Chapter 3
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It is said that every dream begins with a dreamer, and fantasy becomes reality...true, is it not? Or just a mere facade to toy with thine well-being? That answer is to be sought by thee, wielder of the Dreams-
''Hey!'' And then Fox found himself snapped back into reality, much to the relief of a certain Charizard and Pikachu - though Fox was rather uncertain of Dracon's concern, given that he was glaring daggers into his very soul.
''Uh...yes?''
''Don't 'yes' me!" Dracon snapped. "When we got here, you were spaced out for who-knows-how-long with that creepy blank look on your face! Did you even feel that slap?!"
Confused, Fox turned to Ray, and the Pikachu nodded his head in silent confirmation. "Yeah, he did - everyone but you noticed," he deadpanned, and added, "What's happened to you?"
"Sorry, I just had something on my mind-" "Explain." Wisps of smoke were streaming out of the fire dragon's nostrils, eliciting stares and murmurs from nearby tables. Fox pondered for a moment, wondering how to best explain fantastical visions of the future. "I...really, I don't want to talk about it…I need to get my mind off that weird dream…"
''Dream?'' Dracon and Ray asked in unison, but the Zoroark just frowned and shook his head.
"Guys, please." A moment's hesitation before they nodded and gave Fox the space he needed. Sighing, the illusion fox rummaged through his pocket and pulled out the vibrantly colored crystal, briefly noting the intricate star symbol engraved on its center.
Everything's gone crazy ever since I found this gem...maybe those strange dreams were linked to this thing, and possibly the meltdown phenomena? But how? Fox stuffed the rainbow crystals back into his pocket, and gazed absently at his still-uneaten meatloaf.
Guess I'll never find out.
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Alright, Luna's class should be the first one down the hallway…
Fox walked into the almost-empty room, with the pastel-colored posters and handcrafted decorations on the walls masking somber, drab shades of deep blue. Those who remained were huddled together, making conversation or were hastily scribbling down notes on their papers - or was it homework? Fox turned his head in the general direction of a familiar shout, loud and tinged with annoyance, and left that thought in the dust.
''Look, Lloyd, I have no interest in dating you right now! Leave before I - or worse, my brother comes and kicks your butt!''
The Gallade closed in on her, a seductive grin on his face. ''Come on, Luna, don't be like that...You know you love me.''
At this point, Fox was barely resisting the urge to give Lloyd a good punch to the groin. He approached the two, and metaphorical steam fumed off of him like boiling water.
"Lloyd, stop being such a creep! I said no, and that's final!" The Gallade, obviously offended in being called a creep, was about to shout something in retaliation-
-and then he felt claws grip his shoulder. Nonchalantly, he shoved the paw off and turned. "What do you want, loser-" He ended up staring a highly-pissed Zoroark in the eyes, and the color drained from his naturally-pale face. Lloyd backed away slowly, muttering curses under his breath, while Luna breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Big brother!"
Fox practically oozed void darkness as he stomped towards the Gallade, punctuating his venom-laced words with loud, heavy steps. "Didn't I tell you...to never approach my sister?!"
Lloyd audibly gulped, yet foolishly tried to be brave in the Zoroark's face, mentally justifying to himself that being part Fighting-type had to give him the upper hand, right? "O-oh, yeah? W-well, what are you gonna d-do 'bout that, bud?" He made the first move and loosed a Focus Punch right at Fox, and smirked when his attack hit true.
And then his eyes widened in horror when he saw Fox holding back his fist easily. "H-how did you-" "I've faced punches harder than yours, asshole. I dare say you make this look puny!" Once the Gallade started squirming, attempting to break free of his death grip in vain, Fox got close and personal with the idiot. "If you ever-" -he squeezed harder, and Lloyd winced- "-EVER come close to Luna again, I will murder you and make sure they never find your dead body. You got that?" Lloyd gave a terse nod, and Fox forcefully threw his fist away, and he stumbled to the ground.
"You okay, sis?" Fox asked, turning to Luna with worry in his tone. "Yeah...thanks for the save, big bro. I was about to slap him, though…"
"And what a shock he would have - as cute and precious as you are, you'd have probably slapped him so hard that he'd be knocked out cold." Luna let out a groan as they left the blue-walled room, leaving Lloyd to tend to his wounded pride inside. "Hey! I'm not precious, and definitely not cute!"
