Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Dreamstone

by Slink34884

A Fennekin's family is killed, leaving him as the only survivor. The last thing his father said to him, "find the Dreamstone". Now with the help of an Espeon with a troubled past and a young Vulpix, he must find the mythical artifact, dodging the Evil Team Hatred at every step. But can he afford to look when finding the stone might cost him everything?

14. Fennekin

Hello everybody.

I am so happy that I finally got this chapter done. It is a bit long, so hang in there.

Before we start I have a couple of things I wanted to say. First, I want to thank Dashiesplash who helped me out on this chapter. Without them I would never have gotten it out this month. Secondly, I have caught a couple of continuity errors in previous chapters from mistakes I made. They have since been fixed as far as I know. If you notice them, sorry for the error. If you don't, well sorry to bother you.

Quick update: We have hit 3,000 views. I am so honored and proud to see how far we have come. Whether you have followed this thing from the beginning, or if you just stumbled on it today, thank you.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for!

Hobey-ho let's go!

---

Good news: the presence wasn't a threat.

Bad news: talking to it led to disaster.

Hello? Who are you? I called out to the voice. Of course I was cautious. I had no idea who was on the other end. At the same time though I had a gut feeling about this that I didn't quite understand.

I could still feel the presence, but no answer came. I waited another minute before calling out again. Hello? Please, talk to me.

No! Came the answer along with a wave of absolute fear. Lea...me...lone! Don...go...my...ead. The connection felt very spotty, as the voice went in and out, but it was mostly understandable at the very least.

I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Slink and I'm a prisoner of the Hatred.

Slowly, tentatively the other Pokemon pressed words into my head. I ….vn't...heard...felt you… fore. Tonigh...did. T...Hatre… pris-on-er-ed... me... oo.

Okay. What's your name? I encouraged trying to keep the voice with me.

Ash-ley, she said with a huge emphasis on the first half.

Alright Ashley, nice to meet you. I said trying to be as friendly as possible. A niggling feeling I had had in the back of my head since she'd started talking pushed forward. There was something about the words she used. Prisonered? A pit grew in my stomach as I asked Ashley another question. Ashley, how old are you?

...five, she said.

I thought for a moment I was going to be sick. Actually no, I wanted to go back to Shane's office and smack him. I couldn't understand how in the holy hell he could say that the Hatred was in the right when they had kidnapped an actual child. At the same time though, the why of the situation still eluded me. Why did they kidnap a child, and why this child?

Ashley what are you? What species are you?

I could feel her struggle as she tried to answer. A….fee...funi...feni...uh…

My stomach dropped into my feet. A Fennekin? I suggested softly hoping I was wrong.

Yeah...Fen..kin… came her garbled response. Another Fennekin. At least it explained her disjointed speech. I could hardly imagine how scared she must be. She was working on the same bipolar rules as me. The amount of control she had to have in order to have even this level of a psychic conversation with me was impressive, especially at her age.

I was jarred from my thoughts as Vix danced into me, nearly knocking me over. While I had talked to Ashley she had continued to joyously, albeit silently, prance around the cell in celebration. I didn't blame her. In her head we were saved. Eve would come and get us the next morning and then we would be home. She had no idea about the little girl locked somewhere in this prison.

"Come on Slink," Vix said as she bumped me again, "let your guard down here, just a minute. You've been staring at that wall since Eve left. Stop thinking, and just enjoy the moment!" Her grin faded and her tails drooped as she noticed my expression. "Slink, what's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Nothing wrong exactly, but there is another wrinkle in our plan for tomorrow. Apparently another prisoner heard our conversation with Eve…"

Vix's hackles raised as she growled. "Are they threatening to tell the Hatred if we don't take them with us?!"

"No, no. I just… I can't leave them. At the very least we need to get her out when Eve comes." I sighed.

"Aren't you afraid that the Hatred overheard us? Or that this prisoner is a Hatred member pretending?" Vix said, sounding more than a little panicked.

"No, she's a five-year-old girl who can barely control her powers. Besides, she was the only mind I saw when my wards were down."

Vix and I stared each other down for a moment before she nodded. "Alright. I just wanted to know you were sure. What's the plan?"

I hesitated. "I don't have one. I mean all we have to do is just get her before we leave tomorrow."

"Okay," Vix said sarcastically, "we just let Eve know tomorrow morning what cell she is in. Easy." I flinched and grimaced as she said it. "Slink, don't you think it would be helpful to know where this girl is if you are so determined to rescue her?"

I opened my mind again, trying to find Ashley. When I found her I was met with panicked words and even more static than before. ...ink….where….go...quiet….me...alone…

Ashley, I'm back. I'm sorry.

