Lost Illusion

by yiranY

In a land without humans, there is a Trapinch who lives in a time where dragons rule supreme. But little does he know that his life is not merely an ordinary one of growing old with the expected trials of life, but rather a story that will become a legend.

6. Chapter 6

"An overnight hunting trip? But I don't want to." I shuffle away from Vie slightly, who is becoming overbearing in her attempt to persuade me to go on this trip I had no idea about.

"Come on! Your Mum planned it with my brothers so they can teach us the basics about hunting. Even Phendrene is coming, and you know how she is. Don't tell me you're more of a wuss than her!"

"It's difficult! …I don't want to kill anything."

She makes an annoyed grunt and leans in closer. "But you have to eat meat to survive! Every single one of your ancestors must have learned to hunt. You have to as well."

I don't know what I can say to make her understand. "Sorry, Vie, just… let me talk with my Mum." I feel a bit upset that my mother had planned this without me.

"Fine. But trust me, you're gonna miss out on a lot of fun."

I thought my aversion of hunting would disappear as I grew older. It turned out to be the opposite. The more I learn and see, the worse hunting seems. Once, Mum caught a Sandslash and brought it to us. It's pretty rare, but it has happened in the past before; only this time it was right after learning about desert fauna with Zeta. And I'm reminded again that they have lives, and families, just like we do. That Sandslash could have been a mother. What if some omnipotent power descends from the sky and takes my Mum away?

But is there a point to this? My lack of hunting only means the prey is not dying at my hands, but rather Mum's. So long as I am alive, I will have to take these lives and use them to fuel my own. That's how we carnivores work, and I better live with it.

Regardless of all that, I still don't want to be the one to draw blood and take a life. Being distant helps me take my mind off it.

"Mum?" I approach her as she cleans up the piles of bones that we leave behind after eating. "Are you planning a hunting trip?"

She stops and turns to face me, quite surprised. "Yes, I did plan one. Who told you?"

"Vie. Um… why didn't you tell me first?"

She lowers down to meet me at eye level. "That's because I thought you didn't want to go. I've already organized for you to stay with someone. Do you want to go instead?"

"Oh! No, I didn't know you already planned it out. I was just wondering." She actually planned for me already? Mum is so considerate. Unlike Vie. "Who am I staying with, though?"

"I was going to let you stay with Silex, but you might get bored. So I asked a close friend mine, a parent of a Trapinch your age. You should be able to get along with her."

"That's okay." I actually wouldn't have minded Silex, because I would be able to ask her many questions to keep myself occupied. Perhaps even ones about how and why she took my mother in as an orphan. I haven't seen her much after we moved to Lyrl.

"I was thinking of your friend called Zeta as well, but I don't know his parents, so I can't really ask them. But if you can get their permission, you can go with them, too," she adds with understanding.

"Nah. Zeta always tells me about how uptight his parents are. I think I'll be better off with people we know from the Shallows."

She stands back up straight and gives me a nod and a small pat on the head. "That's good thinking. You should go to sleep now."

"Okay," I respond and lay down next to Phendrene, taking comfort the familiar warmth.

The thought of trips manages to stir my mind and curiosity. What is it like being a Flygon, when you are able to fly across the earth unrestrained? I can only imagine how much more interesting the world is beyond this barren, flat desert. Ah, to be able to survey the world from a height… One day, it will not be a dream, but reality.

It is a few days before the afternoon of their departure comes. After lunch, I say a goodbye to Phendrene (she hums a vague response), and Mum leads me through the crowd. She clearly is familiar with the route.

"Hey there, Shell!" I hear a male Flygon call her. "This is your son, isn't it?" he looks down with a smile.

"Yep! Nova, this is Skein. He's seen you a lot when were younger, so don't be shy. Do you remember him?"

"A little bit…" I answer, feeling shy. To be honest, I don't remember much of him at all, other than a very specific occasion by the fountain with Silex that prompted my curiosity about my father. If he was involved in affairs this private, he must have been really quite close to my mother. Maybe I could ask him…?

"I'll have to go now," Mum says to him and turns to face me. "Nova, I'll be back tomorrow. Make sure you're on time with Skein for meals, so they don't have to wait for you. And try to get along with Jay. Is that all right?"

"Yes, Mum. Bye-bye."

"Bye, Nova. Be a good boy," she says before turning around and taking off.

I stare at her backside before she suddenly lands somewhere, presumably with Vie and her brothers. I'm not too worried, but it will still be different without Mum.

"Nova, make yourself comfortable," Skein begins. "I've known your mother since we were both Trapinch. I actually can't find Jay now, so you'll have to play by yourself. You can go with her tomorrow. Just come back before sundown for dinner, okay?"

I give a polite nod.

"And remember that we're at this corner of the square, and you shouldn't get lost. I have some things to attend to as well. See you tonight!" he says with a smile.

"Okay, thank you." I try to return the smile but I'm not sure if it even comes out properly on a Trapinch. I have to admit, he's pretty nice, but I like Mum better. Stop complaining, Nova, you can hold out. It's only for one day.

Since Vie is gone, the first person that comes to mind is Zeta. And sure enough, he's there when I call him through the tunnel that leads to his room. He tells me to be quiet, though, because he's supposed to be "studying for a test", whatever that is.

Other than being very knowledgeable, Zeta also ensures that I never miss my dinner time because he always tells me to leave before his parents come to check on him for dinner. As I crawl out of his room, the sun is still above the buildings, and I have plenty of time to get back to Skein's place.

I'm a bit lost when I arrive in the general vicinity, because I can't find Skein (who I recognize as having longer antennae than others), but a female Flygon suddenly speaks from aside. "You must be Shell's kid. Nova, right?"

