When Selene woke up the next morning, she had enough energy for one thought.
"I'm way too tired to get up."
Then she fell back asleep.
When she woke up again, the day had already progressed to noon. Selene's muscles were sore beyond all belief, and she felt more lethargic than she ever remembered.
The trip from Ascendance Palace to Pinnaleis was a harsh one. Perhaps if you were a rugged, experienced traveler, the trip wouldn't be so bad. For Selene and Eve, who never had traveled beyond anything in luxury?
It had been hell.
They hadn't paid attention to their bodies when they were traveling beyond what was necessary. They had focused mostly on getting to Pinnaleis, where they could escape without needing to sleep in awful conditions. Thus, when they rested in better conditions, their bodies reminded them of their frailty.
Selene stumbled out of bed, feeling the aches and pains of living in the wilderness full force. Forget finding a job; she could barely think clearly. She needed a break.
It took a bit of time to not stumble and fall, but eventually, she made her way downstairs and arrived in the empty living room. Selene blinked.
Where was Eve?
Walking to the dining room, Selene's question was soon answered by a note from Selene.
'Sorry, but you wouldn't wake up. I've gone to Pinnaleis's library to relax. Kair is doing charity work right now. Kapun has gone off to work. You'll be alone for a while, so have some fun.
Truly yours, Eve'
Selene smiled. Eve would naturally go to the library once she had free time, wouldn't she? Selene liked reading, of course, but Eve loved reading. Stick Eve in a library for too long, and it'll be hard getting her out afterward.
Still, that left her with nothing to do. Eve was a person who breathed books like they were air, so it would make sense that she'd be able to drag herself there. Selene liked books, but she was still far too exhausted to try to go follow her.
Eventually, Selene decided to stay at Kair's house and relax that way. Enjoying the sunlight as a simple pleasure wasn't something she could do in the wilds.
Simply sitting on a comfortable chair was a wonderful experience. You didn't get cushions out there; the best substitute was large clumps of hay and/or grass (if she could find any that night). Simply sitting was wonderful.
Selene felt her bottom easing into it, and she sighed. It would be a long time before she would be mentally ready to head back into the wild. She'd try to stay inside civilization for as long as possible before she and Eve resumed the search for Culus.
Then her grumbling stomach brought her out of the musings. Though unwilling to get out of the chair, she reluctantly flapped her wings and floated over to the kitchen. She'd eat anything now, as her old standards stopped mattering when food became scarce. Most of what she saw here would be better than what she scrounged up during travel.
Rooting around in the pantry, she found a few old and flat Oran Berries. She frowned but decided to eat it anyway. It would be better not to inconvenience Kair.
After stuffing the berries into her mouth, she walked back upstairs. Entering Pinnaleis yesterday had made her forget to pop one of her pills. She was glad she had brought her pills with her from the castle; she shuddered on the image of having to go through all this while ill as well.
Taking one now, she felt an immediate boost of energy. Yep, she clearly needed one. Already, she could feel aches and pains melting away. Those aches and pains didn't come from the travel, but rather, they came from her strange illness.
Then, by chance, she looked at her bottle of pills.
It was already half empty.
Selene slowly closed the cap on it and disgusted the new information. She never really paid attention to how many pills were left in the bottle, since Parasel would always refill it for her. But now that she was in this awful mess, he couldn't - or rather, wouldn't - make more.
How many days did she have left before she ran out of pills? How many days before the aches and pains became permanent and stopped her from doing anything.
She stared at the bottle.
She didn't have the option to recover, mentally or physically. She hadn't quite realized it before, but she was running on a timer. The longer it took for her to catch Culus, the more pills she would have to use before she became a permanent invalid.
And Selene had always taken her pills. Only rarely had she forgone a day or two and remembering those days of pain brought dread to her. She never abstained from taking them for more than a day or two, at most. If she couldn't get access to it for an extended period, what would happen to her?
…
Selene didn't want to find out, if only because of the likely morbidity of the answer.
Selene set the bottle down and began to think. She couldn't waste time in Pinnaleis. Neither could she follow Eve to Mt. Polymus, although she wanted to. She needed to find Culus now, and bring him to the authorities before he could escape.
…
Though, where was he? Selene couldn't just pick a random location and go there. Doing so was like running a lottery - the odds of where she picked and where Culus would be being the same location were astronomically low.
What could she use to track him? She knew nothing about him. On the first encounter with him, she'd been curious about him. Yet, as time went on and Culus had gone to work, that curiosity waned, and so she learned nothing about Culus that no one else knew.
She didn't ask where he came from, because why would she care? She didn't ask if he had any family, because why would she care?
Now she cared. Now she cared, and it was too late to dig up any information. Now there was nothing she had on him.
Selene curled up into a little ball and did the only thing she could at the time - think.
Culus was a Shinx, but there were plenty of Shinx prides around the world. Culus was intelligent and polite when she talked to him (but that might have been an act, considering how awful he was), which narrowed it down to areas where Culus could have received good care.
After all, the brain needed good nutrients for proper growth. If Culus had any mineral or vitamin deficiencies, she would have noticed. Considering that Culus was able to read, he had to have received an education at some point.
So, no farms or slums or tribes or anything like that. Culus had to have lived in a city.
What else did she know?
Well… he was very good at thievery and murder. No average Pokemon could have killed the general's daughter, so he had to have been trained to battle at higher levels. That and the fact that he had managed to get to the Life Harp in the first place spoke volumes of his capability of sneaking around. He was even able to shrug off sedatives and could sneak them into the meal served to the royals.
He had to have learned it somewhere.
…
Nothing. She couldn't think of a single location that exclusively met all the criteria. There were way too many places that Culus could have come from. There were way too many places for Culus to go.
…
Selene started to lose track of time as she kept thinking and thinking. Regilia had trod on a lot of toes, so Culus had a lot of enemy kingdoms to have come from. One by one, she looked over each country she knew about to see if any of them were the ones that Culus came from.
And none of them stood out. For hours upon hours, she considered every morsel of information she knew about. She sat there thinking for so long that she didn't notice Eve shaking her shoulder.
She did notice, however, when Eve slapped her face.
"Eve?" Selene blinked, a little confused. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at the library?"
