"We enact the plan Tuesday."
The three of them were on guard duty. Culus had drawn a map of the base on the back on an unimportant form they would get rid of after the meeting.
Culus pointed to each of the individual corridors. "It took me a couple of hours, but I've plotted a route that manages to avoid all of the patrols. I'll be able to get to Kenki's office with time to spare. I've also scouted the inside out and have found three different hiding spots."
Kenki had a sharp eye, which meant that Culus would have to pick the right hiding spot the first time around. It would be a little difficult to manage, but depending on the conditions of that day, Culus could find the position where Kenki wasn't likely to find him.
"So, we don't have to worry about you, then?" Rowan asked.
"Of course not," Culus smiled. "I have experience in this sort of thing. You're the ones that we need to discuss." Culus's experience wasn't something he could consciously remember, but considering the ease with which Culus plotted, it existed in him on some level.
Kapun, who was keeping watch both for people trying to enter Pinnaleis and spies, looked a little concerned. "What is our role, exactly?"
"I'm glad you asked. As we discussed yesterday, you two will be the distractions. Now, the vital component is that nobody realizes that you two are being distractions."
Kapun tilted his head. "Why?"
Rowan scoffed. "Because if they realize we're distractions, they'll know something is up. This whole plan rests on Kenki's ignorance. If he realizes he's being tricked at any point, the jig is up. We need to be sneaky about this."
Culus nodded. "Which is why we're going to blow up the base."
Seconds ticked on. Rowan and Kapun stared at him. A light breeze wafted through the station. Culus patiently waited for a response.
"B-blow up the base?!" Kapun howled, only for Rowan to forcibly clamp his jaws shut before anyone could take notice.
"Kite, are you insane?!" Rowan hissed at Culus's nonchalant insanity. "Why are we going to blow up the base? How is that sneaky?"
"No, as a distraction, and I'll explain," Culus answered each of his questions. "To disconnect ourselves from the distraction, we need to not be there when it happens. They can't suspect us if we're not there, after all. We'll maintain the notion that we're just doing our duties, then slip away just as the ships leave."
"How?! And what does that have to do with blowing up the base?!" Rowan growled. "Have you gone Zubatty?! Do you need a Persim or something?"
"Patience, Rowan," Culus smiled. "Destruction and damage always work as a distraction - people notice when things visibly break apart, especially with a loud bang. By setting off explosions remotely, we can create a giant distraction while keeping ourselves clean."
"I… surely there's something else we can do," Kapun pleaded. "If we mess this up, we're dead."
Culus scoffed. "If we mess up, we're dead either way. This is high treason, you two. If we're going to do this at all, we're going to do it right."
"But there has to be some other kind of distraction we can do!"
Culus smiled. "Is there now?" He stared directly into Kapun's face. "Tell me, what is this other distraction."
Culus's question left Kapun tongue-tied. "I… we could…"
"Kenki finds maintaining control of Pinnaleis's trade important - isn't that right, Rowan?" Rowan could only nod. "He also waits until the day of departure to verify everything, to make sure that everything is going as he wishes, right? That means that he doesn't want to be disturbed while he's finalizing the list."
Culus's tentative allies reluctantly agreed.
"In other words, to drag him away from such a position, we need an incredible distraction. A meager report or issue won't pull him away - only a full-scale emergency will. Now, Kapun, how do you think we can do something like that without giving ourselves away?"
Culus' challenge left Kapun unable to speak. Culus continued to wait.
"... fine," Kapun relented. "We blow up the base - but how?" Kapun once again asked. "The base is tough since it withstood the invasion. It used to be city hall, after all."
"Didn't I just say we use explosives?" Culus asked.
"But none of us can learn Explosion! Or Self-Destruct, or anything like that! And even if we knew, we'd just be giving ourselves away!"
"As I said, the explosions will be detonated remotely. You two will be here while they go off, and I'll be waiting in Kenki's study for my chance. With you two as my alibi, we'll be perfectly set to slip away while they're dealing with the aftermath."
"Okay," Rowan agreed, stifling another nonplussed reaction from Kapun. "But how will we set off these 'remote explosions'?"
Culus opened a bag he snuck from the supply closet. "With this."
Kapun and Rowan peered inside the bag to see what appeared to be an iron ball. On its top was a cork.
"Kite, what the hell is this?" Rowan snapped at him.
"Our bomb," Culus said proudly. "It took a while to get everything working correctly, but I can produce more of it."
"This is our bomb?" Kapun asked incredulously, before poking it worriedly.
"Careful, Kapun," Culus warned, swatting his paw away. "One wrong move and it'll explode. Jostle it too hard and the tetryl will ignite, explode, and set off the TNT."
Kapun slowly backed away. "You're not joking, are you?"
Culus looked at Rowan. "If you wouldn't mind staying here and putting an illusion of us here?" Rowan sighed. "Great, thanks. You'll be able to see the explosion from here anyway."
Kapun looked terrified as Culus led him out of Pinnaleis, gingerly holding the bomb as he did so. "I-I believe you! Don't worry, I'll-"
"Kapun, seeing is believing," Culus said. "That being said, we'll be running for our lives."
Kapun could only stare as Culus set down the bomb. "Culus, this is a really bad idea."
"It's necessary," Culus argued stubbornly. "You two will be doing this yourself, and I don't want either of you to have a misconception about what you'll be carrying."
Culus plucked a few fallen and dried blades of grass from the field and entwined them together, forming a makeshift fuse. He then removed the cork from the bomb, before handing the fuse to Kapun. "Light it up."
Kapun gulped before obeying. With a small Dragon Breath, the end on the fuse lit on fire. Culus quickly laid the fuse on the bomb.
"Now what?" Kapun pressed.
"Now, we run."