I turn to face her and find that it's a short Flygon with small wings looking down at me. Female Flygon are normally smaller than the males, but she's even smaller than Mum. "Yes, I'm Nova."

She introduces herself immediately. "I'm Ray, Skein's mate. He told me that you'd be here." She turns her head. "Jay! Come over to greet your friend!"

"But I'm eating!" I hear a young voice complain from behind the Flygon.

Ray turns her head back to face me with an embarrassed smile. "Sorry, she's quite unruly at this age. Why don't you come over? I'm sure you're hungry."

"Yes, thank you," I answer courteously and follow her to where a small Trapinch is devouring a piece of Numel back.

"Don't just eat the fat! It's not healthy!" Ray scolds her child, who grumbles and takes a bite off the less fatty meat. "You should greet Nova, too."

"Hi, Nova," she says quickly with her mouth full, clearly not meaning it.

"Sorry about that, she's just a bit upset at losing a battle today," Ray tells me as she places a Numel leg in front of me. "What about you, Nova? Have you battled much?" she asks.

"No, I haven't," I say without touching the meat.

"You could still try with Jay! She's two years younger than you, so you should be fine."

"Sorry, I mean that I don't battle at all."

"Oh. I thought you Trapinch all did that! I guess you didn't inherit your mother's ferocity," she says with a chuckle.

That mention captured my interest. "You knew my mother as well?"

"Oh, we all knew each other when we were younger. Silex took care of us after a lot of us had lost our parents."

"My Mum told me about Silex. She took care of the orphans in that chaotic time period before we managed to form a grouped settlement to fend off Salamence and other dangerous species."

"Wow, you know so much," Jay interrupts from aside.

"You could learn a thing or two from him!" her mother scolds again. "But Nova, you should start eating first, while the meat is still fresh."

I nod and dig into the food. Not long passes before Skein suddenly lands from the darkening sky. "Sorry, I didn't notice the time!" he announces to us.

"Where were you?" his mate asks as she hands him piece of meat.

"With Silex. We were just chatting."

"Again? You seem to be visiting her a lot after we came to Lyrl."

"It's just more convenient now!" he raises his arms in exasperation. "It's not as if I'm avoiding you on purpose!"

Ray suddenly turns to me. "Nova, do you want to know something about your mother and Skein?" Before I can answer, she continues. "When they were young they were best friends. I always thought that they were going to become mates, but-"

"Hey!" Skein interrupts fiercely. "Don't just tell that to everyone! I had a crush on her, that's all!"

"Sure you did. Anyways, Nova, then one day, shortly after we evolved to Flygon, Shell started acting weird, so Skein followed her and found your father-"

"Shut it!" he yells, embarrassed, and tugs on his mate's arm.

"Stop that, it's ticklish!" Ray complains and struggles, but her strength is definitely not enough to escape Skein's grasp.

"Then you stop embarrassing me in front of Nova!" he says as he moves his free arm to Ray's waist.

"Fine, I'll stop! Okay?" she says between laughs at being tickled. Skein releases his grip, smiling smugly and leaving Ray out of breath.

"Dad, can you not? We have Nova here today," Jay suddenly interrupts, not amused.

"Yes, Jay," Skein says, but not before sharing another subtle glance with Ray.

Before they can continue, though, I decide to ask a question. "Is Jay's name based off Ray's?"

"Yeah! When I laid the egg, I discussed with Skein about this. If it's a boy, he follows his name, but if it's a girl she follows mine. And so when Jay hatched that's how we named her!" Ray explains excitedly.

"I always wanted to have a boy, so I could balance it out! But Ray didn't get pregnant after Jay," he explains.

"We didn't try hard enough, clearly," Ray says with a chuckle, leaning against her mate's neck.

"Not now, we have Nova here," Skein responds in a barely audible whisper.

Jay seems immune to her parents' actions, and I try to act similar to her on the outside. But when I see them like that, it strikes a strange chord in my heart. Is this what having a mate is like? Did my father make my mother happy like this, too? I wonder just what Silex took away from my mother when she told my father to leave to fight the Hydreigon.

When we finish eating and Ray moves away to clean up, I approach Skein, who is resting on the floor. "Skein? You knew my father, right?"

"Huh?" He turns his head towards me. "Oh… I… yes, I did. Not for long, though…" he answers hesitantly.

I crawl over to in front of him. "But you did know him. How was he? And what was my mother like with him?"

Skein sits up slowly, and only speaks after a pause. "She… was very much in love with him. For a while she disappeared so much… and I only found your father with her during a search. I got worried because she had been missing for days, and I'd never have guessed it was because of this…"

"My father was an outsider?"

"Yes. None of us knew him at all. In fact, Silex and I are the only ones aside from your mother to even have seen your father."

"Really? Surely my mother would want to introduce her mate to her friends?"

"…No. She didn't. She didn't even tell me. I just stumbled upon them and told Silex… I guess it's because your father's… different." His gaze shifts as if he is uncomfortable and unwilling to meet my eye.

I'm emboldened by his behaviour and step forward. "How come? Surely a wild Flygon's behaviour is not that unusual?"

He is silent after this question. His strange behaviour after I brought up my father only makes piques my curiosity further. What exactly is the problem? My mind suddenly turns to the conversation Mum had with me about Phendrene. Maybe that's why Skein is acting this way… because maybe my father isn't a Flygon.

But before I'm able to voice my thoughts, another familiar voice sounds from behind me. "Skein? Is that Nova?"

I turn around to see Silex standing before us. Her greyness is rather noticeable compared to the typical Flygon I'm used to. "Good to see you. I heard from your mother that you would be here. Are you talking with uncle Skein?" she asks, and bends down, just like Mum does.

