believe I said my name was Rozen and not Pinky, but I'm glad to see I have nothing to worry about regarding your ability to perceive colors."

With another giggle, Rozen was strolling into the kitchen, and Rush was blinking again for a second before darting after him. He still wasn't sure what to make of the Audino, but… he wanted to stick close.

Sure enough, his notebook was sitting on the kitchen table, the pages as frayed as they'd ever been, but a few rips and tears had been taped back together and an obviously new thread run through the bindings to make them more secure. Instantly Rush ran over to it, swooping it up and flipping through to make sure everything was there. All of it was intact, which he was relieved to see after having it grabbed and snatched so many times.

"What is that, might I ask?" Rozen piped up, retrieving two bowls out of a cabinet. "I didn't go snooping through your documents, but I noticed maps of the area and dungeon names. Are you an expeditioner, by chance?"

"… Well, I guess technically," Rush replied, studying the fixings Rozen had put on it. "I… spend a lot of time in dungeons. Those dungeon-dwellers are the most vicious wild 'Mon out there, and ya gotta be ready for 'em when ya walk into their territory."

"Oh? You don't have a team?" Rozen inquired next, looking fairly surprised as he retrieved a ladle from a hook on the wall. "I would've sworn you did from seeing it."

A sardonic laugh of disbelief escaped the Scrafty's mouth as he stowed the book in his hood. "Heh! A team! Oh, that's real funny!"

Again Rozen looked surprised, narrowing his eyes in playful inquisition as he dipped out two delicious-smelling bowls. "And why is that?"

Rush rolled his eyes. "Pffft, Rozen, that's a story ya might not wanna hear."

"But I do," was the easy response as the Audino traipsed over to the table and set the bowls down. "And I've got plenty of time if that's your concern. You've got me rather curious."

"Well, yeah, but… That ain't really what I meant," Rush's voice trailed off, a slightly awkward look crossing his face.

"Oh?" Rozen inquired as he fetched two spoons from a drawer. "Do you mean it's… unpleasant?"

A little laugh followed. "… Ya might call it that."

Rozen chuckled, traipsing back to the table and placing the spoons in the bowls. "Don't worry. I'm a healer, after all- that entails dealing with unpleasant things." He sat down and motioned for Rush to do the same. "Sit down. Eat something."

As if being pushed by some mystical, untouchable power, Rush did so, and dutifully took a spoonful. Immediately, his face lit up. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, eyes going huge. "Rozen! This is amazing!"

The Audino chuckled. "Well, I'm glad you think so.~ Now tell me, just what has befallen you?"

Yet again, Rush did as the feeler-eared one asked, all while happily downing every last bit of stew he could get (the eagerness with which he did so leaving Rozen rather amused). Oddly enough, the Audino seemed rather engrossed in his tale, eyes practically staring straight through him as he related it. The genuine concern in Rozen's countenance was still something Rush couldn't place, but the encouraging interjections of 'Yes, tell me' and 'Oh my, is that so?' goaded him on for quite some time.


Rozen chuckled, finishing off his own mug. "I can confidently say, of all the Pokémon I had healed before that point, none had a reaction like that," he jested. "Most of the time it was a soft 'Where am I?' or them asking if everything was alright, not… whatever that was. But, then again, I had never met someone like Rush before, either."

The Scrafty snickered. "Of course not! There's only one Rush! And I'd sure never met someone like Rozen!"

The both of them were laughing shortly.

Astrid couldn't help but haplessly relate- her own meetings with her comrades had likewise involved a great deal of hesitance and disbelief, albeit for completely different reasons. That seemed ironically fitting- the best friendships were apparently formed from terrible things happening.

Still, both she and her comrades were definitely paying attention.


Rozen was both fascinated and concerned as the Scrafty carried on, and by the time he was done telling his entire tale, from the baggier Scraggies mocking his existence to him beating the daylights out of the ringleaders, the Audino's eyes were wide open. The pot of stew was gone, too- apparently Rush had no issue gulping down Rozen's delicious cooking, and Rozen himself didn't mind.

"… So that's what it's like," Rush remarked, sticking his arms behind his head and rolling his eyes. "Tell me somethin', Rozen- you're lookin' all freaked out over there. You think I'm a fuckin' degenerate?"