Culus then grabbed Kapun and dragged him away from the bomb, running away as fast as possible. It took a few seconds before Kapun mentally caught up with Culus's plan and stopped dragging his feet.
Then, around fifteen seconds after Culus laid the burning fuse on the bomb…
BOOM!
In an ear-ringing explosion of fire, smoke, and debris, the bomb went off, letting out a large shockwave that made Culus and Kapun stumble where they ran. Kapun twisted around, face in abject horror as he saw the ramifications of what they had just done.
"So, do you understand how powerful it can be now that you've seen it yourself?" Culus's calm voice rang through the air, surprising himself. True, he did know the dimensions of the blast beforehand, but to see it himself left him a little more off guard than he thought he'd be.
Except, even now, his heart rate was quickly returning to normal while Kapun still couldn't fully comprehend what he was seeing.
"I… that was just a ball… that big?!" Fragments of speech came out. "How do you make something like that?!"
"That's for me to know, and for you to never know." Culus immediately shut down that line of inquiry. His creation was his ace-in-the-hole, and he didn't trust Kapun with that sort of information.
Creating the bomb took four things - the iron casing which the bomb was held in, the reactant (tetryl) that would explode on ignition by the fuse, a divider separating the reactant and the TNT, and the TNT to be detonated. Iron was simple to make (if taxing), and the reactant and TNT were definitely nightmarish to make, but the bomb was still ultimately creatable.
Kapun looked at Culus with obvious fear in his eyes. Culus took it in stride. "Anyway, we should get going. I'm sure Rowan has plenty of questions about what he just saw."
Once they were back, Rowan pinned them down with a deathly glare. "That was your explosion?!" He immediately pressed. "Something like that?"
"Is there a problem, Rowan?" Culus asked.
"Obviously!" He seethed. "We're likely to kill ourselves on that thing! And now it's gone!"
Culus rolled his eyes. "It isn't any stronger than an Electrode's explosion. It'll knock you out, definitely, but it won't kill you. Just by looking at you, I can tell you're stronger than that. Kapun too."
Rowan flushed. "That's still way too dangerous!" Then a contemplative look appeared on Rowan's face. "It's also not strong enough."
Kapun wheeled around to face Rowan. "What do you mean, 'not strong enough'?!"
Rowan scoffed. "It'll damage the base, but it'll only be a minute's distraction. Something like that will only make Kenki bark out a few orders to fix the place before returning to his work."
Kapun shivered, as if only just now truly understanding how dangerous and hopeless this endeavor could, and likely would, be. Culus, though, snorted.
"And if we were to have five or seven of these explosions?"
…
"Seven?!" Kapun moaned, trying to imagine it. "Seven?!"
"Seven," Culus nodded. "It takes me around eight hours to make one, so I'll only be able to make one or two a day. That should give us around seven bombs for use in the plan." He turned to Rowan. "So, would seven explosions of that level distract Kenki?"
Rowan bit his lip. "For at least an hour," he admitted. "Maybe a couple, depending on where we put them."
"And would it delay the departure of the ships?" Culus pressed.
"... not for long. Kenki makes sure the trade goes smoothly - he handles it personally, after all. He'd make sure that the list would be sent to his officials at the docks." Rowan answered reluctantly. "But…"
"Excellent," Culus smiled.
"Excellent? Excellent?" Kapun hissed. "This is insanity! You want to blow up the base with seven bombs?!" Kapun pled, desperate for some sort of denial, a more palatable plan.
"Wrong. I want you to blow up the base with seven bombs. I'll be doing my job, forging Kenki's signature. After all, you can't do it, and someone has to."
Kapun gulped. "I… I… I can't do this! This is suicide! Even if the bombs don't kill us, Kenki will. Once he finds out, everything will fall apart!"
Culus pinned Kapun with an irritated glare. "Do you want to enact this plan or not?!"
"I don't want to kill myself!"
Culus growled. "Neither do I! The plan doesn't involve killing yourself! You just have to light the bombs on a delayed fuse. There's nothing in there that'll kill you."
"As I just said, Kenki will kill us!"
"He might kill you! That's a risk you'll have to take!"
"That's a risk I have to take!" Kapun shot back. "All you have to do is one measly forgery!"
Culus smiled. "Then do you want to switch roles? Or rather, can you switch roles?" Upon looking at Kapun's unmoving face, he laughed. "Oh, right, you can't. So I have to be the one that's stuck in Kenki's room until the distraction, and you have to be the one that sets the distraction off."
Kapun grimaced.
"So leave." Culus pointed to the city. "Leave and decide on whether this is a plan you can enact. If you can't, I have several backups." There was always the opportunity to just find where Kenki was keeping the ships and stowaway when the day of departure came, after all. "If you can muster up the courage, then return and say so. Otherwise, we can call it quits right here. I won't fault you if you do."
Culus had been teetering on the edge of insanity and death for a while. Something like this wasn't out of his grasp. But Kapun wasn't Culus, and a risky plan like this might engender the most intense kinds of cowardice. The plan ultimately went to Kapun.
Kapun looked down, before walking away. Culus had given him the opportunity to mull things over, and Kapun looked like he was going to take it.
As Kapun left their sight, Rowan turned to Culus. A contemplative look was on his face. "Is all of this really necessary?"
"What do you think?" Culus asked in return.
Rowan said nothing for a few seconds. "You could just sneak in while Kenki's distracted. You don't need to hide out in Kenki's office. With that in mind, you can do everything, including setting off the bombs."
Culus laughed. "You caught onto that, didn't you?" Rowan didn't smile, and Culus's laughter eventually tapered off. "Obviously, I can pull off the whole plan by myself. For that matter, I don't even need to pull off this specific plan - I can just follow the officer carrying the list to where the ships are. If I bring a bag of fruits with me, I can stow away for a while. I don't need to do any of this."