Her familiar gesture emboldens me to ask my question. "We were talking about my father. Silex, you knew him as well, right? What was he like?"

A look of surprise flashes across her face. "Oh, you're talking about Blight. He was a dragon that was very adept at fighting, though it didn't show unless you knew him well. What of it?"

She even used the word 'dragon' instead of Flygon! "Was he strong because… he wasn't one of us? I mean, a Flygon?" I ask tentatively.

"Of course he was!" Silex answers immediately. "Those within a species can have varying strengths."

"Silex, are you sure…" Skein has stood up and is giving Silex a stern look.

The elderly Flygon stands up straight to meet Skein's gaze. "Sure about what?" she replies nonchalantly. "I did interact with Blight more than you did. You didn't even talk to him."

Skein maintains the stare for a few more seconds before sighing. "Fine, you tell him what you want. What do I know?" he says quite passive-aggressively as he turns and walks away.

"What is up with him?" I ask Silex immediately as he is out of earshot.

She turns her head back down to me before responding. "He was quite upset at the time, so perhaps he doesn't have the most impartial view about your father."

"How do you know so much about him?" I spill out my questions as they pop up into my head. "Is it because you took them in like your own children after they were orphaned? Why would you?"

Silex falters slightly and resumes her upright stance in silence. "…I wanted to help those in need," she begins. "Because… someone was my guardian once, too." She suddenly looks away. "Sorry for bothering you with all that. I think you should ask your mother directly if you want to talk about your father. After all, they were mates, and that's how you were born. I'll be on my way, then."

"Bye, Silex," I say out of courtesy, but my mind is fixated on my father. I almost thought I was a half-blood there for a second… I suppose I got carried away in my fantasy. I don't know why everyone else hates half-bloods. I think it would be pretty amazing if I had parents who were of different species. Each one could teach you different things! And I could even have a younger sibling that is a different species from me!

…Why am I so excited? It's not like he'd be here if his species changed to a Charizard or something. There's no point fantasizing about scenarios like that. It won't change anything. I will still have no father, and Mum will still be lonely. It's not fair…

I'll just go to sleep so I can forget about it.

…

The image of my mother sleeping alone with me is etched into my mind when I wake up. I try to shake it off by observing my surroundings. Jay is half-buried in the sand with her eyes closed, and behind her are her parents who are lying closely by each other's side.

I turn away immediately and look to the sky. It's only early dawn. I hope Zeta has already woken up, or at least will have by the time I reach his house, because I don't think I can stand it here.

I walk through the relatively quiet crowd at a leisurely pace, trying to take as much time as possible. After detour to the water fountain, I near Zeta's tunnel and call his name through it.

He greets me somewhat tiredly but still welcomes me in. Though I want to ask him more about things relevant to last night like half-bloods and the Hydreigon, I decide against it, as it would achieve the opposite of what I've come here to do, which is to take my mind off it. Instead, I ask him about that "test" of his, which he readily explains. It's about the biology of different living things.

Time passes very quickly with Zeta. When I head back for lunch, Ray is still welcoming and talks with me nicely, but Skein is much more reserved. I suppose he is affected by last night as well, if Silex is to believed. His reaction does really seem like he was jealous of my father.

I try to finish my food quickly and escape back to my little world with Zeta. Only when it is already late afternoon do I remember that Mum is supposed to be back. I tell Zeta and apologize hastily, but he is very understanding about it and tells me to go find her. On my way back to the square where we sleep, I pass by the fountain and instantly spot a conspicuous Charmander. As I near her I find that the two Trapinch beside her have the familiar lightly coloured shell.

"Phendrene!" I call from behind her. She looks up and waves weakly.

"Nova!" Vie turns around and runs over to me. "It was really fun! You totally should have come on the trip with us. Who did you stay with?"

"I was with Zeta most of the time, but I had meals with Jay's family."

"Oh!" Hale walks into my view from behind Vie. "I didn't expect you to be friends with her!"

"I'm not!" I answer defensively. "My mum knew her dad, that's all." I try to not recall the conversation. "Anyway, where's Mum?"

"She went with our brothers to give the meat to… someone," Hale answers. "Even though we hunted for it."

"So, how was it out in the open? I suppose it was very fun for you three?"

"You bet!" Vie exclaims excitedly. "My brothers were even telling ghost stories! It was really spooky. Halfway through Phendrene got a little scared or something and your Mum took her away, but it was really fun! I even heard Cole squeak at Hale's one about something inside one of the Lyrl buildings. You should have listened, too."

Hale beams proudly at that statement. Phendrene simply takes sips from the fountain. If she was embarrassed from what Vie had said, she didn't show it. Ghost stories sound quite fun, but I've never been one to believe in supernatural forces. It does sound rather interesting, but I'd rather be on trips to explore this world beyond this mass of sand.

"Say, do you ever want to leave the desert?" I bring up. "I think staying here for your whole life would be kind of boring. When we're Flygon, we could leave and have some adventures."

"I know the forest that's actually quite close to the desert called Whitewash or something, and the Zeal mountains that's south of the Shallows, and there's this big plain that has a river in it somewhere further. I've never really thought about it that much, though. I feel pretty comfortable here. It's even better when we're out in the open. Maybe we can join those wild Flygon after we evolve."

"The trip just made me realize how bad Lyrl is," Hale says, surprising me. "I didn't like it before, but living in the wild again like that… it is so much better."

"Why do you say that?" I ask, confused. "Surely you don't want what happened at the Shallows to happen all over again?"

Vie gives me a glare and I instantly know I said something I shouldn't have. But Hale just sighs and continues the conversation. "I suppose. But we could go somewhere else far away from the Salamence. Like that forest you two were talking about."

