The gang trudges down the winding, black-and-white tunnel lit by the light of the fire-types' flames. Most walk silently, robbed of the ecstasy of domination. The chatter of the remaining guild members is loud and blissful as a rescued family is still a joyous victory. Tales of dungeon expeditions, gossip of neighbours, and speculation of future fights bounce off the walls. Merka leads the crowd, holding a dozed-off Darold close to his chest.

Jace walks next to him. His heart pounds and his mind blazes through the different options he has and the hundreds of theoretical outcomes down the line. He veers off away from Merka often, being lost so deep in thought.

Merka looks at him. "Hey. There's something on your mind. Still worried about the initiative you took? Again, you're not in trouble." His face is dull and hanging. Jace can't ever tell what emotion he has beneath it. His mind always assumes disappointment.

Jace rubs his arm. "It's not that. I'm not sure how to say it."

"What does your heart say?"

An itch runs up his arm now. He scratches it but it won't go away.

"I want to raise Millie!" Jace blurts.

The larger Pokemon subtly raises an eyebrow. Jace responds with words louder and faster than needed. "My boyfriend and I always wanted to raise a child! Now that we're both Quilavas, we can handle more than enough missions to raise one! I want to adopt her right now and surprise him!"

Merka takes a moment to think. His unchanged look only makes Jace guess the bad reactions he'll receive, but they never come. "You two would make for fine parents, but this shouldn't be rushed. Make the decision with your partner. Besides, the celebration we'll have when we return is more important."

Jace nods his head. His mouth is so dry. He doesn't accept the answer for very long. "We've waited so long to raise a child! And if it reassures you, we can always deliver her to the orphanage if anything goes wrong, but that shouldn't happen. But this is our change! And Millie should wake up to a proper loving family. I know this is unusual but this really is the perfect time. Do it for me and Drake! And for her! Please!"

The dragon grumbles, shaking his head.

Jace puts his hands together. "We'll do our best to raise her day! I promise! Just, I don't wait one more day!"

"It's not easy to raise-"

"We've been ready for the last quarter-generation!"

"You'll be carrying her all alone for about a day. Can you do that?"

"Yes!"

"You know where to go?"

"Yes! We'll be safe too!"

He grunts. "If you're absolutely sure about this, then okay. Just be careful with her. She's gone through enough already."

Adrenaline floods Jace and a grin breaks through. "Yes! Alright! I'll run ahead!" He scurries around to the other side of him and swoops Millie off before the Mareep sees him. He's off into the tunnel, only faintly making out the Mareep's confused shouting.

He swings around many corners and runs far away from the crime he committed. He prays for a side path and eventually a large dug-out hole appears in the tunnel wall. He runs in and quells his quills, covering him and the child in darkness.

Nothing to do now except sit and wait. His heart pounds his chest until the clamour of the crowd reaches his ears. Warm lights filter into the distance entrance. Warped figures shift across the hole. It dies down into darkness once more, and then silence follows.

He lets out a held breath and collapses onto his back. His arms shake and his head screams about all the different ways it will go wrong.

Millie, who he put sitting up on his leg, falls back onto him. The quills blaze once more and Jace sits back up, propping the child up and looking at her. Different thoughts course through his head. He imagines her running around, smiling and laughing, he and his boyfriend, and then of the city's work camp he's heard so much about, large Pokemon barking orders to lesser members of the city, to criminals and their families not worthy of death. Can he really sell her out to this life?

He hugs her close. "I'm sorry…" he mutters. I promised to find the surface no matter what.

Vines arc in and out of the ceiling sporadically. Most of these faux roots are bare, their leaves now lying on the floor grey and shriveled like a colour-bleached wasteland. Jace stands across from Mark and Layla, holding Millie. Layla's grasp on Mark's hand leaves indents on his skin. It hurts.

"Hey, 'if Millie is still with Daisy by the end of the day, then I may join,' right? That's the promise? I'm here to give her back," Jace says. His face is tough.

Layla's voice is drained and her glare loose. "Yeah…"

Jace glances between the two. "Well. Here she is."

She shakes her head and shifts her body away from him. "Mark. Just, just take over. I can't do this anymore."