"Then why?" Rowan asked, a puzzled look on his face. "Why all of this… cruelty?"
"Well, he pissed me off, and I don't do charity. He'd better work his ass off for what he'll gain." Culus smiled bitterly. "But you think this is cruelty? This is reality. If I do the second plan, the one where I just go leave, Kapun's position won't change. His father will never get to sell, and he'll remain a guard until he quits. When that happens, he and his father will become beggars or have to escape Pinnaleis."
"And the first plan? The one where you enact the plan entirely by yourself?"
"Like I said yesterday, Kapun's not getting anything for free. He wants to save his family, he'd better do it himself."
"But that's unfair of you to ask, isn't it?"
Culus shook his head. "You don't get it, Rowan. This isn't about the plan or even its results. It's going to be Kapun proving to me that he can actually fight for what he wants, that he can take necessary risks, that his tantrum yesterday wasn't just hot air. If he can't go through with this, then he's doomed no matter what I do."
Rowan narrowed his eyes.
"Even if I were to enact the plan entirely by myself, he'd only gain a time extension before the lack of opportunities were to crush him again. He has to learn how to fight for himself, and not just in combat." Culus snorted. "Because this? Just standing guard at a station? That's nowhere near enough to support his family."
Rowan frowned. "I can't agree with what you're saying," he said after a few seconds. "This is way too confusing for a lesson. You could just say all this to his face, after all."
"I don't need to teach him anything. I want him to prove to me that his bark has bite and that he can actually follow through on his promises."
"And if he doesn't?" Rowan asked.
"Then nothing happens. He'll fall eventually, and I'll leave Pinnaleis, just as planned." Culus turned to where Kapun walked off. "This is ultimately his decision, and what I'll do depends on what he wants. Let's see what that'll be."
The smell of smoke still clung to his fur.
Kapun walked through the streets, not really paying attention to where he was going. A couple of Pokemon noted his uniform and shied away, before probably giving him nasty looks when they thought he wasn't looking. Usually, this would make him loathe himself for what he was doing.
It didn't matter today.
'Just… what am I supposed to do?' All of his problems came down to that in the end. Kite's plan… were there any alternatives? Was there anything he could do to change his mind or go with another plan?
Was Kite even a person that could be persuaded like that? From what those loafers had said a few nights ago, Kite was monstrously capable. Would he even consider Kapun's wishes?
Kite did say that they could abandon the plan if Kapun wished to… but he also said that it was the only plan they were going to ever use. If Kapun wanted Kite's help, he had to follow Kite's orders.
Kapun snarled. "This is so unfair…" he said to the breeze, to which there was no response. None of this was fair, obviously. Dad was so kind that those exploitative royals just walked over him, even though Dad stood up to Kenki!
…
Pinnaleis was a raging battlefield. The remnants of the panicked militia they had formed were divided, and each member had taken extensive injuries. They had been the strongest fighters in Pinnaleis, but since the guardsmen had fled when the invasion was imminent, they were outnumbered.
Those that could fight on an equal level with Captain Admer's veteran pirates were sparse. They only numbered seventeen after the initial onslaught. Dad was the strongest, and he only fought in competitive battles for fun.
Soon, when all of the civilians had run like rats into their houses, all of Captain Admer's forces ganged up on the seventeen members. Even if they only had the slimmest of chances, maybe, just maybe, they could pull this through.
And then they appeared.
Kapun only knew there were ten of them later. All he had seen was the Kommo-o, the only notable characteristic being its scarf. It tore down buildings like they were made of papier-mâché, and it took down two of the remaining battlers with ease, beating them with a single swipe of its claw.
Supposedly, there had been nine more of them, squashing the rest of the militia with relative ease. Whereas before it had been a losing battle, with Pinnaleis's defenders outnumbered greatly, the scarfed warriors had single-handedly destroyed their hopes of a comeback.
Kapun, upon seeing the Kommo-o, fled from where Dad had told him to hide. The Kommo-o was destroying everything in its path, and Kapun didn't know if it would consider him something worth keeping around.
There wasn't any direction to go but inside. Captain Admer's fighters were now on the outskirts, having conquered most of Pinnaleis. The defenders had been pushed back, and so the invaders went to where the defenders were. That left the inside relatively safe, with most of the fighters there either dead or safe in their shelter. There were only a few of Admer's men keeping watch, and most didn't even pay attention to the stumbling Deino.
By the time Kapun gained a sense of where he was, the city hall loomed over him. The officials inside had already fled, and the mayor was nowhere to be seen. And in the courtyard.
CRACKLE!
Dad was fighting Captain Admer. His fists were covered with raw electricity, and he parried each of Admer's instant slices and stabs with sturdy claws. Somehow, Dad could follow Admer's movements, and that was the only reason why he was managing to last so long.
But it was only lasting. Cuts, long and short, littered his body. Many of his scales had already been torn off, and Dad was clearly exhausted. Captain Admer, though, looked as if he hadn't been fighting at all (if one were to ignore the dripping blood on his seamitars). Still, Dad fought with all of his might.
Then, in one lucky second, he managed to get through Admer's guard, striking the inside of one of Admer's legs. Admer howled, his eyes blazing, and before Dad could retreat, he took the opportunity to slice Dad's stomach wide open, spraying blood everywhere and exposing his insides.
…
Kapun shook his head, trying to rid himself of those awful memories. For some reason, Kenki hadn't finished the job. If anything, he looked somewhat remorseful, before deciding to leave Dad on the ground to complete his invasion.
Kenki had been so fast when it came to overhauling the system and reasserting the trade that within two weeks, Pinnaleis had become unrecognizable.