As he speaks, I spot a vaguely familiar red Trapinch walking towards us with another tailing behind her. "Is that Dice?" I ask and motion over to behind the twins.

Vie turns her head first and her expression serious instantly. "We've been loitering at the fountain for long enough," she says immediately. "Let's head back first."

"But I haven't even drank from it yet. I haven't seen you drink, either. I thought you guys didn't get any water for the past day."

Vie suddenly crawls next to me. "That's not it," she whispers. "Just leave."

"Is there something with Dice? I thought she was one of your best Lyrl friends?"

"Stop asking and-" she turns her head around and I follow her gaze to find Hale having crawled over to them already. "Ah, crap."

"What? What's wrong?" I ask Vie.

Before she can answer me, Hale suddenly shouts, presumably at the other Trapinch. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, seems like you're mad about it, when really my parents had to move because your Shallows people came to our place." It's a squeaky voice I haven't heard before (I can't even tell the Trapinch's gender), but it's obvious that they know each other. And not on friendly terms.

Vie goes over as fast as she can. "Hale, let's just go," she says as she tugs on her brother's side.

"No! It's her fault!" he shouts.

Vie sighs and turns to Dice. "I thought you said she wouldn't be here anymore."

The other Trapinch turns to Dice too. "What did you say about me to those Shallows Trapinch?"

Dice, who has been trying to avoid attention, looks up meekly. "Well, you did move downtown…"

Her companion rolls her eyes. "Ugh, you really like them, don't you."

"What's wrong about us?" Hale hisses at her. "You're the ones that live in man-made holes and take all of our food.

"And you're all brutes that just take up space! What about pushing me into the fountain last time, tough guy?"

"Please stop," Dice says from aside, her voice a mixture of worry and fear. "Dree, let's just go."

"Why should I go?" Dree replies adamantly. "This is our place, not theirs! And this guy came up to me!"

Phendrene scuttles close to my side and holds on tightly. I can't really blame her for being tense in this situation. I have gleaned from the conversation that they have been in a scuffle before, but…

"Last time you insulted me! You're the one who wouldn't leave us alone!" Hale continues to yell.

"You're the ones who came here and took up our space!" Dree says and inches forward.

"Do you think we wanted our home to be invaded by the Salamence?"

"Well, it's not our problem! And I'm pretty sure Charmander weren't living with you!"

Vie steps in between them. "Just stop! This is completely pointless!"

"Don't tell me what to do," Dree responds angrily and pushes her out of the way – and into me. I stumble backwards a few steps with Phendrene tight clutch on me, and I suddenly miss a footing and slide into the fountain.

Vie's strong claw grasps my foreleg instantly and pulls me out. I ignore the coldness in my behind, because there's someone else that is more afraid of water than I am.

"Phendrene!"

Vie releases me and sticks her leg into the water and pulls Phendrene out. I can only watch in horror as the Charmander shivers, lying on the sand, her tail barely staying alight.

"Stop standing there dazed like an idiot and get her to your mum! I'll sort this out." She lifts Phendrene onto my back. Feeling the large mass of warmth hold onto me only motivates me to get back to the clearing even faster.

"Mum!" I shout as I run around, ignoring the glances I get from strangers. "Mum!"

Thankfully, she appears from the direction of our residence. "Nova, how was- What happened?"

"Phendrene fell in the water! Help!"

"She… what?" Mum stares blankly in disbelief.

I shift and feel the mass of warmth leave my back as Phendrene lands on the sand. "I need to go back to – to make sure no one else falls in. I'll tell you about it later!" I turn around, hoping that Mum doesn't just stand there, and head back towards Vie.

By the time I arrive at the fountain, it's clear that it's only Vie and Dree talking. Dice has already left and Hale is just sitting there beside Vie for something akin to moral support. "It's not like they are the only ones that fell into the water," the new Trapinch spits with disdain.

"Just because Hale pushed you in doesn't mean you can push others in!" Vie shouts indignantly. "If you hate us that much, just leave us alone."

It's clear that something had happened between them before, and that Vie knows about it. I always felt that there was some untold animosity between those of Lyrl and the Shallows. I suppose I should have expected trouble eventually, considering that the twins are far more aggressive than I am.

Dree snorts in response. "Why should I? You are the ones who came over to where we live. And you act all high and mighty like you deserve it? Don't be such a bitch."

Vie gasps in indignation and Hale suddenly rams his head into Dree. "How dare you call my sister that!" he cries out in a raged tone before lunging at her again. This time, she manages to dodge it and runs off yelling for help as Hale chases after her.

"Hale, stop!" Vie shouts as she follows them with me staying close on her tail. I don't understand why they can just keep their cool. At this rate Hale will definitely be reprimanded by the Flygon in charge.

Dree's loud voice has garnered the attention of a few Flygon and one yells a warning at Hale. Startled, he suddenly stops and looks around warily, and suddenly wizzes back past me and creeps into a crack of a building I didn't notice. I follow him in immediately and feel Vie's short breath behind me. But there's a loud scuffling sound and Vie simply shouts "Find Hale!" before the feel of her breath disappears.

I vaguely hear the adults questioning her, but I make nothing out of it, because the noise diminishes as I scramble down the tunnel quickly. Somewhere along the line, the walls change into concrete. I guess it's more a tunnel than a hole. Small size, too, because I can feel the ceiling when I raise my head and there's not even enough space to turn myself around.

The tunnel comes to an abrupt end and I misstep, falling a short distance to the middle of nowhere. It is completely dark, and I walk very slowly, feeling my way using the wall. I find a different hole that feels very square and structured, and barely sniff out a scent.

The new tunnel feels very different. It is straight in one direction with a relatively hard and even surface. And it is a lot longer.