He slips his hand out to pat her shoulder. "Okay" He looks at the stranger. "So, how did you get Millie back? Is Merka going be coming after us?"

"No. He believes Millie is gonna be with my boyfriend near the Magma Cavern entrances. So we have time. We're safe."

"Time?" Layla mutters. She looks back at him. "Until Merka comes to kill all three of us?"

Jace hurriedly shakes his head "No! I was the one who lied, Once he finds out, he'll only blame me! I-I know how he works, so I can, uh, make it work. Convince us to get a second chance, especially since you were deceived too. Yeah? P-plus, if we find the surface, it won't matter! Not that it matters, you made a promise!"

"You know I can just beat the shit out of you and take her back!" she shouts.

"I swear! Once Merka finds out-"

She runs to him. Jace turns and braces. "You can trust me-"

Layla tackles him to the ground and furiously swipes his face, tears in her eyes. Jace holds Millie tight as he screams.

Mark tackles Layla. They roll a few times until he pins Layla down by her shoulders. She swipes her claws at him but they phase through his head like it doesn't exist. She realizes what she's doing and freezes her claw right above his cheek.

"Layla! What are you doing?!"

"It's all his fault!" She cranes her head at Jace and points at him. Blood runs down his neck and cheeks as he fumbles around his bag. "But here he is with Millie! Let's take her back ourselves without Merka on our backs! He's just going to scapegoat us anyways!" She rolls her shoulders to face him more, but Mark keeps her pinned. "I know what you're like! I'm going to end your pathetic-"

"Layla!" Tears collect under Mark's eyes. "You promised we won't kill anyone!"

Layla grits her teeth and glares deep into Mark's eyes. She puts her claws on his shoulders. Mark anticipates more unhinged anger but instead, her fury melts away and she pushes him off. "I did. Just… Just go. Do your thing. I'm sorry"

Mark backs away, taking a heavy sigh as he buries his forehead in his hands. Her partner stays lying on her back, staring at the ceiling with a cold grimace. The Quilava fumbles with an Oran Mushroom - blood's rolling down his front and sides and has gotten into his eyes. Millie rests on the floor beside him.

"I-I-I promise! Me and my boyfriend always wanted to go to the surface! I won't scapegoat you or anything! I'm not your enemy!" He tears off the mushroom and chokes, swallowing it too fast.

Mark takes a few more deep breaths and sits down. "We are going to do nothing and cool down for five minutes."

Jace gulps another bite down. "Minutes?"

"Yeah. I'm going to count to 300. Okay?"

Jace nods. Mark begins to mouth each number. In this time, Jace brushes the blood off himself. It spreads around his coat, giving his fur the illusion of rust. Once he's clean, he picks up Millie and lets her rest against his side. Layla doesn't move at all.

298… 299… 300, Mark mutters. "Okay. Let's roll things back. Jace, do you really want to join us?"

"Yes! Me and my boyfriend promised each other we'll find it one day. The blue ceiling, the burning torch in the sky, the endless fields of food. We joined the Pokemon's Guild to-"

"Hold on, Jace. I do believe you want to see the surface, but why do you want to work with us in particular?"

Jace rubs his neck. "Well. I don't believe I'm going to find it on my own, and nobody else believes it can be found, so I think we should work together. Plus, you have the key! You do, right?"

"Yeah, we do."

"Mark!" Layla shouts. "Don't give him info! His idiocy's already getting us killed!"

Mark reaches an arm out her way to assuage her. "Layla, let me handle it!" She gnashes her teeth but doesn't do anything more.

He sucks air between his teeth. This is difficult enough. "Yes, we have the key. How do you know?"

"Well, there's no way some City leech had the money to support such a reward, who knows how much poke she burned just trying to kidnap Darold. Why would someone take such a crappy mission in a faraway dungeon? Unless they were really there to check out the door, because they found a key."

Mark nods. "Okay. And why do you think you know where it goes?"

"We follow Lucia's movements closely. Some of her guild's recent actions have involved the key, and we believe we know what she knows about it. What it should unlock, should help us find the surface."

"Okay. Now, you lied to Merka to get Millie to us. What exactly did you tell Merka?"