Kapun had initially been stuck to Dad's side like glue when he was recovering. It had been a miracle that he hadn't died, even with his organs visible. The healers that Kenki had allowed to treat the wounded had treated Dad as an initial priority and had taken care of him in the following months.
Once it was clear that Dad wouldn't be able to take care of him, however, Kapun had realized that he had to take care of himself. Since no one was hiring, he had to take the only option available - new soldiers for Kenki's army.
The second Kapun had put on the uniform, he felt a piercing sense of shame. It still hung with him, even to this day (though, due to repetition, it had now dulled).
It was so unfair. Dad was nearly killed, and Kapun had to sell off his pride and dignity to make ends meet. Now, with the new leeches on their tails, it wouldn't matter how hard Kapun worked. They would still fail in the end.
Maybe that was why he was so nonchalant about his duty. This is the second time Kite had told him to go away, and it was the second time Kapun hadn't hesitated to obey. The job no longer mattered to him. Kapun wasn't even sure why he still went. Maybe it was to get away from those parasitic royals?
"Selene, I'm telling you that we're going to find someone!"
Kapun snarled. 'And there they are...
Kapun's feet had led him to the warehouse. When the days were carefree, he'd sneak in and take a couple of berries to eat as a snack between meals. Back then, he didn't have to worry about anything. Dad took care of everything, and he just got to have fun. It was almost instinctual for him to come here for comfort.
So what were they doing here?
Kapun snuck around the corner to watch. That Charmander, Helios, was discussing something with Selene. Eve and a Gible were watching them and eating their food as they argued over something.
"Helios," Selene said, glancing at a nearby warehouse. "There aren't that many places left in Illicity to search. The likelihood we'll find someone who'd know about her is really low - we should cut our losses and try again tomorrow."
"No, no, no!" Helios shouted. "I'm positive that we'll be able to find someone. At the very least, we can find Madam Collown. She'd know something about the Temptress for sure!"
The Temptress? Didn't Dokur mention someone by that name when Selene first came to Pinnaleis? He also mentioned 'Shadow Workers' and things like that. All Kapun remembered was that they ranked higher than Dokur, and as far as Kapun knew, Dokur was the closest you could get to the top without being close to Kenki.
Kapun's decision toward the plan could wait a little longer - or, at the very least, Kapun could look into what these freeloaders were doing as a distraction.
Selene remained silent for a little while longer, contemplating what Helios was saying. Then, after a few seconds, she nodded. "We'll look around for a few more hours. After that, we'll have to pack it up for the day. We'd draw too much attention if we stayed too long."
The four of them started packing up their lunch, reminding Kapun that he didn't have anything to eat today. He'd snack on something soon, though.
Once they finished cleaning up, the four of them started walking across the pier, while engaging in some idle chit-chat. Maybe now was a good time to train in stealth, in case Kapun decided to go forward with the plan?
Five minutes of stalking later, his four targets entered a strangely clean warehouse. It had always vaguely piqued Kapun's interest, as there was something different about this building compared to the others. The doors never creaked or showed any signs of damage, the windows were always pristine, and there was never any accumulation of dust or any other sort of debris.
Odd on its own, but in Kenki times?
Kapun quickly climbed over the top of other warehouses to get a closer look at what was inside, to spy through the window. Inside the warehouse, Selene and her friends spoke to an Inteleon and a Zangoose, before dropping through a… trapdoor?
Was there something under the pier?
Kapun ran over to their warehouse and grabbed a small Apple as a snack, before quickly devouring it. After a small amount of time had passed, Kapun figured that entering would no longer associate him with his targets.
Kapun returned to the suspicious warehouse, before steeling himself.
What would Kite do? What would Dad do?
Kapun opened the door. "Let me in, would you?" His voice nearly cracked, but being around Kenki meant you had to toughen up or get trampled over. And Kapun wouldn't be trampled over, not anymore.
The Inteleon raised an eyebrow. "You're young. I assume you know what we're here for, correct?"
Here Kapun had to think fast. What were these two here for? What were they guarding? Selene and her friends had thought it important… what had they been discussing earlier?
The Temptress… maybe. But then, they were looking for her. So she clearly wasn't there. There was something about a 'Madam Collown', but Kapun doubted she was behind this door either. They would have to find her, so there had to be more than her there.
Then Kapun remembered one word he had initially dismissed.
"You're here to guard Illicity, right?" Kapun said with trepidation, disguised as confidence. "As a representative of Kenk- Captain Admer, I have permission to enter."
Pleasebuyitpleasebuyitpleasebuyit…
The Zangoose studied him. "Think he's telling the truth?" he asked the Intelleon offhandedly.
"No, but he knows what he's talking about. As far as I'm concerned, that's I.D. enough for me." The Inteleon judged, before resting his hand on his chin. "This Deino… you don't have the aura of some warrior of justice. You're not clean, are you?"
Kapun looked around shiftily. "Not really, no." Conspiring against Kenki wasn't exactly legal in Pinnaleis right now, and since Kapun was definitely considering the bombing, he definitely didn't have squeaky-clean morals.
"The guilt's plain on your face." The Inteleon opened the trapdoor. "Come on in, kid. But here's a fair warning: you won't like what you'll see down here. No one will judge you if you turn back now."
Kapun gulped. Did Kapun really need to know what the loafers were doing?
…
Before Kapun could lose more of his nerve, he took the plunge and jumped down the trapdoor.
Under the trapdoor was another room. This one had an additional pair of armed guards: an Eelektross and a Diggersby. They were standing watch over a tunnel that led even further underground.
The Diggersby glanced at him with half-lidded eyes. "State your reason for entering Illicity and expected duration of the visit."
Okay, so that confirmed that Selene hadn't been making things up.
"I'm here for information gathering and networking," Kapun bullshitted. Selene and her friends were looking for people in here, so if they could get in for that reason, Kapun could probably argue similarly. "I'll be here for two hours." She had said that they wouldn't remain for too much longer, and Kite was probably going to need an answer later tonight.