Rozen shook his head. "I don't," he gently answered. "Truly, I don't- your reaction is understandable."

Rush looked a bit surprised. "Really…?"

"Really, dear. And I can't possibly let you return out into the world alone in a situation like that. I'd feel absolutely awful."

The Scrafty gave him a funny look, not sure at all of what he meant. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

Rozen chuckled. "That means you're staying with me," he replied. "When your only other options are between the dungeons or Rugged Slope, the latter of which holds all of your enemies, I couldn't possibly turn you loose so soon. I suppose you could also run to a distant town if you were inclined… but who wants to do that when that's avoidable?"

More funny looks followed, all while Rush was utterly silent.

Rozen smiled, a slightly funny look on his face too. "Look, we've already established something. I healed you, so if I had any intentions of hurting you, I would've done so while you were fainted. My only methods of defending myself are Reflect and Light Screen, both of which you can break. You've got nothing to be afraid of."

Rush considered it, softening up again. Type advantages were in his favor, to be sure, and if Rozen wasn't carrying any damaging attacks like he seemed to imply, then indeed, the Audino himself posed no threat. Still, as hesitant as the Scrafty was to believe Rozen, the feeler-eared one was blatantly different than anyone he'd interacted with in Rugged Slope, and that couldn't be ignored.

"I won't force you- I can't, after all- but I think this is the better option," the Audino gently said. "Constantly being alone, literally or figuratively, must be tiring."

Rush sighed, his gaze travelling off to the side. "… You ain't wrong."

Another chuckle from the Audino followed. "Then that's settled," he amiably declared. He got a more inquisitive look on his face moments later, following Rush's aimless gaze with his own eyes. "But… if you were seriously considering taking to the dungeons… you must be very strong."

"Pffft," Rush scoffed. "I have to be. Ya get your ass kicked as much as me and ya gotta learn to hold your own even if there ain't anyone to help ya. The dungeons ain't any different than what I'm used to- ya can't trust any of the 'Mon in there and ya wind up exchanging blows pretty damn quick. It ain't nothin'."

"I suppose I could see how that would be the case," Rozen softly mused. "That's certainly something I could never do alone. I'm terrible at battling."

At that, it was Rush's turn to perk up. "Then how the hell have ya ever gotten through life, huh? I mean, there's wild Fearows and shit out there in the cliffs too- ya ain't ever had one swoop on you? 'Cause I've heard of plenty of folks that've had that happen."

"I put up a screen and run," Rozen laughed. "Yes, I tried using a Disarming Voice or a Zen Headbutt when I was younger, but it was like a Sunkern trying to Tackle an Aggron. I'm terrible."

"The hell kind of a moveset do you use, then?"

"Oh, I make do with Reflect, Light Screen, Heal Pulse, and Helping Hand. I figured I shouldn't try to be something I'm not."

The Scrafty couldn't help but snicker. "Hot damn, I guess you are useless on your own, ehehe!"

Rozen got a bit of an amused look himself. "I will not deny that, Rush.~ What about you?"

"Brick Break, Throat Chop, Poison Jab, and Façade. I like keepin' my bases covered."

"I suppose you would," Rozen noted. "You want to be an expeditioner, yes? That sounds like something that one would say."

"The gods know I try my damnedest," Rush laughed. "I'm so fed up with bullshit, y'know? Those asshats in Rugged Slope only give a damn about the ones they think are cool, and if that ain't you, then you can just go get fucked for all they care- and I would know. So I wanna make my own team that ain't like that. I never had anyone to help or protect me, but I can sure help and protect anyone else that needs it. And I don't give a shit if I think they're cool or not- all Pokémon deserve the same basic respect until they give ya a good reason to revoke it. At least, that's how it is if ya ask me."

Rozen nodded, taking it in. "Oh, I very much agree," he replied. "I'd be lying if I said the thought didn't appeal to me as well, but what can I say, it just seems the expeditioner life isn't for me. Besides, I'm content as I am now- the village folk here quite like having a cleric around if anyone is grievously injured, and I'm happy to assist."

However, by the way his eyes lit up, the Scrafty was getting an idea, and he studied Rozen again for a moment. "… Hey," he said pointedly but somewhat soft. "Maybe we could go together sometime. You can leave all the fighting to me- that's what I'm good at. I'd sure love havin' someone like you around to cover my ass if I get slammed through a wall or somethin'."