"That I and my boyfriend will raise Millie. In fact, he shouldn't find out, it's not like he'll barge into our home. But, if he does find out, I can convince him not to punish us. Or not too much, at least. I'm sure!"

"How?"

"Well, you see, we're a big guild, yeah? So, he'll listen to me, uh, he'll give me a shot, y'know? So we just gotta tell him, that, that, well, we're still here for me. That yeah, I did do something a bit selfish. But that he still trusts us, and deserves forgiveness, and a second chance you know? P-plus, you guys aren't to blame, it's my idea! But he'll probably not do anything to you because of me. Y'know?"

"Jace, I don't believe it'll work out that way." It's uneasy saying these words. "He was very vindictive about punishing Daisy."

"No! He's," Jace shuffles. "My friend. He must believe me."

Mark makes a deep sigh. He looks to the child, sleeping deeply against his side. Certainly, they'll be screwed following through on this. "Layla, I think we should risk this anyways, for Millie."

"No, we can't. Merka will kill us when he finds out. That's it. There's no hope."

"So?"

"What? I'm not dying over one child!" she shouts. "I'm sorry! I really want her to have a family! But we can't throw our lives away this easily!"

"May I ask something?" Jace says. "Why do you care so much about reuniting her with Daisy? She's a kidnapper! And Lucia's guild will send her straight to the farms or work camp. They'll starve for the rest of their lives working every day. Isn't that not what's best for her?"

She shrugs. "I can't stand the thought of Millie being alone."

"But she won't be!" Jace says. He puts a paw over his heart. "We can raise her! We'll raise her with love and support, and nurture her right like a real family!"

"Daisy and Millie love each other," Mark says. "They were screaming how much they'll miss each other when Merka was turning around. They'll always be her real family. I think being reunited with her is what she wants."

Nobody speaks for an uncomfortably long moment. Jace's ears flatten and he looks between them. "S-so what now? I'm not joining you? I raise Millie? What about the key?"

Layla rolls onto her other side, facing the fire-type. "Well, we can't return her no matter what any of us wants now. You messed that up, thank you. But if you care about the surface so much, just give us the info regardless!"

Jace's shoulders droop. "I want to help you find the surface. Let me help you! I mean that!"

But the Sneasel's quiet. Mark's stares with a somber expression.

The fire-type sighs. "Alright. I'll tell you what I know." He moves Millie onto his leg and looks at her. A small smile grows on his face, deep down a little happy with the outcome. "And we'll raise her as I told Merka."

Layla props herself up. "Well, spit it out!"

"Okay, okay! Lucia's been interested in learning about the surface about two or three eggbirths ago, although we don't know why. And she somehow came across a human key. This is what she does believe: that it leads to a human. We've also figured she believes the key belongs to a door somewhere in the Lower Tunnels, as she's been sending a Gallade and Machamp to scout those areas.

"Here's the thing: we've sent a Magmar and Reuniculus to intercept them, and neither they nor the Gallade and the Machamp have been spotted since. They probably knocked themselves out while in uncharted tunnels.

"But, you found them, right? You must have looted it off a Gallade or Machamp! Well, the door's still out in the lower tunnels, probably untouched!"

Layla bobs her head as she listens to this. Her expression is deep in revelation. Mark figures it out too.

The key led to him.

"So there," Jace says, dejected. "You absolutely sure there's nothing I can do to join? We can do so much together. I can return Millie to Daisy once we're on the surface if you're that worried about Merka."

Layla closes her eyes and takes her time thinking. Her face is grim.

"Hey, Layla." Mark kneels by her. "Remember when the Flygon said you couldn't be trusted?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, I could have left you. I didn't need to fight for you. It would have made my life easier. But I did anyways, because I know I can trust someone who put themselves in danger for someone else. He's doing the same with Millie. Do you think you're willing to trust him like I did for you?"

"I was going to kill him." Two claws clumsily grab his arm. Blood rolls down their edge. "Don't you regret trusting me?"

Mark looks at her claws, then two her face. He rubs the back of her hand. "No. Not ever since we formed the team."

She closes her eyes and nods. Her voice is soft. "Okay, Jace. I'll give you a shot, but only on this condition: Millie's reunited with her mother once we find the surface."