Rowan clenched Kair's scales angrily as they flew across Illusuria's landscape. "Where are we going?! This isn't the way to Nucifera!"
"We're not going there immediately," Kair answered, though the buffeting winds made it hard to hear him. "I have to talk to some of my old friends before we can do that!"
"Dad, we can't waste time like that!" Kapun howled.
"It's not going to be a waste of time," Kair said, attempting to assuage his worries. "You'll see what I mean soon - there's no need to worry." Since Rowan couldn't control their flight path, all he could do was sit down and sulk.
Rowan could only hope that Kair would hold to his word and take them to Nucifera. Every second of delay meant another second where Culus's master could come pick him up again - and then Culus would be lost to them forever.
Kapun shot him an apologetic look, attempting an awkward smile. Rowan grimaced, then schooled his previously irritated face. Right - Culus was more logical than this. If he saw Rowan whining but doing nothing about the problem, he'd scoff in derision.
In the end, Rowan needed Kair's willing cooperation, and flying with him would be infinitely faster than running there on his own. Plus, this wasn't an operation that Rowan could perform alone, and while Kapun was reliable in a pinch, he needed a lot more firepower than what one little Deino could provide.
"Alright - just please, make it fast. Every second counts," he reminded the Dragonite.
"Don't worry, this will be very, very fast." With that, Kair flapped his wings harder, nearly doubling their already ridiculous speed.
Then Rowan saw the ocean.
"Why are we flying across the sea?!" he demanded. "Who do you need to talk to so badly?!"
"Someone who can confirm something I need to know before we go rescue Kite!" Kair shouted back, though his voice was soft in the din of the howling gusts of air around them. "Hopefully, it won't take too long!"
The fact that Kair had changed his wording from "soon" to "hopefully won't take too long" made Rowan feel even less confident than before. Wishing clear his mind, Rowan clung tightly to Kair's scales and stopped talking.
…
Night fell a long time ago, and hours had passed over the sea. Rowan hadn't eaten anything the entire day - the last time he had was before interrogating Culus in Reporting Mode, well over a day ago. Next to him, he saw Kapun similarly weak.
Kair kept on pushing, harder and harder, to move faster. Rowan began to wonder if they were ever going to find - DRY LAND!
"We're almost there, boys!" Kair shouted, sparking hope into Rowan's heart. "A few more minutes and we'll arrive at the Regilia base!"
"Regilia?!" Rowan shouted back. "We were traveling here?!" Illusuria was well over a week away from Vidnes, sailing on a ship, and traveling to Regilia from Vidnes on foot took over a week. "Why?!"
"A theory I have, and if it's right, we may have saved a lot of time!" They were here on a theory?
They gradually slowed to a stop, with Kair flying over a large section of woodland. "Hopefully they haven't moved the outpost in the last ten years or so."
"Dad, where are we going?!" Instead of answering, Kair descended into the expanse of trees, buffeting both of them with branches.
Then, with a soft bump, Kair landed on the ground. Rowan immediately jumped off and collapsed on solid ground. "Finally, we're here!" Rowan groaned, before dragging himselfover to a cluster of berries on a bush. "Kair, I'm never riding you again!" Rowan said angrily, before munching on the bitter berries.
"Dad, what are you doing- whoa!" Rowan turned away from the bush to see Kair arrange a set of strangely geometric rocks on the ground in a weird pattern. As he did so, the rocks lit up, eliciting a gasp of wonder from Kapun. "What are they doing?"
"Opening up the outpost," Kair explained, as the ground in front of them collapsed into a set of stairs. "Follow me, you two - there's a kitchen in the outpost that we can use to get some actual grub."
Rowan spat out the berries before dragging himself over to the stairs. The berries hadn't been half-bad, honestly, but he hoped for something better.
It took around three minutes of walking down the spiraling stairs before they arrived at the 'outpost'. Well-furnished and covered in maps and diagrams of collars, Rowan felt a paradoxical sense of both ease and unease.
"Dad… where is this place?" Kapun asked, a little worried. "Why are their diagrams of the… collars… on the wall?"
"I'll answer while we eat - but before that…" Kair walked over to a machine in the corner, covered in little buttons, lights, and names. After Kair pressed one of the buttons, a light next to the name lit up. "We send out a request for her."
"Her?" Rowan asked, suspicious.
"For her - an ally that we can hopefully count on." Again with the 'hopefully'. "Now, we heat some food."
Kair opened a box hidden in the ground, revealing a frozen block of… something. Then he grabbed a pot from a cabinet in the kitchen, before filling it with water.
"D-dad?"
"Sorry, Kapun. Just wait a few more minutes." Kair dropped the strange block into the water, before breathing over it with a white-hot flame for a while.
Eventually, Kair dropped the Flamethrower. "Dinner's ready!"
"What?!" Rowan asked. "Where's the food?!"
Kair showed him what was in the pot - soup.
"H-how?!" Rowan could only ask, completely bewildered. "You just dropped a block of something in there, and now there's soup?!"
"Frozen broth concentrate," Kair answered, labeling the stew into a few bowls. "In the case that food is difficult to find, you just add it to water and heat it. Presto, instant soup."
"Why not just have normal food?" Kapun asked.
"Because during the winter, normal food isn't available. You need storage for food during then - and when you don't have the room for a proper cellar or pantry, something like this is necessary." Kair answered. "Though it's old, it was properly stored, so it won't hurt you."
Rowan decided to throw caution to the wind and just drink it already (a decision aided by his growling stomach). It was surprisingly normal - it didn't taste weird or funny, and Rowan managed to gulp down a third before he had to come back up for air. Next to him, he could see Kapun mirroring him.
After drinking some of his soup, Kair smiled. "Ah, memories… I'd forgotten what instant soup tasted like."
"Dad, that's great and all," Kapun started. "But I'd still like to know - where is this place? Why are there pictures of the collars on the walls? Who did you just call for? How is this going to help-"
"Patience, Kapun," Kair gently tapped Kapun's shoulder. "You'll get your answers soon enough. Finish your bowl, then I'll tell you."
In response, Kapun drained his bowl in one swig, causing Kair to frown deeply. "There. Now, tell me."
Kair opened his mouth, looking at Rowan. Before he could say anything, though, Rowan copied Kapun and drained his bowl as well, causing Kair to sigh.
"Alright, then," Kair relented. "I can see this is eating at you." Kair then drained his bowl as well. "Kapun, how long do you think I've been a full-time berry merchant?"
"Full-time berry merchant?" Kapun asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Answer the question, Kapun," Kair repeated.
Kapun pursed his lips. "You told me you were in the business for decades… but… that isn't the full truth, is it?"
Kair smiled. "You've grown up well in the last few months, Kapun, haven't you?" Kapun drew himself up with pride. "Your perception was accurate - that isn't the full truth. I was only a full-time merchant for the last ten years or so, ever since I had you. Before that, well," he gestured around. "I was a part of this."
Rowan leaned forward. "A part of what? What is 'this'?"
"An organization, a foundation, an association," Kair answered. "A group dedicated to one objective - stopping the creation of the Collared and freeing those who have already become one."
"..."
"... what?" Rowan asked slowly. "Did you just say?"
Kair sighed. "I've been in this business far longer than you or Kapun have been, Rowan. Decades - that's how long I've worked as part of Key."
"Key?" Kapun repeated, looking faint.
"Key," Kair nodded. "The organization that I worked for."
"... so you knew, Dad?" Kapun asked after a few seconds, voice strangely quiet. "You knew about all of this? Everything about the Collars and Kite's lack of choice and… "
Kair nodded. "It was easy enough to figure out, yes. Those with collars rarely have their willpower, so I didn't doubt someone ordered Kite to do what he did."
"And you never told me?!"
Kair nodded. "Even if there ever was a need to tell you, I didn't want to embroil you in the conflict." Kair sighed. "I left Key when you were born, Kapun. I left so that I could take care of you. Now that you're a part of the fight too… I should return to Key as well."
Rowan pursed his lips. "Key… you said that there's a whole organization dedicated to freeing those with Collars?"
Kair smiled bitterly. "Key recruits from Pokemon who have lost their family and friends to the Collars. We scoop up everyone who wants to free them, and everyone who wants retribution for their suffering."
…
"How many… how many Collared are there?" Kapun asked gingerly.
"Hundreds - and that was when I left Key. I have no idea how many more have been made - though, it's likely Kite is one of them." Kair smiled. "There's a possibility - a possibility, mind you - that Kite could have some of his old friends or family in Key. Hopefully, we'll be able to get some help for him."
Kapun's face shone with hope, but a niggling feeling told Rowan they weren't going to be so lucky. Before he could say anything, though, there was a loud noise behind him.
POP!
Kair turned to the sound of the noise and smiled. "Genevieve! You look so dignified right now!"
Rowan twisted around to see a female Kirlia in a maid's uniform. Unfortunately, her beauty was offset by the angry frown on her face. "Who are you… ?"
Kair rolled his eyes. "ID: 1-49. "
Genevieve frowned. "1-49? Hasn't he been retired since… ?" Her eyes slowly widened. "Wait, 1-49… he was a… you can't be… you're Kair!"
Kair tapped the table. "The one and only." He gestured to Kapun. "Here's my son - I decided to name him Kapun."
Genevieve looked at Kapun warmly, and Kapun waved shyly in return. "Hello, Kapun. How are you doing?"
"I'm… fine," Kapun answered slowly. "Who are you?"
Genevieve sat down on one of the free chairs. "My name is Genevieve, ID: 2-81, sir. My official position is as one of Princess - actually, Queen - Arya's handmaidens."
Kair raised an eyebrow. "Queen Arya?"
Genevieve sighed. "King Midos died last night, the cause of death being suicide."
Her words hung heavy in the room. "Though, from Royal Scientist Parasel's autopsy, the King was induced to commit suicide through artificial means. I've yet to make an official report to headquarters since I haven't had the time yet, but I'm suspecting a Shadow Worker was involved."
Kair leaned forward. "Do you think it's a Hat that's responsible?"
Genevieve shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. I discreetly check all of the new employees for a Hat marking, and none of them had one. Spymaster Xion is a confirmed Hat, but I can personally attest to his alibi since I was with him during an interrogation at the time. It's not one of the Temptress's goons, that's for sure - I'm thinking this is Phosophor's doing, or perhaps an assassination order from the Eilkans."
Rowan's head spun, only barely able to keep up with the flow of the conversation. "Phosophor? Who's that?" The name rang a strange bell in Rowan's head as if he had heard of the name before.
Genevieve turned to Rowan, frowning. "Kair, sir, who is this?"
"One of Kenki's defectors. He's helped my son fight and kill Kenki," Kair answered, to Genevieve's utter astonishment. "Though he's small, he more than carries his weight. Because he was instrumental in Kenki's death, it's safe to say that he isn't a Shadow Worker."
Genevieve looked at Rowan with surprise, before smiling. Ignoring that, Rowan continued pressing. "Yes, but who is Phosophor?" The name was on the tip of his tongue… just a bit more information, and…"
Genevieve grimaced. "Sir, that information is classified. Weren't you the one to insist that we keep it secret from those who aren't members of Key?"
Kair frowned. "I suppose." He turned to Rowan. "Rowan, keep that question for later. If you join Key, I'll tell you who Phosophor is."