Rozen's eyes too started to light up. "… Perhaps," he affirmed.


"See?!" Rush laughed, patting Rozen on the back (with a bit more force than the Audino might've liked, likely due to the tipsiness). "The hell would we ever do without Rozen?! He might be useless for battling, but he sure as hell ain't useless!"

"Oh, of course not!" Lazuli laughed. "We need our cleric!"

"Millicent can't hit anything to save her life either, but we all need her too!" Chira agreed. "Love comes in many different forms, and Pokémon are no different!"

Astrid had to agree. The ones not directly attacking in their last mission still had probably the most sway on how the tides turned of anyone else. Without Rozen's shields, fighting Team Sweetheart likely would've been much harder, and Adnea had obviously targeted Millicent first for a reason.

"So I ended up stayin' in Green Overpass for a while with Rozen, and it was honestly great!" Rush exclaimed with a laugh. "Everyone was so damned nice! There was Betty and Travis next door, this cutesy-ass Miltank that would share huge bottles of her milk with everyone in town and her Tauros mate that was totally alright with givin' you a ride if ya needed one, and their li'l kid was a Shiny variant! Then there was Old Man Maverick the Braviary that lived in a big tree not too far away that'd tell stories for hours and all the li'l kids loved him! There were a handful of expeditioners too, but… I didn't really feel like askin' to join their teams, 'cause that'd just feel like the easy path, and I wanted to make sure all my teammates were on the same page as me anyway. That's somethin' I wasn't gonna risk."

Rozen chuckled. "Oh, the townsfolk liked Rush too- they were quite curious where my new friend had come from," he noted with an amused grin. "Of course, I didn't tell them the actual story, but they got the idea rather well when I said he'd been hurt by his previous community and was staying with me for a while."

The Scrafty laughed. "As much fun as it would've been to brag about Nifty and Swaggy, Rozen said that was a bad idea, ehehe!"

"It was for your own good," the Audino said, giving him a playful nudge.

"Heh, you're probably right," Rush playfully conceded. "But anyways! I didn't go dungeon-crawling for at least a week, maybe two- I don't fuckin' know exactly- 'cause I was stickin' close to Rozen and tryin' to figure out how society actually works when you ain't at the bottom of some fuckin' contrived ladder. But we got to see how well we worked together preeeeetty soon, ehehe!"


It was nearing the end of another peaceful day, the sky starting to turn shades of pink and orange with the sun setting in the distance. The berry bushes in the garden started looking a bit barer once the fruits ripened, and both the Scrafty and Audino carefully picked them off and piled them in a basket.

"Ya got so many," Rush snickered. "You must love these damned bushes, ehehe!"

"Well, why do you think my food tastes so good?" Rozen chuckled. "Everything I grow myself, I grow with care."

The Scrafty laughed again, plucking down a Kelpsy berry and throwing it into the basket.

However, something else immediately caught their attention when a dismayed cry came from out front along with a frantic stomping of hooves. It was hardly a second later before Rush was darting through the back door and out the front door, and Rozen was quick to follow suit.

A certain Miltank looked distraught while a Midnight Lycanroc tried to comfort her to little avail while looking uncertain himself.

"She won't be down there forever, Betty, I'm sure," the Lycanroc said.

"No, but the fact that she's there is bad enough!" the Miltank protested, getting misty eyes. "I'm glad her friends told me, at least, but there's no telling how badly she's hurt!"

Rush darted over, Rozen close behind. "What's wrong?" the Scrafty asked quickly. "Who's hurt?"

"My little Belle!" the Miltank answered, turning to the two new figures. "She's at the bottom of a crevice! Her friends told me they were out playing to the north, but the thing is, there's a Honchkrow nest over there, and you know how the Murkrow line is about shiny objects! They must've seen her fur and thought they could carry her off, but when she was trying to get rid of them, she fell over a steep edge! Her friends say she can't move and she's down there crying with a bunch of Murkrows swarming her!"

The Scrafty and Audino alike both had wide eyes soon, and Betty burst into tears while the Lycanroc still patted her back to little effect.