Sl...go...whe...j...h… and then her voice simply faded away. I could still feel her mind, but just barely, and no more words were coming to me.

Ashley? Ashley? I can't hear you. I paused, but still nothing. Ashley you are too deep into Fire for me to hear you. You need to calm down or we can't talk. Nothing.

I racked my brain, trying to think of how I could calm the girl down enough to talk to her. What had my parents done to help me through this when I was a kid? Well I had nothing to lose. I reached out and surrounded her mind with mine, applying a gentle pressure. I paused a moment to gauge her reaction before I continued.

I remembered a song my mother would sing to me when I was upset. I hadn't thought about it in years, but I found myself repeating it through the connection.

From Lapras bay sailed a team

For treasure they did seek

Others laughed to see them go

For they were small and weak

Ember was the leader bold

Daq was smart and skilled

Mel was of strongest heart

Completely iron willed

The climbed aboard the Lapras shell

And waved a soft goodbye

To the ocean they all sailed

As open as the sky

It took the team three stormy nights

And two long summer days

Before on the horizon dawned

A new land found their gaze

The earth was green and gorgeous there

Except one Crimson Peak

"There is Fire in the land" they cried,

"Of our journey they'll surely speak"

Triumphant they returned

To their distant home

After this new land they had

Made sure to span and roam

And so explorers traveled

To the distant land

A town, a base, a new home

Were all quickly planned

To name the new expanse

From field to mountain spire

To honor the three founders

They simply called it Fire

That's…pretty song. I received through the connection. There was still a note of distress in the voice, but Ashley was at least calm enough to send almost complete sentences. My dad used to sing...me. I miss…

It's okay Ashley, I said reassuringly, we are going to get you home, okay. I don't know if you heard, but my friend is coming to rescue me and my friend tomorrow. Do you know where you are?

Where? Umm...cell. It's...dark.

Ashley, I know you are in a cell. Where is that cell? Do you know?

No...know. I don't... dark...metal...scary! I cursed to myself. Her voice was getting spottier again. I couldn't lose her.

Okay Ashley, calm down. Shhh. How about this question. Do you have a toy at home that you hug when you get scared? While I talked I spread out my senses, trying to figure out where she was.

I felt a small surge of warmth and comfort flowing back through the connection as she thought. I...blankie. It is red and fuzzy. Mommy made...me. It was working. A full sentence.

Your mom made it? Cool, I told her as I zeroed in on her Psychic energy. I froze. Unless my senses were completely off (it had been a long day, and I hadn't used Psychic in a while) Ashley was in the cell right next door to us.

I glanced at Vix with wide eyes and pointed at the wall in front of us with my tail. She cocked her head at me. "She's next to us? Well that makes things easier. At least she isn't on the other end of the base."

"Thank Arceus," I muttered to myself. I think at this point I deserved at least one lucky break. Okay Ashley, I know where you are. We are neighbors. Isn't that funny? Tomorrow morning we are going to come and get you and then we will take you home.

Of all the possible responses I could have gotten, I wasn't expecting the one she gave. Nooooo! I could feel the panic rising in her. I can't leave. No. The scary guy with the tongue will...make my head hurt! She was losing control of her Psychic again. ...go ...away ...know ….nothing …Dreamst...shared….

My heart suddenly jumped into my throat. Had she just said what I thought she said? Ashley, Ashley? Can you hear me? Did you just say the Dreamstone? What do you know about the Dreamstone?

Silence. I could feel a mess of emotions, and a slowly rising heat, but that was all I got from the connection. Damn it. What did she say about the Dreamstone? Did she know something, or did the Hatred tell her about it? I rushed over to the wall, rubbing my forepaws along it, trying to think of a way I could get to the other side.

"Slink," Vix hissed, "what are you doing? I thought we were going to get her tomorrow?"

"I can't wait 'til tomorrow," I said, feeling my own heat rising. "She said she knows something about the Dreamstone!"

Vix raised her forepaws in surrender. "Okay, calm down. How are we going to get to her then? Not sure if you noticed, but we are kinda in a prison, and the Hatred doesn't seem like the type to allow for prisoner meet and greets. We may not be able to get to her until Eve gets here."

I forced myself to calm down. Vix was right. At the same time though I was still racking my brain trying to think of anything I could possibly do. Was there some way I could get past the guard in the hall. Probably, but doing it would almost certainly jeopardize the mission tomorrow. And it's not like we had any way of getting through the wall, right?

Then it hit me. A small image in the back of my head of what I had read so long ago. ...use this ability to manipulate a Mystery Dungeon...