Rowan ground his teeth but nodded. Clandestine organizations held their secrets, and Rowan wasn't a part of Key yet. Anyway, that wasn't what Rowan cared about right now. "Kair, you said that she could help us rescue Kite. How can she do that?" If she cared about the Collared and hated the Temptress, then she would probably help, but why come all of this way for her?
Genevieve's eyebrows shot up. "Rescue Kite? The criminal?! Kair, what is he talking about?"
Kair sighed. "While Kapun and Rowan fought Kenki, Kite was the one who landed the finishing blow." Genevieve's eyebrows rose even further. "Kite has wormed his way into their hearts, and while I have no idea of his true nature, he has done wonders for Kapun's pride and inciting both of them to fight against the Temptress. For that, I must give him proper credit. Having him lose his free will to the Temptress and his master isn't something I can accept."
Genevieve crossed her arms. "But he isn't with the Temptress, Kite. Right now, he's suffering Undeath inside Fylak."
"... what?" Rowan must have misheard her. "What did you say?"
"I saw Kite myself - Spymaster Xion brought him in Reporting Mode to Regilia. I witnessed the interrogation of Kite myself, and Caesian attested to the preparation of the Undeath machine. I even witnessed the application of a slavery band to prevent Kite from doing anything to resist."
Rowan's head spun. "But… but… we know that the Shadow Workers took Kite away. They must have misled you," he insisted.
Genevieve's eyes darkened. "Perhaps… but then, Spymaster Xion gave Kite's master ring to Queen Arya. Why would he do that if he was just going to give Kite to the Temptress?"
Rowan's breath caught.
Kair nodded. "Genevieve, I suspect you're right." Genevieve glowed with pride. "From what you've said about Kite, Kapun, his master is more than willing to let Kite suffer. After all, his master did nothing to rescue Kite from Undeath before the Twin Moon Ball. I don't believe either the Temptress or his master would view a rescue attempt as worth the effort. Certainly, not for the risk of losing several Shadow Workers, if any royal official ever wanted to witness Kite in Undeath."
Rowan bowed his head. The logic wasn't airtight, but he also recognized the legitimacy of the argument. "So… Kite is…"
"Suffering Undeath, yes," Genevieve nodded. "However, while I pity the poor boy for his lack of agency concerning the matter, launching a rescue attempt into Fylak for him is too risky, for far too little of a reward."
Kapun stood up, glaring. "Too risky? He's against the Temptress, and he killed Kenki! How is he not worth the risk?"
Genevieve sighed, looking at Kapun with pity. "Kapun, I know you feel - I assume that when Kite was given the ability to act freely, his assigned personality must have spoken to you deeply. But we can't sacrifice members to go and rescue someone who can turn on us when the right person gives the right order - assuming he's still sane at that point, of course."
Rowan's eyes flashed. "Sacrifice? How would rescuing Culus involve sacrifice?!"
Genevieve crossed her thin arms. "To rescue Kite from Fylak, one would need to infiltrate the facility, remove him from the Undeath machine, deactivate the slavery band on him using the appropriate master ring, and escape, all while avoiding attention from the guards and watchmen. The odds of that occurring without flaw are astronomically low, so success would likely require several members of Key to fall to protect the extraction party."
Kapun grimaced - and then his eyes gleamed. "If… if you help us rescue Kite from Fylak… I'll join Key!" he declared. "But only if you help us rescue Kite!"
Genevieve shook her head. "Considering your accomplishment," she started, stressing the singular word. "You aren't worth the sacrifice of several members."
Kapun recoiled, eyes wide. Rowan, though, understood what Kapun was trying to do. Just as Culus had taught him, to get someone's help, even when they were unwilling, you had to offer something substantial in return. "If you help us, I'll join Key too," he declared. "And just like Kapun, I won't join if you don't help us!"
There was a beat of silence.
"Again," Genevieve repeated. "You aren't worth the sacrifice of several members - neither of you is. If Kair is correct and you two helped kill Kenki, then you are, at the very least, capable. But capable doesn't bring back the dead, nor is it a form of immunity from loss. I'm sure that none of our members would be willing to risk their lives for someone like Kite."
Rowan saw red. "He's a Collared! Isn't the whole point of Key to help the Collared?!"
"That is our end goal, yes," Genevieve acknowledged, frowning. "But because of the effects of the Collar, the Collared can't be trusted. As I said, if Kite's master gives him the order to turn on us, he would do so in a heartbeat."
Rowan snarled. "So that's it, then? You won't help us save him, no matter what?"
Genevieve nodded. "I appreciate the sentiment you hold - truly, I do - but as a member of Key, I have to think of the bigger picture. Kite is but one Collared, and many others would need to be saved for our goals to be achieved. Attempting an infiltration of Fylak, an incredibly well-guarded facility, for only one potentially- traitorous Collared, is beyond foolish."
Kapun turned to Kair. "Dad, I think it's time we leave. We're not going to get any help from her or Key. We have to go to Fylak before Kite is-"
Kair pinned Kapun with a look. "Kapun, patience." He turned to Genevieve. "I thought they would be more convincing - but then, they're new to this whole business, and they don't understand the whole picture as we do."
Genevieve nodded - Rowan felt something hard pierce his heart. Had she convinced Kair that Culus wasn't worth saving?
"Because they didn't understand the full picture, they couldn't convince as well as was possible." Kair smiled. "Let me convince you with two points, Genevieve."
Genevieve looked much more nervous now, and the hard thing piercing Rowan's heart gave way to hope.
"Point one - they were unaware of how much value they hold. As you said, the two of them are extraordinarily capable, mature, and intelligent for their age. However, that hasn't been tested for any extreme length of time, nor is it worth the potential loss of several members of Key. Am I correct, Genevieve?"
Genevieve raised an eyebrow. "... yes?"
"However, if I were to make the same offer as they were…" Kair shot her a knowing grin. "Well, I remember how angry Angira was when I declared my retirement. I also remember all the numerous missives requesting for my return to Key that I rejected. I know how valuable I am to Key - much more so than, say, five members."
Genevieve said nothing.
"Tell me, how well has the intelligence network been doing in the past decade without me or my contact's help? How much have you found out to be able to reject me like this?"
"..." Genevieve gulped. "... we've found out a lot, Kair," she answered. "We've drawn the connection between Kenki, Phosophor, and the Temptress-"
"Which my son and I found out without even trying."
"-we've located where the Temptress's base is-"
"Nucifera, which we again found out without trying."
"-and we've determined some of the Temptress's vendors other than Kenki."
Kair nodded. "Excellent, excellent. Now, have you found out Phosophor's location?"
"... no."
"Have you managed to smoke out all of the Shadow Worker spies across all of the servants in nobility and royalty?"
Genevieve growled. "You know how difficult a task that is, Kair!"
"Did you know that in Kenki's recent trip to Pinnaleis, he sold off Collared numbering in the double digits?"
Genevieve said nothing.
"Do you even know the name of the Collar production facility?"
"No one does, not even you!"
"Cognes Research Facility, in Hovete."
Genevieve's jaw dropped.
"So, go on, continue telling me about how much Key had found out," Kair drawled. "I'd love to learn something new."
Genevieve bit her lip - and then sighed. "Fine, you're better at the job than we ever were." She bowed her head. "But… you're not enough. Not enough for me to endanger the position I've worked a decade to build up. Not enough to risk other people's lives."
Kair didn't drop his smile. "Which brings me to point two - Operation Triple-R."
Genevieve looked up, thunderstruck. "O-Operation Triple-R? What does that have to do with anything!"
"I'm thinking we can finally start making progress on it."
"P-Progress?!" Genevieve stammered. "Kair, Triple-R is our endgame! We don't know nearly enough to make progress on it!"
Kair nodded. "But you know me - I can find out what we need to know quickly. After all, we know that the Collars are created in the Cognes Research Facility. We can find the location of the facility, infiltrate, find blueprints of the Collar, and figure out how it works." Kair's eyes flashed. "And with Kite as a test subject wanting to get rid of his Collar, we can start experimentation immediately."
Genevieve gulped, before stepping out of her chair. "I… I have to discuss this with Angira. She had the final say on all this, and she has to know about King Midos's death. I'll be back in a few hours, depending on how quickly I can get an audience."
With that, she teleported away.
There was a small pause as Rowan and Kapun digested the news. Then…
"THANK YOU, DAD!" Kapun rushed forward and tackled Kair off his chair, squeezing him in a large hug. "THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"
Kair chuckled, before accepting the hug with a warm embrace of his own. Rowan felt jealousy stab at him before he ruthlessly quashed the feelings of envy. Even if he would never get a chance for that, with his bastard father Zennitas leaving him for the Mandibuzz, Kapun fully deserved this connection with Kair. That, and Rowan was similarly happy.
After all, there was now a non-zero chance they would have a whole organization behind them, one that would help them rescue Kite.
Then Rowan's exhaustion caught up with him, making him stumble out of his chair. He dragged himself to a nearby chair, before collapsing on it.
He fell asleep two seconds later.
…
POP!
Rowan instantly woke up, eyes darting around everywhere as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on. Nearby, Kapun fell out of his armchair, having gone to sleep too. Kair jolted awake as well.
The reason for the noise was quickly apparent - Genevieve had finally returned, with a letter in tow.
"Did we get permission and your help?" Rowan asked as soon as he comprehended what he was seeing.
Genevieve pursed her lips. "Angira has acknowledged your reasons for wanting to free Kite and agrees with them."
Kair stood up and stretched. "Sounds like good news - but from your face, it looks like it isn't quite that simple."
Rowan tensed up a little.
"She agrees but isn't willing to donate resources just yet. She holds full faith in your abilities, as well as mine. But as for the two children," she looked at Rowan and Kapun. "She remains unconvinced."
Rowan growled. "We took down Kenki! We set off bombs as a distraction and stalled against Kenki long enough for Culus to land the finishing blow! We're not incompetent!"
Genevieve shook her head. "For what you're planning, you need more than competence and the ability to follow orders. Kapun's parents were exceptional members of Key, so Angira wants to see what Kapun can do when pushed. She wants to know what you're capable of, too."
Kapun's eyes widened, and Kair stepped back as if struck, narrowing his eyes. Rowan decided to steer the conversation away from any potential familial drama. "Prove ourselves? Your boss wants us to prove ourselves?" Rowan could do that, easily.
Genevieve nodded before handing Rowan a strange-looking ring. "Kite currently has a slavery band around his neck, in addition to the modified ones inside the Undeath machine. Even if we were to free him from the machine, the slavery band would reactivate once he leaves Fylak's cells and shafts, making the rescue useless. This is a replica master ring - you two have to swap the one in Queen Arya's possession with this one."
Rowan looked at the ring, quickly understanding what she was saying. "Then, our test is to get the actual ring, and leave the fake one behind?"
Genevieve nodded. "This isn't the kind of mission we would give to members of Key - at the very least, not to members who aren't on the level of your father. This is a high-level mission, and if you are to be trusted with the Fylak mission, we need to see that high level of competency right here, right now."