"I don't know what to do!" the Miltank cried. "I'm not good at scaling steep slopes like that, Travis is even worse at it than me, Vina's team hasn't come back yet, and the only bird we have is Old Man Maverick, but he's too fragile to pick her up! I can't just leave her, but-!"

Rush cast a glance at Rozen, and they could both tell the other was thinking the same thing. Before Betty could even finish her sentence, Rush was sprinting off to the north, Rozen haplessly trying to keep up.

"H-hey!" Betty called. "What're you two doing?!"

"Going to get your kid back!" Rush hollered back, not stopping for a second.


"Oh, man!" Arashi exclaimed. "So that's one time being a Shiny variant would suck!"

"Exactly!" Rush laughed. "No one tell that to Team Mirage, though! Ehehe!"

Of course, the Frogadier got fanboyish sparkles in his eyes at the recollection of touching Joker's feathers, and Astrid could tell easily enough exactly what ran through her partner's mind.


Perhaps it wasn't a time when the dusky avians were most active, but their caws could definitely be heard congregating around one cliff in particular. Rozen knew exactly where to go, and Rush took note of the path they travelled, making haphazard little scribbles in his notebook on the map as they went so as not to forget it anytime soon.

"That poor dear," Rozen panted, his feet skittering as fast as they could behind Rush. "She must be so afraid… It's getting dark out and she's all alone…"

"I'll give those birds somethin' to be afraid of," Rush brushed it off.

A flutter of wings sounded from a nearby tree, and shortly thereafter, a pitch-black avian swooped down and darted straight towards them, trying to Peck the Scrafty in particular. Its beak met with a Reflect instead, and without missing a beat, Rush ducked out from behind the shield and Throat Chopped at the Murkrow, but the wild one let out a fussing squawk and retreated back to its tree limb.

"Try it again," Rush snarled at it, balling his fist up. "I dare you."

The Murkrow clearly didn't want to, for it stayed put, its shifty red eyes peering down at them. However, when it squawked a bit more, another sound left its throat that made them stop for a moment. "Don't leave me here! Mama! Daddy!"

It was a small and squeaky voice, slightly distorted by the Murkrow's imitation. Rush studied it incredulously for a moment, and Rozen got wider eyes.

"I'm scared! It hurts…!"

The Audino piped up, eyeing it with fright. "That thing is imitating Belle's voice! Scoundrel!"

Rush shook his head, shooting the Murkrow a dirty look before running off again. "Holy fuck, let's get this kid out of here before another one comes up sayin' 'I'm dying' or some shit."

It was easy enough to see where Belle was once they got closer to the crevice, for at least six Murkrows perched on the edge of the crevice with shifty eyes directed down at the bottom. Whenever the two new figures entered their vicinity, they perked up, and two of the dark avians flew at them with more caw-cawing.

"C'mere, bitches!" Rush snarled, balling one fist up and spitting acid onto it.

One's Wing Attack was cut short before it could even strike when the Scrafty Poison Jabbed it, eliciting a gurgling squawk of pain before the Murkrow was slumped unmoving on the ground. The other tried to Peck him but was blocked by a Reflect, which vanished in moments to let Rush's Throat Chop strike. Another of the black-feathered creatures looked as though it too wanted to attack, but seeing its brethren get knocked out so fast evidently made it reconsider, for it turned the other way and flew off. Its comrades followed, but a small caw-cawing sound still came from the bottom of the crevice.

"Belle, dear?!" Rozen called.

They peered over the edge, which was around a 25 meter drop, and sure enough, a little sparkling blue Miltank was at the bottom with both of her arms covering her head while three more Murkrows dug their claws into her back and flapped haplessly. She tried to swat at them, but every time she did, two others perched on rocks around her puffed up and Pecked at her. That would be unpleasant enough, but the reason she couldn't even attempt to run away was fairly obvious too- one of her bottom legs was stuck at an odd angle with an incredibly deep and bloodied gash in it, a snapped white structure visible at the center amid some pinkish broken tissue. A streak of blood colored the edge of one rock on the side of the crevice, so deducing where she'd gotten the injury from wasn't difficult.

The little Miltank whimpered, not even looking up at the source of the voice. "Mr. Rozen, is that you…?! Help me…! I can't move…!"