"I came back two hours ago!" Eve griped, sitting on her haunches. "I was trying to get your attention, but you were off in your little world." She tilted her head to the door. "Come downstairs, Kair wants us to help him make dinner."
Eve made her way to the door, and Selene slowly followed. An entire day, wasted. She hadn't figured out anything and had wasted two of her pills (one of which she'd have to eat later tonight) by doing so.
Well, she could just put it off a little. She'd managed to stay fit enough for the night before, and if she took the pill immediately after waking up tomorrow, she could halve her consumption. That would essentially double the remaining time she had left. It would drop her performance as well, but she'd only need that performance in critical situations. For calmer periods, once per day would suffice.
After making the dinner (last night's experience made it a little easier), Selene sat down with Eve and the two dragons to eat. Kapun still glared at them from time to time, but there was a strange look of worry and concern in his eye. Something was bothering him, something that had nothing to do with them.
It prevented him from shouting at the top of his lungs at them, so that was a plus. Dinner was enjoyable - at least, until…
"So, girls," Kair started. "I've decided that Kapun is correct. You two need to earn your right to live here."
Selene froze, while Eve's eating slowed to a crawl. The tension in the room went up a little (ironically, the only one who didn't seem to be interested in the conversation was Kapun), and she looked at Kair with trepidation. "Okay… what do you want us to do?"
She needed a little more time to figure out where she needed to go, and it wouldn't matter where she figured it out. She could stand to work a little.
"You two need to clean up after yourselves. You three made a mess of the warehouse last night and need to clean up." Kair looked at Kapun. "He has work tomorrow, so you two will have to do it alone. I'll be looking over you two to make sure that you do it correctly."
Okay, a little rearrangement. That was fine.
Then she saw Eve open her mouth to complain. Quickly, she kicked her under the table so that she wouldn't raise a fuss.
Eve's ire was turned on her, and she gave Selene annoyed looks throughout all of dinner.
Once they cleaned up after themselves and returned to their rooms, Eve turned on her. "What's with you today?"
Selene sat down. "I'm a little on edge," she said. "We can't raise too many complaints either. You saw how much more pleasant Kapun was today - do you want that to chance and have both of them be angry at us?"
Eve glared but sat down as well. "You didn't have to kick me," she retorted petulantly. "Why are you on edge?"
Selene pointed to her bottle of pills. "I got reminded of the time pressure."
Eve looked at the bottle then put two and two together. "Oh…" she said weakly. "That illness of yours. Right… how many do you have left?"
Selene looked inside her bottle and counted. "Twenty or so," she eventually estimated. "That means I have ten days left if I have my usual two per day, and twenty if I take only one a day."
"But won't that worsen your health, only taking one a day?" Eve pressed.
Selene grimaced. "Over time, it'll probably do really bad things. Still, I have to acclimatize. I have to find Culus." She closed the top of the bottle. "We'll have to leave soon."
"Where do you plan on going?"
Selene bit her lip. "I don't know," she eventually said. Then a thought occurred to her. "What if they've already found him?"
"Well, that's good, right?"
"No! No, it isn't!" Selene insisted. "I need him to testify for my innocence. They have to look into his mind and see that I had nothing to do with his break out! They won't do that if they just chuck him in Undeath like they were going to!"
Eve's eyes were wide. "Well… can't they look into your mind?"
"No, no they can't!" Selene said despairingly. "I'm a Dark-type, and Miracle Eye doesn't work on me!" They had tried, a long time ago, to read her mind. They couldn't.
"Then… Culus is your only option?"
"Yes, so that's why I need to find him."
"What about any evidence on the scene?"
"Culus stole from me, so the evidence points to me helping him!"
Eve stayed silent. "And… there's nothing you can do?"
"Nothing! I need Culus but have no idea where he is!" Selene collapsed on her bed. "What should I do?!"
Eve stayed silent. Then… "We could try to figure out how the pills are made?" she offered.
"I wish, but that won't work. Parasel's a genius in his field - not even an Alakazam could figure out how he makes the pills, even when he gives them the recipe." She flicked off a stray scale. "There's no way we can make the pills."
Eve narrowed her eyes. "Even with the recipe, they can't manufacture the pills? Maybe the recipe is wrong?"
Selene sighed. "Parasel makes the pills according to the recipe; the Alakazam who wanted to learn told me so." He had been just as confused as she had been. "Somehow, when Parasel follows the recipe, it turns out okay. He's the only one that can make it."
Eve scrunched her nose in concentration. "If so… if so… then you can..."
Selene waited for a response but none came. Eve kept on concentrating, kept on thinking, but Selene knew that after twenty minutes of thinking, Eve wouldn't come up with a solution. With a heavy heart, she bade Eve goodnight and laid on her bed, thinking about what was going to happen to her.
And many hours later, when Eve had drifted off into fitful slumber, Selene laid awake, staring at the moon. Usually, it was a comforting sight. Usually, it would make her want to sing and dance.
Not tonight.
The next day, Selene felt as terrible as she had before. Upon taking the pill, she felt better, though Eve didn't meet her gaze.
But, even with Eve trying to hide it, Selene could see the guilt lingering in her's eyes. Eve was probably hesitant to say so to her, but Selene knew that Eve held herself responsible for the lack of a solution.
She was normally responsible, normally very helpful. But as they stepped down for breakfast, Eve was just a sad shadow of that.
And when Eve finally met her gaze, Selene saw a new emotion. Not only guilt, not only sorrow…
Pity.
Eve was… pitying her.
Eve thought she was going to die. Eve would treat her as an obituary waiting to happen.
And the worst part? Eve, like usual, would probably be right.
Now, a new emotion entered her heart. Loathing. Culus had come into her life and poisoned everything involved with it.
She didn't deserve this! She didn't deserve any of this! She didn't deserve to suffer like this! She didn't deserve to have to force herself to leave or risk prison! She didn't deserve having to live like a feral!
She didn't deserve to die!
Her anger burned away all of her politeness and courtesy, so breakfast was even tenser than dinner the night before. Kair didn't say anything upon seeing their faces but led them to the warehouse afterward nonetheless. As they worked, Selene took her anger out on the boxes, pushing and pulling them into position with much more force than was necessary.