Kapun gulped before looking at Rowan. Rowan shot him what he hoped was a confident look - they had handled worse than Regilian guards before, after all. They had nothing on Kenki. And for the most part, they had succeeded in their forgery in Pinnaleis. Kapun and Rowan hadn't made any mistakes, for sure.
Although… they did have over a week of preparations for the heist… and Culus did come up with most of the plan. They were going into this right now, all while blind to Regilia's defenses.
Kair shook his head. "Kapun, Regilia's defenses are stronger than those at Kenki's base. You two don't have enough experience for something like that."
Kapun looked at Rowan one more time, before looking at his father. "Kite managed to take the master ring and escape, all on his own. We can pull something like that off, right, Rowan?"
Rowan nodded.
Kair opened his mouth, closed it, then turned away. "Then stay safe - and if you two don't come back tonight, I will storm the castle myself and take you back. And then, there won't be any rescues - period."
The weight of the threat hung in the room, and despite his earlier confidence, Rowan began to worry. This was a do-or-die task, probably for them and certainly for Culus.
"We…"
But they didn't have any other choice, did they? The longer they stayed like this, puttering around and quibbling, the longer Culus suffered. And without the master ring, Culus had no chance whatsoever…
"... we…"
Still, Rowan couldn't express the earlier confidence. Genevieve showing little confidence in them was one thing - Kair, on the other hand? Now that was a blow."
"... we'll do it."
Rowan wasn't the one to say those words - instead, it was Kapun. There was a half-defeated, half-resolute look on his face. If Rowan were to put it into words, it felt like Kapun knew there was little chance of them succeeding, but knew that he at least had to try.
…
That was a good way of thinking about it. Ships had guards, and Rowan had fought opponents stronger than himself - even killed once or twice, when they had shown a sliver of weakness. Rowan didn't love throwing his life on the line, but in the fight with Kenki, he'd been able to do it.
From what those royals had said back in Kair's friend's house, Undeath was a fate worse than death. Being inflicted with unimaginable pain for the rest of your artificially lengthened life sounded like a truly sadistic hell. And Culus was Rowan's friend, his first friend. Through him, he got to know and befriend Kapun, someone Rowan had previously hated on principle.
Rowan had to try.
He nodded. "We'll do it. Fylak will be worse than this… so if we can't win here, what chance do we have?"
Genevieve grimaced. "That reasoning sounds self-destructive, but Angira would unfortunately agree." She beckoned them over to her, before passing them the ring. "I'll give you guys two hours to complete it before we write it off as a failure and Kair comes to rescue you. Don't draw any attention to yourself, keep yourself safe, don't draw attention to yourself, think fast but deep, and don't draw attention to yourself."
With that, she grabbed their shoulders, and they whirled away in a swirling vortex of space and time.
An instant later, they popped back into being inside stone halls.
"It's been many hours since I've been at my duty - any longer and my direct superiors could become suspicious. Meet me here in two hours. If someone else is here, hide in the first-floor bathrooms in the west wing." Another POP!, and she was gone.
Kapun looked at Rowan. "Now what do we do?"
Rowan's mouth had gone dry. He hadn't expected to start the mission quite that quickly. "We… we figure out what to do."
Kapun gave Rowan a deadpan look. "Oh, I would have never guessed."
The snark managed to inject some life back into him, and he shook his head. Right, right, stay calm… what would Culus do?
Culus was the ruthless kind of person that would resort to crimes as the first option if there were no obvious other alternatives. Since drawing attention to themselves would be a bad thing to do, it would have to be a stealthy sort of crime.
"... reconnaissance," Rowan decided. "We need to observe the Queen and her movements, and then we need to wait for the right time to strike. I can wrap us in an illusion to prevent her from sensing us, and we're Dark types, so she won't be able to read our mind."
Kapun nodded, and Rowan set the illusion around them. He had used so many illusions over the past few weeks that the action was like flexing one of his claws, and now he had become proficient enough to mask both sight and sound.
Of course, that meant that Rowan wouldn't be able to see or hear Kapun. Kapun knew this, thankfully, and grabbed the tip of Rowan's tail with his mouth. A little awkward, true, but it worked out. Both of them knew that awkwardness had no place as an obstacle in this scenario.
Now, where to go to find the Queen. Rowan's first thought was the throne room, but wasn't the throne room used only for important meetings? After all, it would be kind of painful to sit in one place all day long (Rowan definitely knew that).
Then, as the two of them were walking, Rowan noticed servants hanging black drapery. He stopped, before taking some time to think.
The King was dead. That meant funeral processions - not now, but at the rate that the servants were going, the funeral proper would start in a few days, a week at most. And considering that Queen Arya had likely ordered this, she was probably grieving as well.
And since it had happened recently, she was likely still processing her grief. Would she be able to manage a funeral like this?
Kapun bit Rowan's tail a little harder, and Rowan realized he hadn't done anything in well over a minute. Time to get a move on - Rowan was completely unfamiliar with the castle, so in reality, whatever Rowan deduced wouldn't help them find her. Grieving or not, her location was shrouded in mystery. With that, Rowan kept on walking
Then… well, the throne room was probably for big events, and since the servants were at work, she likely wasn't holding any sort of speech. That probably meant she was doing what kings and queens usually did when they weren't doing anything noteworthy.
Rowan wished, for half a second, that they could do the same thing that they did with Kenki's base and blow something up. But then, that probably wasn't the solution that would be palatable to Key.
Then Kapun bit Rowan's tail a bit too hard, and Rowan instinctively turned around to glare at him (not that Kapun would see it). Once Rowan turned around, though, his eyes widened.
"Pure luck," he snarked, growling. Rowan had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn't heard voices sneaking upon them. They were walking straight in the middle of the hallway, and a small crowd of the nobility appeared to be converging on a single person. There was an open door nearby, so Rowan snuck in and hid behind the door, waiting for the procession of people to pass-
The door to the chamber opened further, and Rowan hissed as he dragged Kapun far, far out of the way, burying both of them deep into a corner. One by one, the procession of nobles entered before sitting around a conference table.
And then she appeared. Queen Arya, wearing an expensive set of robes and having a pursed expression on her face. All of the nobles went silent as she stalked around the table before sitting down, eyes downcast. Next to her, a male Kirlia stalked in, small tear tracks running down his face.
"... I offer my condolences, your Majesty," one of the nobles, an exceptionally large Beautifly, said after a few seconds. "It must be difficult to-"
"Enough," the Queen interrupted. "Your thoughts speak volumes. You are no Dark-type - you do not need to ever say anything to me."
There were titters around the room, and the Beautifly noble immediately looked away before sipping a brightly-colored drink they had brought with them. Queen Arya then hid a wince (not that she could hide it from Rowan, he could feel the awkward aura around her).
"Forgive me, your Majesty," the Beautifly said after a few seconds.
"Of course," the Queen said, before plastering a false smile on her face. "All is forgiven." She looked around the room. "Know this, my friends - you will find me far kinder than any King or Queen you have dealt with before. The loss of my father has simply made today rather… stressing, to say the least."
There were no words, though Rowan didn't know if it was because the Queen could read their thoughts, or because she frightened them too much to verbalize it.
Then one of the other nobles (who Rowan judged to be an over-groomed Delcatty) finally spoke up. "Your Majesty, how soon will the funeral take place?"
The Queen's eyes sharpened before she intentionally dulled them to seem less irritated. "Three days, enough time for you all to make proper arrangements. Again, I must apologize for calling you all here on short notice. Last night's other failure brought a pressing issue with it.
"Last night's failure?" The Delcatty purred. "Are you saying that the castle's protections failed, your Majesty?"
Queen Arya's eyes flashed, and the male Kirlia at her side bristled with raw hatred. "Hardly. As much as I wish it was a security failure, every measure we had in place did what it needed to. The death alarm went off as it was supposed to-"
"Supposed to? Are you saying this was planned?" The Delcatty pressed with an 'innocent' smile on her face. "If so, this is an impressive case of regici-"
The Queen grimaced. "When I say 'supposed to', I mean the alarm didn't malfunction. I had no plans last night."
"Really? Because some of your servants seem to think otherwise. After all, you conveniently left the late king alone before his demise. Methinks it was an unwitting hint, rather than some slip of the tongue."
The Queen simply glared at her, before sighing. "You can think whatever you wish. Either way, that was not the failure I was referring to, nor did I say that the failure was mine."
The Delcatty just smiled before reclining on her expensive chair. Somehow, Rowan thought that Arya didn't win this round.
"The failure I was referring to was the failed rescue attempt of Prince Helios and Princess Eve in Illussuria, as well as the failure of apprehending Kite's four henchmen."
…
Henchmen?
Rowan wasn't anyone's henchman - he joined Culus willingly, and Culus hadn't attempted to be a leader figure outside of their attack on Kenki's base. Even then, Rowan had only been half-part of the group.
A Mr. Rime twirled their cane around in alarm. "Henchmen?! There's more than that mutant monster and that Gible?!"
The Queen shook her head. "The Gible wasn't a henchman at all and had left to save the Prince." There was a buzz around the room at this. "The Gible had managed to capture Kite and relay his story. Before the attempted rescue, however, he disappeared. According to the Hounds, we have not seen him since."
The Mr. Rime noble attempted to ask another question, but the Queen held up a hand. "I've received a telepathic message from one of my chief handmaidens - the Eonian king, his brother, and his four generals will be arriving momentarily with Caesian and the leader of the Hounds. Save your questions until the leader has made his full report."
A couple of seconds later, Rowan heard a series of pops outside the door, and the doors opened again, letting eight Pokemon come inside.
First was the Leafeon Eonian king, who Rowan vaguely remembered as King Leafia. His face was pressed tight, stress visible on his face. He quickly took a seat next to the Queen.
Next was an Espeon, decked in fancy ornamentation and ostentatious jewelry. His face, though, could only thinly veil the stress hidden within him. If his brother walked, he prowled. He sat next to his brother, pushing a couple of disgruntled nobles to the side.
Then came three of the Eonian generals, a Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon. Each of them loyally followed the two members of royalty, before sitting in the corner. They probably didn't have any actual reason to be here.
Though, the fourth general certainly distinguished himself. An Umbreon with a strange aura walked in soon after. All the nobles' eyes followed him as he made himself comfortable next to the Espeon, all seemingly without squeezing the other nobles beside them without changing anything.
Rowan recognized the Umbreon - how could he not? Lord Black was infamous, even among Kenki's crew. There was a reason they had seldom touched Eonia or Regilia, and it wasn't because of a lack of targets.
And for the reason they didn't touch Eonia - well, the Nidoking that stomped in certainly left nothing to the imagination. There was a calm, stoic look on his face, one that told everyone around him that he was not someone to be messed with.
The final person to come in was a male Eevee - just an Eevee (though the jet black eyes held a creepy similarity to Lord Black's). Despite all eyes being on him, the Eevee showed no signs of pressure. The Queen's eyes furrowed as she looked at him in confusion, though her attention was torn away once a very familiar Kirlia teleported next to her, hovering over her shoulder.
Genevieve. Somehow, Rowan hadn't quite comprehended what her position was - close handmaiden to the Queen of a world superpower. Rowan was very, very glad that she was on their side.
Then Genevieve's eyes widened as she looked at the Queen's hand. Rowan followed her gaze, seeing nothing on the Queen's hand worthy of attention.