"Damn," Rush flatly remarked as he eyed her broken leg, mostly to himself. Then, much more loudly, he called down, "HEY! YOU BUNCH OF SHINY-NABBING BASTARDS! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

That got the Murkrows' attention, and two of them went flying up at their less vulnerable company. If even just a bit, Belle looked relieved, and tried swatting at the ones left again to no avail.

"Getting her out of there is going to be the real challenge," Rozen noted, putting up another Reflect as the Murkrows dive-bombed them.

"No, it ain't," Rush said to the contrary, ducking out just far enough to Poison Jab one. "It might take us a little while, but it'll work out."

The Audino looked over with slight incredulity as the other Murkrow went down to a Brick Break. "Oh? What are you thinking? Scaling a cliff in her condition-"

"She ain't gonna be scalin' no cliffs," Rush cut him off. "That's what we do to get down there, then I bust us a pathway back up. If I could crack an Onix, then I'm pretty damn sure I can crack a short tunnel through a canyon that'll get us back up here but goes up gradually enough for her to walk on."

The Audino blinked, but didn't protest it. Rush studied the edges of the crevice and found a ledge to jump down on, motioning Rozen to follow along. The feeler-eared one did so, and Rush reached a hand out to help keep him steady, which Rozen gladly took. Belle stayed hunkered at the bottom while the other two gradually made their way down with Rush leading the way, either crawling down to a lower ledge or jumping off to a nearby one, after which he'd reach out for Rozen to either keep him steady or catch him after a jump. The remaining Murkrows definitely took notice that two other figures were approaching, and Rozen stayed close to the crevice's wall while Rush knocked them clear out of the air when they got close from the cover of the Audino's shields.

"We're coming, Belle," Rozen called.

A pained whimper was the answer.

Still, it wasn't long before they got to the bottom.

"Thanks for that," Rozen said to the Scrafty. "I'm not sure I could've done that alone."

"Don't mention it," Rush brushed it off. "Thanks for those shields. Those damned birds didn't even touch me."

"Of course," the Audino replied.

They made their way over to Belle, who was still curled up and hesitant even without several Murkrows digging their claws into her. She looked even less stellar up-close, for several small red streaks could be seen through her blue fur that had obviously been put there by the scraping of talons. A few little trickles of blood dripped down her back from where those same talons had broken skin when the Murkrows tried to carry her off, and of course, the gaping wound in her leg couldn't be ignored.

"Belle, dear," Rozen said softly, kneeling down next to her. "It's okay. We're gonna get you home."

She whimpered a bit and peeked up, but the look on her face was obviously one of relief. She eased up much more when she felt the warm glow of a Heal Pulse, the more minor of her wounds starting to look much better in seconds.

"Daaaamn, that's gotta hurt," Rush remarked, still studying her leg.

Rozen gave him a very pointed look. "Watch your tongue. She's a child."

The Scrafty clapped both hands over his mouth, looking rather flustered in turn. "Agh! Sorry!"

The little Miltank didn't seem to mind too much, and she looked up. "I-it does…" she affirmed softly. "I thought I was gonna die…"

"Oh, that will not be happening anytime soon, dear," Rozen gently said, giving her a soft pat on the back. He looked to Rush next. "Let her wrap her arms around you for a moment."

Neither the Scrafty nor the Miltank were quite sure what Rozen was getting at, but Rush did as the Audino said and got close to the child, and she put her arms around him in a somewhat haphazard hug.

"Belle, tell me about your day," Rozen said, giving her another Heal Pulse while carefully looking over the bone jutting out from her wound.

He gently, as light as air, traced something with one finger along both sides of her leg, and Rush studied him too while he did it. The Scrafty quickly figured out exactly what Rozen was up to, and his grip tightened just a little around Belle.

"W-well, me and Nanette played this morning, and she beat me at tic-tac-toe for like, the fifth time this week…" Belle's wavering voice answered. "Then I went with Dad out to- EEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Plunk!

With one swift move, Rozen popped the bone back into place and some of Belle's broken flesh slid back into its rightful area (albeit with the obvious damage to her tissues still present), which made the little Miltank screech in discomfort and her arms clench as tightly as they could around Rush.

The Scrafty couldn't help but pity the child in her pain. "Where'd ya go with your dad?" Rush inquired, trying to keep her distracted.

"T-to pick some Perfect Apples…!" Belle replied, eyes getting misty. "He rams the tree with his head to knock them down, and I go put them in the basket…!"