Fox smirked upon seeing her eye-roll. "Oh, if you say so. By the way, can you go home alone today? I need to stop by the library-" "Why?" Luna interrupted, noticing Fox's brief pause before he answered her. "Assignments." At that, the Lucario eyed her brother with a hint of suspicion - while they were already receiving homework a few days into the new school year, said homework was neither too difficult nor too much to handle, and definitely shouldn't be calling for a trip to the library - but she would let this one slide. "Right then...I'll be back at four or five, tell mom and dad that, okay?" Luna nodded, and waved as she turned to leave. "Okay, bro. See ya back home!"
Fox waved back, then checked his watch before making his trip to the library.
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The library was actually just a hop, skip, and a flight of stairs away, contrary to what the above screen transition would've implied. Despite the convenience of not having to walk far to grab a book, though, the school library was practically devoid of anyone, because online books and fanfiction exists and the newest Minecraft update was way too fun to pass up. However, Fox decided to make use of this utter convenience to find something - anything - even remotely related to his mystery crystal, even though he very well knew that he was more likely to find said info on the internet.
He headed over to the history section, momentarily overwhelmed by the sheer number of books on the shelves, and heaved one of the thicker texts to one of the many bean-bags in the area, and began skimming through the content.
Some ten or twenty thick history books later and Fox was still nowhere near cracking the mysteries of his star gemstone. However, he did find out lots of other irrelevant information, like how there were way more wars than he thought there were and how he should probably leave the library within the next thirty minutes, lest the librarian kicked him and the resident bookworm out first. With a dejected sigh, Fox quickly flipped through the rest of his copy of "A History of Santis", finding nothing in the remaining pages, before slinging his bag on his shoulder and shoving the thick text onto the shelf as he walked out the door-
-and right into a certain ice Pokémon, causing both of them to crash unceremoniously onto the floor. Fox winced, feeling the dull ache in his backside as he picked himself off the ground, and turned to Aurora. "Hey, you okay? Sorry that I didn't see you there…" He apologized, a sheepish look on his face.
"I'm fine, thanks…" The Glaceon said, standing right back up and shaking the dust off her fur before her eyes suddenly snapped back to him. "...Wait. You're that Zoroark with the weird gem, aren't you?"
His ears perked up. "Weird gem? What weird - oh." Fox pulled the vibrant star crystal out of his pocket, and added, "You mean this weird gem?"
His response was a short, brief nod. "You're...Aurora, right? Do you know anything about this thing?" She contemplated for a short moment and replied, "This one in particular?...I think, but I'm not entirely sure…"
Fox raised an eyebrow. "You think?"
Another moment's pondering before she replied again. "...My grandmother told me a story about some gemstone, said it shone with all the colors of the rainbow...I'm not sure what it is, but my grandmother calls it Dreamscape…"
"Wait. Dreamscape?" The Zoroark's eyebrows furrowed further.
"Yeah...I don't know the exact details, but if you want you can come visit my grandmother with me and ask," Aurora suggested. Fox paused for a moment to contemplate the situation: while there was no harm in going off to visit her grandma, he'd have wasted precious time better spent playing Smash Bros if his gem wasn't the one she was referring to. "So…where does your grandma live?"
The Glaceon flinched, startled by Fox suddenly speaking up, before she answered. "Viale Village. It's outside Wisp Town, though, and you have to take the train to get there." Fox could practically feel his doubt piling up. Now he had to deal with his parents, and they likely wouldn't be very pleased with him if he just so happened to sneak out of town...wait a second. Mom and Dad are always out on Saturdays...I can get out of town then, and then get back home without either of them noticing! Brilliant!
"You free on Saturday?"
"I always visit my grandmother on Saturdays...why?" What a lucky coincidence, Fox thought. "I'd like to come visit your grandmother with you, should we meet at the train station this Saturday?"
Aurora nodded in response. "Okay...I'll meet you at noon outside the station-"
"What are you kids doing here?" Both Fox and Aurora flinched upon hearing the Scyther's no-nonsense tone, turning to face Mr. Blade. "It's already five, you two should leave before your parents start worrying," he advised.
"Will do, sir," both students said in unison. "We're just about to take our leave," Fox added hastily, his momentary panic subsiding upon the Scyther's departure to the staff room.
"Oh yeah, didn't catch your name earlier...it was Fox, was it?" Aurora piped up, and he nodded, turning his attention back to the Glaceon. "Yeah...wait, how'd you-"
"Lunchtime rumors. Can't miss those," the Fresh Snow Pokémon bluntly answered. "Hey, what do you think Mr. Blade does in the staff room?"