…
… wait…
…
… FUCK!
The Queen didn't have the master ring! The master ring had to be somewhere else! Genevieve was wrong - and apparently, not on purpose! This was probably the worst position to be in right now, with only the illusion protecting them from doom.
An illusion now weakened from having to fool everyone in the room.
Please hold. Rowan charged all the energy he had into the illusion, making it stable enough to withstand everyone's perception trying to break it.
…
Rowan had gotten good at weaving illusions, though life-and-death situations managed to make the difference.
The Queen turned back to the amused Eevee. "Viscount Black, leader of the Hounds. I welcome you to our halls."
The Eevee - clearly a noble as well - bowed. "My humblest gratitude, your Majesty. Please, though - call me Light. Viscount Black is rather unwieldy, after all."
The various Eonian nobles around them tittered, and the members of royalty all frowned. Still, Queen Arya nodded. "Very well. Light, please explain in full the events that have occurred since you became leader of the Hounds."
"As you wish - but, before I do, may I ask what the odd aroma is?"
The Queen furrowed her brow. "Odd aroma?" She sniffed the air, as did many others around her. Then they started holding their nose. "Yes - what is it?"
Rowan sniffed the air too, but couldn't smell anything. Were these royal sensibilities or something like that?
Next to her, Genevieve sniffed the air and frowned too - then a look of panic swept over her face. It looked much more like the one they had seen in the bunker - and yet, she hadn't wrinkled her nose or anything like that. It looked like she didn't smell anything… either…
…
… they were the source of the smell.
With growing horror, Rowan remembered that he hadn't bathed in well over a week. It had gone completely under his radar, but given the preparations they needed for the trick in Kenki's base, the stowing away on the ship, and the complete lack of time they had in Illussuria, they hadn't cleaned themselves once.
Kapun bit his tail in panic - obviously trying to signal him to wrap the illusion tighter around them to mask scent as well as sight and sound. But when he tried, he found that he couldn't. He was strong, but not that strong. He had spent all of his effort boosting the illusion not to break from the mass of Pokemon that pressured it to break. Spreading an illusion of scent in addition to sight and sound was beyond his abilities normally, and stretched to his limits as he was, he couldn't stretch them further.
This was a nightmare. Already, Rowan could feel the pressure on the illusion increasing as the nobles pushed their perception, trying to find the source of the stink. If the eyes remained searching like this, they would be in deep trouble.
"Your Majesty, I'll get an air freshener-"
"No, we'll clean this immediately," the Queen declared. Rowan wondered why until he saw the Delcatty smiling at the Queen, probably getting under her skin again. "Send for her - she's unobtrusive enough for the job."
Genevieve nodded, a calm facade coming over her face again. "Of course." With that, Genevieve popped away, returning in a few scant seconds with a tiny slip of a Mincinno. Genevieve whispered a few sentences in her ear, and the Mincinno's eyes widened, before looking at the royals in terror.
Of course, that fear only lasted a second, before she started scurrying away, cleaning every spot that she could. Rowan stood up - once the girl approached them, they'd have to move. They wouldn't be able to leave, the door had closed long ago, but they could avoid her detection.
And luckily, the news that someone was on cleaning duty managed to settle everyone's superficial concerns. Quickly enough, they turned to Light, who patiently stood there.
"Very well - immediately, we began detailing Kite and his first known henchman. Or rather, henchwoman - the unknown Pokemon Selene. We also mistakenly sent posters warranting Slate's arrest, though those are currently being taken down as we speak."
As Light talked, the Mincinno maid approached them. Slowly, Rowan and Kapun started moving to the location where Brush had already cleaned. That would buy them some time before she came round.
"Eventually, news came of Kite's reappearance, a week's away from here. Soon enough, it became clear that Kite was being nursed back to health by a family of three - a Pachirisu, a Cincinno, and their Mincinno child."
The Mincinno froze, and tears came to her eyes. Queen Arya coughed as the male Kirlia next to her turned to stare at the maid. "Please, be brief, Light."
"As you wish. Suffice it to say, because of the Pachirisu's utter lack of patriotism to Regilia's glorious name, Kite's strength was restored, and he was let free to Hovete, or so we thought." Light then slowly turned to the little Mincinno maid. "Of course, the two parents were rightfully incarcerated at Fylak for their misdeeds, and the girl was purportedly indentured at Regilia's castle."
The tears were falling. No one said a word. No one held any illusions about where that girl was right now.
Queen Arya glared. "To the point, Light. We all have duties to attend to." Her eyes flashed pink briefly, as did the Mincinno girl's eyes. Soon, she was back to work, though tears still pooled at the corner of her eyes.
"Of course. Suffice it to say, footprint evidence led us to the assumption that Kite was headed toward Hovete. However, as Slate's testimony, provided by Xion and forwarded from his contact in Illusuria, makes him resurface near Pinnaleis, we can assume that he must have been flown or teleported midway through his path through the mountains. Since we now know that Kite had a Dragonite henchman, a flight is the most likely way he came to Pinnaleis."
Again, wrong. Though, from the contemplative glances from everyone else in the room (barring Genevieve and probably Kapun), Rowan was the only one to think so.
"If I'm correct," Queen Arya said slowly. "That was all of the confirmed information you had until yesterday - am I correct?"
Light nodded. "Yes, your Majesty. As a result of Hovete's obstinance, we were unable to confirm or deny Kite's existence in Hovete. Though, from what it now seems, we were wrong - Kite left for Pinnaleis, in Vidnes."
There was a small silence at this, as the various nobles digested the information.
"Pinnaleis," the Delcatty drawled. "Isn't that the poor town suffering under the thumb of… what was his name? Captain Admiration, or something banal like that."
"Captain Admer," Light answered. "Though, that is only how he chooses to portray himself to most people. His original name is Kenki - the reason why he hid it is unknown."
King Leafia tapped the table in interest. "Was the use of past tense purposeful, sir Black?"
Light nodded. "The Captain has fallen, and sources in Pinnaleis confirmed that his body is missing a soul." Appreciative murmurs sounded. "Though, as the situation in Pinnaleis is now, there isn't any way to reconfirm it."
The king sighed. "I'll prepare a shipment of resources as a gift. Use it well, sir Black."
Light smiled. "Of course, your Majesty. Though, that's not the main issue - rather, a larger issue is Kenki's missing corpse."
… what?
"I beg your pardon?" Arya asked, raising an eyebrow. "Missing corpse? How is this an issue?"
"The remnants of Kenki's missing force were reportedly in possession of his body for only a few days. Two nights ago, the body disappeared, though we aren't sure where it is." Light sighed. "Another strange facet is that the corpse, while missing a soul, still had a beating heart and mental activity."
WHAT?
Kapun slowly stopped biting Rowan's tail as Light continued. "Coroners were unsure whether to call it a corpse or not - as there were active vital signs, it would be wrong to call it a corpse, yet without a soul, he certainly wasn't alive. Our current theories suggest Kite called upon the aid of an extraordinarily powerful Ghost Pokemon to directly attack the soul - though, that doesn't explain all of the blood loss and unidentified particulate matter, nor the lack of injuries or even scars on his corpse."
Queen Arya glared. "While this is all well and good, can you please return to Kite and the others, the main topic of discussion?"
Honestly, Rowan half-wished Light would continue. If he wasn't spewing bullshit, then this left the results of their battle up in the air. For starters, what was the whole business with Kenki still having vital signs? Kite electrocuted him to death. All the vital signs should have disappeared - and what was the business with Kenki having no injuries, or even scars? The corpse mysteriously disappearing was hardly a good sign, either.
"Of course, your Majesty. After Kite was flown from Hovete to Pinnaleis, he was temporarily inducted into Kenki's ranks - testimony from multiple members of Kenki's posse confirms this. Reportedly, Kite was a gate sentry, working with a Zorua called 'Runt' and a Deino named 'Kapun' - the perfect opportunity to reunite with allies."
Rowan growled. That name again. The look of amusement on Light's face didn't help either.
As Light continued, Kapun bit Rowan's tail again. "Several days ago, a series of explosions occurred in Pinnaleis's center, damaging the town hall to a serious degree. The three sentries were not seen that day, and Kenki's 'corpse' was found at the harbor an hour past noon."
The Queen sighed. "So the three of them killed Kenki? Three unevolved Pokemon against a single Samurott, one who is a master of the blade?"
"Perhaps - though, it is also possible that the Dragonite was involved at this point. The Dragonite, known to the locals as Kair, nearly fought Kenki to a standstill during the initial invasion. With a competent pokemon like Kite to aid him, they could fight against him." Light said slowly. "However, considering the state of Kenki's corpse, there could be one other factor - the mutant monster, Selene."
The Espeon glared. "All this time you have been focused on Kite - what of my daughter? What did that witch do to her?"
Light sighed. "Slate found Princess Eve to be following Eve willingly."
The male Kirlia next to the Queen bowed his head, anger visible on his face. "How? How could she betray me like this?!"
Various nobles looked at the male Kirlia with a mixture of pity and dark amusement. The Delcatty had a wide grin on her face as she directly faced the Queen and the male Kirlia. Rowan couldn't help but wonder if he was the reason she left.
Light shook his head. "It is very possible that she didn't betray you, Yurime - at least, not of her free will."
Yurime opened his mouth again, probably to say something stupid, but the Queen hushed him. "You are talking of Selene, correct?"
"Precisely, your Majesty," Light nodded. "You have noted her performances to have hypnotic capabilities, correct?" The Queen uncertainly nodded. "Considering how the sources state that the Prince followed Selene willingly as well, even though she kidnapped him, we are worried that her hypnotism may not extend only to sleep and simple trances."
The Espeon narrowed his eyes. "Are you saying that monster stole my daughter's mind, sir Black?"
Light nodded. "It is very likely, your Highness. Considering her former association with Kite, one that Slate confirmed outright, there's no doubt that she was conspiring with him to commit all of the crimes. For the Prince and Princess to follow Kite willingly suggests they may not have been allowed their will in the first place."
The Queen drummed her finger on the table, worried. "And is Slate's testimony reliable? For all we know, he could be placed under some form of hypnosis himself." Rowan snorted - as if.
Light shook his head again. "Spymaster Xion's checked Slate's psyche personally, and there was no evidence of tampering or duplicity. Slate stated in his testimony that he kept Selene at a distance for the entire time with them, never giving her the chance to control him. Slate's capability to lie to Selene and pretend loyalty was far greater than previously shown and allowed Selene to drop her guard, at least to the point where her health degraded to where she couldn't use her power anymore."
Queen Arya crossed her arms. "So Selene kidnapped both the Prince and the Princess and altered their minds, with Slate managing to escape the control himself and tricking her into thinking he was controlled?"
"Correct. The four of them traveled to Pinnaleis and had a rendezvous with Kite and his other henchmen. There, they defeated Kenki and left for Logain on a cargo ship - only, the ship capsized in Kyogre's nightmare, which knocked out everyone but Slate."
The Queen sighed. "And that is what allowed Slate to capture Kite - and why they managed to escape before the rescue attempt started?" Light nodded. "Is that the entirety of your report?"