"Yeah? Y'all do that often?"

"O-once a week, at least…"

"What about you and your mom? Y'all do anything together?"

"M-hm… There's a pretty flower field that… we go watch the sunrise from and… it's really nice…"

Rozen gave the Scrafty a haplessly approving look while he Heal Pulsed her some more, giving the break another careful feel, and Rush awkwardly grinned while Belle still practically tried to squeeze him to death.

"It is, yeah?" Rush pressed, still hugging her. She was certainly squirming less than she otherwise would've been without someone to grab hold of.

"M-hm… There's some wild Beautiflies and Combees out there and… one time, one of the Combees shared some honey with me…"

Rush chuckled. "Heh. Sounds like you're a happy kid."

"M-hm… E-except for right now…"

"Heh! Everyone's got a bad day, Belle- yours just happens to be a really bad day."

Rozen backed away from her and studied the injury for just another moment before piping up, "Alright, I've done what I can for now. We'll have to get her back home before I can get a proper fix on that bone, but it's back in place at least."

Rush nodded.

Belle too let out a sigh of relief, but then started looking hesitant again. "H-how are we gonna get out? I can't-"

"Don't worry about that, kiddo," Rush assuaged her. "Leave it to me."

It took an hour or two to get up with little Belle moving as slowly as she was with her injury, but indeed, the rocky wall was no match for Rush's fists, especially with Rozen lending a Helping Hand. When the Scrafty wasn't demolishing the mountain's underside, he had Belle leaning on one of his shoulders to keep weight off of her broken leg, and when he was punching holes through the terrain, Rozen gave Belle support instead while putting up a Reflect to keep the debris from hitting either one of them.

The little Miltank was certainly happy to make it back to town again, and her parents likewise were quite happy to see her in one piece. A bit of time spent at Rozen's house later, and her leg was bandaged up with a splint to speed up the healing, but the Heal Pulses already had it looking far less gnarly than it had at the bottom of the crevice. She'd be fine- it'd just be some days of not running around in the fields.

But, when all was said and done, and the sun had long since disappeared over the horizon while the Scrafty and Audino were left alone in the little green cottage…

Rozen gave Rush a slight grin. "… So what was that you'd said about dungeon-crawling together?"

Rush perked up. "You… you want to?!"

"I do," was the easy reply. "I think we go quite well together. You do the attacking, I do the defending, and it all works out lovely."

The Scrafty's grin spread.

"And if I may be so brazen…" Rozen's voice trailed off as he too got a smirk. "… Perhaps we'd make a good team together."

That was all Rush needed to hear. In moments, the Audino was surprised to find Rush's hands thrown around him in a hug, Rush wearing the biggest grin he could possibly muster.


"And that's how our team formed," Rush said with a grin, still fidgeting a bit.

Rozen chuckled. "I'm still rather surprised it was me to suggest such."

"Heh! You knew what the good life was!" Rush laughed, giving him a nudge. "Well, we got our name 'Expedition Coalition' 'cause obviously, we go on expeditions, and we're two completely different 'Mon that still fit well together! So we went off and made it official, badges and everything, and we started doin' expeditioner stuff! And hot damn, we did go good together! It was like the perfect setup!"

Astrid figured that much was obvious- their experiences with the two of them had proved such already.

Rush, though, got a shifty-eyed smirk and his eyes narrowed a bit. "But y'know who we ran into?"

Arashi grinned. "Who?!"

"Was it your enemies…?" Raijin inquired.

"Exactly!" Rush affirmed. "When ya leave someone with an ass-kicking like that, they don't forget! And I didn't want 'em to forget either, but what I didn't expect was for 'em to keep showin' up where I didn't wanna see 'em!"


Mountain Overpass 1F

Rocks, crag, sparse little grassy patches, the occasional tree sapling, and… unwanted company filled the dungeon rooms. A certain Scrafty and Audino duo looked back at two other flippant Scrafties on the other side of the room, their eyes practically glinting with mischief as always.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rush said flatly, looking tired even if he had no reason otherwise to be.

Rozen stuck close to his side, incredulously eyeing their company.

