Midday, they awoke midday. When Lucario finally wakes up he sees Masters by the bedside, slapping on his bandoliers, adjusting his hat. The second Lucario moves, his Murkrow's hat is thrown straight into his face. Guess it must've fallen off earlier.
"Are you feeling the wine?" Masters asks, sliding off the bedside. "I'm already ready to go, and if you aren't then I'm dragging you outta here."
Lucario grunts, his whole body feels like a slimy flesh thing as he squeezes out of blankets onto the floor. All things considered, especially after a night like yesterday, waking up only slightly hungover was a miracle. Lucario gets out of bed, slaps on his hat, and swallows the queasy feeling in his stomach.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine." Lucario finds his cloak left on the floor. He swings it over his shoulders and fastens it into place with an old pin. He holds up hand spikes. "I'm part steel, wine doesn't hit me as bad you know? Bones and teeth are brass, see?"
The mutt pulls down on his mouth, and his brass teeth protrude from his mouth. Scratched onto the top row of his feraligatr smile are the words "Eat It" engraved so deep into his metal teeth that the pearly whites glisten underneath.
"That's sure to make an impression!" Masters smiles back. "We'd ought to get going, the people who put the bounty on the gears are about to make an announcement. If my guess, they're announcing some rules for this hunt. I know you're the type of person who could care less about some silly old rules, but it's information I'd rather we have than not have. Sounds good, Luc?"
Lucario nods. Masters wastes no time, holding the door open for Lucario and shutting it behind him. He leaves the moon-shaped key on the counter as they depart, the mid noon sun blasting them as they step out the purple door.
The big light in the sky is perfectly above the towering stone, and the tent city usually hidden in the rock's shadow was washed in light and brimming with people. Explorers scurry along the streets, gathering around a large clearing in front of the doors leading to the 'Krow's offices. The eyes of these hundreds of onlookers are staring up at this teeny tiny outcropping, barely large enough to fit the pokemon perched atop of it. It takes Lucario's eyes a minute to adjust to the light, but when he does, he instantly recognizes the person up there.
"Is…?" Lucrio manages to get a few paces down the road before being blocked by a crowd of explorers, people of all walks of life bearing the badges and cowls. He's never seen so many of these mooks gathered in one place. "Hey uh…'M?" he says, turning away from the blockade.
"They're here for the announcement." Masters says, smiling. "You know something I don't, Luc?"
Lucario moves up to Master's shoulder, then points at the creature perched above the crowd of onlookers. He can spot the glimpse of a glass in its wing claws, confirming his suspicion.
"It's my old boss up there." He explains, squinting at the creature. "She's a some kinda dragon type, everyone calls her Boss. I recognize that wine from anywhere, she drinks it like it's water."
"And?" Masters chuckles. "Her drinking habits don't seem too different from yours. You should've seen yourself last night, you were as thirsty as a cactus!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a steel type. You're a ghost so I don't think you feel it either." Lucario groans. "Look, let me just be straight. She doesn't just drink wine, you know? The Noivern up there's part Golbat, she's a freak! She hates sunlight, she does all sorts of shady stuff and she only comes up for announcements like these."
"Part Golbat? What, does she drink blood?"
"Yes! Do I have to spell it out for you! Red wine, red blood, she's drinking it right in front of everyone's faces right now - can't you -"
"Hey, shut up back there! She's about to speak!"
A Krokorok at the back of the crowd shushes them silent, and the duo bite their tongues, waiting in silence like the rest of these money grubbing explorers.
The bat's giant ears twitch. Suddenly, an awful sound screams through the crowd as everyone covers their ears, groaning and shouting. And before anyone can lodge a complaint or hurry into cover, her voice echoes out, silenting her unruly subjects.
"Guild Brass of the Grass Continent, Conquerors of the Desert Continent, Saviors of the air Continent, and those ambitious few who adventure of their own accord - I welcome all to the hunt of a lifetime! Whereas the capture of these gears once spelled disaster for our world, the capture of these gears will spell a new age of fame and fortune!"
A quiet murmur carries the crowd, hushed voices, people from the Grass Continent whispering about Time standing still and others speaking of disastrous consequences. She lifts a wing, a second buzzing noise screeches out, bringing the masses to a standstill.
"The black Time Gears in this continent are unique, they exist to distort time - not maintain it. Taking them from their places will do no harm. The Exploration Guild Federation is keeping a watchful eye on this hunt, and if anything happens resembling the events of the Grass Continent, this game will end."