Fox pondered for a moment. "No clue. Probably paperwork, but how does he mark our worksheets with scythes for hands?"
The Glaceon shrugged. "Assistant scribe, maybe...who knows?" She suggested, a warm flutter in her chest when she saw Fox's chuckle. "Oh, that would be humiliating...well, see you tomorrow, Aurora," the Zoroark said as he waved goodbye, and the two parted ways.
But not before coming up with another mini-theory on their homeroom advisor's ability to mark their work.
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"Hey, Aurora!" Being snapped so suddenly out of her musings, the Glaceon flinched and whirled around, frozen energy building up in the depths of her chest before she recognized the Zoroark, clad in a sky blue sweatshirt and jeans, and the cold pressure inside her dissipated; the only thing she breathed out was a small sigh. "Please, don't shout so loud - I almost froze you there."
"Sorry...I didn't mean to scare you," Fox apologized, internally sighing in relief that he wasn't blasted with freezing energy (even though the resulting ice would melt within seconds and would've completely drenched his clothes, but that's another story), and checked a nearby railroad map pinned on the wall. "So we're taking the Red Line?" He asked, and Aurora immediately confirmed with a nod, before the two turned their attention towards the massive expanse of water beyond the chiseled, cyan stone fence they leaned on.
Once, the ocean was but a faraway splotch of blue shrouded by evergreen pines and gradual slopes. Now, the water barely reached the hill's summit, and crept closer to the train station with each passing day, sweeping pines and swathes of grassland into its monstrous, gaping maw. "The news really wasn't lying about the sea levels...look at all that water!" Aurora noted with awe in her voice, and Fox nodded in response. "Yeah...we're lucky that most of our stuff was built so high up…"
They spent a few minutes staring quietly at the rippling water that shimmered under the noonday sun, lapping at pebbles that hadn't yet been sucked into its watery void, before they heard the signature toots of the train whistle and whipped around, dashing right into the nearest carriage cabin before the sliding doors closed on them. Once safely inside, they both sat down on one of the many unoccupied seats (the Red Line only had small towns and nature areas on its list of destinations, so one could understand the low traffic) and let their thoughts wander, the only sound being the rushing of wind as the train sped past vast countryside and lush forests.
"...Hey, do you think your grandmother really knows something about this weird crystal?" Fox asked as he fiddled with the vibrant gemstone, finally breaking the silence. "I...well, I guess so," Aurora replied, hesitating for a brief moment.
The edges of the Zoroark's mouth crinkled downward slightly, and he asked another question. "What did your grandmother tell you about this crystal?"
"Uhm...well...it's been quite a long time since she told me...I think I was eight then? I can't really remember…" Aurora mumbled, thought for a moment, and added, "I think this happened a long time ago...there were two kingdoms, and they lived happily and were all friendly towards each other…" And then her wistful smile drooped. "...then one day, war broke out, and the two kingdoms started fighting. No one knows who or what started this war, but my grandmother said it was some shadow Pokémon…I think?"
"A shadow?" Fox clarified, having never heard of any shadow Pokémon before, and Aurora responded with a slow nod. "It was said to be some sort of mythical Pokémon...whatever it was, it caused a brutal, bloody war that was said to have lasted centuries. Then two Pokémon with Dreamscape, which was probably some kind of foresight ability, ended up stopping the shadow and ending the war, but not before every human either disappeared or was killed…"
"Hold on, what's a human?" Fox blurted out, inadvertently jolting the Glaceon out of her thoughts. For a moment, Aurora was at a loss for words, before she stuttered out a half-formed answer: "I-I don't know…creatures like Pokémon, I think? But…different, my grandmother said that they couldn't...understand our language? And they were called Homo sapiens, if I can recall-"
"Homo what?" Fox interrupted.
"...Homo sapiens. My grandmother said it was...another term for these humans. Why, I don't know, but back to the war...once the Pokémon with Dreamscape stopped the shadow, the war just...ended, and somehow the Dreamscape wielders just disappeared as well...our kind were left to roam the land, and we built towns and cities and now we are where we are today," Aurora finished, and the silence resumed, allowing both Pokémon to once again contemplate their thoughts.
And then the silence was broken once more, this time by the squeaking of wheels from a trolley cart rolling down the aisle, loaded with chocolates, nuts and other snacks. "You kids want anything?" The middle-aged Golduck manning the cart asked.