"Selene?" Kair, after she accidentally knocked over a crate of cabbages. "Calm down a little. You're only making more work for yourself."
Selene growled and put the cabbages back, not acknowledging Kair's request at all. Only a few hours later, after Selene had grown exhausted, did her anger fade away, having no fuel to burn on anymore.
Kair had given them a break, so Selene sat down. A few minutes later, Eve sat down next to her.
"I'm… sorry," Eve said eventually, bowing her head. "I… I know you're finding it difficult, and I've been…"
Selene cradled her head in her hands. "I'm going to die… I hate this… hatethishatethishatethishatethis..." Selene felt tiny tears leaking out of her eyes. She was crying, wasn't she? "Why… why me…"
Eve just hugged her. That was the only thing Selene could have asked for.
Kair didn't call them back to work and left the two of them alone. He finished the work by himself, leaving Selene to continue to cry.
Eventually, it became afternoon. Eve pulled her up and slowly walked her to the door of the warehouse.
"T-thank you," Selene mumbled, eventually standing on her feet. "Thank you for everything."
Eve bowed her head. "This wasn't how this was supposed to go. I was supposed to go to Mt. Polymus and evolve… and you'd find Culus and clear yourself… and… and…"
But that wasn't how things would turn out.
Selene opened the door and walked ahead of Eve. She didn't want to see Eve cry as well. Shuffling forward, Selene just started to feel numb.
At least, until…
"SO THEN WHY-"
Selene blinked, shock breaking through her empty sea of emotions. What was that? The voice sounded familiar, though she couldn't quite understand why.
She looked at Eve, whose fur was streaked with tears. "What… what was that?" Eve didn't say anything, but the despair in her eyes now held a hint of confusion.
Now curious, Selene walked to where she heard the voice coming from.
As she approached, she heard another voice, also familiar. "You don't," the voice argued. "But I do. He's my mistake. I'm going to correct that mistake, no matter what I do."
Selene and Eve turned the corner and froze.
Helios and Slate were the last two Pokemon she would have expected to be here. Both looked far dirtier and more ragged than they usually did, and both were staring at her with morbid curiosity.
"... hello, again." she eventually mumbled, not sure what to say.
Eve wiped away her tear tracks. "What are you two doing here?" she asked imperiously, her voice slipping back into the practiced tenor. Though, it felt more… cracked… than usual.
"We could ask you two the same thing," Slate immediately countered, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you here?"
Neither of them answered.
"Slate, we shouldn't be so-"
"Helios, you can't be serious!" Slate growled, not taking his eyes off of them. "You know where we just came from! You know what we just saw! And you think them being here is just a coincidence?!"
Helios looked a little cowed at the remark.
"What are you talking about?" Eve asked, curiosity shining through once again. "Stop speaking in such vague terms and please explain."
Slate growled. "My apologies, lady Eve, but that… thing… next to you-"
Helios punched Slate. "Selene is not a thing!" he hissed, locking eyes with Slate. "Don't start accusing them like this!"
"Didn't I just tell you why their appearance here of all places is so damning?!"
Selene and Eve looked at each other, their confusion mirrored. "Can either of you explain what you're talking about?"
Slate looked incensed at that question, but Helios shot him a look. "Of course," Helios said, nodding to her. "I'll be glad to-"
"Helios, why aren'tyou listening?"
Eve groaned. "This is going nowhere. Selene, help me out, would you?"
"What do you want me to do?" Selene asked, incredulous. "Both of them think that I'm a criminal!"
Helios shook his head. "I don't-"
"We think you're a criminal because you are one!" Slate hissed.
Selene threw her hands up in the air. "I'm not! Culus just took my medicines when I was at the ball! I didn't know anything about what he was planning!"
"And the fact that you're here?!" Slate challenged.
"... I don't follow." What was so special about here? "Are you talking about Pinnaleis? It's just the closest port town in Vidnes to Regilia."
"I'm talking about the Illicity."
Selene blinked. "The what?"
Slate stamped the ground, causing it to shake a little. "Don't. Play. Dumb." he ordered. "We know about the Illicity. We just came from it. It's a perfect place for criminals like you, so stop trying to pretend you're innocent!"
Selene's confusion was mounting. "I have no idea what you're talking about!" she shouted, her frustration from earlier returning. "Can someone explain?!"
Slate opened his mouth to continue arguing, but Helios forcibly snapped Slate's jaw shut. "We will," Helios promised. "But Slate is… right," he admitted with a grimace. "We have to prove your innocence before you can explain."
What had Selene's life come to, where she had to have her innocence proven for her?
Eve raised one of her eyebrows. "How will you do that?"
Helios fell silent for a few seconds, then came upon a revelation. "The guards!" he shouted with joy. "They keep track of everyone who comes in and out. If you guys didn't come through the Illicity, then they would have never seen you!"
"... okay?"
Slate wrested Helios off of him, glaring at him. Still, she remained silent. Then the two of them started walking forward. A little confused, Selene and Eve followed them.
"What are they talking about?" Selene whispered to Eve. "What guards? What's Illicity?"
"We'll be getting our answers now," Eve answered.
A few minutes following Helios and Slate later, they arrived at another warehouse. A Servine, wearing a familiar gem-embedded collar, was standing by the door. As they came into the Servine's view, she bowed.
"Ah, Helios, Slate, you have returned," she said in a weird charming voice. Selene felt something was off about her. She felt strangely like… Culus.
It wasn't just the collar, though that may have been part of it. The Servine had a strange… aura… around her, one nearly identical to her targets. Selene even had the urge to call her Culus as well, though she couldn't even understand why.
"Uh… hi, Jeanine," Helios waved. "We just want to talk with the guards for a second. We'll be back in a minute."
"Of course. Please, do as you wish," the Servine bowed. Helios and Slate took that cue to walk inside, and Eve followed them in. Selene did as well but was a little more hesitant. She took one last look at the odd Servine - she was definitely weird - before following them in.
Inside there was an Inteleon and a Zangoose guarding a trapdoor, both of whom looked at Selene and Eve with interest. "These two?" they asked.
"Yeah, have you seen them before now?!" Helios asked eagerly.