I turned instantly, starling Vix who had been settling down in the straw. "Vix this place is a Dungeon!"

"Yeah," Vix said slowly, "are you just now realizing this?"

"Vix, your ability. You can manipulate Dungeons. I read about it when I discovered your powers." I turned studying the wall that separated us from Ashley. "I bet you could create a hole or something in that wall!"

The Vulpix just stood there, a stunned expression on her face. Her mouth hung open. It looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't think of what to say. Finally she hung her head and sighed. "I can't." She mumbled.

"Vix, I know you can. Remember that day we first ran into the Hatred? You made a hiding spot appear out of nowhere."

"I didn't say that I was unable to do it! I said I can't. I don't know how!" Vix snapped, smoke blowing from her nostrils. "If I could spontaneously make holes appear in the walls don't you think I would do it?"

"Vix, I get it. But you have to try. There is a scared little girl on the other side of the wall. You are our only chance of getting to her." She turned away from me, refusing to meet my gaze. "Look, the last time you were afraid. It was instinctual. Imagine what you could do - how many people you could help - if you had control over this ability?"

She scowled at me and huffed. "I'll try. That is all I can promise." Vix sat close to the wall, staring intently at it. I knew for a fact that her heart wasn't in it, but I didn't dare break what little concentration she had. In a way, it was almost comical the way she stared unblinkingly at the wall. It was almost as if she was waiting for it to perform a trick.

Finally after three minutes I had to stop her. "This isn't working. The only way that we are getting through at this rate is if it melts under your glare."

"I told you I can't do this," Vix groaned.

"Its okay. We just have to try this another way. Here, try closing your eyes?"

"Slink," Vix whined.

"Just humor me for a second." She huffed and rolled her eyes before closing them tight. "You can see the Dungeon map in your head right?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

"And you can see the cell we are in, and the wall separating us from Ashley."

"Of course I can. Is there a point to this, or…"

"Here's what I want you to do. Focus on that wall in your mental map, see it in your mind's eye. Now redraw the map. Instead of a solid wall there is a space, a hole in it. Take out an eraser and remove that wall." I slowly backed away from Vix as she focused. This had to work.

Vix growled low in her throat, the sound barely audible. The noise sent shivers up my spine, which continued as the world seemed to vibrate around me. I stared at the wall in anticipation, but nothing was happening. Nothing was changing. Suddenly Vix gave a strangled gasp, and she collapsed onto her side.

"Vix!" I cried perhaps a bit too loudly. "Vix, are you okay?"

"I-I-I think so. Tell me something happened because I feel like I was just hit by a Rhyhorn." I glanced back at the wall and was shocked. A small section of bricks just at eye level were missing, as if they had never been there at all.

"It worked. Vix you are amazing. It worked!" She shakily got to her feet as she admired her handywork. "Are you sure you are okay? You don't look so good."

"Yeah, I'm fine I just think I'm gonna…" Vix didn't even make it to the straw before she passed out. I barely reacted in time to catch her before she hit the floor. Once I had a hold of her I managed to carry her over to the straw. I settled her down in the straw and licked her forehead gently before I turned to investigate the hole.

"Ashley?" I whispered through the new gap.

A soft whimper came from the room on the other side. "Leave me alone," came a high-pitched voice, "Don't make my head hurt. Just let me sleep."

"Ashley, it's okay. It's me, Slink."

"Slink?" I heard a rustle. Fur against straw, bare pawpads against stone. "You don't sound in my head. Where are you?"

In response, I sent out a quick burst of flame through the hole, illuminating the room on the other side in a quick flash. "Over here."

I heard her soft footfalls as her claws scraped along the ground. "Can you reach the hole?" I asked as she paused.

"Ummm," she definitely seemed unsure.

"Can you put your paws on the ledge? I'll give you a boost up." I could just see two tiny paws reach up, curling so claws could grip into the concrete and provide leverage. "One, two, three," I mumbled. On three she gave a small hop and I reached out with my mind and lifted her up to the hole.

She stood there for a moment. I wasn't sure if she was suddenly afraid of actually being in the room with me, or if she was just thinking. I could see her eyes reflecting what little light was in the room as they darted about. She was so small that she could stand fully upright in the small hole we had opened up.

Finally she inched forward and leapt down from the ledge into the room. She looked scared, her ears tucked back, her body hunched, and her tail between her legs. But her posture isn't what grabbed my attention. Ashley, Ash. I guess her parents had a dark sense of humor because Ashley was shiny.