Enthusiastically, Fox pulled out his wallet and offered him quite a few dollar notes. "I'll take everything, thanks!" Within a minute, the Zoroark was stuffing his face with chocolate wafers, practically oblivious to Aurora's wide-eyed staring. "You want anything, miss? We have more in the kitchen," The Golduck offered to her, but she declined with a quick shake of her head.
Finally, Fox noticed the strange look Aurora was giving him. "What?"
"...Have you had lunch yet, Fox?"
Whether he purposely refused to answer or had way too many biscuits in his mouth at the moment to talk, Aurora couldn't tell.
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The question brought itself to the forefront of his mind once he'd passed the exit points and saw only the vast expanse of hilly grassland and flowers beyond. "...Are you sure this is the right station?"
Aurora nodded, doubt unusually absent from her expression. "Yeah, Plain Meadows is the right place," she said, and gestured to the sandstone-paved crossroads weaving their way through the grasslands. "We'll be taking the path on the left, that should get us to Viale in around fifteen minutes…are you sure you don't need the bathroom?"
Fox nodded, ignoring the slight burning sensation in his bladder, because he knew he could totally hold it for fifteen minutes and just head to the bathroom once he reached Aurora's grandmother's house (Worst come to worst, he could always let it go in the bushes - practically no one else was around anyway.) and so he continued on, following Aurora down the sandstone walkway, occasionally unwrapping a wafer and snacking as he walked. He asked Aurora once whether she cared for a biscuit, though she replied with a sharp shake of her head.
Then they reached a blocked tunnel, and Aurora immediately went up to the helmeted Gurdurr surveying the damage, slight worry on her face. "Excuse me, what's going on?"
"Well ya see, little missy, some weird ol' buffoon came here an' collapsed the tunnel, just like that. No one really knows why, but never mind! I'ma fix this here tunnel in no time!" The construction Gurdurr explained proudly, and started hoisting rocks out of the way as Fox shot Aurora a look.
"So the tunnel's blocked off...now what?" Aurora contemplated for a moment, a small frown on her lips when she finally replied. "There's another way to Viale, but…"
"But?"
She let out a small sigh. "...We'll have to cross a mystery dungeon." Noticing Fox's still-confused expression, she decided to elaborate. "You know those mythical labyrinths that you always read about in fairy tales, changing shape every time the hero steps into them? Those are based on these mystery dungeons."
Fox briefly recalled one of his favorite books as a young Zorua, The Tale of the Magic Maze, and his eyes widened in surprise. "So Fort Botanica wasn't entirely made up after all...but what explains the layout changing every time?"
Aurora shrugged. "No one knows, and scientists have published so many wack theories about it that it's pretty much known as an unsolvable enigma." Upon seeing the Zoroark nod in response, she added, "I actually haven't gone through this mystery dungeon often...and last time I had my mother with me...though this is the only other way we'll get to Viale. Follow me." The Glaceon walked off the sandstone road, and trekked along a thin gravel-dirt pathway almost hidden by tall grass, with Fox following suit.
The gravel path led them to the entrance of a cave, embedded in the side of a particularly large hill and blanketed with moss and vines. While totally inconspicuous on the outside, Fox could see that the insides of the cavern seemed to stretch way farther than he'd expected, and felt the ache in his bladder. Just hold it all in, till we're out of there…
"Oh, I forgot to mention - aside from the usual hostile Pokémon we'll find in here, there's been rumors of a rather strong Pidgeotto living inside...I think," Aurora mentioned.
"You think?"
Aurora paused for a moment. "I'm not sure either...regardless, let's just be careful in there. Ready to go?"
"Yeah," Fox said as he nodded, and followed the Glaceon into the cavern, hoping that he could actually hold his business for long enough to spare him the embarrassment.
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Meadow Caves B1
At once, Fox noticed the utter lack of sunlight shining through the cave entrance, and turned behind to realize that said entrance had disappeared into thin air.
And then he started panicking. "Where's the exit?" He ran over to the cavern wall, trying to feel for anything that could give him a ticket out of the caves, until he resorted to punching the wall out of desperation. "Where the hell is the exit!?"
"Oh calm down...that's just the effects of the mystery dungeon," Aurora explained, and Fox found it perplexing that she wasn't losing her mind like he was over the disappearance of the entrance that existed ten seconds ago.
"Yeah, but no one said anything about the exit vanishing-"
"Look. If you really want to get out, you'll have to head to the deepest part of the dungeon and find the exit there, from what I know," The Glaceon stated, somehow still unfazed by the panicking Zoroark in front of her and one missing entrance. "Oh, really? What do we have to do now, find the stairs-"
"Yep."