"You may use whatever means you choose to obtain the Time Gears, but you are still beholden to the laws of the federation. Battle is not strictly forbidden. This is a competition, there is money on the line, but if you are discovered to have taken the life of another hunter, you will be disqualified and tried for your transgressions. You will then be forbidden from participating henceforth."
"Halfway Rock is considered a safe zone for any and all, my Murkrow will be keeping a watchful eye on everyone. Assaulting another explorer searching for the gears while in Halfway Rock will also be grounds for immediate disqualification."
There's another murmur through the crowd, quieter than before.. It seems people don't want their ears busted out for whining again, or worse, being disqualified for causing a scene.
"A hundred thousand in coin will be given to whomever delivers a time gear to me. You may wish to use my Murkrow for delivering the gear. You may receive the payment upfront, or have it deposited in a partnered bank, the choice is yours."
"Should someone claim the bounty on the gear, and choose to continue their hunt, they will be given two hundred on the second gear they turn in. Four hundred on the third, and eight on the fourth. This bounty will remain open until all known Time Gears are within my posession, future changes and announcements will be held here. I wish all of you good hunting."
The crowd breaks out into cheers and roars, and the earth shakes as they scatter, eager for fame and fortune. Lucario sees Boss spread her wings, vanishing in the uproar, probably off to drown herself in wine or whatever she does when she's in her musuem. This leaves two pokemon sitting in the streets outside of their weird inn, barely avoiding being trampled as they press their backs against the big purple doors. The amount of dust they kick up is like a sandstorm.
"Your former Boss doesn't sound too bad of a person if she's brought the federation into this." Masters speaks. "If this hunt was remotely shady, I doubt she'd have even mentioned them."
"I don't know who those guys are, and you don't need to explain them to me." Lucario grunts, folding his arms. "They're probably just here to make sure none of the guilds get up in this mess. I'm surprised she didn't have us register or something."
"Register? Have you seen how many people are here?"
Oh yes, tons. Way too many. These rookies are gonna thin out fast.
"I have eyes, you know." Lucario looks out into the street, the tidal wave of pokemon having seemingly subsided. "The more we stand here the more they're getting a headstart. You got any idea where those gears are, genius?"
"No, not yet. I have something I can do. It's better saved when we're safely out of town."
Yes, the thing Masters did when he drew up a nigh perfect picture of where the other gear was. That thing - the sixth sense of his. Guess he wants to keep it a secret. Lucario sure wouldn't go announcing he had super unique, gear-hunting abilities to the world, especially not after the night before.
Fighting Honchkrow feels like skimming the surface of the sorts of people tracking down the Time Gears. He had a whole plan to put them under, and he would've succeeded, weren't it for Masters slapping some sense into Lucario. Metaphorically, of course, Masters seems like the type of pokemon who would break into tears after giving someone a love tap.
This Typhlosion has a story, he's got tons of them. A sixth sense for Time Gears, all these fancy garments, the cherry exploration-hungry demeanor. This typhlosion's the real deal through and through. The talk last night was the icing atop of this layered cake of growing suspicions. He can't trust to get this guy some drinks whenever he wants to poke about his past, there's gotta be a way.
Maybe he can just ask? No, too easy. He'll say no.
By time Lucario can think of something to say, the crowd's for the most part dispersed, they're no longer at risk of being turned into paste by walking out there. Masters steps away from the door, leading the way into the dust-covered streets. The surrounding merchant tents are already being flooded by droves of explorers, all looking to stock up for the dangerous hunt ahead.
"We barely made it there in time." Masters says, walking side by side with Lucario. "I had my trick to find the place, and if we didn't use that, your friend would've been gone for sure."
"What's your answer? If it's to get me to run faster than last time, it's a no-go." Lucario groans. "Honch a whole fleet of Murkrow helping him get there. He has wings, we have legs. As cool as it would be to sprout wings and fly, I don't think we can do that."
"Obviously."
They criss-cross through tents after tents, till they're down the big "road" they first came in on. This was the merchant's path, this is where all the good shopping's happening. Is Masters on the hunt for someone, a merchant - a friend of his? Maybe Minstrel decided to come on down to Halfway Rock for a gig, who knows? Lucario keeps his eyes open.