Perhaps I was wrong about why the Hatred had taken her. Maybe it didn't have anything to do with the Dreamstone. Then again, why was she in the prison? If she was kidnapped to be a Hatred member, wouldn't she be anywhere else?

It took me a moment to realize that Ashley was studying me too. She kept looking back and forth between my yellow fur, and her bright gray coat. Then we met eyes, my deep red ones into her more crimson ones. "You're like me," she said softly. She cocked her head curiously. "But you're the wrong color."

That was definitely a first, but I tried to be reassuring. "Yeah, I'm a Fennekin too." I smiled, "Aren't your parents the same color as me?"

Ashley nodded. "Yeah, my mommy is. My daddy isn't though."

I decided not to focus on this. Just because both of my parents had been Delphoxes didn't mean that her's would be too. I moved on to a more pressing issue. "Are you okay?" I asked looking her over. I didn't know anything about when she was taken, or how the Hatred had been treating her since. "Did they do anything to you?"

Ashley shook her head. "No. They only talk. Except the creepy guy. He makes my head hurt." I nodded. From what I could see, she didn't seem to have any physical injuries.

I sat back. Half a problem solved for now. There was still one thing I needed to discuss with the child. "Ashley, you said something earlier about the Dreamstone and something being shared. What did you mean?"

She stared at me for a moment looking really confused, then she gasped. "They kept asking me if I knew anything about Dreamstone but I don't know Dreamstone and they kept asking and making my head hurt and I didn't like it then they asked me about a shared, and I don't want to share anything!"

"Whoa, whoa," I said raising a paw. "Slow down. You said that they asked about a shared?" The girl nodded frantically. "Are you sure they said shared?"

"Yeah," she affirmed vehemently.

Shared, what was shared? The Dreamstone? Some knowledge? It didn't make sense no matter how you thought about it. Of course couldn't know for certain if the "shared" had anything to do with the Dreamstone, there had been a significant pause between the two words after all. Still, I had a gut feeling that they had at least something to do with each other.

The thing that bothered me more was the incorrect grammar. Why the past tense? Ashley was young. Perhaps she is simply using the wrong word, or at least heard it wrong. I doubted the Hatred was going to share anything about the Dreamstone, even among themselves. But what sounded like "shared"?

Shared...shared...sha-ared…

"Ashley," I said suddenly, "are you certain they didn't say shard?"

"That's what I said!" Ashley said stubbornly. "Sha-red."

"Ashley what did they say about a shard? The guy with the big red tongue. What did he say?"

Ashley stuck her own tongue out at the question. "He is gross. I don't like him."

I groaned internally. I didn't want to alienate her, but at the same time I needed to know. "And the shard?"

"They asked if I had seen a shared. They also asked if I had seen a key-stall. I don't have a key-stall, but my mommy does."

Key-stall? "Crystal?" I prompted. "Did you tell the scary guy about the crystal your mom had?" I surprised myself at how soft my words were because my heart was in my throat and I thought I was going to explode any second.

"Yeah," Ashley said sheepishly. "He made my head hurt so I told him about the key-stall. He didn't come ask me again. Good. He's scary."

Crystal shard. And the fact that Smoke hadn't talked to Ashley again could only mean that they had gotten what they wanted. I knew with absolute certainty that the Hatred now possessed the crystal shard that Ashley's mom had. I also knew that if it was the same type of crystal as we had gotten from Leo, it was vital to finding the Dreamstone. I needed that crystal. But this also revealed something else to me. I was now all but certain that Shane and Smoke, and by extension the Hatred, were looking for the Dreamstone too.

"That her?" A new voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. I shouldn't have been worried though. It was only Vix. She regarded Ashley with an eyebrow raised. "She's shiny. Can't say I didn't expect that at this point."

I couldn't help but smile. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was, but you two kept blabbering." Vix looked me up and down. "Slink, I know you have a million things running through your mind, but you look awful. Really, really terrible."

"Thanks Vix, there is no sugarcoating here I see." I grumbled, but I also knew that she was right. Even with Ashley's new information, there was nothing else we could do tonight. We would need the Society and Eve if we were going to act on any of that.

But in the meantime... "Right," I mumbled, "we should all be headed to bed. We need to be ready for tomorrow." I followed Vix as she went back and curled up in the straw. I was about to join her, when I realized that Ashley was still sitting by the hole in the wall.

"Ashley, er can I call you Ash?"

She blushed hunching her shoulders. "That's what my mommy and daddy call me."