Light looked at Caesian, who stepped forward. "Correct, your Majesty," he rumbled. "The squad found that the house Slate directed them to was deserted. We are currently inspecting the residence for clues and biological samples and have found Charmander and Gible scales, and Eevee, Deino, and Zorua fur. Once Parasel duplicates enough of it, we will be able to have a Ditto transform into them to see what they look like for their wanted posters." Rowan's blood chilled - there went the hope of relative anonymity outside of Regilia.
The Queen sighed. "See to it." She stood up. "Caesian, I'm giving you executive authority over the Hounds. Light, you have done well, but leave this to the Regilians for now. Handle your own country." Light narrowed his eyes as Caesian nodded. "King Leafia, we have much to discuss - alone."
"Of course, Queen Arya." The king stood up, so Rowan almost missed the glare the king's brother shot her.
Then Queen Arya took a glance at Genevieve, and her eyes briefly glowed. Genevieve's eyes glowed as well, and she bowed.
"Meeting adjourned." With that, she, the King, and Genevieve teleported away. Soon after, Yurime and Caesian did so as well - and with them gone, the rest of the nobles and generals soon exited, leaving Rowan and Kapun alone in the meeting room, barring the Mincinno girl.
The Mincinno girl who had stopped cleaning long ago, in favor of staring at the exact spot Rowan and Kapun were standing in. "I can smell you," she stated, glaring. "I don't know who you are or why the Queen didn't acknowledge it, but you'd better show yourselves anyway." The Mincinno girl grabbed a nearby mop and used it as a weapon.
…
Oh, to hell with this.
Rowan released the illusion over them, startling the Mincinno girl. "You don't know who we are? If you listened to the meeting, I'm sure you'd have to recognize us." The Mincinno's eyes filled with fear.
Kapun nudged Rowan. "Now's not the time for this - we have to find the ring!"
Rowan stalked toward the Mincinno girl, who edged backward. "Of course, Kapun," Rowan acknowledged. "But right now, we have a loose end we need to tie up. She knows who we are and what we're here for - and in a castle full of mind-readers, she can't keep a secret."
The Mincinno gripped the mop tighter. "I… I…" Her eyes widened. "If you kill me, you'll be found out! There are alarms for that!"
…
Fuck.
"We don't have to kill you here to shut you up forever," Rowan threatened. "We can just knock you out and kill you outside the castle gates. All they'll know is that you went missing forever."
The Mincinno girl started weeping.
Kapun nudged him. "Aren't you being a little too harsh on her? She's completely innocent." The Mincinno girl's weeping slowed down - she had heard him.
"Innocent or not, we have to save Kite, and she's our enemy." She froze. "We don't have the luxury to leave her alive, Kapun. Her living means our mission fails."
"I know where the ring is!"
Rowan blinked as the girl blurted that out. "I… what?"
"I know where the ring is!" The Mincinno blurted out again. "I'll tell you, so please don't kill me!" She continued sobbing, and Rowan was left flummoxed.
"Do we… do we trust her?" Kapun whispered to him with uncertainty.
And that was the main issue. The Mincinno girl was their enemy, clear and simple. "Of course not," he answered. "We can find the ring on her own. We don't need her."
Except, the longer they stayed here, the more likely it was that they would be found out. Rowan was tired of weaving illusions around them already and having to account for smell as well, the illusions would be incredibly weak. That, along with their two-hour time limit (half of which was gone already), meant that they didn't have the time to go look for the ring.
But then, the Mincinno might be lying to save her skin. What were the odds that she knew where it was?
"You'll never find it without my help," the Mincinno said, looking at Rowan's expression. "You need me."
Rowan snarled, before lunging forward. The Mincinno squeaked as Rowan dug his claws into her fur, drawing blood.
"Don't consider yourself important." Rowan stared at the Mincinno's frightened face, noting the teardrops about to fall. "You are nowhere near as important as you think you are, and I won't hesitate to kill you if I need to."
Kapun looked at him with complete surprise - though, Rowan didn't see the issue. The Mincinno wouldn't be his first kill, and probably wouldn't be the last. "... she's pissing herself, Rowan."
Rowan noted the trickle of liquid with disdain. "So what? Let her."
"You're terrifying her." As they were supposed to. "Let me talk to her."
Kapun stepped forward, before kneeling a little so that he was eye-level with the Mincinno girl, who shrunk back. "My name is Kapun," he introduced. "What's your name?"
The Mincinno continued staring at him. The trickle came to a stop.
"Come on - you can tell me."
"... Brush."
Kapun nodded. "Brush, we're not going to kill you." Kapun shot a stink-eye at him. "We'll make it so that you can't betray us, but we won't kill you."
Rowan scoffed, but Brush nodded uncertainly. Then Kapun bit his lip.
"And… we'll save your parents."
Brush stared at Kapun, as did he. "W-what?"
"Your parents are in Fylak, right? Well, our friend is in Fylak too. When we rescue him, we'll rescue your parents too. We'll keep them safe so we can reunite you with them." Kapun smiled. "But in return, you have to tell us where to find the master ring."
Brush bit her lip. She was hesitant… and yet, it was clear that she was contemplating the offer.
Kapun then looked at Rowan. "Hey, Rowan, do you mind cleaning the floor?" He grabbed the mop that Brush dropped. "We can't leave a giant piss stain here, can we?"
"You should do it yourself…" Rowan trailed off as he saw the fire in Kapun's eye. "You know what, fine." He grabbed the mop. "Don't let her leave, though - we can't trust her."
Kapun rolled his eyes as he cleaned. "Sure, sure." He turned to face Brush. "So, do we have a deal?"
Brush bowed her head.
"Brush… do you want your parents to be in prison?"
Brush shook her head. "N-no… but how do I know you two aren't lying to me?" Her voice was almost… broken.
"You don't, and you can't." Brush looked up at Kapun in shock. "You know who we are. You know that we're the type of Pokemon that can lie as easily as we breathe. You can lie to yourself and pretend that we'd never lie, but you're too smart for that. We don't have any proof that we won't kill you, other than our word." Kapun's smile turned slightly bitter. "If you want things to change, though… you'll have to trust us. It's your choice, Brush."
Brush whimpered a little. As Rowan observed the scene, he was oddly reminded of the station post in Pinnaleis.
"I… I…" Brush shut her eyes. "The ring is hidden in Queen Arya's hidden sanctum. She said that she'll put several locks in place to prevent anyone taking it out!"
Kapun slowly nodded. "I see… how did you find this out?"
"I… I overheard her talking to that big Nidoking from earlier this morning. He gave her the ring and warned her not to tell anyone else where she's hiding it. I… she might have changed her mind, though. And… and I'm not sure where the sanctum is…" Brush teared up. "But… please! Please save Mom and Dad!"
Rowan had enough. With a quick swipe of his paw, he knocked Brush unconscious while under an invisibility illusion.
"Rowan!" Kapun stared at him, aghast. "She was working with us! She was cooperating!"
"And her usefulness ran out. She's just a normal kid - she can't help us in the slightest. Conscious, she would only be a liability."
Kapun grimaced. "I'm a normal kid, too. She can be useful."
Rowan barked. "You, normal? You're nothing of the sort. Normal people can't detonate bombs before taking on a pirate captain from hell without hesitation. Normal people can't negotiate their enemy into revealing private information without torture or training. You're not normal, Kapun, and neither am I." They would be fucked if they were normal.
Kapun looked down. "... anyway… where do you think the sanctum is?"
Rowan bit his lip. A sanctum, a room designed to be hidden. That didn't give much to go on.
"Let's… let's think this out, Rowan said hesitantly. Word for word, he went over what Brush had told them. "She said that there are several locks in place. That means that she's prepared in case someone finds it, so it can't be a place no one else knows about."
"Well, yeah. After all, she told the general that she hid it in her sanctum - and he told her to tell no one else where she hid it."
"Right, right…" It could be over-preparation too, but in all likelihood… "So it's not too well hidden, then. She might want to be able to easily access it as well, to make sure it's safe."
"She can teleport, you know," Kapun reminded him.
"Yeah, but if she wants the general to be able to find it too, then it has to be somewhere anyone can access. It can't be the first place anyone would look either, or somewhere with a lot of people. After all, it is a sanctum." Rowan hummed. "Maybe it's in the treasury?"
"Isn't there a guard over the treasury?" Right, right. After all, someone had found Culus when he was stealing from there.
"Alright, not there. Anyway, it's been there forever, so it's not her treasury."
Kapun slowly nodded. "Right… if it's her sanctum, then it probably isn't some old inaccessible secret of the castle."
"And it can't be too newly-built either, since the general has to know about it as well."
"... do you think it's somewhere in her room?" Kapun ventured.
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Why there?"
"Well, before Helios and his friends invaded, my room was the one place I felt I could be me. It's not too hidden, but maybe the sanctum is hidden inside the room somewhere. The general has probably been to her room, considering how familiar she is with him - and it's the place you least expect, too!"
Rowan scoffed. "As if it would be that easy." A brief pause. "But… we might find a reference to her sanctum in her room. It's not a bad first location."
Kapun nodded, before grabbing Brush's unconscious body and lifting it over his back. "Alright, let's go."
"... you're taking her too?"
"Well, yeah. Imagine if someone walked in and found her unconscious. We'd be found out in a heartbeat."
Rowan grimaced. "Fine, take her too." He then thought about it for a second. "Wake her up. Neither of us knows where the Queen's room is."
Kapun set her down before shaking her awake. "Brush… Brush… come on, wake up…"
Brush sat up, bleary-eyed. "What… what happened?"
"You fell asleep for a second," Kapun lied. "Can you take us to the Queen's room?"
Brush stared at him. "I… fell asleep?"
"Yes." Rowan marveled at Kapun's poker face. "Please take us to the Queen's room."
Brush stood. "I… okay," she relented. "I… I... whoa!" She wobbled in the air, a little dizzy. Kapun caught her before she fell over, all while sending Rowan a stink-eye. Rowan shrugged unrepentantly.
"Got you," Kapun said before slinging Brush over his back. "Rowan, cloak us in an illusion." Roan rolled his eyes before applying the standard invisibility illusion. "We'll go there from the outside if that's alright. Less chance of someone smelling us when we cross them in the hall."
Brush nodded. "Th-that's okay," she murmured, holding tight to Kapun's back. "You… you're stinky…"
Rowan decided to amend the illusion. In addition to sight, Rowan cloaked scent as well. That would leave sound like normal, but they could be silent if they needed to be, whereas smell wasn't something they could change easily. "Is that better?"
"A little," came Brush's voice.
Good enough for him. Rowan walked up to a nearby window and opened it, letting a draft of chilly air come in. "Then let's go." Rowan climbed out and waited for Kapun to follow. Sure enough, he heard a thud next to him, along with Brush's small squeak. "Where is her room?"
"U-up there," she said, pointing to a window near the top of the castle. "The window is protected by psychic powers, though."
"Not a problem." With that, Rowan started scaling the castle's walls, Kapun and Brush following close behind. It took a few minutes, but they arrived at the window Brush directed them to.
"So, how will you get past the window's protections?" Kapun said. "I hope you aren't just going to break past it with Dark-type power - it has to be protected against that."
…
"Okay, time to brainstorm." Good thing Rowan was invisible, as his blush would be on full display otherwise.
"Hey, Brush? Can you sneak inside and open the window for us?" Kapun asked.