Hale is definitely faster than me. Rushing will only make me tired. I slow down my pace and try to mull over what in the world had just happened.

Some of the Lyrl Trapinch really seem to dislike those of us from the Shallows. I can sort of understand why, but… it's not as if we wanted to be attacked from the Salamence. Why are we fighting amongst ourselves if there is an external threat? I suppose people are just selfish.

But it was also Hale's fault, too. If he hadn't been so prone to anger he wouldn't have gotten us in this mess. I suppose they let Vie go because she didn't really do anything, but what about Hale? He can't hide in here forever. It looked like his first lunge really hurt… I don't understand why dragons have to be so violent. If they just talked to each other for solutions, no one would ever need to be harmed. I still remember seeing the dead bodies after the assault at the Shallows. It sends a nasty shiver down my spine.

I suppose the world is cruel like this. From Zeta I've learnt that living things are completely self-serving in natural selection. If something is to be gained from doing harm or killing another life form, then it will be done. Like how we rely on eating other Pokémon in order to sustain our lives. But that's unavoidable. Shouldn't we at least be nice to each other? Even though Zeta said there are far more things that can be fought for other than food, like territory or mates…

I'm startled out of my thoughts I when I start stepping in sand. I have gotten used to the familiar smooth ground that has been under me for who knows how long. Eventually, the sand accumulates and I can no longer proceed without digging. The manufactured tunnel seems to end here. I dig through the sand and upwards. When I see light appearing I slow down. I uncover the sand right in front of my eyes. The blue sky appears expectedly, though I hear nothing. Feeling reassured, I simply climb out.

And realize that I'm in the middle of nowhere. Just sand. I can't even see anything in the distance.

I just climbed out of Lyrl.

I don't find a scent, so I dig back into the tunnel, quite confused at the whole ordeal. What is this place and why is there a tunnel that leads here? And where did Hale go?

Now I'm even further away from him. I resign to just travelling back a lot more slowly while examining the sides, and I find that there's a narrow gap into somewhere after a while. I crawl through, and there's another small drop before I'm in another underground hallway. I can tell because there's a very dim light coming from behind what looks like a rectangular board.

I can observe the entrance of these holes more clearly now. They seem to be structured on purpose, unlike when we first crawled in as a crack. I don't think they were designed for Trapinch, but it's surprisingly convenient for us to travel through. Probably a ventilation system of some sort.

The scent I was following has completely dispersed, so I first examine the light source.

I arrive into the room very quickly. I'm startled for a second as the light becomes somewhat brighter as I step in – not just because I'm closer to the source, but it actually gets brighter from detecting my presence. It would be convenient if it was with me during the time when I was stuck in darkness for the past, what, hour?

Why is there light down here, anyway? Is this something important?

I glance around the room warily. It's just a regular room with white walls, with a few racks and desks organised a bit less neatly than Zeta's. But notably, there's this large square on the wall that protrudes slightly and has a border. It looks like a screen of some sort.

The light suddenly becomes even brighter all of a sudden, and I have to close my eyes for a few seconds. When I open them again I see that there is a square-shaped white light on the ceiling that had just activated.

Did someone see me and turn the lights on? I dismiss that assumption quite quickly because I hear no sound other than the gentle hum of electricity. But then there's a more noticeable sound – it is still artificial, but somehow more musical.

The screen switches on. I think I activated some kind of power system. I expected that.

What does surprise me, though, is a bunch of red and blue spheres materializing in front of me.

"Hello!" says a strange voice with a surprising amount of cheerfulness. It seems to be coming from the thing in front of me. The middle ball is red with a horizontal stripe of blue. There are other blue ones that are more elongated that look like limbs, as well as another detached sphere at the top with circles that look like eyes.

"Um… Hi."

"A Trapinch hasn't found their way down here in quite a while." Though clearly not a Flygon's voice, if I weren't looking at it I might've guessed the voice was from some other living species. "What's your name?" it asks while making somewhat erratic movements.

"Nova. And you are…?"

"Oh, me? I'm a Porygon-Z, and I overlook the geothermal plant that humans made to generate power. I perform a wide variety of tasks, such as inputting commands for power generation, maintaining the database, supplying electricity to above, et cetera. For what you guys call Lyrl."

I was mainly interested in the first part. "A Porygon-Z? Is that a Pokémon?"

The Porygon-Z spins its head around. "Yes, of course! But I see where your curiosity stems from. No, I am not like you in the sense that I am not a carbon based living organism. I don't need to intake nutrients or reproduce! I am just a program running on what the humans left behind. Luckily I am based in this automated plant, or I probably would have run out of power a long time ago."

It doesn't seem like a malicious character, and truth to be told, I am rather interested in it. "Do you have a name?"

"I have a serial number, but I don't think you'd be interested in that. I'm the only Porygon-Z here, so just call me that." It floats towards the ground and its head goes gingerly close to my face. "What are you here for, anyway? How did you get in?"

"I just crawled in through a crack, trying to find a friend."

Porygon-Z retracts its head and nods. "I have only seen Trapinch down here. And you are by far one of the more compliant ones. However, I'm afraid I can't help you with your friends. The lights in here need to be manually switched on, so the security cameras are useless. You should probably call out to him."

"It's okay, he'll definitely be fine," I assure Porygon-Z, thinking that Hale would probably be one of the less compliant ones if he were to stumble on this robot. "Why don't you make contact with the surface, and only with those who come down here?"

"The surface facilities have been weathered before you Flygon found them, so much that I cannot communicate like I can do here. So I would greatly appreciate any information you have to update me on the current world."

"Information? What do you mean?"

"Just what you know of the surface. Do you live with only Flygon? Are there any fights breaking out? That sort of stuff."