"Alright then Ash," I said softly, "come over here. You don't have to be alone anymore. Besides three Fire Types are definitely warmer than just one." The girl smiled, but she still tentatively stepped towards us, as if she expected us to lash out at her with every step. I huffed through my nose. How could that Hatred reduce a friendly girl to this nervous wreck? One problem at a time, I reminded myself. Vix was already curled against my stomach, so Ashley curled up next to my head. She was so small that her whole curled-up body fit under one of my ears. She snuggled under it like a blanket, and giggled as the tuft of hair within tickled her.

Before long we were all asleep.

Be ready.

I jolted awake to find light streaming in from the high window. As my mind caught up, and I realized what was about to happen, I felt my Fire springing to life. It was almost time. In another two hours we would either be free, or I would be dead and all of my loved ones would be imprisoned. I tried to be optimistic.

"Oh, you are up. Finally." I looked around for Vix, before a shadow passed over me. She was lying down on the window-ledge regarding me with an impish grin. "I wasn't sure that you were getting up until Eve got here." Vix winked at me before turning back to stare out the window.

I carefully lifted myself up to the window, careful not to wake Ashley who was still snoring softly in the straw. Vix shifted aside so I could hold on to the ledge with my forepaws and peer out into the courtyard beyond.

"Are they here yet?" I asked as I squinted against the bright morning light. As my eyes adjusted I saw that the courtyard was still empty.

"Not yet," Vix answered, "but I think they are almost ready. They are definitely doing something up there."

I was about to ask what she meant, when suddenly the sunlight filling the courtyard faded slightly, as if a cloud had crossed the sun outside. It only took me a second to realize that it wasn't a cloud. Someone was blocking the light. It happened again and again as Pokemon walked back and forth past the skylight.

"They are getting into position," I muttered. Vix nodded. Her head pivoted left and right, constantly scanning the room to make sure that the coast was clear. "Are you ready?" I asked.

Vix flinched. Her tails twitched, the bracelet with the Firestone clacking against the wall. "I kinda have to be. Don't worry, I've had a little practice navigating. I'll just need your help relaying my directions to Eve."

I was about to reassure her when I felt a subtle pressure against my mental wards. It was Eve asking to be let in. Are you ready? She sent as soon as I opened my mind. Is the coast clear? Can we come down?

The courtyard was still deserted, but I didn't want to take any chances. I sent a weak Psychic pulse in every direction. It would show me any mind in range, unless of course they were Dark type. The pulse was also weak enough that it wouldn't alert any Psychic types unless they were specifically expecting it.

Nobody. You are good to go. Apparently that was all Eve needed. Less than thirty seconds after I sent the message, the sunlight vanished. I saw a pair of hind-legs and a long prehensile tail drop into view before their owner fell down, slowing her descent with her Psychic. Vix and I were both enraptured as Eve slowly turned to face us.

She clearly didn't see us in the window as she immediately turned her face up to the light and nodded. I watched her for a moment, simply reveling in the sight of her. I shook my head. I had to stay focused. I sent out constant Psychic pulses, like sonar, to make sure that nobody was headed our way.

There was a sharp pop, and a flash of pink light. Suddenly Kegan was standing beside Eve. Kegan nodded to the Espeon before he turned to the skylight and beaconed. The light was almost extinguished as somebody slowly lowered themselves into the opening. They dropped, falling for a few moments before Kegan caught them and slowly lowered them to the ground. As soon as the floating Pokemon touched the ground, another slid into place up above and dropped.

Meanwhile, Eve sat against the wall, tapping her feet, her tail swishing behind her. Eventually a huge Pangoro joined her, leaning against the wall next to her with his arms crossed. Unlike Eve he didn't move a muscle. The only movement I could see from him was the slight shift as the bamboo sprout he held between his teeth flicked back and forth. I felt pretty confident in guessing that he was there to help with whoever was guarding our door.

Thankfully there were a few familiar faces in the crowd. Leo sat in the growing crowd of Society Members looking absolutely uncomfortable and terrified. I bet he never expected to be back here again, much less in order to attack it. A Luxio sat next to the big guy, looking around excitedly. Wait, was that Buzz? Sierra had to be carried down by a Staravia who simply swooped in through the hole in the ceiling. Once he was on the floor he walked over to a small group of Dark Types who were waiting by Kegan. Dimitri, on the other hand, simply dropped through the hole without a Psychic cushion. There was a soft crunch as he hit the floor, but the big tree seemed unaffected.

Eve visibly became antsy as time went by. As the group of Society members grew she went from fidgeting, to pacing, to actively running back and forth from her post to where Kegan was still working to lower teams into the Hatred base. Every time Kegan would shake his head firmly, and otherwise ignore the Espeon.