Fox stared at her with his jaw practically touching the floor. "You've gotta be kidding me."
"Seriously, I'm not - we'll have to find the stairway and get through all the hostile Pokémon we find before we can get out of here," Aurora said matter-of-factly, and turned to leave. "You coming?" She asked the shell-shocked Zoroark, before he nodded and followed along while muttering something under his breath about having to use the bathroom...well, at least that's what she thought.
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Contrary to what Fox had read in his adventure novels, the mystery dungeon was relatively barren of practically anything, so it was not particularly surprising that he decided to engage the first wild Pokémon he saw. "Aurora, look! A Butterfree!" He excitedly said, and started running towards the Butterfly Pokémon.
"Fox wait-" Aurora called out, just in time to watch the Butterfree tackle Fox to the ground. "What the HECK-" The Zoroark screamed, backing away as the butterfly closed in on him for another round of attack, staring at him with its creepy red eyes-
-and then out of nowhere, a beam of frozen energy blasted the Bug-type right into the nearest wall, the impact instantly knocking it out cold. Fox glanced back at his savior, wincing when his gaze was met with Aurora's no-nonsense glare. "I told you to be careful."
"Sorry, I forgot for a second…" With a sigh coming from the Ice-type, the two continued venturing through the caverns, twisting through seemingly endless corridors and defeating another hostile Pokémon along the way.
However, all the walking around was taking quite a toll on Fox, who was never the athletic type to begin with. "Just...where are these stairs?..." Fox panted as he squatted down briefly to catch his breath, now really feeling the urge to go, and would've smacked a hand right into his forehead when Aurora pointed out a stairway a couple feet away if he wasn't so worn out. "Great...can we rest for a while?"
Aurora nodded, and handed him an Oran berry from her bag as she sat down. "Eat this before we move on." Gratefully, the Zoroark took the berry and ate the whole fruit in one bite, feeling somewhat re-energized afterwards, and waited for the Glaceon to finish her own berry before they continued on down the stairwell.
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Meadow Caves B2
The lower levels of the Meadow Caves were no pushover, with more hostile Pokémon ambushing them at every turn. Nonetheless, Fox and Aurora managed to venture deeper into the caverns, both quickly learning to dispose of the beasts that stood in their way ("At least you're not total deadweight now," Aurora joked when Fox finally defeated a wild Pokémon by himself). Of course, they still had much to learn about the mystery dungeon itself - Fox could only stare in confusion at the moss growing in arrow formations on the ground.
"My mother calls them wonder tiles - they restore your defenses and attack power to normal," Aurora explained, noticing the look of "how the heck" he was giving her.
"How do these things work? Magic?"
Aurora thought for a brief moment. "...I don't know either…maybe. Let's move on. I think we can look that up online once we get out of here."
Eventually, after more scoping around in the dark, Fox spotted light shining into the caverns, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally...let's get outta here-"
"Hee hee hee!" The shrill, high voice echoed throughout the caverns, and Fox stopped in his tracks to look around. "...Aurora, what's that?"
"I don't know…" The Glaceon paused, and the shrill cackling resounded off the walls once more.
"Oh? Is that two lost little Pokémon I hear, looking to play?..." A large brown and yellowish-beige bird swooped down from the ceiling and blocked the exit way, catching both Fox and Aurora by surprise. "So there was a Pidgeotto here!" The Glaceon exclaimed, shock in her tone, and Fox immediately began to worry for his bladder.
The Pidgeotto glared at the two menacingly, and slowly approached them, cackling all the way. "Oho! Two more little Pokémon have come to meet their doom!"
Fox raised his hands in front of himself defensively, and slowly backed away. "We didn't come to fight, just please let us-"
"No luck, Zoroark boy! You've stepped on my grounds, so prepare to be knocked out!" At once, the Bird Pokémon zoomed around the pair at blinding speeds, disorienting the two before diving headfirst into Fox's chest, sending him careening into the nearest wall.
"Fox!" Aurora shouted, and channeled her newfound anger into the freezing energy building up in her chest, barely missing the Pidgeotto with her Ice Beam as the bird zoomed at her with its wings glowing, about to land a hard Wing Attack-
-and suddenly Fox was in front of her, grabbing the Pidgeotto by the wings and throwing it down, before slamming into the bird with his arm and launching it into the sky. "You okay?" He asked Aurora, snapping the Glaceon out of her stupor as she nodded in reply. "Yeah, I'll be fine - let's just beat this Pidgeotto and get out of here as soon as possible."