"I don't have the key," was the response, and Rowan cursed. What to do, what to do…
"Ventilation, maybe?" Kapun suggested. "Are the vents open?"
"Um… no?"
Were they going to be stopped by a locked door?
…
"I'm an idiot," he groused. "Brush, how stiff are your tail hairs?"
"Pretty stiff, why?"
"Then hold still." Rowan undid the illusion around Kapun and Brush, before plucking a few of Brush's tail hairs.
Brush hissed. "What was that for?!"
Rowan twisted the hairs together with a surprising amount of effort. "I don't have the resources for a proper lock-pick, so this will have to do." As expected, the hairs were locked into place. "Stay here, I'll unlock the window from the inside."
Rowan slipped into one of the open windows and approached the Queen's door, before attempting to pick it. His flimsy-ass lockpick didn't work at first, but eventually, Rowan remembered to apply the torque, and it turned soundlessly. Rowan snorted. It had been such a long time since he'd had to pick a lock, but it came back to him soon enough.
"Nice job!" Kapun praised as the window swung open. "Now, where do you think the sanctum is?"
"Over there?" Brush suggested.
Rowan blinked "Over where?"
"There, by the corner near the dresser."
Rowan walked to it, inspecting it. "Why here?"
"A week ago, I came here to clean for the Queen, and the wood on the corner looks different, though I don't know why?" There was a head-scratching sound. "It looks normal, but it feels like it's different. I don't know why, though - there's nothing there."
Rowan inspected it. "I'm not sure what you mean. There's nothing here, and it looks normal to me." He idly ran a claw across the boards, feeling the ridges under it. "I can't tell what you mean-"
His paw bumped across something, and he blinked. "There's nothing here," he said - because there was nothing there, but he couldn't move his paw. "There's nothing here!"
There was something wrong - there was nothing there!
…
Rowan pumped as much Dark-type energy into the ground as he dared, and suddenly, he perceived a trapdoor in the corner.
"What the hell?" Kapun asked, amazed. "Why is there a trapdoor?"
"Hypnosis," Rowan said, sighing. "The door trapdoor hypnotizes everyone near it to think that it's just the ground, that 'there was nothing there'. I was stuck in a thought-loop and didn't know why, so I decided to risk it and just break whatever psychic powers were involved."
Kapun shivered. "Creepy," he remarked. "You think this is the sanctum?"
"Almost certainly." Rowan swung the trapdoor open. "Come on, let's get inside."
The inside was a little dirty, but overall well-kept. There was a chair in the corner, a couple of odd mementos here and there, and a small drawer on the wall.
"So, the master ring?" Kapun asked.
"Probably in here," Rowan agreed, before turning to Brush. "This time, I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" She repeated. "Sorry for wha-"
And once again, Rowan knocked her out.
"Rowan, why? She was cooperating."
Rowan sighed. "As I said earlier, she's no longer useful. If she becomes useful again, we'll wake her up, but until then we keep her in the dark. Her mind isn't protected by her typing like ours is, so the more she learns, the more dangerous she is."
"She knows everything, though."
"Kapun, it's the principle of the matter. She's a nice girl, sure, but she's still technically our enemy. End of discussion." Kapun grumbled and made sure that Brush was in a comfortable position on the ground, but said nothing else. "Now, for the drawer - on the off-chance that it's protected by psychic powers too, we pump as much Dark-type energy as possible. Got it?"
"Got it." Kapun nodded.
"On three. One… two… THREE!"
Rowan started pumping Dark-type energy into the drawer, as much as possible. A couple of seconds later, something in the drawer snapped, and Fairy-type energy crashed down on them, making them collapse.
"What… what's happening?!"
Rowan barely managed to pull himself to his feet and withdrew the fake ring Genevieve gave them. Opening the drawer, he found a mirror image of the fake ring and grinned. Bingo. With a deft hand, he swapped the two and closed the door, before pocketing the genuine master ring.
"We got it - now we have to leave!" Rowan yelled.
*POP*
The instant he heard the unmistakable sound of teleportation, Rowan applied the illusion over them, making sure it covered both sight and scent. Not too soon, either, for seconds later, the Queen stormed in, thunderous. Behind her, Genevieve walked, confused and intrigued.
"Your Majesty? Where… is this place?" she asked hesitantly.
"My sanctum," the Queen explained irritably, before sliding the drawer open. "A false alarm - the master ring is still safe."
Genevieve's eyes widened. "The… master ring? Are you talking about Kite's master ring?"
Queen Arya closed the door, sighing. "Yes - I've kept it here for safekeeping. The drawer is supposed to react if the protection on it is ever broken. Right now, there's Fairy-type energy around us, so Dark-type energy must have been involved."
Had sound been disguised as well, Rowan would have cursed. Even more protection.
"I… see," Genevieve noted. "But if there's no issue, then we should return to the discussion with King Leafia."
"Yes, I…" Queen Arya trailed off, frowning. "This… this doesn't feel right. There is Dark-type energy here, I can sense it. This wasn't merely a false alarm…" Her eyes widened. "His henchmen - they're here!"
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK.
"Ma'am? What are you talking about?" Genevieve asked, acting bewildered. "There's no one here - you can tell that there aren't any active minds, right?"
Queen Arya shook her head. "They have three Dark-types and a Dragonite with them! It's not too far-fetched for the Dragonite to fly them here! The Dark-typing would give them protection against mind-reading, allowing them to hide, and Zorua can cast illusions!"
How the fuck were they going to escape now? The trapdoor to the sanctum had already closed, trapping them in here with the Queen and Genevieve. While Genevieve was an ally, she couldn't act as such around the Queen, who was definitely against them.
Even more irritating, how did the Queen deduce everything so easily?!
"Ma'am, are you sure?"
The Queen hissed. "Of course I'm sure! They have to be here somewhere!" Her eyes narrowed. "I have to draw them out."
The Queen began releasing fairy-type power in the form of a Disarming Voice, pressuring Rowan even more and messing with his concentration. He ground his teeth, all while making sure that he made no sound. He had no idea how Kapun was holding on with a quadruple weakness, either.
"Ma'am? Ma'am, please stop!"
"They're stronger than I thought," Queen Arya rasped. "Let's add Magical Leaves into the mix."
Fuck. Which legendary did Rowan piss off for this to be his fate?
Now, in addition to making no noise and maintaining illusions over scent and sight for the three of them, Rowan also had to account for every fucking leaf that would hit them!
"Ma'am? Ma'am, please stop!"
It was too much, it was too much! Something… something was snapping!
"Ma'am!"
And then, it stopped. Rowan, who had closed his eyes to concentrate (an idea bringing doom, yes, but it had to be done), opened his eyes to the sight of Genevieve embracing a startled Arya.
"G-Genevieve?!" Arya struggled against her maid's grip. "Genevieve, what's wrong with you?!"
Genevieve opened her eyes, teary. "Ma'am! I'm sorry!"
The queen wrenched herself out of Genevieve's grasp. "Sorry? Sorry? Kite's henchmen are hiding here, and you're sorry?!"
"I'm sorry… I can't help you."
The queen raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Help me? What are you talking about? You can help me! Throw out attacks to draw them out and-"
"I'm sorry I can't help your heart."
The queen froze. "W...what?"
Genevieve lunged forward, before locking Arya into an embrace. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… you're in so much pain…"
Rowan narrowed his eyes. What was she…?
"King Midos… he was a great man," Genevieve murmured into Arya's ear. "He didn't deserve what happened to him…"
Arya continued struggling against Genevieve's grasp - though, for some reason, it was weaker. "Genevieve, what are you…?"
"I can feel it - you're tired… you're frustrated… I feel your grief…" As Genevieve continued, Arya's struggle grew weaker and weaker. "Your anger is blinding you, ma'am. Now that you're queen, you have to handle everything your father did, and you don't feel strong enough."
"Genevieve…" was all Arya managed to say.
"Please, my Queen… calm down." Genevieve dragged her to the furniture. "Look at what you're doing - breaking your objects, all while trying to fight foes that aren't there."
"I… I…" Tears started welling in the queen's eyes.
"I know what you're like normally, my queen, and this isn't you. You aren't this impulsive, this reckless, this destructive. If they were hiding with an illusion, it would have broken long ago." Despite the overwhelming fear he felt, Rowan still couldn't help but nurse a shred of pride concerning Genevieve's lie. "You're attacking at nothing that deserves it. This place, this 'sanctum' - is it important to you?"
"... unbelievably so," Arya murmured. "Father made it for me as a child, said that if I wanted somewhere to be alone, he would make it so that no one could ever find it. No one ever has, either."
"Right - do you think your father's crafters would have failed now?"
"... no," Arya agreed. "That would be an insult to his memory. But… the Dark-type energy…"
Genevieve sighed. "You said the ring was still inside?"
"Yes?"
"Touch it, and see if it's an illusion."
Arya opened the drawer and inspected the fake ring. "It's no illusion," she agreed. "But they could have crafted a fake…"
"With what resources? Who would be willing to work with Kite's band, without Kite? It's only been a day since they were in Illusuria - how could they launch a heist at such short notice?"
Arya grimaced, before closing the door. "Do you think something malfunctioned, then?"
"Is it possible for the security systems to use dark-type energy?" Genevieve pressed.
Arya nodded. "It's to lock down attempts to break the psychic locks with psychic power. Are you… are you suggesting the Fairy-type defense mechanism reacted to the Dark-type mechanism?"
"Is it any more unlikely than the Zorua managing to maintain a perfect illusion through your entire attack? Is it not more likely for them to cover their escape through the trapdoor with an illusion?"
… Rowan was such a fucking idiot.
"... I suppose not…" Arya relented. "And since the alarm that would tell me that the ring's self-destruct mechanism went off hasn't gone off, I suppose that they haven't taken it after all."
Genevieve blinked. "S-self-destruct mechanism?"
"It's a feature I suggested. The ring has additional protections on it - if it leaves the castle, or is used in any way without my permission, it would blow up with the strength of ten Electrode explosions. I put it in if something like what happened to my father were to happen again. After all, I have no idea of the strength of Kite's organization."
…
Holy shit, Rowan was so glad he was a fucking idiot.
"I… see." Genevieve nodded. "Then all the better. It's now clear that they simply weren't here."
"... right." Then Arya collapsed onto Genevieve.
"My queen?!"
"I'm… I'm so tired, Genevieve," Arya mumbled into her shoulder. "That organization - they have to be the ones responsible for killing Father. What kind of coincidence is it that we capture Kite and my father dies on the same day. My father committed suicide - as if. That monstrous witch, Selene… she controlled my father. She made him kill himself."
"My… my queen…" Genevieve repeated.
"When I learned of her stronger powers at the meeting today, I knew it was her doing. I'll go to the ends of the world to send all of them to Undeath. They all have to pay for their crimes."
A chill went down Rowan's back.
"I… I see…" Genevieve said neutrally.
Arya laughed hollowly. "I must sound like a madwoman, don't I?" Genevieve remained silent. "Maybe it's the grief you were talking about. My chest… is empty."
Then Arya stood up. "I… I need to collect myself. Genevieve, go tell the king that the meeting is called off, then relax for the rest of the day. I need to recover from today's events." There was another *POP*, and the Queen was gone. Seconds later, Genevieve was gone as well.