Finally Kegan set the thirtieth and final Society member to the ground. As he released his mental grip on the Milotic, the Kedabra wiped his brow with the back of his arm. He pulled an Expedition Gadget from the grey bag hanging at his side, checking the screen for, I assume, the time. The other Expedition Teams split into small parties, each moving to cover one of the courtyard entrances.

Eve was suddenly back in my head. We are about to go on Kegan's signal. We have another group outside set to strike at 8 o'clock. They'll distract the Hatred long enough for us to get into positions. My job is to come get you, but I'm going to need you and Vix to guide us. We will only have a few minutes before the whole base is alerted to our presence, and you know that getting to you will be Smoke and Shane's first priority once that happens.

I glanced at Vix who was sitting on the ledge with her eyes closed and a look of deep concentration etched onto her face. "Southern entrance." Vix mumbled. "Then you need to make the first left possible." I relayed this information to Eve as quickly as possible. She lead the Pangoro to the southernmost doorway.

In the center of the room Kegan stood with the sunlight beaming down on him like a spotlight. He held his hand in the air by his head as he stared at his Gadget. I saw his lips move as he mumbled to himself, counting down the seconds. Then the device in his hand began to beep. The canned, electric sound echoing hollowly in the silent stone room. "Go, go, go," Kegan called over the sound of the alarm, his hand dropped until he was pointing directly ahead. A cheer rang from the assembled Society members before they scattered into their respective tunnels.

"Third right, then another left." Vix mumbled, almost in a trance-like state as she concentrated on the Dungeon's layout. I relayed the directions to Eve as quickly as Vix provided them. We probably could have given them faster because Eve was running. She was running recklessly, desperately fast. The few unsuspecting Hatred members that she met were simply blasted out of the way by her or the Pangoro. Thankfully both made certain to render those they came across unconscious. It was vital to keep the element of surprise. "Right, second right, left," Vix said and perhaps it was the connection, but my heart began to pound with anticipation. I could almost feel the distance between me and Eve shrinking.

"She's in our hallway," Vix suddenly said, her eyes snapping open. "We are the fifth door on the left. Although to be fair, ours is probably the only door being guarded." She leapt off the ledge and sat before the door expectantly. I sent these final instructions to Eve before joining Vix.

I was about to ask Vix whether there was any way we could help with the guard when a muffled shout of alarm pierced the air. We heard a few grunts, a couple of dull thunks as something impacted the stone wall, and then a sharp, metallic clang combined with a yelp of pain. The latch was drawn from the door, followed by the tell-tale creak of the hinges as it slowly swung open. That sound had always been a bad thing in the past, but as the door swung open I was met with Eve's bright smile.

We met eyes, and for a moment we were both frozen. Before I could even blink she was moving. She awkwardly leapt over the fallen form of Quake, and suddenly we were together again. She had her forepaws wrapped around my shoulders, and her face was buried in my neck, nuzzling at every square inch she could reach. I purred deep in my throat as I rubbed up against her. Inside, both of our minds were embracing as well, both glowing with excitement and joy at simply being near each other again. For a moment I looked up to the ceiling as Eve tucked her head under my chin. Her gem was pressed right up against my throat, and I could feel a roborant warmth radiating from it. It was a hole being filled, an ache being soothed. Finally after two weeks, all of the suffering had ended.

Just as soon as we had embraced though, it was over. She pulled away from me and was suddenly all business. "Lee, keep watch." The Pangoro had to stoop slightly to peer through the door. As he received Eve's order, he nodded and grunted before turning so his back was to us.

"Who's your friend?" I asked sarcastically.

"Oh, Lee? He's a member of Team Talonguard. Kegan asked him to stick with me so we could get you out." She grinned at me, and then grunted as Vix nearly tackled her. The young fox clung to Eve and purred so loudly that even Lee glanced back. The two became a tangle of rust-brown and purple fur through which I could just hear Eve's next words. "He's really just a big Teddiursa when you get to know him." Lee turned his head. The gleam in his black eyes told me that if I ever called him a Teddiursa he would crush me.

Eve eventually detached herself from Vix. She slowly walked around me, just like I had with Ash last night, searching me for any injury. "Are you two okay? Seriously Slink, don't brush this off. Did they hurt you? Vix?"

"Whoa, whoa," I raised my paw to stem the flow of questions. "Eve, we are both fine. They didn't hurt us…even as much as they wanted to."