The Diggersby wrote something down on a clay tablet, before passing it to him. "Keep it on you, you'll need it for permission to return."
Kapun nodded. "I understand."
The Diggersby gestured to the tunnel. "Then go already."
Kapun took the invitation and silently slipped into the tunnel, which quickly gave way to spiraling stairs. Soon, the tunnel grew somewhat drier, and Kapun entered it.
A mammoth cavern lit with glowing candles and dotted with tiny buildings and bisected by an underground river. Kapun's mouth opened, as he processed what laid beneath his hometown.
How long had this been here? Kenki couldn't have made it, making something like this isn't something you could hide. And why was it so big? It had to be as big as Pinnaleis itself, if not even larger.
Then Kapun spotted Helios sneaking through the crowds. This wasn't what Kapun was supposed to focus on. More than what this place was, why were Pokemon who had never been here before know of this place, more than Kapun himself did?
Kapun started jumping down the stairs, taking care not to trip or fall and tumble to great injuries. As he hurried down, he crossed paths with various suspicious pokemon, all immediately shying away from him or glaring at him, and not his uniform.
They didn't care about Kenki - they were more concerned with the fact that he was wearing a uniform at all.
The reason why all of the Pokemon were suspicious of him quickly became apparent the moment he got off the spiral staircase and entered the cavern proper. All it took was looking into one of the buildings to see things that shouldn't be there.
Nip, for starters - Dad had told him that it was a really addictive plant that you could set fire to. The smoke it made supposedly smelled impossibly irresistible, and you lost all worries, concerns, and pains (physical and mental) for a while afterward.
Kapun didn't really understand why it was illegal, but it definitely was. He also could recognize it, so seeing it in full display was jarring. Didn't these people know that Nip was illegal, well, everywhere?!
There were also Gummis. These weren't dangerous, at least according to Dad, but for some reason they were illegal anyway. Kapun didn't even know what Gummis did, but he was going to stay away regardless. Seeds laid next to them, of all sorts.
All of those things were illegal and in plain sight. Either the salesmen feared nothing, or…
… a battered and bruised Primeape walked past him, led by an irate Skuntank. Around its neck was the same crystal band around Kite's tail.
Slavery.
The city… it endorsed crime.
All of a sudden, the amount of checks needed to get in, the anonymity, the whole place being underground… it all clicked into place.
Kapun ducked into an alleyway. If anyone saw how nervous he was, he'd be attacked. Someone, anyone, would see him as weak. As someone to be used, hurt, or exploited.
Once he was away from any possible eyes, he began shaking. What… how had he not known about all of this?
No, how could they get away with this?
Any Ground-type Pokemon would be able to sense this cavity. There's no way that Pinnaleis's government would have let this slide, right?
Right?
…
…
…
… he really was naive, wasn't he?
All of this, happening in his city. He had been so blissfully unaware of what this city contained. Before Kenki had arrived, he had thought that the world was so easy, as long as you weren't afraid to work now and again.
After Kenki had arrived, he learned that the would wasn't easy, that you needed to work hard when things weren't going well, and that the world wasn't necessarily unfair.
Now that Kite had arrived, he realized that even now he was naive. He didn't think that Pinnaleis had any serious crime before Kenki came, didn't think that hard work would sometimes be worthless when wrongly applied.
…
Kapun stopped shaking. Now… now wasn't the time for something like this. In the time that he had been getting to grips with his emotions, those four must have already left. He'd track them down and find out just what they were doing in this den of evil and corruption.
He exited the alleyway. Just as he predicted, they'd left. That meant that he'd need to ask around and figure out what they'd been asking, but subtly.
He walked up to one Eiscue store owner, selling frozen see-through balls. "Um… did you see a Charmander walk by? Short, clean scales, wide eyes?"
The Eiscue snorted. "Buy something, and I'll tell you where they went."
Kapun grimaced, before rooting around in his uniform. Usually, all of his payments went to Dad, but he had some change left over. "What's the cheapest one?"
The Eiscue grimaced, before pointing to a tiny ball off in the corner. "Devolve Orb, twenty berries. Temporarily undoes a stage of evolution, wears off in an hour. Works in a five-meter radius. Good for pranks."
Kapun blinked. "It undoes evolution?!"
The Eiscue shrugged. "It's not as good as you think. Muscle memory and overall power carry over. At most, you'll have to suffer the effects of a bad ability. The effect wears off much more quickly the older and stronger you are, so it stinks in battles."
"Oh." Undoing evolution… either the Eiscue was lying, or there were really weird things in the world. "I'll take one." Kapun forked over the cash. "So, where did the Charmander and his friends go?"
The Eiscue pointed down one of the roads. "The Charmander went in that direction, around three minutes ago. You'll probably be able to catch up to him if you hurry." The Eiscue threw him the orb. "Have fun, kid."
"... sure." As he went out, carrying his new orb, a thought occurred to him. "Why is this orb illegal?"
The Eiscue sighed. "Orbs have dangerous and odd effects. That Devolve Orb is the least dangerous one here, with its light and temporary effects. They can be weaponized, and are done so by some armies. But for normal people? Don't even think about it."
"... thank you." With that, Kapun left the store.
Kapun repeated the information gathering process several times more before he caught up to Helios. It took some management of funds, but by the end of it all, he had a dark blue Gummi, an 'Energy Seed', and seventy less berries in his pockets.
Once he had caught sight of Helios, he slipped out of view. True, he could go confront Helios about it now that he was alone and outmatched, but that probably wouldn't get him the answers he wanted.
Helios walked up to a nearby Heatmor loitering around. "Did you go to the Celebration yesterday?" he pressed.
