A/N
Thanks for reviewing: bc414
Five pokémon waved across the main lobby as they headed toward the main door. Basil returned the gesture with a wide grin. She blew a kiss to Coco, who in turn bowed his head in a bashful display as his face flushed pink.
Shallot let out an involuntary sigh as he stepped out into the rain.
The droplets hissed into steam as the peppered Coco's blazing mane and tail. The rest of the group did not remain quite as dry.
Pretty much immediately upon exiting the building, the air became chilly and stuffy.
The street lights reflected off from the shiny, wet planks of the platform they stood on. The group slowly made their way away from the guild HQ and into Layer Port's main "road".
Said road was simply black paint marking a path through the winding three-dimensional maze of beams, ladders, and platforms.
Tart huddled up between Salami and Shallot for warmth. The two pressed into their friend, letting their furs mingle as body-heat was shared from the fire-types.
Barbie, having the same idea, had pressed up against her brother's side, who in turn rested his chin atop her head.
"So!" Barbie started. "Did you guys, like, explore the town or anything before coming to the guild?"
Shallot was the one to answer.
"'fraid not. Hadn't th'time."
Coco gave a small nod.
"I suppose some explanation is in order, then, no?" He let the others affirm his proclamation before continuing. "Well, Layer Port is quite the vertical town. It is divided into five main levels. A level, in this context, is what you would expect; a largely flat construct, with various buildings and the like atop it."
"So, uh... Why is the town built like this? Seems kinda, you know, impractical. And, unsafe."
The pokémon continued their progress for a few more paces, before taking a ninety-degree turn.
"There's actually a lot of interesting history to that. To make a long story short; the settlers were largely flying-type, and it made for easy access to both the resource-rich high-lands and the seas far below."
"Certainly, however, there were more... Shall I say, feasible ways to go about it?"
"There may have been, my lady, but that is not the timeline we are in."
"Hmhmhm... Understood."
They strode down a shallow ramp, leading them about a foot below their original height. To their left, the level continued at its original height, with only a grated gap separating it from its lower section.
"Currently, we're on level two: ground-level. Below us are level one: cliffside, level zero: sea-level, and level negative-one: sea-floor. Above us is level three: sky-level, which is the most recent level to begin construction. Roughly eighty years ago, I believe."
They came across a long, thin strip of plank, bridging two sections of level two. Around the edges sat guard-rails.
Shallot took a peak over the side. Many more boards and platforms lay a few feet below them, though with unfilled gaps being a lot more common. Through the gaps, about five stories of air sat unoccupied between level two and level one. When observing more carefully, he was able to make out the faintly illuminated docks of level zero, just above the inky abyss of the ocean below.
Tart, who had also been looking, felt her heart-rate spike. She could spot several spots on level two where one could easily fall straight down into the ocean. The only thing between a mis-placed step and a plummet to a well-hydrated grave were thin steel bars lining the edges. She took a step back away from the side of the bridge with an involuntary shudder.
Once across, Coco elected to continue his explanation.
"We're currently in the north-east sector of level two. This area can pretty much all be considered part of HQ, save for a few third-party businesses scattered around. Other than the HQ building itself, you can find shops, restaurants, a hospital, amongst other things. Of course, we've already discussed the library, which is where we're heading now."
"Would each elevation happen to provide a different function?"
"Well, yes and no, I suppose. Aside from level two having the guild, it and the others just have various housing and businesses. The one big exception is that the lowest two levels, as you'd expect, do all of the ship-work. Most of the sailors and the like live in those levels. It can also be acknowledged that level three is mostly only inhabited by the wealthy."
Barbie's hoof slipped on a particularly wet plank of wood, eliciting a squeal as she tumbled forward. Coco moved to assist, however she appeared to float forward briefly before landing back on all fours. She blinked in confusion.
She turned back, eyes glancing about. Tart bore a concerned look, with Shallot looking more concerned. Coco was grateful to see his sister's safe landing, and Salami's eyes were a bit wide.
"Did someone, like, catch me?"