Eve nodded warily. "Alright. Although no matter what your answer was, Candice is planning on giving you both a thorough checkup as soon as we get back." I rolled my eyes. "I brought you both new badges." She rooted through her bag for a moment before pulling out two silver discs. Instead of the blue-white light I was used to, the badges shone with a lime-green light. "Expedition Badges 2.0. Leo and Kegan made them," Eve said by way of an explanation, "they put tiny shards of Ground Gems and Dusk Stones in them. That way Sparkle can't overload them anymore, and a Psychic can't rip them away from you." I nodded appreciatively before pinning the badge to my chest. The familiar weight was another source of comfort for me. "Candice and Abby are waiting for you on the other end. You both need to get out. I'll be right behind you."

Vix and I met eyes. "Eve I can't leave yet. The Hatred has something that I need."

"Okay," Eve said, "I'm sure you're right. But it is far too dangerous here for us to stay. You and Vix might as well have targets painted on your backs as soon as the Hatred finds out that we are here!" As if to punctuate her point, a blaring siren began to wail throughout the base. The element of surprise was gone. The Hatred knew we were here. "Come on guys, we need to go!"

"Wuzzgoingon?!" Ashley was finally awake. The tiny Fennekin stood slowly, straw falling from where it had been tangled in her thick fur. Her ears were clamped down on the sides of her head trying to drown out the noise. She took a few steps before she froze. Her eyes were wide as she stared, frozen, at Eve. Ashley yelped in fear before diving back into the straw.

I glanced back at Eve, "I agree though, we need to get her out before the Hatred gets here. I don't want her getting caught in the crossfire."

"Where did she even come from? You didn't mention a shiny roommate last night!" Eve scolded. She didn't seem mad, more frustrated that she couldn't plan around Ashley's presence.

"We were neighbors. She overheard us talking last night, and one thing led to another…" I glanced over at the now conspicuous hole in the wall. "A lot happened last night really."

"I noticed," Eve said dryly. "She's shiny. Why is she even here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I shrugged. "Ashley, hey Ash, its okay." I stepped closer to her, smiling encouragingly. "Remember when I said a friend was coming to get us out? This is my partner Eve." I glanced back at the Espeon. She gave a half smile and waved at Ashley." Like a Turtwig emerging from its shell, Ashley poked her head out of the straw.

I carefully pulled my badge off my chest, moving slowly so I wouldn't scare her. "Ashley do you trust me?" Instead of words, Ashley gave a pained whine. I could feel confusion, fear, and simply exhaustion emanating from her. Despite this, she gave a tiny nod. I held out my badge for her to inspect. "Okay, Ash, I'm gonna tap you with this. You'll see a really bright light, and then you will be in a different place. Ash, do you know what an Absol looks like?"

Ashley looked like she was about to faint. She shook her head. "That's fine. So you need to talk to my friend Abby. She has four legs and bright red fur, okay? Tell her that Slink sent you, and that you need a checkup. Alright?"

A look of absolute panic crossed her face. "But what about you?"

"It's okay," I said. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I gotta do something here first."

I had hoped that Ash would be fine, but the child had been through at least two weeks of hell. All of that stress finally reached its breaking point. "I wanna go home!" She cried. "I want my mommy! I want my dad!"

There was nothing I could do in the moment, but I also didn't want to send her away when she was crying. "Shhh," I cooed as I moved closer to her. "Shhh, Ash. It's okay." I sat at her side and placed a paw on her back, right between her shoulder blades. I rubbed in small circles. "Ash, shhh, I can't do anything right now, but I promise that I will get you back home." She turned and buried her snout in my side, shuddering in fear.

I held her as she calmed herself down. Ash hiccuped a couple of times as her sobs slowly subsided. She hung her head as she took a shuddering breath. "Are you ready to go?" Ash didn't speak, but she nodded.

I held the badge over her head. "Alright Ash. See you in a bit, okay?" The silver surface barely kissed the top of her head before the green glow within the badge exploded outwards, enveloping her. Then she was gone.

I stood there for only a second, staring at the spot Ashey had been. Then I turned, reattaching my badge as I went. "Okay, we need to hurry."

Eve shook her head. "Slink, how important can it be? Please, we have to go!"

"It's a crystal shard. It's just like the one we got from Leo. I'm certain they are related to the Dreamstone!" Eve bit her lip, thinking hard.

"Fine, you get out. I'll go get it and meet you back home." Before Eve could finish, I was shaking my head.

"There is no way you'll find it in time. I've seen the most of this base out of the three of us, and I don't even know where the shard is."

"Okay, well then how do you plan to find it?"

She had me there. I had no plan on how to find it. Thankfully though, Vix had my back. "I'd put it in the vault," she said simply.

"The what?" Eve said.