The Heatmor scoffed. "Ain't got the money for that. Not that I'd be able to use a slave, anyway."
"Oh… sorry." Helios walked away, and Kapun followed.
Helios repeated the same thing over and over with a few more Pokemon, asking them again and again if they attended the 'Celebration'. Over and over, the Pokemon stated that they didn't. Each time, Helios visibly grew more disappointed.
Along with the Heatmor, several of the other Pokemon mentioned slavery. From the context of the conversations, Kapun figured that a lot of Pokemon were bought and sold during the Celebration. He wasn't sure exactly what they were celebrating, but it couldn't have been good.
Why were Selene and her friends investigating trafficking? How did they learn about all of this?
Then, just as things were growing repetitive, Helios finally struck gold.
"Mmhmm…" A Simisear said, while smoking a bundle of Nip leaves. "Was a blast. Didn't have enough cash for even the cheapest, but the show was definitely worth watching."
Kapun quickly concentrated on the conversation at hand as Helios lit up.
"Uh, yeah! It was really awesome!" Helios's acting was good, Kapun had to admit. Either Helios was a far worse person than Kapun had thought, or he was good at channeling his excitement from an answer into false enthusiasm about the Celebration. "All those gem-collared slaves, they were really strong and powerful."
The Simisear smiled dopily. "Yep." He took another drag. "Man, that Magby was vicious… you gotta pity the law-enforcement that has to find Kite. I wouldn't want to face a monster like that in a dark alley. And that Kommo-o… that thing was massive. I think it knocked buildings down during Pinnaleis's invasion."
Helios's smile cracked. "B-buildings?"
"Buildings." The Simisear coughed. "It took me a while to remember, but all those gem-collared slaves basically won the invasion of Pinnaleis for Captain Admer. Oh, they were wearing scarves at the time, sure, but even an idiot could figure out they were wearing those collars underneath them."
"R-right." Helios stammered. "Anyway, do you know who the Temptress is?"
The Simisear shook his head. "No, but my brother might. You'll find him by the docks - just follow the river and find a Simipour wearing one of Captain Admer's uniforms."
Helios nodded his head. "Thanks!"
The Simisear waved. "Don't sweat it."
Soon, Helios was off again, and Kapun was once again in pursuit. Of course, Helios went slowly, as to not attract attention, which gave Kapun some time to think as he followed.
Gemmed-collars, Kite, and those scarf-wearing warriors. Kapun hadn't thought to put all three separate elements together before, but it painted a strange and concerning picture.
If what the Simisear said was true and those scarf-wearing warriors were hiding gem collars like the one Kite was wearing around its neck, did that mean Kite was one of them? Kapun remembered how strong they were supposed to be, and Kite was definitely competent enough to match it.
If Kite was like those scarf-wearers, with gem collars… what else did those collars do to him? And could Kapun trust Kite if he was of the same ilk that tore down his city?
But as Kapun followed Helios, he realized that he wasn't heading to the river he had seen from the top of the cavern. Rather, Helios was going to the initial spot he had originally gone to, at the bottom of the staircase to the warehouse.
Waiting for him there were his three friends. Right, this had been a team effort between the four, so Helios probably wanted to share the information before digging further.
"Guys, guys!" Helios enthusiastically called out. "I found-"
"Sssshhhhh…" Selene hissed, before looking around. "Not so loud," she whispered.
Kapun rolled his eyes as several Pokemon glanced at the four. Helios laughed nervously before ducking into an alleyway, prompting the other three to follow him. With irritation, Kapun realized that he would have to get closer to actually listen in, and with a Gible and Eevee's excellent hearing, they would sense his approach.
Kapun quietly stewed as the four carried on their discussion. It took a couple of minutes, but they finished talking, leaving the alley and heading toward the river. Quietly, Kapun continued following.
Entering the Illicity had been… strange, to say the least.
Selene didn't know why, exactly, but everyone in the underground metropolis universally condoned crime. You could walk up to someone and tell them that you murdered twelve Pokemon in cold blood, and they'd laugh in your face before telling you they'd done a hundred and sixty-nine.
Plenty of people recognized her from bounty posters and eyed her appreciatively for her bounty. But then they remembered that she was associated with Kite, and thus dangerous to mess with.
It didn't help her that much, either. Everyone was eager to answer questions, but she never got any that actually solved her problems. All anyone could say was that they didn't attend the Celebration or they didn't know who the Temptress was - no information worth saving.
It didn't help that after lunch, she had the nagging feeling that someone was keeping an eye on her. It disappeared quickly enough, but thirty minutes later it returned full-force. Now that she was with Eve, Helios, and Slate, the feeling of being watched intensified once more.
Selene hoped she wasn't going crazy. It didn't help that the slight aches and pains she'd been feeling recently grew more acute. Weaning herself off the pills wasn't helping, and she was slowly growing more miserable by the hour.
Eve and Helios would throw her concerned looks every minute or so, and she had to fake a smile to reassure them. Once they were satisfied, the smile dropped to irritation and annoyance at her body complaining once more - and that wasn't even mentioning the constant itching she was feeling.
Rashes, anyone?
By the time they had arrived at the Illicity's docks, she wasn't even sure she'd be able to fake it anymore. She'd have to try, though.
In contrast to the Pinnaleis's harbor above them, there were many different ships docked down here. All of them were shaped different than ones Selene had seen before - much more steel and machinery involved, and the mast looked to be retractable. There were also many different warehouses down here, all looking to be nearly built.
Behind her, Selene heard a gasp, and she, Eve, and Slate turned to see who was there. But there was no one there, and though Slate continued to glare suspiciously in the general direction, she eventually turned back to the docks.
Helios was busy scanning the pier, trying to find the Simipour that he mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, the Simipour wasn't conveniently in sight, so Eve suggested they split up.
