Aspen curled up in his hiding place and focused. With his species' power, he could vaguely know where the guard, the Shuckle they saw earlier, was intending to go. At the moment, it wasn't in his direction. He carefully peeked outside of the storage closet he was hiding in. No sight of the guard. He started moving with stealth.

The group had decided to stay at an inn tonight, while Aspen would sneak into the library to steal the book. Goliath didn't approve at all and stayed a bit distant all the evening, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Truth was nobody really liked the idea of breaking the law like that, but they had no choice. Amaria seemed to be the one with the least concern about it. They all went into their room after eating, discussing how they would proceed, when they found a letter adressed to them. It was from the Stakataka guard they met at their arrival in the city. The Ultra-Beast had received a teleported letter from Rax'zod, the Blacephalon at the guild, who explained the situation and asked for help. They heard their plans and agreed to help Aspen with the task, even if they didn't seem too thrilled by the implications.

During this time, at the inn, Amaria sighed heavily.

« For the last time : We. Had. No. Choice ! »

The Gigalith didn't answer. Conflicting feelings kept clashing in his head.

What's up in the Gigalith's head

« I don't know... I want to do the right thing. And solve the Artifact problem... But I feel so bad for breaking the rules like that. Does it makes us bad ? Or good because we're trying to help ? »

« Don't worry , » Orahcia said, coming near him. « We don't like having to do this too, but I'm sure Aspen will succeed and we will learn important things to help with the matter. »

Amaria said nothing about it. She was more worried about wether or not the Shiftry would come back.

The Shuckle suddenly stopped. He was certain he had just heard a noise... He frowned and walked in another direction. Aspen was able to detect that change. The guard was not far from him ! He swore silently and moved towards a shelving with books about history. The manuscripts were messily organized and someone had carved « Don't read this » in the wood. From there, he was able to see the door of the storage room... So close. While he was watching the Shuckle walk towards him, an idea crossed his mind. Hidind behind the bookshelves, moving furtively, he was able to reach the opposite of the large hall. What he intended to do was pretty risky... He didn't have the right to fail. The Shiftry delicately took a book from a shelf. « The Edible Plants of Eastern Raethran », the title was saying. Then, he bent and dropped it on the ground. He could immediately sense a reaction from the guard, who immediately came towards the source of the noise. Aspen dashed towards the storage room, still careful not to make noise. Fortunately for him, the Shuckle was quite slow. When he had reached the fallen book, looked around and put it back on the shelving, the Shiftry had managed to get in the storage room.

It was a small, dimly-lit room. Adding to the bookshelves, there was an old wooden desk right under a window, a closet and a framed painting of the city's castle. Someone seemed to study or write regularly here.

« Show yourself if you're not a coward ! » The voice of the guard suddenly taunted from the other side of the building.

Aspen moved to the back of the shelving so he would have more time to hide if he came in the room.

« My mission really starts... now ! » He thought.

The books on the shelving seemed old for most and were all dusty. They had little tags under them with the title and sometimes other information. « 1000 poisons and their effects. »... « The White Cloak Assasin. This story is so violent and realistic that numerous people fainted when reading or hearing it. »... « Life and work of Fejrus the Necromancer. A bit too convincing about joining the forbidden art of necromancy. »... « The ocean : The Mysteries of the Deep. All the former owners died by drowning. »... « The Complete History of the Life Artifacts : Contains sensible information that must be protected from ill-intentioned people »... Aspen's heart missed a beat. He found it ! It wasn't as hard as he thought. He took the book, delicately rubbed its blue leather cover ornated with a seal. A « X » shape was carved on this seal. The Shiftry flipped through the manuscript's old pages, seeing elegantly written texts, maps and detailled illustrations. It was a beautiful item.

Aspen suddenly heard steps coming towards him on the main hall. He focused his attention on the guard. He intended to check the storage room ! The Shiftry sneaked to the other side of the shelving as the Shuckle entered the room. If he got caught and a fight ensued, he would be in hot water. He managed to turn around the shelving when the shuckle came in the back of the room, remaining unseen. But the wooden soil creaked under his foot.

« You ! Show yourself ! » The guard demanded again.

Aspen, still holding the book, barely had the time to set a Substitute and bolted out of the room, not caring about stealth anymore. He heard the Shuckle attacking the green doll which broke just when he was jumping into the secret trapdoor he used to enter. The Stakataka, who knew a lot about the town for a Pokemon from another dimension, told him about it. He slammed it behind him and ran in the dark tunnel. But, after a few steps, he slipped and fell, slamming his head against the stone wall. He got back on his feet, staggering, and grabbed the book as the trapdoor was opening. Running as fast as he could, Aspen just had the time to take a turn and disapeared into the underground path. It felt like someone was sticking a knife in his head at each step he took and he had to take a short pause not to fall again. Fortunately, as there was several corridors going in different ways, it was now going to be harder for the guard to chase him.

Aspen, who had taken care to memorize the path, managed to get out of the tunnel. The Stakataka was waiting for him there.

« Quick ! He said. The town guards were alerted. They are looking for you... Hide under me ! »

Aspen came under the Ultra Beast, who retracted its legs and enclosed him totally. It was dark, and dozens of round, blue eyes seemed to be staring at the Shiftry. It was pretty disturbing. He profited of this short moment of rest to breathe deeply to shake off the headache and dizziness.

Barely a minute later, he heard the steps of several persons around them.

« I heard them running in the tunnel ! » The Stakataka said. « But I'm too big to enter by this entrance. You should go in. I will patrol in other parts of the area. »

Aspen heard the other guards approve of the plan, and they all went in the tunnel. Then, the Ultra Beast let the Shiftry out and escorted him to the inn his teammates were staying. On the way, they met two other guards : a Goodra and a Tangrowth. Fortunately, Aspen had hidden the book in his bag.

« Oh, you're here, Rasmal'tan. Any news ? And who is this person with you ? »

« This poor folk isn't native to the town and got lost in the maze of the streets. » Rasmal'tan lied. « I'm guiding him back to the inn he's staying in. It's safer for him to be escorted, with a potentially dangerous thief running around... ».

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, the guards told them to be careful and went back to their work.

They finally managed to reach the inn. Aspen thanked the Stakataka for their precious help and sneaked back into the building. He entered their room, and triumphally took the book out of his back.

« I told you you could trust me with this one ! » he boasted to his partners. Then, he collapsed on his bed.