The Zangoose looked at Eve. "Not her," he instantly said. "Those eyes… I'd have recognized them if she passed through here before." He then looked at Selene. "And I don't even know what she is."
Helios looked overjoyed, but Slate gestured to the Inteleon. "How about you? Have you seen either of them before?"
The Inteleon idly spun a glass full of water in his hand. "I recognize the Eonian Royal, but only through hearsay and knowledge of the world. This is the first time that I've met her in person."
"And her?" Slate asked, gesturing to Selene.
The Inteleon took an odd look at Selene, bringing his hand up to his chin, humming. "I'm not familiar with the species," he confessed. "I don't think… wait…" He smiled. "Yes, I have seen her before."
…
"What?!" Selene asked incredulously. "I'm sorry, but can you repeat that again?"
"You looked remarkably different," the Inteleon answered. "But I recognize you. I've definitely met you before."
"See!" Slate crowed at a gobsmacked Helios. "See! She is a criminal! She is guilty!"
"No, no, no!" Selene denied, before turning on the Inteleon. "I've never seen you before! I've never come to Pinnaleis before! You have to be mistaken!"
The Zangoose nodded. "I've been working here for seventeen years, and I know for a fact that she's never come this way before!" he accused the Inteleon.
"Seventeen years isn't long enough," the Inteleon rebutted. "She came here before you did."
Slate's crows died off.
"I'm… eleven…"
The Inteleon raised an eyebrow. "Yet I've seen you, exactly as you are now, walk through this gate twenty-five years ago."
…
The Inteleon put his hand to his chin again. "Well, not exactly as you are now," he admitted. "You were a little older and bigger."
"... that wasn't me," Selene stated. "I don't know who you think you saw, but that wasn't me."
"Maybe a relative, then?" The Inteleon offered.
The idea was a blow to her chest. "R-relatives?" Selene asked. "I… what are you talking about?!"
The Inteleon shrugged. "All I know is someone looking a lot like you walked through those doors when I was nothing but a Drizzile." He looked at Helios. "Thanks for the entertainment, but can you four leave now?"
Selene wasn't sure how or when they left, but a while later, Selene found herself back at the docks, with Helios, Eve, and Slate going at it again.
"Are you kidding me?!" Eve howled, eyes burning with rage. "You think they're working for her?!"
"If she's a criminal, she can get criminal connections!" Slate argued. "They can be covering for her and giving us a dumb story to help get her off the hook!"
"Why? WHY?" Eve was nearly screaming at this point. "She's never come here before! She's been in Regilia since she was a kid!"
"As far as you know!"
"Yes! As far as I know! And do you know how much I know about her?" Eve shouted. "MORE THAN YOU!"
Slate sneered. "Maybe you don't know as much as you think. Maybe she's tricked you too."
The air grew deathly cold. Selene wanted to summon some sort of emotion, but the day had run her dry at this point.
"... why did you come after us?" Eve asked, eyes flashing. "Is it because of me, or because of her?"
"We came here to rescue you from her."
"I went by my own accord," Eve said smoothly. "In fact, I went first. I left, not because Selene wanted me to, but because I wanted to evolve so they couldn't bind me. Unless you're saying I wanted to be bound - which you know I didn't - then I have all the reason to leave."
Slate grimaced.
"Selene's been nothing but helpful, and all you're doing is-"
"Eve," Selene said softly. "It doesn't matter if they suspect me or not. It's not like it'll change anything."
"Huh?" Everyone turned around to look at her.
"Eve knows what I'm talking about. About… the time I have left."
Eve's rage died down. "Oh… right…"
"What are you talking about?" Helios asked, face equal parts curious and concerned.
Selene looked away. "If you're willing to talk, I'm willing to tell. Tell Slate to stop being so… antagonistic. It's making problems for all of us, and I'm tired of this fighting."
Helios eagerly nodded. "Of course!" He shot Slate a glare. "Quit it."
"Helios, we-"
"Quit. It." Helios ordered. "We don't have any reason to suspect her now. We know that Kite's far too competent to need Selene's help, and Eve went with Selene willingly. She's on our side, not Kite's."
Slate growled. "Fine then! I'll give her the benefit of the doubt for now. But if she makes one wrong move, I'm stopping her!"
Eve growled. "You can try," she warned.
"It seems you two are more lively now." Helios and Slate froze as Kair walked out from behind a crate. "I've been looking all over for you two. Where have you been-"
Slate and Helios connected gazes with Kair.
"... who are these two?" Kair asked slowly.
Slate hisses, gathering draconic energy in his mouth while Helios froze in panic.
"They're friends," Selene quickly insisted. "Helios and Slate snuck their way into Pinnaleis just as we did. They're not our enemies."
Kair didn't comment for a second. Then, just as he did with Selene and Eve, he let out a large Heat Wave, enveloping the entire pier.
The draconic energy died in Slate's mouth, coming to nothing more than wisps as he coughed it out. Helios winced under the pressure of the intense heat, before falling to a knee.
Kair let down the Heat Wave. "Okay, they're not impostors." He waved. "Nice to meet you two."
"What was that?!" Helios asked, eyes wide.
"Something he uses to dispel illusions and disrupt transformations," Eve explained. "Meet Kair - he's been our host for our stay in Pinnaleis."
Slate grimaced but nodded. "Hello, then," he addressed Kair. "I have to commend your caution."
Kair laughed. "My son would never let it go if I just randomly accepted two more strangers in our home." He waved his arm at them. "Follow me. You two are more than welcome at our house, and you can share your story there."
Helios gulped the tea eagerly. He wasn't really a fan of tea - he liked sweet things more than bitter things, and tea needed too much sugar to mask that bitterness - but after today, he'd drink anything he could get.
Slate didn't drink any tea. He'd had a sip of Helios's tea to make sure that Kair didn't slip anything odd into it (he hadn't, of course), then didn't drink anymore. Selene and Eve both were taking sips as well, though Selene was drinking it much more gingerly.
Selene. It had only been a week, but Helios hadn't expected to see her this soon. He was more than a little happy, though, to see her healthy and well.
And he knew that she was innocent! Slate didn't believe her, King Midos and Uncle Theus didn't believe her, but he did. And Eve knew it too!