"Agreed," Fox huffed, now really feeling the burn in his insides (and desperately hoping that Viale Village, or at least an outdoor bathroom, was close by), and dashed towards the Bird Pokémon, his claws lengthening into glowing violet blades as the Pidgeotto let loose a sharp slipstream of air with a flap of its wings. With little effort, Fox sliced the Air Slash apart, and leaped at the red-crested bird Pokémon as he slashed again…
...only to miss his target entirely as the bird Pokémon swiftly flew out of harm's way, sending the Zoroark tumbling to the floor. "Hah! Nice try, little fox! You can't hit me while I'm airborne!" The Pidgeotto taunted, noticing the Ice Beam coming right at them a second too late, the frozen energy blasting them right into a wall.
The second the Bird Pokémon found their footing on the ground, weakened, cold and surrounded by a battle-ready Zoroark and Glaceon, they gave in. "Okay! I admit defeat! You two win!" The Pidgeotto hurriedly took to the air and flew away, leaving Fox and Aurora to sigh in relief. "Glad that's over with…" Aurora remarked.
Fox nodded in response. "Yeah, great...can we get out now, please? I really have to go." Aurora let out a soft chuckle as she watched Fox clench his thighs together, and sighed once more. "You really should've went at the train station."
"I know, but-"
"What are you waiting for? Let's get out of here." Fox nodded and followed Aurora to the exit, willing himself to just hold it in a little longer.
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Fortunately for Fox, Viale Village (which was mainly inhabited by Eevee and their related evolutions for some reason) was literally right outside Meadow Caves.
Unfortunately for Fox, he still had to get through yet another obstacle in his quest for the bathroom: Aurora's younger cousins.
And boy, did Aurora have many younger cousins.
"Auntie Aurora!" Upon reaching Aurora's grandmother's house, a cozy wooden cabin with a large front yard, they were instantly swarmed by Eevees, all young and cute and way too eager to welcome their older cousin and her friend.
''Did you bring us gifts?''
''How's Wisp Town?''
''Is it fun?"
"What's big school there like?"
"Woah, calm down there...Auntie and her friend would like to see Grandma right now, so I'll answer all your questions later. Deal?" Aurora said, quieting the bunch of happy-go-lucky Eevee. "Deal!" And the cousins went back to their game of tag in the backyard, all except for one with a bright pink bow in her hair, who clung to Fox's leg, much to the Zoroark's growing dismay as he mentally told the pink-bowed Eevee that okay, you're adorable and all, but I really need to make a break for the bathroom right now so could you PLEASE-
"Auntie, who's this with you? His fur is so soft!" The pink-bowed Eevee asked, squeezing Fox's leg even more as Aurora barely managed to stifle a laugh from seeing the contrast between her cousin's adorable expression and the disgruntled look Fox was giving her. "This is Fox, Steph. I don't think he's too happy with you holding his leg, so could you maybe let him go?"
The pink-bowed Eevee - Steph, her name was - pouted as she reluctantly let go of Fox's leg. "But he's so soft and fluffy and I wanna hug him...do you like him?"
"Well, yeah...why?"
"Is he your boyfriend?"
At that, Aurora's face turned a bright shade of hot pink while Fox snorted at the utter ridiculousness of it, the two staring at each other in disbelief. Them? A couple? They'd only met a few days ago!
"W-well…"
"Umm…"
"...No, he's not my boyfriend!" Aurora shouted, her face as bright red as a beetroot.
"No, she's not my girlfriend!" Fox shouted at the exact same time, his face similarly red.
Again, they turned to each other with embarrassment and shock in their eyes, and Fox hoped that he hadn't accidentally pissed his pants yet. "We're not in a relationship - we've just met anyway - and we reallyneed to see Grandma right now bye!" Aurora said, absolutely flustered, as she grabbed Fox's hand and dragged him over to the cabin, despite his requests to let him go.
Upon getting inside, the still-blushing Glaceon directed Fox over to the nearest bathroom ("First door on the left down the hallway, don't take too long.") and finally, did he get to relieve himself of the horrible burning sensation in his bladder. Once he finished his business, he zipped his pants back up and headed to the living room, where he was greeted by Aurora, a slightly shorter Espeon with eyeglasses and patches of greying fur, and the scent of tea leaves.