Helios volunteered to go with her, but Slate turned that down flatly. Helios then proposed that she and Slate go together, and he and Eve go together as well. That wasn't immediately turned down, so they decided to implement it.
As she and Slate searched the docks, Selene felt that probing gaze leave her back. It definitely wasn't in her imagination, and she didn't think she was crazy. It didn't help the situation with Slate that much, either.
He hated her. Selene didn't know why, but everything she did seemed to irritate him or make him more suspicious. Selene didn't know how she could allay his fears, and considering Slate's overall wariness, she wasn't sure she could.
Naturally, that should have made her suspicious back… except it didn't. For whatever reason, Selene had the strangest urge to trust Slate. Trying to pinpoint the reason was hard, but she still couldn't find herself to be overly wary. She felt like she could show him anything she wanted and trust in his confidentiality.
That's why the instant they left Helios and Eve's line of view, Selene's pasted-on smile melted away to a brooding one. Slate saw this and didn't comment, for whatever reason.
Eventually, she decided to make conversation, if only to distract herself from the aches. "So, where do you think-"
"Don't talk to me," Slate said flatly, cutting off her attempt. "We have a job to do."
Selene scowled, before turning away. Oh yes, despite her trust, Slate was an absolute joy to be around.
"Hey, you two, come over here!" The two of them blinked as a Loudred shouted at them (though considering a Loudred's naturally strong voice, 'talked' would be a better word). "If you two aren't busy, I have some urgent work!"
She and Slate looked at each other, bewildered, before heading over to the Loudred.
"Uh, sir," Selene said. "You might have the wrong Pokemon. We're just checking out the docks - we don't work here." He had to be misunderstood.
The Loudred waved his hands dismissively. "Sure, sure. Whatever your actual job is doesn't matter, I just need…" Here Selene zoned out, as it was clear that the Loudred didn't listen to her. Once he finished talking, she'd sort this out.
…
She didn't. Somehow, she and Slate were roped into helping him out on a quick errand. They were to deliver a package off to an apartment building halfway across the Illicity. Maybe the lack of pills was affecting her memory too, because she honestly couldn't remember why they'd agree to do this, or why they weren't just abandoning the task halfway through.
It didn't really matter, though. They had plenty of time to find out who the Temptress was anyway, and a small detour wouldn't hurt much. That Loudred definitely didn't have any ill will toward them.
Ten minutes later, the two of them found their way over to the complex the Loudred had specified. Slate knocked on the address's door four times, and with a silent swing, it opened.
In the doorway, a Sableye grinned. "Oh, it's arrived, hasn't it?" He waved at them. "Come one in, it isn't good to discuss out here."
The Sableye dragged the two of them out of the hallway, jabbering away, with neither of them offering much resistance. Selene wondered why, exactly, the Loudred and Sableye seemed so interested in them before she snapped back to reality as the Sableye finished talking.
While she had been dozing off, the Sableye whistled, before opening up a box of tiny seeds. Slate's eyes bulged as he recognized them, and it took a few seconds before Selene recognized them as well.
Reviver Seeds.
"My my, what lovely supplies the Temptress has sent me," the Sableye said to himself, boxing the seeds without concern. "She does spoil her Workers ever so much, doesn't she?"
Selene stared at the Sableye as she processed the ramifications of what he just said. This Sableye… he was one of those mysterious 'Shadow Workers' that the Toxicroak had mentioned. He could be a prime source of information if the two of them played their cards right.
"I'll let you two get back to your duty quickly enough - but first, some refreshments." He clapped his hands. "Mirella, tea."
From out of nowhere, a Gothorita appeared. "Of course, my lord."
Culus?
Selene blinked, as the thought randomly entered her brain. Then she looked at the Gothorita's neck and realized why.
"Ah, yes, you've noticed," The Sableye said nonchalantly as Mirella immediately got to work brewing tea. "She really is a gem, isn't she?"
"She's… one of those," Selene faintly said. "Those special slaves."
"So you do recognize it," the Sableye grinned. "But you don't seem familiar with them as a whole. Tell me, do you know what Pokemon species the Temptress is?"
"... no?"
"Then you're that type." The Sableye nodded to himself. "I imagine you don't know the trick to get them to cooperate, then?"
Selene raised an eyebrow. "Trick?"
The Sableye cleared their throat. "Mirella! Come here! Oh, and bring the tea!"
Mirella smoothly appeared, with a tray of three full teacups on it (Selene had to wonder exactly how Mirella brewed it so quickly). "Yes, my lord?"
"Jurentia involtas mulaties, adjutt benker signitz shutal."
All at once, a drastic change came over Mirella. Her hands, which were fully clasped over her front as if she were a maid, snapped to her sides. Her eyes immediately went blank, and the gem on her collar shone brightly.
Selene let out a gasp, and Slate clutched the side of the chair he was on. "What did you do to her?" She immediately asked, voice faint.
"Oh, just activated Report Mode," the Sableye said while taking a drink of tea. "Everything Mirella knows is now at your fingertips. She can't lie or even omit truth while she's like this - and the truth she tells is what she's directly observed, not from retrievable memory. It wouldn't do to have what she saw be altered by the collar, wouldn't it?"
Selene gulped. "Okay…" A question came to her. "Mirella, what's your name, first and last?"
Immediately, Mirella droned off an answer. "My designated name, given to me by Lord Ami, is Mirella. I currently have no last name."
Well, that wasn't helpful.
"Where was your collar made?" Slate asked instead.
"Cognes Research Facility, currently located in Hovete."
The Sableye (who must be 'Lord Ami') raised an eyebrow. "Going right for the throat, I see." He laughed. "Enough of that for now. Pyrrer gestit psists affeate."