"Remember what I said earlier, about pokemon who are born to be sprinters, Luc?" Masters pulls him aside as three identical-looking Mightyena race past, wearing scarves as dark as their manes. "I was thinking we could employ one of them, get their help somehow."
"You want to pay someone when all we've got is-" Lucario examines Master's bandoliers, a pouch hanging by the Typhlosion's hip. "Look you can't even keep money, yet alone pay someone! We're not rich, we're two lucky guys who happened on some expensive stuff, okay? Why do you even want to find the gears anyways?"
Masters doesn't say a word. He just blinks and stares at him like what Lucario's said were the dumbest things in the world. As Masters turns around he spots something down the lane which makes him like a firework. Oh no, is he-
Yes he is. Masters scrambles up the funny blue tent, the Flaaffy behind the counter ecstatic to see the Typhlosion returning so soon. Masters unties the plush he had hanging on his bandolier like a hatchling, and approaches the counter with a big, childish smile.
No, no way. He's not going to get rolled into talking about costumes for an hour. If this guy want to spend money on buying accessories for his stupid doll, then go for it, but he's not going to get himself embroiled into this mess.
He turns around, and someone familiar stands on the edge of the crowd, the noon sun catching her hat and the eyes under there beckoning him. It's that ghost from Calico Town, why was she here? Was she following him? She's standing outside of a gap between two large tents. She vanishes upon making eye contact.
Guess he'll get his answer soon. Lucario waves back to the Typhlosion who's not paying a single ounce of attention to him, and follows the ghost through a narrow gap. At the end of it was her tent from before, somehow looking even more out of this place wedged in a perfect cube in between the homes of dozens of merchants. Lucario plugs his nose, opens up the door flap, then steps inside.
It's like stepping through a portal to Calico Town. This tent was exactly as he left it, same old clutter, same old cabinets of shelves in the back. Either she has a fleet of Corvknight at her beckon call to haul her tent wherever she goes, or she's really a stickler for details. Nonetheless, the phantom behind the desk is pleased to see him. Her fangs shine in the purple light as she motions to the two new additions to her abode: stools. What a luxury!
She waits for Lucario to take a seat, then speaks at last.
"How have you been?" She asks, leaning over the table, appendage stroking her chin. "Any new developments?"
"I aged about a hundred years, and became a hundred years younger all in the span of an hour. I almost perished, and I think there may be permanent damage to my arm - I've never felt worse." Lucario groans. "Oh, I also found a Time Gear."
Something about her instantly changes. He swears it's something in her smile, because those tiny fangs of hers peek out like a damn Arbok. The pink rings in her eyes hone into his heart.
"Give it."
Lucario undoes the twine keeping it pressed against his neck, and drops it into her appendages. She holds it up to her gaze. After a moment of nail-biting silence, then a gentle crackle leaves her mouth.
"Aren't you unusual?" She speaks to the metal in her grasp. "You're nothing like your siblings on the Grass Continent. You shouldn't exist, and yet here we are, folklore proving itself to be true once again. A shame you are of little use to me alone."
"How have you stumbled onto this, hm?" She tilts her head, staring at Lucario. "Did your friend give this to you knowing you would surrender it upon meeting me?"
"I don't know, he just kinda knew the location of this gear." Lucario rubs his temples. "He used a kind of 'sixth sense' or whatever to track this one to a berry farm. We matched the type of berry it was to a Winery in the woods further up north, and we got our hands on the gear, not without some struggle."
"Some guy beat us there, he had a bunch of cronies too. We barely beat them, and I guess as a prize for not stabbing him in the back my friend forked it over. The one you've got has the ability to age one thing, and put those years into someone else. I wouldn't use it if I were you."
"Oh no, I never planned to use their individual abilities. The powers of one pale to what the full collection of these black Time Time Gears can muster. And if these are what I believe they are, greedy people are the last of your worries, young man."
Oh, so these were actually powerful artifacts? Time shaping abilities, waters which froze on contact, people driven crazy by a hundred thousand coin bounty. This whole continent was beginning to go mad, so maybe he'd just ought to play along at this point.
"What's your plan for the gears? Gonna have me be your personal hound looking for Time Gears for you so you can get them all and use them to become, I don't know - a new Articuno or something?" Lucario laughs. "If your plan is some form of World Domination I really don't care as long as you give me a piece of the pie, you know? I've heard of worse plans before."