Fox bowed to the old Espeon out of courtesy, and took a second to prepare a somewhat-formal greeting. "Hello, ma'am, my name is Fox McClaws. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Young dear, the pleasure is all mine. You can call me Rena. Do sit down if you wish," the bespectacled Espeon greeted, gesturing to the large sofa Aurora was seated on, and he hesitated briefly before taking his seat. Being around old people always made him incredibly anxious, though he didn't know why - probably something to do with respect, his brain reasoned. Definitely something to do with respect. "...Thank you, Miss Rena."
The old Psychic-type chuckled. "Oh, no need for all the formalities, dearie. Rena will do." She then turned to Aurora. "Aurora, my dear. You said that this young lad has something to show me?"
"Yes, grandma," the Glaceon said and looked at Fox, prompting him to fish the vibrant star crystal out from his pocket and show it to her. Almost instantly, Rena's eyes widened in surprise, and she blinked a few times before recovering from her shock enough to speak again. "My eyes really aren't fooling me...that's the Dreamscape gem indeed, child!" Fox looked at Aurora in confusion, hoping to get an answer on what her grandmother was talking about, though he was only met with equally-perplexed silence. "You really think that's the one, Grandma?" The Glaceon asked, surprise evident in her tone.
"I am certain of that, dearie. Wait here." The old Espeon placed her half-full teacup on the coffee table and left the two alone for a few silent minutes, before she returned with a thick, dusty book, the pages all yellowed with time. "This is the story of the old wars, my dears," Rena said as she flipped the ancient text open, the cover creaking under the slight pressure.
Fox was stunned. "Wait, the old wars? The ones where those humans fight each other?" After receiving a nod in response, he added, "But what does that have to do with me?"
"Calm yourself, dearie, you're beginning to hyperventilate. Please do tell me, have you been experiencing any odd dreams lately, or something similar?" Rena asked, and Fox stopped himself from panicking with a deep breath as he nodded.
"...Yeah, I have...ever since I found this gem, I keep getting headaches whenever I touch it, like some energy is just pounding through me and wants to make my head explode...then there's the weird dreams."
"Do tell, what dream?" The old Espeon asked.
Again, another deep breath. "...I saw the world falling into pieces and turning grey for some reason...then, there was this Lycanroc who knocked out some mythical ice bird Pokémon - an Articuno, I think - then he left after taking this ice blue diamond from a pedestal…"
"Was there anything else?" Rena asked, prompting a nod from Fox as he recalled the rest of his dream. "After that, there was another gem on another pedestal in another room, different from the ice gem room - I think it was a grey diamond in an ore cave somewhere? Other than that, I can't remember anything else…" He noticed the elderly Espeon being deep in thought, and the room was silent for so long that he flinched in mild shock when Rena spoke up once more. "This is the exact same event that happened in the legends…"
Fox was still left puzzled. "But how?"
"The story tells of two young Pokémon, much like you two, who wanted an end to the war. They gained the ability to wield the Dreamscape, their dreams giving them visions of the future or telling them where to go next. Look here, dearies." The Psychic-type flipped the book to a page inscribed with strange, foreign letters, and showing two star-shaped crystals, one blue and one pink-
-Wait a minute. That pink gem looks oddly similar… Fox looked at the vibrant star crystal in his hand, glowing with various hues of hot pink, and listened closely to Rena's next few words. "The text here says that these two wielders of the Dreamscape are destined to save the world from everlasting stasis - or what we refer to as the Stasis Prophecy."
"The Stasis Prophecy?" Aurora and Fox questioned at the same time.
Rena nodded. "Yes, the Stasis Prophecy. The legend tells of twelve sacred gemstones hidden around the world by the great Arceus - the Ice stone to rule the cold, the Water stone to create the oceans and rivers, the Fire stone to bring warmth to the earth, the Grass stone to create forests and plantlife, the Air stone to give us bright skies and breezes, the Electric stone to control the forces of lightning from above, the Ground and Rock stones to shape the land, the Steel stone to create the minerals, the Light and Dark stones to bring night and day to the world, and finally, the Life stone to control every living being in this world."
The old Espeon paused to catch her breath, and continued, "If any one of these gemstones were taken - especially the Life stone - the world would fall out of balance, possibly into a stasis." She looked directly into Fox's eyes, certainty in her stare. "The Dreamscape is showing you the location of the gemstones, Fox. You're the chosen one."
The Zoroark felt the beads of sweat forming and rolling down his back as he put two and two together. "So you're saying...it's all up to m-me to save the world?" Fox stuttered out, a sense of dread beginning to form in his gut. The chosen ones he read about in his fantasy novels were all strong, brave and chivalrous. He had none of those qualities.