The Gothorita turned to normal. "My apologies, my lord," she bowed, a contrite look on her face. "I've dozed off on duty. You may punish me however you see fit."
Ami grinned. "And as you can see, they don't collect information in Reporting Mode. So feel free to use it whenever you and one of the Collared are alone."
Selene took a sip of tea, before responding. "Can we try one more time on Mirella, just to make sure we remember that passcode?"
Ami nodded. "Of course!"
Selene cast her mind back to what Ami said initially. "Jurentia...involtas mulaties... adjutt benker shutal signitz."
There was nothing, and Mirella only looked at her with a confused look.
Ami coughed. "The 'shutal' goes after 'signitz'."
"O-oh. Right." Selene cleared her throat. "Jurentia involtas mulaties, adjutt benker signitz shutal."
Once again, Mirella's eyes went blank, and her hands returned to their sides.
"Good, good." Ami praised. "Now, do you remember the passcode to turn Reporting Mode off?"
She didn't - but apparently, Slate did. "Pyrrer gestit psists affeate."
Mirella turned back into her normal self. A look of deep concern came over her. "Lord Ami, I must apologize for my-"
"Mirella, forget the last five minutes and don't be worried over any of it," Ami ordered.
Mirella stopped mid-sentence before her normal countenance came over her.
Ami looked at them. "Now, everything she just forgot can be retrieved in Report Mode, so remember, you can't fool anyone who knows how to access it. If you ever become the master of a Collared, it would do you well to remember that."
Selene nodded. "Of course." Then she remembered what she and Slate currently wanted to know. "Yesterday, Kenki said that any further questions should be forwarded to the Temptress. Where can we find her?"
Ami raised an eyebrow. "Is it part of your duty?"
"Duty?"
Ami waved the question away. "Never mind that. You can find her in Nucifera - just ask a Hat and they'll bring you right to her."
Selene blinked. "A hat?"
Ami laughed. "You'll understand eventually."
And then no matter what she or Slate asked Ami, he wouldn't respond.
"Dad?" Kapun asked once they were alone in their house. "I want to tell you about something."
Dad looked up. Currently, he was washing up after dinner. "Of course, Kapun. What is it?"
Kapun took a deep breath. "I… I've gotten permission for a ship."
Dad blinked. "You… have?"
He nodded. "Not in the traditional way, so don't go Murkrowing to anyone about it, but yeah, I did." Of course, by nontraditional, Kapun also meant illegal, but Dad didn't need to know about that.
He had finally decided, after all, to continue the mission. Despite the fact that Kite was possibly, likely, on Kenki's side, there was no benefit to either him or Kenki to make Kapun go through all of these hoops. There was nothing that Kenki couldn't do in Pinnaleis and there were far easier ways of inflicting worse pain on him.
And now that Kapun knew how to put Culus in Reporting Mode, thanks to what Selene and Slate reported to their little friend group, he could check for sure that Kite wouldn't double-cross him. His little decision to follow the four into the Illicity was already paying dividends (maybe a Legendary blessed him, or gave him divine guidance?).
The four had decided to make plans to leave for Illusuria - since the four were looking to capture Kite, getting to the source of the Collars was the fastest way to find Kite's master and force him or her to submit.
Kapun didn't really care. By the time they managed to do so, Kapun would have already gotten all that he wanted from their deal. Kite still deserved retribution for all of his crimes, and if they wanted to capture him, they could do so for all he cared.
Heck, now that they gave him something (information on how to deal with the Collared), Kapun didn't mind their presence as much. Kapun would get what he wanted in the end.
Dad smiled. "Good job, Kapun! When should I come in for the negotiations?"
Kapun winced. "I, uh… I'll handle all of that for you, don't worry. He's still angry at you for what you did to him, but he's willing to speak with me."
Dad nodded eagerly. "I see."
"We made an agreement to sell all of your cargo," Kapun added. There was no agreement of the sort, but the longer those fruits and vegetables stayed in those crates, the more likely their longevity would finally fade away and let them rot. "We still don't have a location in mind, so, uh, do you have any idea for where we could sell them?"
He had made it clear to Kite that they might not go to Hovete. Kite had waved it off, saying that he could just take another ship in whatever port town they decided on.
Dad tapped his claws together. "I don't have any particular location in mind, no… you'll have to let me think about it."
"Logain."
Kapun turned around to see Eve at the door, fur a little frizzy. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"
"I got thirsty," she answered offhandedly. "That's not important - take the ship to Logain."
Dad crossed his arms. "Logain? Why there?"
Eve grinned. "Because it's the closest port town to Nucifera and Mt. Polymus, obviously. That's the next destination in our search for Kite," she explained to Dad.
Kapun grimaced. "I don't think they'll allow fugitives and supposed hostages on board the ship," he warned. Somehow, the thought of the four freeloaders and Kite being on the same ship gave him the thought of everything exploding.
"We'll stow away," she dismissed. "Illusuria's close and the trip will only take a few days. We know where the ships are, too, so we'll be able to find our way there and sneak aboard."
Kapun grimaced. He could explain the danger of having Kite aboard the same ship, but then that would open up a new can of worms. "Dad, I think this isn't a good idea…" he warned.
Dad shrugged. "There's no reason why they shouldn't. Logain is as good a place as any to sell." Dad's eyes narrowed. "Is there a reason you're so concerned, Kapun?"
"N-No reason," he immediately belted out. "We'll go to Logain."
As Eve ran back upstairs cheering, ready to tell her friends that they'd secured a ride, and Dad continued the dishes with a smile on his face, Kapun had the oddest sense of foreboding.
This definitely wouldn't turn out well.
Not the best chapter I've ever written, I will admit, but it's the best I've been able to come up with. If anyone is reading this, I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Feel free to fav, follow, or review.
See you later!