Rowan didn't dare to move, didn't dare to think. More time passed, yet neither he nor Kapun moved a muscle.
Then Genevieve popped back in. "If you're still here, Rowan, Kapun, you can pull down the illusion. I'm the only one here."
Like taking a piss after holding it in for twelve hours, Rowan dropped the illusion, before hitting the ground with a thud. His eyes swam with colors as he struggled to stay conscious.
"That… was hell," he mumbled. "Thank you, by the way."
Genevieve sighed. "Don't mention it. More importantly, did you get the ring?"
Rowan smiled. "Yup - the fake's in the drawer. We won."
"Not yet, we haven't," Genevieve warned. "Remember that self-destruct mechanism."
Oh, right.
"How… how are we going to take care of that?" Kapun asked, dragging himself to his feet.
"We have a craftsman familiar with that kind of enchantment in Key - I'll teleport him here later today to take a crack at it, though it'll take some time to fully break the additional security over it." Genevieve took the ring, before teleporting away and back again. "For now, let's get you… three?"
"Long story," Rowan mumbled. Genevieve sighed before teleporting them back to the bunker.
"Boys!" Kair immediately stood up, before rushing to hug them. "You're okay!"
"Of course, Dad," Kapun mumbled in the embrace. "We promised."
Kair only hugged them tighter.
Once they all collapsed onto furniture, Genevieve then faced them one more time. "Kapun, Rowan, time for your report."
…
Once they had given the report, Genevieve sighed, rubbing her temple. "You two… are the dumbest, luckiest agents I've had the misfortune of working with."
"Hey!""Lucky?!" He and Kapun exclaimed at the same time.
"Yes, lucky. Lucky that you instantly found the Queen, lucky that you managed to stay undetected even while smelling like rancid milk, lucky that you met the one maid that managed to overhear the truth about the ring, lucky that your wild deduction was right, lucky that you managed to get through all of the defenses without detection, lucky that you had knocked her unconscious before we came on the scene, lucky that I was there to save your behind, and lucky that you managed to escape in the first place, especially without blowing up!"
Rowan gulped. "Well…"
"Frankly, you should have failed three times over." Genevieve sighed. "And yet… you two didn't make a single mistake when the mission started, other than not taking a shower beforehand. You two made most of the right calls and had a wide enough skillset between you two to solve all of the problems, between illusions, negotiations, and lockpicking."
"So, does that mean…"
"Almost certainly, you're in. You two definitely aren't dead weight, and if Kite is anything like you are, we have powerful agents coming in."
"..."
"Boys, why aren't you happy?" Kair asked, a little concerned at their lack of motivation.
Kapun barely scrounged up the energy for a smile. "Well, it's just… we're really tired."
Genevieve sighed. "As am I. But…" she faced Brush. "I have work to do."
Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right, about her. What are we going to do?"
Genevieve's eyes glowed, and Brush started to levitate. "I'm going to alter her memory so that she misremembers everything after the meeting. I'll heal off all the damage you put on her as well."
Rowan sighed. "Thanks." That was a load off his mind - though, Kapun seemed to disagree.
"You're just going to make her forget everything, even the promise?"
Genevieve barked out a short laugh. "Are you kidding? Even though I commiserate with her suffering, we don't have the time or energy to break out her parents. She'll have to continue as usual - any memory could serve as a clue."
Kapun bit his lip, then sighed. "I… suppose."
"I'll manage to get a pardon for her parents eventually," Genevieve promised, though Rowan doubted it. "But in the meantime, she has to continue life as normal."
With that, she teleported away, then returned within ten minutes.
"So, now what?" Rowan asked.
"I have to run things over with Angira, though telling her is only a formality at this point." Genevieve then sighed. "I asked our craftsman how long it would take to break it, and she said two days, minimum. She's already gotten started on it, and-"
"Two days?!"
"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Genevieve asked rhetorically. "Don't complain, and take the time as a chance to relax, plan, and prepare for the jailbreak. You might not be as lucky next time."
With that, Genevieve teleported away.
"... well, who wants to know where the shower is?"
"Nucifera…" Eve collapsed. "It's about time we got here."
Life had been so much easier two months ago. Back then, she was hoping to evolve and become a respected member of society. Back then, there weren't too many problems she had to deal with - certainly, nothing she couldn't fix with the right plan.
But then Culus shattered everything. He fundamentally changed the week leading to the ball, and with the bonding ritual becoming a factor, Eve's dream for the future turned into a realized nightmare.
She had suffered, trying to get King Midos, Yurime, anyone to see reason. The bonding ritual was too much - you couldn't take it off with the right tools like you could a slavery band. Eve would be chained to Yurime for life. Not even prisoners of war were treated like that!
But her words fell on deaf ears, and all she could do was anticipate the ritual with dread. Even her father wasn't enough to cheer her up, and she knew Father did his best to help her no matter where she was.
When Culus interrupted Selene's performance, she had panicked, scared - but once she took the time to calm down, she saw an opportunity in misfortune. Mt. Polymus - the mountain she could see in the distance right now - could let her evolve outside of the bonding ritual and would therefore prevent Yurime from using it on her. She would get punished, of course, but it would be nothing compared to the ritual.
Selene coming to join her was the icing on the cake. Oh, sure, she had realized Selene was in trouble, but it would all blow over soon. Even an idiot could realize that Selene was innocent - she just wasn't the kind of person to do something as awful as helping Culus.
The situation at Pinnaleis had been far worse than she had anticipated - she hadn't realized how badly Kenki would attack the citizens' control over their ships. She had done a bit of research the day after they arrived to see if there were any alternatives for commercial travel to other continents in Pinnaleis.
After eight hours of asking about flying taxis, trains, and teleportation rings, Eve eventually concluded that there weren't any. Kenki had torn down all of the infrastructures that would support that kind of vehicle. Simply put, he had the city on lockdown.
Eve was prepared to stay as long as necessary to figure out a way to Illussuria (Kapun and Kair weren't struggling too badly, they could support important people like Eve easily, as was their duty), but news of Selene's condition put a stop to that idea. She had always been vaguely aware of some medical condition that Selene needed medicine for, but it never really caused any problems. Well, none until now.
Eve dared to look over her shoulder, at Selene draped over her back. She winced - Selene just kept getting worse and worse. The rashes had evolved into large sores spreading all over her body, and Selene's raw flesh was slowly being exposed to the surrounding air. Now Selene couldn't eat or drink anything - she even rejected water. Breathing had become a laborious task for her, and she lost all voluntary muscular control.
The only reason Eve knew Selene was still alive was that she had an irregular heartbeat. Somehow, Selene could still breathe - a true miracle.
Whatever misfortune Eve was facing paled to Selene's suffering. Eve had to wonder how cruel Darkrai was to place such a burden, such a dark curse, on Selene, to chain her life to Parasel's medicine. Now that she simply didn't have the option to take the medicine anymore, her condition grew worse and worse with each passing hour.
Eve had thought that Selene could use the pills for twenty more days when Selene told her she only needed one pill a day. She should have smelled the lie from seven miles away, but she had tricked herself into thinking that Selene was tough enough to take it. Even when Selene's condition grew worse the longer she went without pills, Eve still held a shred of hope that they could take down Culus before Selene died. It would take a miracle, but they could manage it.
Helios's news had made that shard of hope burn brighter - they had a plan to force Kite to come to them. They could gather information, they could control Kite, they could win. Each piece of information was another tool in her arsenal, and despite Selene's terrible condition, they managed to stow away successfully.
Then, in the middle of the night, a pleasant dream turned into a nightmare. Darkrai had to be punishing her for something since only the work of a devil could bring Culus to them before they had the mechanism to properly control him. Only the work of the devil could have Culus obtain allies, one of whom betrayed them.
Somehow, the fight became her against Culus, a one-on-one match. She managed to stay calm, however, and turned his injuries (when did those happen, by the way?) against him, using her most powerful move.
She had learned Swift a while ago, but she had little stamina for the move. Every use of it drained her, and she was lucky that Culus happened to be weak enough for her to take down.
Then things went to hell again. Kapun was bleeding, that Zorua was trying to kill Slate and Helios, Kair showed up and attacked everyone, and then the ship blew up.
And after that, when she woke up, the worst thing happened. Though Culus was dangerous, he was weak enough for her to take down. They could hand him in, tell them the password for Reporting Mode, and get Selene's name cleared immediately - except, Slate threw that chance away by handing him over to the Temptress.
Slate. Slate sealed Selene's fate - by handing off the key to her survival and calling their enemies on their location, he had single-handedly put himself at the top of Eve's new 'enemy list' (right next to Kite, his master, and the Temptress). Slate had made it clear that he viewed Selene as an enemy - thus, he was her enemy.
And now, they were here. Having traveled the entire distance from Logain to Nucifera, Eve could easily say that she was in the worst position in the world. They were here in the hope that Kapun, the Zorua, and Kair hadn't broken Culus out of prison. They were here in the hope that they could find Culus and snatch him away from here, assuming his master hadn't picked him up already and they could get past the Temptress's defenses unseen. She set down Selene to think of a plan.
…
"This is doomed." Though she could see Nucifera's walls, she knew that she wasn't enough to do everything. Without her position, she was one little Eevee against everyone.
If she had time and resources, she could come up with something. If Selene could survive for another week, another month, she could perform reconnaissance, find a way past the Temptress's defenses, kidnap Kite (if he hadn't been kidnapped or taken away already, which was an unlikely occurrence), and possibly save… Selene…
…
No… even with time, even with resources, the task was still too high. She didn't know how far the Temptress's power extended in Nucifera. Already, she was a worldwide threat, having agents in every little corner of the world. In her home turf? She might as well be invincible. Considering the time limit on the task - a time limit that may have already expired, since Kite's master may have been in Nucifera the whole time - the difficulty was impossible.
"I… I have to try," Eve slowly stated. "I… I have to…"
She was trying to delude herself, wasn't she? She wasn't a legendary, or a hero of legend. She was just Eve, a Princess with eyes bigger than her brain.
"E-Eve…" Eve spun around to see Selene in her shadow, shaking a little. Her eyes were moving, voluntarily.
"Selene!" Eve lunged to Selene's side, propping her up. "Are you feeling okay?!"
"B-back!" Selene coughed, eyes going glassy. "S-shadow!"
"Back? Shadow? What are you talking about?!" Eve shook Selene a little more. "Selene, are you okay?!"
Selene's eyes were vacant again, her mouth no longer moving. She was back to that unresponsive state.
Eve felt tears welling up. Ten seconds. She had Selene back for ten seconds, and that was what she said. 'Back' and 'Shadow'... was she telling her to go 'back' to Logain', or 'back' home? Was she telling Eve not to mess with Shadow Workers?
Then a stray cloud passed over the sun, darkening the area. When that happened, Selene's eyes fluttered open.
"Selene! Are you-"
The stray cloud passed, and Selene's eyes glazed over again. But now Eve had an inkling of what Selene meant. Slowly, she walked 'back' to where she was before - when Selene was in her shadow.
And just as she hoped, Selene's eyes grew more focused. "E-Eve…"
"You need to be in a shadow, right?!" Eve pressed, hoping beyond hope that it was true."