"Why would I be so foolish, dear?" She takes his jest in good spirit. "If legend is to be believed, then collecting all of them won't make you some deity. It does not grant the ability to shape the world to thy whim, it will however let you make a significant nudge towards wherever your heart seeks most. You may use it to extend your life, bring back another, or perhaps distort time in a land to such a degree as to make crops flourish for centuries to come. It's a singular choice more than it is a simple bequeathal of might."
A wish, huh? Can't someone wish for something really bad? Yeah, probably, but is it more likely they're just gonna use it for something as simple as - who knows - making sure they live forever? Way more likely. This isn't a battle for the fate of the world or anything which would make Lucario the number one star in stories to come, it's for something way, way more personal.
Come to think of it, he can't really put a value on the sweat and tears he shed fighting Honchkrow for control of his gear. A hundred thousand, or even the three hundred thousand weren't worth the price on what he's done to get his hands on just one of the gears.
"Tell me, Lucario." She says his species clearly to invoke something. "Were you to go through all the trouble in collecting these gears, defeating countless explorers and conquering adversity, what would you use them for when you get them all? In what direction would you sway this world, hmm?"
He came here to deliver a temporal package, not to answer questions regarding the universe from some ghostly mystic. This is out of his league.
"I don't know. I don't think I care about what happens, I'm not ambitious. I'm not insecure about the state of my life." He clicks the top of his mouth. Now it sounds like he's calling her out, damnit. "If something were to happen like whatever went down in the Grass Continent, I think I'll live through it no problem. I'll keep going, I'll keep finding these things, and if I were to get arrested before it happens then…"
Who cares? He bites his tongue before the words can spill out. Somebody would care if he were to be forever locked in a bastille, it was Masters.
"I can say I had a good run, that I did my best, that I beat a lot of these idiots to the punch. This is a violent game, it's only gonna get worse. I want my money before it ends, I want to be able to go free." He resists the urge to spit onto her floors. "There, happy?"
"I'm quite pleased with your answer, but I have one more thing to ask. Would you say your greatest desire is to be free?" She's leaning close, the gear in her appendages hanging within reach, begging for it to be stolen. "Are coins, and this gear, tools to meet your ends?"
She reaches up to the two bands dangling down her hand. In a swift motion she pulls a piece of spectral silk out of it, mending the wound instantly through the power of the gear as he feels a faint push and pull of her balancing their ages around. She ties a knot through the gear then places it into his palm.
"You have many troubles ahead of you. I am not someone who wages her chances on bets she cannot influence. Your chances of finding these gears would improve if you were to take this ability on your journey."
She tugs on his hand with surprising force, bringing him so close those fangs of hers look ready to chomp clean into his flesh. Their eyes meet. He's too afraid to look away.
"You, Lucario, have shown yourself invaluable to me. Bring more gears to me, and I will use every connection to ensure you walk a free man. You will have my endless guidance in your journey."
"Or, you can leave it here, and abandon this perilous quest right now. I will do what I can to pay off your bounty, to ensure you walk free, however we will speak no longer. Our business together will draw to a close."
"The choice is yours."
Her appendages were firmly ensnared around his one hand, squeezing his fingers over the cold, cold metal. Walk away from everything right or see how far he could make it with her guidance and Masters at his side. The firery stranger had saved him from the one and only pokemon who would've hunted him to the ends of his earth.
The 'Krows are off his tail. He fulfilled his part of a bargain, freedom is one yes or no shake away.
What happens if he gives up the gear? Does he say farewell to Masters, go on living the best life free from stupid mistakes of his past? What does he have to gain by taking it? A friend? A long road of troubles? He'd be hunting the gears for the same freedom he could've gained right here, right now. Were he to abandon this road now, he will most certainly curse himself for never taking her deal.
The light overhead, the steady smoke of billowing incense, and the shine of hundreds of orbs blur together. It's like he's in a whole different world, on center stage, waiting for the judgement of something powerful. Who is this merchant exactly?
Lucario takes a deep breath. The longer he stays here, the more her eyes seem to undo him; the longer that gear's biting cold gets into his hand. He's made his choice. Lucario slides his hand out of hers, gear in hand, bound to him by a peculiar purple thread.
"Wise choice."
The silence rings between them. Lucario ties the gear to his shoulder, hiding it under a maroon colored cape. She reaches into her collection, and rolls out an odd looking Orb, one almost as purple as her eyes with its amethyst gleam. She lays a cloth hand on it.
"Now what do we need, my Lucario? Who, or what may I help you find?"