Two Scrafties smirked and snickered, giving the Coalition duo some very amused looks. Two red-colored scarves were tied around Nifty and Swaggy's necks with badges of their own bearing the name 'Team Swagger' that likewise looked fairly new and pristine. Of course, Rush and Rozen had two of their own too, but those were tucked away in the bag that Rozen carried.

"Yo, Rush!" Nifty laughed, more like a taunt.

"Long time no see!" Swaggy added, crossing his arms.

The smaller-crested one rolled his eyes. "Pfffft, the fuck y'all want?"

Nifty laughed, clasping her hands together in a mocking way to feign an innocent look. "An answer, you ruffian! That goodbye was so hurtful!"

"And is this your friend?!" Swaggy cackled, motioning at Rozen. "Hah! I bet I could snap that li'l Pinky in half!"

Rozen's eyes narrowed, the Audino looking ready to put up a shield at the slightest sudden motion. "There is no need for that, and my name is Rozen, thank you," he said pointedly but gently.

Rush growled, sticking an arm in front of the Audino and quickly looking furious at any threats to his partner. "Either one of you lay a hand on him, and I'll fuckin' rip that hand off."

More laughter came from Nifty, and she too looked to Rozen. "Ya see that, Pinky?! This one ain't one that you wanna stick around! He's a freak!"

"He practically tried to live in the dungeons by himself!" Swaggy corroborated. "If that ain't the mark of a freak, then I don't know what is! Why don't ya join us instead, huh~?!"

"I will do no such thing," the Audino swiftly replied. "I've heard all about you, and the way you're acting now proves exactly what my friend has told me. I have no desire to keep the company of such proud, flagrant criminals."

The other two Scrafties looked taken aback at his words, but still they grinned.

"'Criminals?!'" Swaggy exclaimed.

"In my eyes, that is what Pokémon who senselessly attack other Pokémon are," Rozen wasn't fazed. "Why are you here?"

"'Cause we heard this bastard made his own damned team and we just had to see," Nifty said, snickering and motioning at Rush. "Not that it matters! You're still just a worthless freak that no one wants!"

It was Rush's turn to snicker. "And why'd you two make a team, huh?" he shot back with a smirk. "So you could rub it in my face that you have one? So you could piss me off? Just to get a sparkly badge?"

"Pfft, the fuck does that matter to you?!" Swaggy shot back.

"I'm just curious," Rush chuckled. "Because if you found your purpose in life, then that's fan-fucking-tastic and I hope it works out."

It was a positive statement, but somehow, it seemed to piss Nifty and Swaggy off by the way their eyes narrowed and hands twitched, not quite curling into fists but getting close. Their reactions only made Rush smirk more, and he and Rozen exchanged knowing glances.

"The fuck are you on about?!" Swaggy growled, taking a few steps closer.

"Absolutely not a damn thing," Rush laughed, not caring one bit. "Look, I gotta ask- did y'all come here for a fight? 'Cause I don't give a fuck about y'all one way or another, but if you want me to kick your asses again, I'll gladly oblige!"


"I do believe you put Nifty's head through a wall and Swaggy's head through the floor," Rozen chuckled, seeming rather amused himself (which somewhat surprised the Starstorm trio).

"Nah, it was the other way around," Rush replied, smashing his fists together. "Swaggy got the wall and Nifty got the floor! Ngaaaaah!"

There wasn't much room for questioning exactly how he did it, too- the Coalition lead made some haphazard motions that mimicked how one would go smashing a head through a floor and a wall. Dren's tail had to keep him from tumbling over into a heap again, and he plopped back into the chair shortly after.

"So we won that one too," Rush noted. "We kicked their asses, and they got pissed to all hell when Rozen kept me from takin' their hits! And y'know, maybe that would tell any reasonable 'Mon to fuck off and leave me alone, but them?! Nah! They kept showin' up at the same damn dungeons we'd go to, start the bullshit, we'd fight, and me and Rozen would mind our own business. It sure wasn't every mission we went on, but y'know what they were up to, yeah?"

"They were trying to get in your way and stop you from succeeding!" Arashi piped up.

"Exactly!" the Scrafty affirmed. "Maybe they couldn't beat me an' Rozen, but damned if they weren't gonna try to get at me some other way! No matter how many times I'd knock the shit out of 'em, they never permanently went away."