"Oh… well, there is this Charmander with me, but everyone else is the same species. And I don't originally come from Lyrl, we moved here after we got attacked by the Salamence at the Shallows."

The figure suddenly zips quickly and spins its head. "Err… This is a bit slow. Mind me using a TM?"

"A TM? What's that?"

"A technical machine. Specifically, one that lets me read your mind. You won't mind, would you?"

"Reading my mind? So you'll know what I'm thinking?"

"Yep. And you won't need to feel embarrassed, because I'm quite informed on how a mind works. And of course, it will be confidential. I will reciprocate by answering anything you can ask to the best of my ability."

I'm more interested in this whole mind reading thing. "How can you actually do it? Magic?"

"That's not the accurate term." It stops for a second. "It's called a psychic technique. Usually only psychic Pokémon can do it, but I'm-"

"No, I mean, how is it even possible? Science can't explain it, right?"

"Well, no, we cannot fully justify why psychic things happen. But there are still observable patterns to it. Anyway, if you don't believe me, why not let me try it?"

"Okay, fine." It's not as if I have anything to hide.

I stare at the Porygon-Z as it spins erratically. It's a brief moment before it continues to speak. "Okay, you can stop calling me 'it' now. Just think of me as a 'him' even though I have no gender."

"Umm, okay?" I try to listen to him.

"I'm not that offended, it's just… never mind. Try thinking about something, and I'll tell you about it?"

I nod and turn my mind to what had just happened outside prior to finding my way here. Meeting them at the fountain, discussing about the trip, and finally the scuffle with that Trapinch.

"So you are not welcomed to Lyrl by the locals, I see. It's strange that you're so calm about it. I would have expected you to be more riled up."

I'm surprised at his reaction. "What do you mean?"

He spins around again. "I would have expected a stronger subjective emotion, seeing the event through your eyes. The thing about reading minds is that you can only gain knowledge from the perspective of the one you are reading the mind of. I'm not complaining, of course."

"Of course it's not a good thing, but so what if they don't like us?" I try and justify. "Hale got so angry over it… when he could have just walked away. I don't get why people are so angry."

"A bit of a pacifist, I see. I suppose that's the reason why you aren't hunting with your friends?"

"How do you know?" I ask, somewhat surprised. "I wasn't thinking about that."

"The thing with minds is that they are rather muddled, especially to the owner. From an outside view I can pick out what to you is a merely a fleeting thought. But enough about mind reading."

"Wait!" I say between the lapse in his wording. "This mind reading thing… will I ever be able to do it?"

"No, you can't. No Flygon can. Even other normal Pokémon can't do it like this, their mental state would be too unstable. It's a benefit from being a robot connected to a big database." He makes a swooping motion to behind him.

That's rather arbitrary. "Who programmed you anyway? Some Flygon genius?"

"Of course not! Flygon aren't that technologically advanced yet. The humans from centuries ago did it. You don't know about the ancient history of Evitern, do you? Do you want to learn about it? …Yes, you're interested," he says after a slight pause, presumably from reading my mind. "So a long time ago, there was this war. No, I don't know what it was about, but what I do know is that humans were the ones primarily involved in it. By themselves, Pokémon would not be able to cause such a level of destruction. The main problem was that nuclear weapons were involved, and detonated.

"Oh sorry, I forgot that you don't know what they even are. In the wake of their explosions, nuclear bombs leave behind radiation. It's an invisible wave with very high energy that cause many mutations and threatens lives of living organisms. So it actually doesn't affect me! Anyways, that probably scared away all the humans. That's probably the reason this place has been untouched for centuries.

"Yes, there's a reason why you regular Pokémon are still here. Truth is… back in the day, many suffered. I'm sure there were many premature deaths because of this radiation. However, you didn't know as much as the humans, and they certainly weren't going to evacuate all the native fauna. Living under this radiation, though detrimental to individuals, was actually beneficial for the whole species in the long run. The radiation sped up mutations, and thus natural selection occurred at a faster rate, making the species' genes stronger and stronger. Dragons' originally low breeding rate managed to increase, which is why they are able to become the dominant species. Flygon, in particular, somehow became able to breed with other dragons. This is because every Pokémon species is somehow interconnected through what is known as egg groups.

"Sorry, this must be a bit confusing for you. Don't worry about it. By now the radiation has largely dissipated. Your ancestors were the ones that had to suffer for the betterment of your species today!"

Though I am still unsure on many things he mentions, I still feel quite excited at learning all this information. But in the back of my mind I feel a sense of displacement from the reason I came down here for.

My curiosity makes me continue. "But why is so much information unclear? Like where the nuclear thing detonated. Or what the war is about."

"This is a geothermal power plant, not a history museum! I had to get what I could scavenge from all sorts of different sources. I can at least tell you about the geography of our location: we're in the southern hemisphere of the earth, and surrounded by sea. We're on what essentially is a huge island."

"What's the southern hemisphere?" I ask, finding that I prefer to speak out than simply let him read the questions in my mind.

"I forgot that you don't have much basic knowledge. Basically, the seasons are exactly the opposite compared to the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere is defined as where the longitude is below… I don't think you're interested in this. How about something else?"

"Okay. Can you talk more about our species?" I ask, genuinely curious. The real reason I'm down here nags at me, though. Maybe I should start trying to find Hale again soon…

He starts speaking quickly, before I can have too many doubts. "Firstly, to clarify about the definition of species, the fact that Flygon ended up being compatible with other dragons is how-"

I realize something. "Wait! Mum told me not to tell anyone about Phendrene being a half-blood… Well, I didn't exactly tell you but… You won't tell, anyone, right?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to. Anyway," he continues, "by the term species' definition, if the separate dragons were truly different species, then you wouldn't be able to create fertile half-bloods. That's why Pokémon are very peculiar. Half-bloods are strange; they always inherit the species (as in, Charmander or Trapinch) from one parent."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing! I just said it was strange. I've found similarities to discrimination in humans. Your society is really a lot like the humans', actually, because your species seems to attempting to mimic it purposefully. Lyrl was a geothermal plant has left traces of human society in it, such as technology. But you're not humans, and you have different instincts and behavioural patterns. It's only natural that you want to dig a trap and wait there for hours for prey. Your society idolizes humans far too much; I can't imagine how much better the other Pokémon living in your time are."