Really, Selene kidnapping Eve? That was ridiculous!
Of course, once Helios finished the tea, he found himself tongue-tied. What was he supposed to do now? Or rather, what was he supposed to say? There wasn't a clear point to jump off of when telling their story.
"Who are you?" Kair eventually asked, when it was clear that neither Helios nor Slate were going to say anything. "The name 'Helios' is on the tip of my tongue, yet I can't quite place what it means."
Okay, that was somewhere to start from. Helios got up from the table and performed a Dragnian bow. "Thank you for letting us stay here," he said, using all of his manners. He hadn't thought that he would be using those manners more in the middle of Vidnes rather than the castles, but fate was weird. "I am Crown Prince Helios of Dragnis. This is my bodyguard and closest friend and confidant, Slate."
Slate slowly nodded, not taking an eye off of Kair.
"Ah," Kair said, slowly nodding. "And what were you doing in the middle of our empty harbor?"
Empty harbor? Helios realized that not a single ship had been at the pier. He hadn't noticed at the time, preoccupied with Selene and Eve, but now that he thought a little more, it was strange that the harbor was empty.
"We were tracking down Kite," Helios eventually replied. "We know he's in Hovete, so we've come to Pinnaleis to take a ship and go there ourselves." But if there weren't any ships… what did that mean?
Then Eve spewed tea all over him, making him wince. "In Hovete?! How do you know that?!" Selene, too, looked at him with complete shock.
Slate took this one. "We visited the farmhouse that he had been staying at. He had already fled days ago, in the direction of Hovete. Regilia's search squads are already crossing the mountains in pursuit of him."
"H-Hovete?" Selene stammered. "He's there?! And the Regilians are hot on his tail?"
Slate narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Is there a problem?"
Selene lowered her eyes. "As I said, I'll tell you later." She waved at him. "Continue."
"Well, once we found out where he was going and decided to take a ship from Pinnaleis," Slate continued. "We made our way here. We tried to enter through the front gates, but the guards stopped us. So we decided to dig our way in, and found an underground city - the Illicity."
"An underground city?!" Eve leaned forward excitedly. "There's an underground city?!"
"... does it have something to do with criminal activity?" Selene slowly asked. "You said that being there implied I was a criminal."
Eve shot her an odd look, but Slate nodded. "Absolutely. As far as I can tell, it's packed to the brim with murderers and thieves, contraband and slaves. It was dangerous, but we snuck our way through and escaped through the entrance to Pinnaleis."
"You snuck your way through?" Kair leaned forward. "You two don't seem like the stealthy type."
Helios blushed. "I… well, no one was really looking for us, and everyone there is really suspicious, so… we just sort of blended in."
"Then we came through that warehouse and walked into the pier. Then we got into an argument and met you two. You know the story from there."
Both Kair and Eve seemed satisfied. Selene, though, was a little more curious. "You're here after Kite?" she asked with a worried look on her face.
Slate frowned. "Is that a problem?"
"I… no…" she eventually said. "But… why are you two looking for Kite? This has nothing to do with you."
Helios slammed his hands on the table. "Yes, it does!" he denied. "I let Kite escape in the Palace, and because of that, he's free and continents away!"
Slate rolled his eyes. "He wants to restore his honor," he added.
A few seconds passed, and no one said anything. Helios slowly fell back into his chair, the bit of energy he regained fading once again.
A knock at the door startled them..
"I'll take it," Kair quickly said, getting up from his chair. "Stay here for now."
He then left the four of them alone again. Helios was left facing Selene and Eve. "I… what happened to you two? Why are you guys looking for Kite?"
Instantly, Selene and Eve grew… sadder. A depressed air spread throughout the room.
"Did I… say something wrong?" Helios asked, a little confused.
"I… well, if I'm going to prove my innocence," Selene explained. "I'll need Kite's memories of the event as testimony. That's why I was looking for him." She looked over at Eve. "As she said earlier, she wants to evolve so they can't use that bonding ritual on her anymore. She wants to go to Mt. Polymus in Illusuria for that."
"You… were looking for him?" Helios asked, that part sticking out to him. "Did you stop?"
Selene bowed her head. "Do you remember my pills, Helios?"
It took Helios a few seconds to remember, but eventually, the memory of the incident in the library returned. "You have to take them every time you dance, right? Because of some… health reasons?"
"Not just after every time I dance, Helios. I have to take two pills every day regardless of how much I dance. Dancing just makes me need it more often." Selene grimaced. "And I'm running out. Parasel - our head scientist - manufactures them specially for me. He's the only one that can."
Slate leaned forward. "So because you're a criminal-" Helios kicked him. "Because everyone thinks you're a criminal, you can't get them anymore?"
Selene nodded. "If I don't eat at least one every day, my health starts deteriorating. I've managed to push myself to take only one pill a day, but that just gives me twenty more days before I run out." Selene looked away. "I… I don't think I'll be able to catch Kite before then."
"And you'll die?" Slate said bluntly
Helios looked at Slate, scandalized. Why… why would he say something like that
"Probably," Selen replied morosely. "I don't know how long it'll take until I can't move anymore. After that, my body might just… stop functioning."
The room grew deathly quiet after that. Helios's mind went blank. Selene would… but…
"WHAT?!" A shout, not Kair's, came from another room. Helios suddenly remembered that Kair had gone to answer the door.
Eve got up and pulled a pair of sunglasses from her bag. "I'll go check out what happened," she quickly explained. "Helios, come with me."
Helios nodded, knowing that both he and Eve didn't immediately stand out. He looked at Slate, who looked irritated.
"I'll be careful," he whispered, before stepping out with Eve.
Out near the door, Kair was arguing with a Deino - a Deino that was heavily familiar, one wearing a rather memorable uniform. With a cold sweat, Helios instantly realized that this was the same Deino that had stopped them at the gate.
"Dad, WHY?!" The Deino raged. "Why, why, why, WHY?!"
"Kapun, I-"
"You want to take care of more people?! Do you know how little working for Kenki is paying? Do you know how little money we can afford to spend? Do you want to waste all of my work?!" Kapun, the Deino, was now on the verge of crying. "Dad, please!"