"No!" Salami barked. Everyone leveled him with a raised eyebrow, eliciting a tiny blush from the fox. "Uh, I mean, I didn't see anyone do it." His tails swayed nervously behind him.
With a collective shrug, they continued their journey forward. Tart eyed the vulpix with suspicion.
Basil glanced over her most recent notes. Bean sat across the table, next to an arcanine. A zoroark was to the liepard's side. Her three companions were glancing over notepads of their own. Basil took a long, slow sip of her coffee, before speaking.
"I've got some new info, sweeties." She looked up, the others giving her their undivided attention. The arcanine motioned her to continue. "One of the new teams, Heroik, had one of their members, Shallot, reported a tele-empathic event linked to one of the missing pokémon."
Bean's eyebrows both raised. He took a bite of his corn-muffin.
"That is interesting indeed. Is it somebody we were previously aware of?"
"Yes, sir. It was Mustard, of our very own team Cook. He reported feelings of fear, despair, and confusion."
The zoroark was the next to speak.
"This doesn't exactly line up with what's been reported. All that our psychics have been able to detect from the victims is... Nothing. No location, no status, no evidence that they even still exist. Team Cook's disappearance is tragic, though I'm afraid... Completely unrelated."
The arcanine shook his head.
"That may n' well be true, but we can't rule out any possibility, aye? While that's one small oddity, oddities are the key to any case."
"Well, Chief, I ask that you demonstrate... Any evidence that links them."
"As a matter a' fact, I've noticed somethin' pourin' over my notes. A connection between all the victims. They've all either been rich, or connected to the guild in some way."
Bean and Basil both flipped through their notepads, eyes scanning the pages. Once satisfied, they both nodded and looked back to the Chief.
"That's... Right!" Bean exclaimed. "Now, how did we go about missing that detail?"
"Don't beat yerselves up over it. This whole thing just started, n' it's been stressful on every'un, aye?"
Basil gave a small nod. Her tail gave an annoyed flick under the table before she started talking.
"In the case that team Cook's disappearance is related, this means that they're prone to messing up. If someone was able to obtain a psychic read on Mustard, that could mean she was briefly able to escape whatever captivity she's been put in."
A bright grin crossed Bean's features.
"And, if there was captivity to escape from, that could mean that these aren't murders. My daughter... She could be alive."
The Chief gave a nod, speaking up himself.
"That does line up with th' psychic readin's. Pokémon's presences ain't just plum n' disappear when they die, aye? They're just bein' hidden."
"Truly," Bean nodded. "Though, another question still stands. What's this all have to do with this seemingly endless storm, if anything? We've received a few reports of parts of the sky clearing up, but then having been filled back in by clouds not even an hour later once no-one's around."
"That's... Troubling," Basil commented. She tapped her pencil to her chin in thought, eyeing the droplets splattering onto the window beside them.
Lemon and Pear both gave shouts of alarm, muffled by paws as they were pulled into the recycling bin. They kicked and struggled to break free, until a hissing voice met their ears.
"Q-quiet!" whispered, holding the two tighter. Once they quit struggling, he released them. He gave a squeak as Pear promptly pushed him against the wall, getting in his face.
"What's the big idea, chump?" he demanded, jabbing a paw into the eevee's chest. Lemon bit down on the chespin's ear, roughly tugging his two friends apart.
"Be behaving well! I am of certainty that waffle must be having a good explanation, yes."
Pear crossed his arms with a huff, slumping onto the ground.
"M-my parents. They w-w-were coming down the hallway."
"What? Why?"
"T-t-they're members of the g-guild. I couldn't l-l-let them s-see us, because they'd know w-w-why you're here."
"And you didn't think to tell us this important information sooner? Are you fucking stupid or somethin'?"
"Waffle is not lacking in intelligence, eggs-for-brains! You are merely difficult to approach, yes."
"Well then, my dearest citrus, why didn't he tell you?"
"He did."
"When?!"
"Did you not hear? It was just having been a few seconds ago!"
With a shout of frustration, the chespin tackled Lemon into the side of the bin. It was knocked over, leading the three to tumble out in a mess of paper. Pear felt two paws impact his gut and throw him forward.