"... y-yes…" Selene coughed. "Sun… hurts…"
Eve bit her lip. Now the sun was attacking Selene? "Selene… will you… be okay?"
"... no," Selene answered after a second. "Soon… I'll die."
Eve's heart skipped a beat. "Selene! Please, no!"
Selene coughed again. "But… if I'm going to die… I don't want to hurt as much… can you take me to somewhere with shade?"
"Of course!"
"On… Mt. Polymus."
"... what?"
Selene slowly lifted one of her arms (she was strong enough for that, too?!) toward the mountain. "There… take me… there."
"Why?!"
"Please… now… before I…"
Eve slowly nodded. There should be shade on the mountain as well - though, to take her there, Selene would be in sunlight again. "Alright," she relented. "We'll go there as fast as possible."
Eve scooped Selene on her back again, and Selene's eyes went glassy again. Was her condition now making her allergic to the sun?
Eve shook her head. "No time to worry about little things like that," she murmured to herself, before breaking out into a Quick-Attack fueled sprint. "Shelter, shelter…"
It took ten minutes for her to reach the mountain at Quick Attack speed, and only a few seconds of looking at the mountain's side before she found a conspicuous looking cave. A few minutes later, Eve arrived. Setting Selene down in the darkness, Eve fired a Swift into the cave to root out any ferals, of which there were none.
"You're safe," she murmured as Selene's eyes slowly returned to a focused state. "You'll be alright, Selene - you can trust me."
Selene hacked out a laugh. "Are you… joking?" She tilted her head to look at Eve. "I'm… dying."
"No, you won't-"
"I will."
Selene's finality cut her off. There wasn't fear in Selene's eyes anymore. She had long accepted that she would fall.
Eve gulped. "Why… why did you want to come to Mt. Polymus?"
"Because… I want to see you evolve." Selene smiled. "It's your goal, right?"
"What? Are you worried about that now?!" Eve's need for evolution was pathetic compared to her current issue. "That doesn't matter!"
"It does… to me. I've never seen someone evolve… and One is curious, too."
Eve blinked. "One?"
"A voice in my head, one of the Numbers." Selene smiled. "Don't… don't worry about it. Let this be my final wish - can I see you evolve?"
Eve shook her head. "Is there… is there anything else I can do? Anything at all?"
"... opium," Selene said. "I think I saw a field of poppies when you ran up the mountain. Find one that isn't ripe, and you can open the pod to find a white substance that… blocks pain. I don't want to die suffering. If you find some Nip, that would work too."
Eve nodded. "I can do that." Drugs weren't something she particularly liked, but as a pain reliever in a time of death, she felt the use was okay. "I'll be back soon."
Eve would do her best to make sure Selene wouldn't die in pain. She owed it to her, as Selene's only friend.
Running down from the side of the mountain, Eve scanned her surroundings for a hint of a poppy field. As she went down, she saw several evolutionary stones littering the ground - Water Stones, Thunder Stone, Fire Stones, etc.
Mt. Polymus was a strange location, filled with items Pokemon needed to evolve. In the river beds were Deep Sea Scales and King's Rocks. Deep in mines, you could find Metal Coats and Oval Stones. There were evolutionary items everywhere. If you had to evolve with an item, you wanted to come here.
In addition to that, Mt. Polymus was the only known location where you could find Hearts of the Sun and Moon, which could evolve an Eevee into an Espeon and an Umbreon respectively. There was a way for an Eevee to evolve without one, but the mechanisms were unclear, so the Hearts were forced to use the stones for the evolution.
The Eonian royal family had special eyes, each of a different color. An Eevee would only evolve into an Eeveelution with a matching color - those with red eyes were locked into Flareon and those with blue eyes into Vaporeon. Eve's cousin, Crown Princess Glacia, had whitish eyes, signifying she would become a Glaceon (hence the name).
Eve's eyes were lavender in color, locking her into Espeon like her father's eyes did to him. She had already experimented with a Thunder Stone, trying to evolve into a Jolteon, only for it to fail. She could only become an Espeon.
Right now, though, a Heart of the Sun would only be a distraction. Selene wanted a painless death, and Eve would grant that last wish for her.
Except… where was the field of poppies Selene had seen? There was nothing here - she had scanned the mountainside twice over now, and there was nothing. How would Selene even see it? After all, she had been in the sun, eyes glassy and weak! It was impossible…
…
… no…
Eve teared up. "Selene, no!" Instantly, Eve ran back up the side of the mountain.
There was no field of poppies. Selene never wanted the pain-reliever at all - no, she never even wanted to see Eve evolve either!
She didn't want Eve to see her die!
"Please, Selene, no!" She had to go by her side - she wouldn't leave her side. Not now, not anymore! "I don't want to see you…"
Eve froze. In front of the cave entrance, Selene was struggling in the grasp of a Sylveon's feelers.
"Why, hello, my Princess." The accent was… Eonian?
"Who… who are you?!" Eve got into a fighting stance. "Let her go!"
"But of course," the Sylveon, a male, purred. "On one condition, though."
"W-what?" Eve gulped. "What are you talking about?"
"It's very simple, dear Princess. My master has a use for you - to me, she's only a hostage."
Eve's eyes widened.
"It's very simple, Princess." Mockingly, the feelers rubbed against Selene. "This girl will die no matter what I do, but how she dies changes depending on what you do." A feeler curled around Selene's neck. "If you resist me or my friends, I take my time suffocating her, before snapping her neck. Then I knock you out, clap a slavery band around your neck, and take you to your new master."
Eve then felt a psychic grip lock her limbs into place - she couldn't move anything below her neck. Out of the nearby bushes came a Mr. Mime holding a slavery band and an Espeon, eyes glowing with psychic power.
"These two lovely gentlemen are my friends." The Sylveon smiled. "Rest assured, we have ways of making you cooperate."
Eve grimaced.
"Now, back to your choice. If you fight - well, you can't, but if you even try - then I kill her as punishment. It won't be pretty either." The Sylveon's eyes gleamed. "But if you cooperate, well, I can ensure she feels no pain at all. Her death will be among the kindest in the world."
A pink aura was released from the Sylveon's feelers. Eve saw as Selene's struggles slowly ceased, her eyes going blank.
"Poor, poor girl," he said. "Dying in agony… what a terrible fate. Well, she isn't in agony now. Make it easy for us, and I'll make sure she passes away in peace."
The pink aura then left the Sylveon's feelers, and Selene's struggles then resumed. "D-don't listen to him," Selene moaned. "I… don't think about… me. Run… run…"
Eve bit her lip.
"The clock is ticking, Princess," the Sylveon said. "You have ten seconds to answer - otherwise, I'll assume you're trying to resist. Ten… nine… eight… " The feelers wound tighter. "Seven… six…"
"I'll cooperate!" Eve burst out, feeling her heart split as she saw the look of betrayal on Selene's face. "Please, don't hurt her!"
"Eve…"
"I'm sorry, Selene!" Eve's burst into tears. "I… I don't want you to suffer!"
The Sylveon smiled. "An excellent choice. Bernard, cuff the Princess."
The Mr. Mime nodded. "Yes, sir." The Mr. Mime began approaching Eve.
"Eve, no!"
Eve closed her eyes. She couldn't bear to see Selene's face anymore. She couldn't bear to see the Mr. Mime collar her, presumably for life.
She had failed, in every sense of the word.
…
… was that… a… was that the sound of… a lyre?
Eve's eyes snapped opened to see everyone staring at Selene, who was glowing… rainbow… what the…
Then Selene's form started to change, growing slightly. Was - was Selene evolving? But why was it glowing like a rainbow?!
The glow faded away to reveal a - was that a Drowzee?
The Sylveon blinked. "I… didn't expect that." Then the Sylveon shook his head. "No matter. The deal still stands, Eve. Either you cooperate, or Selene dies."
"I'm not Selene, fucker." The Drowzee then answered, sounding peeved off. "My name is Four, as stupid as that sounds."
"... either you cooperate, or 'Four' dies," the Sylveon amended, looking rather bemused. Eve felt much the same way. Just… where was Selene?
"Yeah, no." Four answered. "Eve is Selene's friend, and right now, Selene doesn't want her to go with whoever you are." The Drowzee's eyes started glowing.
"Bernard, cuff the Princess already." The Sylveon sounded more than fed up with the situation.
She could only watch helplessly as they went to cuff Eve - trapped by the psychic power, Four saw the Mr. Mime go over to the captured Eevee in the Sylveon's grasp.
"No! Stop it!" Four pushed against the psychic restraints, but the Espeon's grip was too strong. "Let me go!"
With an ominous clap, the slavery band snapped around Eve's neck.
"Finally, our job is done," the Sylveon sighed. "A strange complication, but not one that stopped us for long. Delta, drop 'Four', would you? Bernard, knock them out. We can send someone to pick them up later."
Delta dropped Four - but before she could retaliate and save Eve, she saw a large hand with pink finger pads in front of her face.
That was the last thing she saw, too.
…
Eve woke up, head fuzzy. "What… what happened?" She checked her neck - nothing.
Why wasn't she in the hands of the Sylveon's master? Why was she back at the cave's entrance? She saw them capture… Eve…
…
Eve reviewed her memories, and then realized what had happened. "The Drowzee - Four - she hypnotized me!"
Somewhere in the sequence of events, she had begun thinking she was Four, and that the Drowzee was Eve herself. The Drowzee switched their perceived identities - not only in her eyes, but everyone else's too!
"She took the fall for me." Looking back, she could pinpoint the exact moment Four switched their perceived identities - right around when her eyes started glowing. "She took a slavery band for me!"
Then Eve noticed a message on the ground, fresh - wait, was she writing this while she was thinking? What the…
… Eve shook her head. More importantly, what did it say?
Eve, thank you for everything. You gave Selene the best memories of her life - know that we'll never forget you. And know this, too - Selene will live. I don't know why I know this, or how, but she will live. So please, evolve, and go back home. Make sure to live a happy life, and please - never forget Selene, either.
-Four
Eve stared at the note, uncomprehending. What… what the…
Slowly, she read the note, and several things jumped out at her. Selene would live, somehow, and Four wanted her to live a happy life without Selene.
…
Eve rubbed the dirt until the message went away. "No way I'll do that!" she roared. Eve would not abandon Selene, no matter what Four wanted.
Eve would evolve, to gain strength to fight. Eve would find the 'master' who tried to kidnap her and get Selene back. Eve would repay her debt to Four.
It was never a choice.
Key is a fairly recent creation of mine - it didn't exist at the conception of the fic. But I asked myself - would the aftereffects of a global conspiracy be noticed by essentially no one?
Yeah, no. Key was my solution - and it existed far before Genevieve did, so I didn't intend her true allegiance to be a cheap last-minute twist or whatever. Though, I should have maybe added some foreshadowing for it or whatever. Thoughts for later.
Rowan isn't a very kind boy, either. Brush is arguably innocent, but he knocks her out and threatens her life like it was nothing. Good thing Kapun is there to keep him in line.
As for Eve's segment, well... let's just say this is nowhere near the last time we see Selene. But then, you didn't need me to tell you that.
If you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to fav, follow and review. I really enjoy them (thanks, Snapdragon and Guest, for the review).
See you later!