Kair was looking away. "... these aren't the kind of people we can afford to kick out, Kapun," he slowly said. "These people are more important than we'll ever be. We don't have the luxury of-"
"Luxury? LUXURY?!" Kapun stomped on the ground. "You're saying that what I'm doing is a luxury?!"
"Kapun, we've been put into a tight spot-"
Kapun spun away from Kair, not wishing to look at them. Unfortunately, that meant that he was now looking at him and Eve.
"Y-you…"
Helios stood still, unable to move. "Me," he faintly agreed.
…
…
…
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Kapun seethed with almighty rage. "You goddamn PARASITES! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
Helios didn't move an inch, fearing for his life.
"Kapun, behave yourself!"
Kapun went ballistic. "ParasiteparasitePARASITE! PARASITES, ALL OF YOU!" Kapun fled from the room and slammed the door of the house open. "I've had it with all of you! FUCK OFF!"
With that last insult, Kapun fled from the house. A few seconds later, Kair went to the door and closed it, before turning to the two of them and bowing.
"I'm sorry you two had to see that. He… means well." Kair then grimaced. "We're just under a lot of stress right now."
Another seed of guilt planted itself in Helios's heart. "We… we don't have to stay here," he explained. "We can… find somewhere else to stay."
Kair shook his head. "I can have you sleep in Kapun's room." That would be a bad idea. "If you can manage your appetite, I have enough food to serve you." He looked away. "Not going to find any other use for it, after all."
"I…" Helios still felt that guilt stuck in his soul.
"Helios, don't worry," Eve said, looking at him square in the eye. "Take what you can get. We might not be here for much longer anyway. There's no reason to stick around in Pinnaleis, after all."
Helios blinked. "What do you mean?"
Eve gestured back toward the room where Slate and Selene were in. "It's time Selene and I explain what happened to us."
Eve led Helios back to the room. Kair stood by the door, listening as Eve began to explain their journey.
"We arrived in Pinnaleis two days ago. Before that, not much happened," Eve said. "Once we arrived, we quickly learned that Kenki had blocked the ports, preventing anyone from doing any trade he hasn't authorized."
"Wait, who's Kenki?!" Helios asked, the name confusing him.
"He's a Samurott pirate captain who took over Pinnaleis six months ago. He's controlling it with an iron fist." Eve blinked. "Oh, and he also makes other people call him 'Captain Admer' for some reason."
Helios gripped his chair. "D-Did you just say Captain Admer?!" He looked at Slate, who looked as panicked as he did. The Celebration was still fresh in their memory - it had only been an hour or two ago, hadn't it?
Eve raised an eyebrow. "Yes? Were you familiar with him by that name?"
"I… we'll tell you later," Helios waved. "Why does the port being closed… oh…"
The whole reason he and Slate (and now that he thought about it, Selene and Eve) came to Pinnaleis was that it was a port town. They were supposed to have taken a ship or something to travel to Hovete and capture Kite. Now that was no longer an option.
"There isn't much point in staying in Pinnaleis. There's nothing for us here," she said. "I'll stay here long enough to make sure that Selene has someone next to her when she…" she trailed off.
Selene frowned at her. "If I'm going to slow you down, then just leave me here," Selene told Eve.
Eve hissed. "I'm not going to be frolicking through the wilderness while my best friend dies!"
The room grew silent again. Eve and Selene turned away from each other. Helios wanted nothing more than to leave the room.
Eve shook her head. "Anyway," she slowly said. "Once- no, if… that… happens, I'll stay a little while longer to pay my…" She shook her head again, a little more desperately. "Once I'm ready, I'll leave for Illusuria to evolve at Mt. Polymus. You two… do whatever you want. Good luck with catching Culus."
Helios winced. "We'll try to catch him, but we'll need all the help we can get. Especially considering what Kite is."
Slate looked at him. "Do you really want to explain that to them?" he asked, pinning him with his gaze.
"They deserve to know, Slate."
Throughout the small conversation, Selene's eyes raised higher and higher. "What are you two talking about?" she asked, mildly intrigued.
Helios steeled himself, then began to explain. "When we were traveling through the Illicity, we came by a… Celebration. In that Celebration, Pokemon were being bought and sold as slaves." Slate's eyes went dark as he stayed silent. Selene and Eve were paying rapt attention.
"Before we could get through to the surface, the event started. In it, there were hundreds of slaves and ten… special… slaves." Special was an understatement, wasn't it? "Captain Admer - Kenki - was the one that brought them forward. Each of them was stronger, smarter, and more dangerous than all of the other slaves."
Helios then took a breath. "All of them were wearing that collar with a gem in it - the same one that's fastened around Kite's neck."
Selene and Eve's breath hitched. "Are you sure?!" she instantly pressed.
"Positively. Kenki mentioned Kite by name when he was presenting the slaves. He even said that the collar was the cause of the obedience and power." Helios gulped. "They can alter their personalities to perfectly mimic a normal person's personality, and the collar can change their brain to protect secrets."
You could hear a pin drop in the room.
Slate continued the explanation for him. "Kenki ordered one of those collared slaves - a Magby - to kill a Swinub. It barely took a second. They're intelligently vicious and near unstoppable." Slate then glared at Helios again. "And that's why we shouldn't go fight him!"
Helios didn't respond. When everything was put on the table, Helios couldn't find any way to combat what Slate was saying. Kite was out of their reach, so much so they would probably never catch him.
And Selene… Selene…
"Remember Jeanine, Helios? She's only a Servine, with barely any muscles, but she beat you without even trying, despite a type-disadvantage!" Slate raged. Across from him, Selene started, as if coming to a realization. "She only stopped because Madam Collown thought she was going too far and ordered her too!"
Helios was shaking. He had to say… something...
Then Eve, out of nowhere, slammed her paws on the table. "So we have a solution."
Everyone turned to her, Kair included. Slate stared at Eve, looking at her as though she were some alien being or a legendary.
"How does that give us a solution?" Slate asked faintly.
"Because Culus now has one sole weakness, one weakness even we can exploit," Eve said, grinning. "You mentioned that all of these collars make them slaves, right? That they obey the words of their masters, right?"
"... yes?"
"Whoever Culus's master is, they aren't as ridiculously strong as he is! That means that we can take them down instead, and force them to make Culus submit!"