The grass-type landed on his feet with ease, before turning back on his opponent. His balled fist crackled with electricity, before he slid a punch toward Lemon. The eevee side-stepped the attack, retaliating with an iron-tail swept at his feet. Pear leapt over with a powerful spring of his legs. He went out of his way to land next to Waffle, kicking the smaller eevee over.
Lemon gasped in horror upon seeing Waffle fall. He grit his teeth as he felt a powerful surge of deep, draining disdain fill his heart. He barreled forward toward Pear. Both of them had eyebrows furrowed in frustration.
"S-s-stop f-fighting! Idiots!"
Lemon skidded to a halt, him and Pear both turning to face the voice. A smile crossed Lemon's features.
"Ah, Waffle! I see that you are still of good health!"
"Y-yeah. Just, stop fighting, o-okay? I-i-if we're g-gonna be a team, we've gotta s-stick together, or something..."
Pear just gave a sigh.
"Yeah, whatever. Sorry I guess." He crossed his arms, turning to stomp off back to his room. Lemon approached the other eevee, giving his cheek a tiny brush with his muzzle.
"We should be leaving Pear alone for a while, I am reckoning. He will be needing of the time to be cooling off, yes?"
"Y-yeah."
Waffle quivered a bit, wiping a tear from his eye. He took slow, deep-breaths, doing his best to keep level-headed.
Lemon's heart warmed at the sight of Waffle's lack of injury. He felt a bitter pang creeping in with the warmth as he pondered how things could have gone worse.
The screen door parted with a mechanical wine. One after another, fiv wet pokémon stepped inside. The main room of the library was a titanic structure, sprawling far in every direction. Each shelf was packed with books, discs, tapes, and various other forms of media.
Near the entrance sat a desk. A gothitelle sat behind it, idly typing on a keyboard.
"Ms. Avoca," Coco called. He trode toward the desk, stopping short to give the librarian a polite bow. Tart mirrored the movement in sync.
The gothitelle gave a bright smile, lifting a hand to adjust her glasses.
"Rise, Coconut. The formalities are not needed. Do you come seeking our vast knowledge?"
The ponyta rose, along with the normal-type beside him.
"Yes and no," he answered. He raised his head as he stood tall and proud. "I have brought new friends to see the library. That is our main purpose for being here. However, it has been decided that there are a few things we may need to learn."
With a slow nod, the gothitelle rose. She advanced toward a round table in the middle of the room, gesturing the group to follow. Everyone took a seat in a separate seat, save for Salami who opted to stand.
"Tell me the knowledge of which you seek."
Shallot cleared his throat. He wiped a drop of sweat from his brow, pressing his paws together nervously.
"I... I need to learn to advance my psychic powers."
Avoca gave a blink.
Shallot blinked in response.
Avoca's gaze turned to a squint.
Shallot averted his eyes, feeling his sweat beginning to reform.
"Through treacherous turmoil, the flame needs more. The flame seeks guidance in the home of lore. A maze of mind's knowledge; ascending through gates. At the peak, at the end, where lies don't lay, only here, clairvoyance awaits."
Shallot, Tart, and Salami stared at the gothitelle. The fennekin looked perplexed, the minccino absolutely done, and the vulpix ready to smack someone.
"So, uh... What's that mean?" Salami spoke, his ears flattening in annoyance.
"She wishes you to check the far side of the top-shelf in the non-fiction psychology section," Coco added.
Shallot blinked again.
"Huh, okay."
Tart gave a small curtsy.
"We appreciate the assistance, Ms. Avoca."
Salami's eyebrows further furrowed.
"Does that imply that there's a fiction psychology section?"
Shallot stood with Coco. The latter led him off toward the suggested shelf. Moments later, they returned, Shallot carrying a book in his mouth. He placed it on the table.
Tart leaned in to read it.
"Extrasensory Perception for Beginners: a Comprehensive Guide and Encyclopedia for Topics to do with Parapsychology and Related Fields of Study: Volume III: Mastering Telepathy."
Salami gave a low whistle.