I've taken even longer to finish this conversation. I need to learn to interrupt other people. "Thanks a lot, Porygon-Z. But I think I need to find Hale now. I thought you'd notice."

"…Oh, sorry." His tone becomes softer. "It's a bit more difficult to read minds when I'm saying something myself. Can you come back before you evolve, though? I would appreciate some company in this place."

Does he really care about this? I thought he was just a robot? "I'll try to. What stops you from leaving?"

"What you see is just a hologram. I only exist in the database as a program."

"Surely you could transfer yourself out somehow?"

"It's not exactly easy. And I wouldn't be sure if Lyrl's systems would work perfectly… You see, I have an innate desire to maintain all systems I come across. I'm sure there are many other locations in Evitern that are in disuse because they don't have the power that I have here. But… I'm not really authorized to do it."

"Who cares? It's not like anyone can punish you for it. And the Flygon here can live just fine by themselves. It's not like they're stuck down here for ages with absolutely no one else."

Porygon-Z shakes his head, the spheres moving with a surprising amount of fluidity compared to his prior rigid movements. "No, I have to. You better find your friend now." His eyes (if it could be called that) rotate towards me. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Your friend's more important. He hasn't been very happy lately."

"Okay. …Goodbye, Porygon-Z." One more glance at the him and I crawl back out of the room. The light shuts off gradually. Another short musical sound is played.

Did I really feel bad for him? All we did was talk to each other. It wasn't for long, either, even if it was quite a lot of information exchanged. But he seemed really friendly… maybe because he was reading my mind, and understood me perfectly? And the information isn't just random knowledge, either. It's about the history of our land and our species.

I'll bring Zeta with me down here next time.

But that's for when I get back up. Now, I have to find Hale.

Not much I can do without shouting, even if I can smell him a bit. So, here we go. "Hale, it's me! No one else is here!"

There's a good half-minute of silence before I hear anything.

"…Nova?"

"Yes! You're there!" A moment later I realize that I don't know where he is. "…Wait, where are you?"

"Why are you here?" I'm really not used to Hale using this voice.

"There's nothing to be worried about. Everything's fine," I console him, trying to trace the source of the sound.

"Why are you here?" he repeats.

I hope he doesn't stay like this. It's not the Hale I'm used to. "Vie wanted me to find you. Can you tell me where you are now?"

"I'm in the tunnel."

I crawl back into it, and indeed, his scent is a lot stronger. Since it's dark, though, I can't see anything, and my head bumps into the wall.

"Ouch."

Hale gives a mirthless laugh from next to me. "You were pretty friendly with whatever that thing was. Well, what are we going to do now?"

"Let's go back," I tell him.

"Why would I? I hate Lyrl."

Hale is being more stubborn than usual. "Seriously, you can't just go out into the wild."

"I am serious. I can hunt… and I won't have to deal with all this anymore."

"But Hale, what will you do when you're a Vibrava? You're going to be a very easy target for Gliscor and stuff."

"I'll have time to get to a place where it's safer! Like… like the forest, I know there's Sceptile there, maybe they'll help me…"

"Stop it, Hale. You and I both know that it's a terrible idea. Come on, I'm hungry, and I bet you are too."

"You don't know how I feel!" His voice rises suddenly. "You're all smart and can even hold a conversation with a machine in this place. I'm not like you. I can't stand being cooped up in these circle of strange buildings."

"We can talk about it when we get back, all right? They're going to be worried."

"Yeah, they would be worried if I just disappeared. But you're here. You could tell them, so they won't be worried." A strange, unsettling excitement begins to build up in Hale's voice.

"Hale, stop joking around. You-"

"I'm not joking around!" he says back in a bright tone. "I'm going to dig my way out of Lyrl. I know there's sand at that end. Let me through."

My worry vanishes in an instant as I realize that I'm in the way. "No, Hale, you aren't going anywhere. You just need to calm down."

He bumps his head against mine somewhat roughly, but I've prepared for it. "Let. Me. Through." His voice is more aggressive now. I know he has far more experience in battling than me, but somehow I don't feel scared.

"Vie asked me to bring you back. Don't you care?"

"I do! And that's why I've waited! So you can tell her I'm fine, can't you?"

"But-"

He doesn't wait for me to stop before he retracts his head and bashes it against mine. I stumble back slightly at his force, although it doesn't hurt. Trapinch are built to endure.

"Even if you knock me out, you still won't be able to get pass." The tunnel is narrow enough.

He grunts in frustration as he tries to knock me back again. I skid backwards slightly but regain my posture immediately.

"Oh, so you think you're so smug, don't you?" Hale sneers. "Well, I'll give you an incentive. If you let me go, I won't tell anyone that Phendrene's a half-blood."

What? Was he listening in on the conversation… the whole time?

"Now let me through."

Why…

"Do you really want me to tell everyone about it? She's already different in that she's a Charmander… It would be so much worse, wouldn't it?"

Why am even trying to help him? I never was really friends with him, and that just sealed it. He can go and die in the wild if he really insists.

…No, that's not what I really want. But what choice do I have? So I silently retreat back into the corridor that leads to Porygon-Z.

"Good. Now don't try and follow me."