Helios's eyes widened. "And we can get Kite to confess without having to fight him!" It was something he hadn't even thought of.
Eve continued. "I found Kite's actions during the week leading up to the Twin Moon Ball odd - after all, why would a nobody like Culus want to take the Life Harp?" Her eyes shone. "But if someone else wanted the Life Harp, someone with a grudge against Regilia and enough money to buy one of these special slaves, well, we have our reason."
Selene blinked. "So you're saying Culus was ordered to steal the Life Harp?!" she asked in disbelief.
"He has to do whatever his master orders them to do! Why wouldn't stealing a Life Harp be something like it?"
Helios's eyes shone. "If we can force Kite's master to submit, we won't need to fight Kite at all! Or even find him! After all, even if they capture Kite, if we get the true mastermind, we've stopped something like it from ever happening again!" He then looked at Selene. "And we can get them to testify for Selene, so she can go free!"
Selene's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
"Can we even find them in time?" Slate shot Helios down immediately. "We know the rough area of where Kite is, but their master could be anywhere. And even then, can we really force them to stop Kite?"
Helios, though, was unstoppable. "At the end of Kenki's speech, he mentioned who makes the collars - someone called the Temptress, in Illusuria! We go back to the Illicity, find out who that is, go to her and find out who Kite's master is, and we know where to find them!"
"And as for taking them down?" Slate challenged.
"We'll figure that out once we get there." Neither Helios nor Eve said that. Rather, Selene, standing up, declared it. "I have a chance - a chance - at living. I… we have to do this. We don't have any other option, to take down the person who started this whole mess!"
Slate grimaced but eventually nodded. "... fine. It's getting late, so tomorrow, we go back to the Illicity and get our information."
Helios felt elation. After all of the messed-up things that had happened today, this was what Helios truly deserved. An actual path forward. A plan, one that they could actually pull off. They were on a timer of twenty days, but traveling between countries wouldn't take too long.
If Helios was fast enough, competent enough, he could save Selene. And that would be enough for him.
Finally alone, Arya massaged her temples, as the stress of the day bore down on her. She'd have to go to Madam Rahan for something to soothe it, but she'd do that once she gained enough energy.
The last week and a half had been far too hectic for her tastes. Ever since the Twin Moon Ball, nearly all of Father's efforts had been focused on the capture of Kite and his accomplices. He gave full authorization to the Hounds (the name given to the elite Regilian hunting squad) for anything they would need for their search.
Had Arya not personally vetted the Hounds herself, she would be more worried about the imbalance of power. Thankfully, all were truly loyal to Father, and would not do anything to betray him.
Arya was more concerned about the difficulties of catching Kite nonetheless. With the footprints in the snow leading to Hovete stopping halfway through the adjourning forest, the Hounds postulated that Kite had an aid fly him over the mountain range. Arya personally wasn't sure of that, but there wasn't any other way Kite could have continued with their footprints in the snow.
Hovete was still an issue, considering the Shower Affair. Arya still shivered when remembering that night. She had only been eight, but it still remained in her mind a decade later.
With the death of their crown prince, they had completely withdrawn from the Naixian alliance. They only participated in trade through several proxies with other countries and were infinitely harder to negotiate with.
Getting the proper authorization for the Hounds in Hovete was her duty. Unfortunately, that meant several meetings with stubborn ambassadors and unhelpful dignitaries. She almost couldn't believe that they didn't want the Hounds to catch a dangerous criminal, but once again, she underestimated how petty some people can be.
Arya leaned backward on her chair. Progress was slowly being made to allow the Hounds access to more resources in Hovete, but soon, Hovete's King would enter the debates. Arya dreaded that day, and it would come far too soon for her tastes.
If it wasn't enough, Yurime had joined the Hounds, becoming part of their leadership. Arya could only wonder what her father was thinking when he authorized that decision (he had been more reticent with allowing them inside his head), but she personally thought it very foolish.
Yurime was far too immature for such a task. His grievances against the lost Prince Helios made him susceptible to irrationality, as well as the attack on his fiancee (not out of concern, but out of an insult to his ego). He needed a humbling, much like she had needed at his age, but since he wasn't going to become King, Father saw no need to rush.
Hopefully, he wouldn't slow down the Hounds too much. Thinking optimistically, he might even grow from the experience.
Chief Aegeron certainly hadn't. Letting Kite escape was a mortal blow to Father's confidence in him. Letting Selene escape with Eve had nearly destroyed it entirely.
Letting Slate kidnap Helios, the crown prince of a nation integral to the Naixian Alliance? Father hadn't hesitated for even a second to demote him. For the time being, he was serving in the infantry of the army. Hopefully, if he were to rise in status again, he wouldn't be so careless with his security.
Prometheus had been adamant in Aegeron's punishment, as well as very particular in who he'd approve as Aegeron's replacement. The loss of Helios left him furious. While his wife Hesione (a charming woman, if a bit bland) had left for Dragnis again, Prometheus would repeatedly teleport to the Palace to obtain status updates on the search for the prince.
Having read Prometheus's mind, she felt his pain. Despite her misgivings about Yurime's behavior, he was still close family, and he was more tolerable when they were alone together than when in front of a crowd. Arya would feel deep grief and worry if he were to go missing. However, that, of course, paled to her concern for Father.
After Kite had escaped, Father's health began deteriorating. It was near unnoticeable, but the stress was piling up inside Father's head, to the point where his shields were no longer as strong as they once were. His decisions grew rasher, and he grew less forgiving of mistakes.
Most worrying of all, his patience with the world began to snap. Arya feared for the day when it did.
His physical health also deteriorated. Despite his healthy diet, Father was growing emaciated. He had commissioned Parasel to concoct a serum to help him retain his muscle and fat, but that was taking too long. Each day, Father would appear just a little bit thinner than before.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the knocking on the door. She instantly collected herself and responded. "Please, come in."
The door opened, and a maid appeared, holding a tiny broom and dustpan. The Minccino bowed. "G-good day, Princess Arya. Please allow me to clean the room"
Oh, dear…
Brush, an innocent Minccino farm girl unwillingly brought into this mess, was now a maid for the castle. Her father and mother had been arrested for not capturing or even fighting Kite when he stayed at their residence. Since she had no immediate family, she became a ward of the castle, and Father immediately set her to work as a maid.