"Okay, Tart. If titles like that exist, then I'm sorry for every time I've said you talk too much."
The minccino gave a huff, her arms crossing. She turned her nose sideward.
"I am no fool, Salami. You certainly feel not remorseful."
"Yeah, you're right." The vulpix hid a snicker behind his paw.
Mustard awoke with a start, letting out a short gasp. Her ears swiveled frantically as her eyes swept the area. Her mouth hung open, attempting to taste any scents in the air.
Dark gray bricks all around, with thick bars separating one side of the room from a hallway outside. A triple-bunk-bed hung from the wall, just next to a sink.
She felt her breathing begin to slow to a more regulated pace.
"Back in the cell. At least I'm alive?"
She looked down at her body, ears perked in surprise. Her previous injuries were not gone, however they were all properly dealt with. One paw raised to poke at the stitches on her leg, only to elicit a hiss of pain as she felt her muscles begin to burn.
She let out a long, breathy groan, carefully lowering her sore form back into a laying position.
"Muthtard...?"
The jolteon's ears perked up. She quickly craned her head toward the voice, and regretted the action even quicker as a jolt of agony shot through her neck.
"Ah! Fuck... 'Pag? That you, kid?"
From under the blanket on the first bunk, a red muzzle peeked out. It was followed by a pair of bright blue eyes.
"Muthtard! It'th you!"
The other pokémon scampered from beneath the covers, skidding toward the jolteon. It slid to a stop about a half-foot away.
An absolutely tiny fox beamed toward the older jolteon. Three orange tails were sprouted from her form, tipped in snow-white fur.
Mustard did her best to return the grin. It was strained, though she felt her heart melt as relief took the vulpix's face.
A third voice soon joined in.
"Hmm? We got a new cell-mate?"
The two looked up to see a gallade roll from the second bunk, landing on his feet. He gave a small stretch, eyes observing the jolteon. He cracked a grin.
"Haha, hey! You look like you've seen better days."
"Haha, hey! Fuck you!"
The vulpix promptly swatted Mustard on the muzzle, then leaping to do the same to the gallade's cheek.
"No thwearing! It'th rude!"
"Sorry, kid." Mustard gave a sweet smile. It turned to a surprised exclamation as she felt the gallade lift her up, then setting her onto the bottom bunk.
"So, I take it you already know little 'Pag here?"
The vulpix in question leapt up onto the the bunk with them.
"Yeah, she knowth me! That'th Muthtard; my brother'th friend'th thithter!"
Mustard gave an affirmative nod.
"That's right."
The gallade clasped his blade-link hands together with a smile.
"Okay! My name's Coffee. Good t'meet ya'! Welcome to purgatory, I guess."
Mustard nodded.
"I'm afraid I've been here already, just in another cell. Guess they threw me in a different one so they could check the old one for my escape route."
'Pag looked up with a short gasp.
"You ethcaped?! How?!"
"Just some damn-good luck." She tilted her head to avoid the oncoming swat. "The guard dude's put the wrong aura-suppressor on me or some shit. Color of the bug and electric ones were pretty similar."
The other two pokémon visibly deflated, looking to the aforementioned bands on their wrists.
"Darn, was hoping to ditch this joint."
"Well, don't give up hope just yet. It doesn't seem that whowever these fuckers are seem to be keen on killing us for the moment." Mustard once more tilted her chin to avoid a swat, only to yelp as she felt a slap against her hindquarters. "Should probably figure out what we can about these fu-... losers."
"Well well, all I've gathered is that they're some sort of rebel group! They're calling themselves the 'Verge Uprising', or something like that."
Mustard lowered her chin into the gallade's lap with a sigh. She was joined by Pag who curled up in her mane.
"Yeah yeah. I've got a bitchin' headache, so I'm just gonna tap out for a while. Night." She gave a small grunt of annoyance as small fangs bit into her shoulder.
"Ah, boring. Sleep well, I guess! I'll do the same, until 'Pag gets bored."
The vulpix curled up with a small yawn. Coffe leaned back against the wall, arms crossed behind his head.