"Yes, dearie. The Dreamscape has chosen you," Rena said soothingly, noticing Fox's panic flaring to life once more. "Fate seems to have something in store for you, dear…"
The Zoroark grew more distressed with every passing second, knowing he'd have to bear such a tremendous responsibility. "B-but I didn't ask to be picked, I didn't want any of this to happen! I'm not suited for this! Can't the crystal just-"
"I'm afraid not, dear," The bespectacled Espeon said, and placed her paw on Fox's shoulder. "But please, don't worry yourself so much over this - you'll have the Dreamscape itself helping you along the way."
"What if all this is just some lucky coincidence?" Fox mumbled, holding his head in his hands. "That my dreams and the ice melting just happened like that?"
"Trust me, dearie - this is no coincidence. I suspected that the gemstones had to be involved in the melting of the ice, and now I am absolutely sure that's the case. Still, please don't worry yourself over this matter - as untrue as it might seem, you youngsters ought to be enjoying yourselves instead of stressing over preventing the end of the world." Rena squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, while Fox took deep breaths to slow his frantic thoughts down, before he asked another question. "But where do I even start?"
"The Dreamscape will show you where to go, dearie. Bring some friends along with you too - you'll never know when you'll need them most. Aurora, dear-" -she turned her attention to the Glaceon- "-please do help Fox out, he doesn't seem the type to be able to go it alone."
"...Yes, Grandma," Aurora nodded and answered after a moment's hesitation, casting a glance at Fox, deep in thought, and Rena gave her a soft smile. "That's a good girl."
After a long minute of contemplation, Fox finally spoke up. "...I'll think about it, about being the chosen one…"
"I understand. No need to rush dear, take your time. Now wait here, dearies, I'm going to get something…" Again, the Espeon left her seat and disappeared down the hallway, and returned this time with a dusty brown and forest green knapsack, an old golden badge sewn onto it. "Back in the day, years after the war, groups of Pokémon in expedition teams tried to clear out the mystery dungeons, though none have succeeded yet. If you ever do decide to follow your destiny, take this," she said, handing Fox the old, dusty bag.
He gingerly took it and brushed some dust off the sewn-on badge, revealing the sheriff-esque star symbol, with a flame blazing in its centre. While the bag was probably eons old, Fox could feel that it was sturdier than it looked. "...Thank you, Rena."
"Any time, dearie."
Aurora looked out the window, and saw the blood-orange sun slowly descending from the sky. "I think we have to go now, Grandma. It's getting kinda late-"
"Oh shoot! I gotta run before my parents come home!" Fox interrupted upon seeing the sunset, and turned to the old Espeon. "It was really nice meeting you, thank you for the info and the bag! See you soon!" He said hurriedly, before unlocking the door and darting right into the front yard, while Aurora and Rena looked on in amusement.
"Thanks for all this, Grandma," Aurora said. "Hopefully I can catch up to Fox before he does anything dumb…"
"My pleasure, dear. Do make sure to knock some sense into him if he does so," Rena joked, and waved her granddaughter off as she ran to catch up with the speeding Zoroark. She thought over the events of the conversation as she looked out at the sunset, and smiled to herself.
''I know he's the one...''
xxxxxxxxx
Upon awakening, the Lycanroc let himself stay down for a few minutes as he dwelled on the contents of his dream. Why was there a gang of mere teenagers trying to fight him off in that strange cave? More specifically, why was that Zoroark so determined to stop him?...
Beware another wielder of the Dreamscape, a voice, not his own, echoed in his still-groggy mind, for they wish to end to thine mission, and leave destruction in their wake.
Whoever they are, I'll take them out, Seth answered with his thoughts. Who are you, anyway? You haven't even told me your name yet.
The entity's presence vanished from his mind, leaving the Lycanroc to ponder the identity of whatever had just communicated with him. Odd fellow he is, Seth mused. Tells me all these useful things to aid my venture, but decides to never reveal himself. He picked himself off the ground and stretched his legs, and shook himself to get his blood flowing before he set off again.
For a split second, he thought he saw a splatter of red on the ground before realizing it was just a trick of the light, and sighed as he shook his front paws. Best not to think more about that.
After all, I'm now venturing and collecting gemstones to save everyone's bacon, aren't I?
And the Lycanroc took off, a blur of beige-white in the distance, leaving nothing but drifting leaves and scattered footsteps behind.
Hopefully all this guilt will lessen once I'm done with my job...