As Brush started cleaning, Arya took a second to read her emotions.
Grief. Despair. Anger. Hatred. Fear. Loneliness.
Arya's polite smile threatened to crack once more, but as always Arya mentally reinforced it. Despite her sympathy for the girl, punishments had to be upheld. She deeply missed her parents and resented both Kite and Father. She feared both, however, and was obedient as a result.
What a pitiful world they lived in.
Then Brush stumbled, dropping the dustpan and spilling its contents all over Arya's expensive rug. Arya was fond of the rug, so seeing dirt and debris scattered all over it was a little aggravating.
Though, perhaps her irritation was from the overwhelming panic coming from the slip of a girl in front of her. Brush was staring at her, trembling slightly.
"S-s-s-s-sorry," she stumbled. "I'll c-clean it up right away."
Then Brush slipped again, falling onto the rug. The panic spiked.
"Please, don't worry," Arya said, instinctual politeness coming to her rescue once more. "I'll take care of it… oh no…"
Brush had fallen unconscious. Her emotions, notably her fear, had overwhelmed her, to the point where she could no longer sustain consciousness.
Arya picked the girl up and dusted her off, before using her psychic powers to finish the job up herself. It took a while, but soon the entire room had lost its dust.
As she finished up, Brush came to. Once more the panic spiked. "M-my deepest apologies, your Highness." She still wasn't used to royal mannerisms, was she? Then again, she had only been here for two days.
"It is of little issue," she said, waving off the concern. Then Arya emptied the dustpan into the trash bin. "Accompany me to the infirmary." Madam Rahan, who had told her about Brush earlier today, would be sympathetic to her plight. She would receive proper medical care (and Arya would receive something for her headache, too. Cleaning up the room with psychic powers hadn't helped matters in the least.).
Brush bowed. "O-of course, Your Highness." From there, they headed to the infirmary together. Brush drew many stares as they walked through the halls, as many mentally questioned the audacity of the maid to walk with her. Arya pitied the girl, knowing that she would have to develop some thick skin during her time here.
Within the hour, they arrived at the infirmary. Slowly, she opened the door.
Inside was, of course, Madam Rahan. Speaking to her were Parasel and his Ditto assistant, Tamon.
"... my apologies, Madam, but it would be more prudent to allocate your resources toward the King. Servants can be replaced, yet our royalty cannot."
Madam Rahan grimaced. "Fine. However, Parasel, I will hold you responsible if I'm left without supplies."
"Of course," Parasel nodded. Then he turned to Arya, who he must have noticed earlier. "Good evening, your Highness. There is a matter I'd like to discuss with you if you'd be so kind."
"Please wait, Parasel," Arya requested, before turning to Madam Rahan. "If you would be so kind, could you set her down? She'd collapsed earlier, and I may need her later." A complete lie, but it would get Brush more urgent care.
Brush protested a little, but Rahan's force and experience quelled those protests, and soon she was examining Brush intently. Arya, confident that Rahan would take care of the girl, turned to Parasel. "If we may speak in private?"
"Certainly," Parasel bowed before Arya led him and his assistant out of the infirmary. Once they were alone in an isolated room, Arya beckoned for Parasel to continue. "I'd like to discuss the medicine for King Midos."
Arya nearly winced. "Is there a problem?"
Parasel shook his head. "Hardly. Development for a cure of the malady is going smoothly. I've assigned the project to Tamon, and have checked his progress to ensure no mistakes. It'll be ready within the next week or so."
Arya breathed a sigh of relief. "Excellent," she praised, looking at Tamon. The Ditto, who rarely came out of Parasel's lab, creeped her out a little. He had muted emotions and calm dispassion about most subjects, which made reading his mind difficult (of course, Parasel had taught them to shield their mind, so it was impossible to know what was actually going on in their head regardless). He also rarely transformed from his base Ditto state, for a reason she wasn't privy to.
Still, if Tamon was successfully developing a cure for Father's malady, then he deserved far more recognition than scorn.
"There's more, however. I'd like your approval concerning a new interrogation tool."
Arya raised her eyebrows. "Interrogation tool?"
Tamon reached into his gelatinous body and pulled out a syringe filled with a sparkling black liquid.
"This is my experimental enhanced truth serum," Parasel explained. "I've been working on this for a good while. Ideally, it'll weaken mental barriers to nothing and leave anyone unable to speak anything but the truth."
Arya raised her eyebrows. "Is such a thing even possible?"
"Theoretically so," Parasel answered. "I will need to run more trials to ensure a reliable level of efficacy. If it proves to be effective, I'd like to supply our Hounds with the serum to make things go more smoothly when speaking with potential aids to Kite and his accomplices."
Arya nodded. "I see. If it proves to be safe, I'll permit it. Of course, you will need to run it by my father as well. I'd also like to see some of the trials in person, to ensure its efficacy."
"As you wish, your Highness." Parasel bowed once more. "Oh, and you might like to know one last thing."
Arya raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
"Selene, our runaway accomplice to Kite, will run out of her medicinal pills soon. Your father has expressed no desire to see her alive, so she'll likely be dead before the new moon rises."
"I see," Arya said neutrally. "I hope she doesn't come by a substitute for the pills, then."
Parasel shook his head. "Impossible. I've placed a secret ingredient in the pills that will kill her if she tries to take some that don't come from me."
Arya raised an eyebrow in shock. "How ruthless of you. Though, why did you do so before she betrayed us?" she subtly accused.
"For something like this. Her species is new, so I know little about how her psychology truly works. I placed the failsafe in the pills so she would die if she turned on Regilia. My prudence has come to our aid now as a result."
Arya grimaced. The logic was paranoid and cruel, but sound. "Is there a reason you'd like me to know?"
"Your father could do with the reduction in stress, knowing one of his problems will die soon. Please tell him the news to cheer him up."
Arya wondered what it said about her that she smiled at the notion.
Hm... this chapter took a bit longer than I wished, but it still came out alright. If you liked it, feel free to drop a fav, follow, or review.
See you later!