What made him think I would even try? The instant the sounds of digging travel over, I move back into the tunnel and crawl in the opposite direction, not saying a single word to him.

Will he actually leave forever, though? I doubt it. He'll eventually come back, because he can't hunt well enough to provide for himself. Even if he can, when he evolves, he's going to have to come back. He can't survive out there alone. I've learnt enough from Zeta to know that there are other desert predators that can prey on Vibrava.

But would it be my fault if something were to happen to him? He threatened Phendrene! And no one would know, anyway. But I still wish there was some way to solve this perfectly…

I find that I'm getting quite hungry as I move back through this absurdly long tunnel. My steps sound softly as I think of what will happen when I get back. How do I face Vie? That's actually not hard. "I found him, but he went crazy and didn't want to stay in Lyrl so he dug out." No need to mention all the details.

I'll only tell them everything after I sort this mess with Hale out. Wait, no, why should I sort it out? He's the one that caused it, from attacking the other Trapinch to blackmailing me. Stupid, unreasonable, Hale. I bet Phendrene could burn you to ash if she were here. Whatever. I'm really hungry now. I need to crawl faster.

It doesn't seem that long before I'm standing back on the sand, surrounded by buildings. The difference is that it's night and quiet. Whatever happened in the daytime, it seems to be over for now.

I should probably get some sleep before I go tell Vie about this. And after that I'll go find Zeta and forget all about Hale.

But I don't expect Mum to be awake when I get back. At least Phendrene seems fine now, her tail flame a little shard of brightness in the dark.

"Nova!" Mum forces her voice down as she pushes herself up from her sleeping position. "Don't go missing like that, okay?"

"I was finding Hale. …Sorry."

"It's all right, Vie told me about it. I just didn't think it would take that long." She shifts and sits upright. "So, did you find him?"

"Yes, but… he didn't come back with me. It's a long story." I find myself unable to maintain eye contact. "…I'm really tired. Can I go to sleep?"

"But Nova, this really is quite important… why didn't Hale come back with you?"

"He was just all fussy and angry, and I couldn't convince him to come back. That's all there is," I finish impatiently.

"…I see. You can go to sleep now," Mum says after a brief hesitation.

I nod and shuffle over to Phendrene before relaxing my body. Her warmth is nice.

In hindsight, I probably should have been more worried about her falling into the water – she has a fire on her tail, after all. But she's fine now, isn't she? That's what actually matters.

She does seem very cheerful when she wakes me up the next day. I don't feel that well rested, but Mum has hunted some more Sandshrew, and I'm famished.

She's not here, either; the only other thing I'm aware of as I gulp down the meat is Phendrene looking at me. Does she know how half-bloods are in danger? She can't; she's so young.

"Phendrene? Do you want to come with me to find Vie?" I ask her. She walks up to me, which I take as a yes.

Vie's not too hard to find – she's at the fountain talking to Dice. I think of the confrontation yesterday, but they seem to be on completely friendly terms.

"Oh, Nova!" Vie calls upon noticing me. "I'm not sure if I should have woken you up so early since you came back late last night. So, uh, what happened to Hale?"

"Um…" I wasn't exactly serious when I thought I could say to her "Oh he went crazy and ran off." It doesn't seem very… nice. Or sane on my part, for that matter.

"Well… I found him. But he was really upset and didn't want to come back. So, he… dug out of Lyrl. And I can't exactly stop him. I think he'll come back after he calms down."

She sighs. "That crazy idiot. Well, thanks for trying, Nova."

Dice, who has been staying quiet, says in a little voice, "By the way, uh, sorry about Dree. She can get quite… unpleasant."

"Forget about that," Vie cuts back in. "Anyway, Dice, I gotta go tell my brother about this now. See ya."

"Oh, I can understand why. Bye!"

As they part ways, I leave too, wanting to find Zeta to take my mind off everything. "Phendrene, you should go find Mum," I tell her, and with a nod she scampers off. If she were to come with me to find Zeta, it would be so awkward. She never talks, and talking is pretty much all we do.

Zeta appears and calls for me on an intersection before I arrive. "Hey, Nova!"

"Hey. I found something last night. In the underground, there was this robot that knew a lot of stuff! We should go down sometime." Or should we? It's such a long walk.

"Wow, that sounds really cool! Not today though, I have to catch up on homework."

"Oh, okay then. See you tomorrow!"

"See you!" he replies before he goes in the direction of his house.

My eyes droop slightly and I realize that I really didn't get enough sleep. So I simply head back towards where I was before and lie down.

The next time I wake up it is already late afternoon. Mum's the only one there, lying down and looking at me.

"Uhh, Mum? Were you just staring at me when I was sleeping?" That's embarrassing.

"I was just thinking. You've always been such a good boy… I can't imagine trying to raise someone that would cause trouble all by myself." She sighs and rolls over into a prone position, facing me directly. "And it's not your fault, but we have to…"

I've never heard her stutter this much before. "Is… everything okay?"

"Mostly. You know… yesterday."

Oh. I don't care about Hale, I've tried my best to keep him here. But it's probably more than just that. "What about it?"

"Well, we kind of expected Hale back by now. But he's not, so we have to go and find him. Do you have any idea where he might have went?"

"He said he would head towards the forest, I think."

Mum nods. "That's something Vie mentioned as well. Just so you know, we're going to go and find him too."

What? "Us? Why us?"

"Phendrene… she got an eviction notice after yesterday's events. The medics were fed up trying to deal with a panicked Charmander and… basically, one of the authorities told me I couldn't keep her here. And of course we can't just let her out there all alone."

"Wait, does that mean…?"

"Yes, Nova." She closes her eyes and sighs. "We're leaving Lyrl."