Astrid figured that even if winning fights with them wasn't any huge feat, constantly having them show up to throw a wrench in expeditions must've been annoying nonetheless. They must've been like angry Caterpies- harmless, but no one wanted to get snared in their messy strings.

"Sheesh! They just didn't know when to quit, did they?" Arashi laughed.

Rush's look got even more mischievous. "Oh, Li'l Blue, they knew exactly when to quit," he said to the contrary, snickering under his breath. "You go look up Team Swagger in the records today and they ain't a team anymore. Y'all know what they thought of me, and Rozen pissed 'em off, but the two of us weren't enough to scare 'em off completely."

The Scrafty's gaze travelled over to a certain Salamence, who smiled but started looking just a bit hesitant. Dren chuckled to himself, looking at the floor.

"Say what ya will, but if you're just fuckin' around and not ready for what's comin', and ya see a Mega Salamence growlin' and barin' fangs at ya, you're gonna run the other way," Rush noted, looking up at the ceiling and crossing his arms. "So let me just tell ya that ordeal."


The Scrafty and Audino were both grinning and chuckling as they made their way back to the little green cottage, not a cloud in the sky and nothing to rain on their parade.

"That poor petty thief," Rozen mused with a smile. "He didn't know what he was getting into, did he?"

"Pfft, of course not!" Rush laughed. "His face when I KO'd him was priceless, ehehe!"

A laugh escaped them both, and Rush gave his partner a pat on the back.

"I must say, I never envisioned myself doing this," the feeler-eared one noted, shaking his head but looking cheerful nonetheless. "But with you… Well, I'd say this is absolutely perfect."

"Ain't it?!"

Rozen found himself with two arms thrown around him in a haphazard hug the next moment, which he was just a bit surprised at but still didn't protest. He would've given Rush one back as well, but his arms were pinned to his side and such was impossible.

"Fuck, I wish I'd met you sooner," the Scrafty said, turning loose. "Have I ever told you that you're the fuckin' best, Rozen?"

The one in question giggled. "I'm glad you feel that way."

Another hearty cackle left Rush, but at around the same time, a large bovine figured came dashing out from Green Overpass' vicinity straight towards them. It didn't take long to recognize it as Travis the Tauros, and Rozen gave a friendly little wave as he approached.

"Yo, Trav!" Rush called, waving himself.

The Tauros slowed down and trotted closer, saying through a few small pants, "Afternoon, you two. This is rather sudden, but could I bother you two- mostly you, Rozen- for an hour or two?"

The Audino perked up and skittered closer himself. "Oh? What's the situation?"

Rush too perked up, but didn't say anything.

"Well, you're the best cleric we have around here," Travis noted, sounded a bit unnerved about something. "There's… been an incident in Draco Ridge involving one of the children, and… it's rather grievous."

They perked up even more.

"The hell happened?" Rush pressed, looking worried.

"I'm not sure of the details, except that there was an accident while playing," the Tauros answered, still sounding perturbed.

Rozen didn't need any more reasons and quickly piped up, "I'll need to grab a few things from the house, but I'll go. Travis, could we trouble you for a ride? You run far quicker than I can, and if your voice is anything to go by, this is serious."

"Absolutely. Hop on," Travis said, flattening himself out a bit.

Both the Audino and Scrafty jumped onto the Tauros' back, and shortly he was dashing off as fast as he could.


"Oh, Draco Ridge," Dren chuckled, shaking his head. "That's the thing about a community entirely consisting of dragons- almost everyone is good at battling, but if someone gets hurt, hardly anyone knows what to do about it."

"Who got hurt?!" Arashi wanted to know. "Dren, was it you?!"

Both Rush and Rozen couldn't help laughing at the Frogadier's idea (although the Audino with much less gusto), and Dren let out a bit of a sigh, smiling at the ground instead.

"Oh, no," the Salamence answered, sounding a bit hapless. "I didn't get hurt. I was the one that caused it."

That definitely came as a surprise to the Starstorm trio.


Author's note: Happy holidays, everyone. Merry Christmas and a blessed Yule to those who celebrate them.

I had hoped to post a few days ago, but chapter 40 is rather long, and I spent quite a bit of time on that one and polishing this one up. I discovered something regarding certain movesets that flustered me a bit as I was doing so, but... I will tell you all about that at the end of the next chapter since that is where it comes into play, hehehe.