"The vault," Vix repeated with a shrug. "Trust me I've spent two weeks in here, and I have a pretty good idea of the layout. There are two places here that I can't figure out what they are. They aren't laid out like homes, shops or, well, prisons. One of them is probably where the Hatred stores valuable things."

"Okay," Eve sighed, "but that still gives us two places to search. We can't do both."

Vix laughed. "I said there are two places that I can't figure out what they are. One is a huge chamber under the courtyard. There are several staircases that lead down there, so I doubt that is where the Hatred keeps important things. The other is a room that doesn't seem to have a door. I'd personally put my secret stash where it is impossible to go."

Eve didn't have Fire, but I swear she blew smoke out her nose. "Fine, tell me how to get there, and I'll meet you back home when I get this crystal."

"You do remember that this is a Dungeon right? The room is on the other end of the base. It would much easier to lead you there." Vix argued.

"Absolutely not. You need to go home right now young lady!" Eve snapped.

"Eve, we won't find the vault without her. Besides we have badges again. If worse comes to worst we can warp and go. I won't argue." I stared into Eve's eyes, mentally pleading.

A half smile flickered across Eve's face. "I got back to you, and we are having this same argument. Slink, I don't know-"

Bang!

The three of us jumped and glanced at the door in time to see Lee lash out with his left arm. He didn't move his feet, or turn his head. He just threw his fist out to the side, and knocked Crash unconscious with one move. "You three may want to hurry up."

"Eve, if we are doing this, we have to do this now! Are you with me?"

Eve fixed Vix and me with a stern glare. "We have to be quick and quiet. We cannot be captured by the Hatred at any cost." She sighed through her nose. "I can't believe we are doing this.

"The fastest way there is through the courtyard. So Vix, you lead us-" I attempted.

"No. They are trying to capture her and kill you. I'll lead, you go in the middle, and Vix will cover the rear. If somebody comes from the front, I can hold them off until you get out. If they come from behind, they will shoot to disable, not kill, once again giving us time to get out."

"There is the Eve optimism I missed," I muttered sarcastically

We stepped out of the cell, briefly stopping to talk with Lee as we went. "We're good here," Eve said, "go find your team, and please, come back safely." He grunted again before straightening up and walking slowly down the hallway in the opposite direction to us.

I started my Psychic pulses once again as we headed off down the hallway. I wanted the jump on any Hatred member that we might come across. The hallways were still deserted, despite the blaring alarms. I assumed that either no Hatred member had made it past the Society members, or they were all evacuating or something. Still, I tried not to let my guard down…

Bang! Eve threw herself backwards, throwing a Psychic barrier up over the three of us. She frantically looked around for whatever had made that noise. When no source presented itself Eve slowly lowered the barrier. "There's probably a fight nearby. Sounds probably echo for miles in here." After her jump her bag had started to slip off of her shoulder. She shrugged it back into place. The subtle movement though quickly drew my attention to the satchel.

"Wait, isn't that my bag?" I asked. Eve flinched, and her paw came up to touch the black leather bag.

"Yes," she admitted with a substantial blush. "I hope you don't mind. I've been using it since you've… been gone." Her voice got much quieter. "It helped to have a reminder of you. That's the only thing that got me through some nights."

This realization hit me with a wave of shame. I had been dwelling so much on my own problems, I hadn't even thought about how this whole thing was affecting Eve. To be fair, she seemed to have taken it in stride. She held herself differently, and it looked good on her.

"I'm so proud of you. I hope you know that." I said.

Vix huffed behind us. "Would you two either get out of the way or find a room? Specifically that room, because we are here." We were standing in front of a rather small, wooden door. Unlike the ones that belonged to residential areas, this door was just a simple plank of wood. It had no embellishments, and it was about half the size of any other door I had seen in the entire base. I pushed it open into a cramped closet that was stuffed with shelves, cleaning supplies, and lit by a tiny lightbulb high above that cast everything in a sickly green light.

"Vix," Eve said nervously, "are you certain that this is the right place? This looks like a broom closet. I don't think the Hatred would put anything valuable in here."

"Seriously Eve," Vix scolded as she moved over to the far wall. She seemed to be studying it, but I had no idea what for. "Do you really still doubt me? If you had a secret vault, would you put it behind grand double doors? Would you put dozens of guards around it at all times? Seriously that just screams 'please steal me now'." Vix settled before the wall and closed her eyes. It took me a minute to realize what she was doing, although I wasn't surprised. She had discovered a new ability, and now she was playing with it like it was a new toy.

The now-familiar growl emanated from her body as the universe began to shift around her once she collapsed with a strangled cry just as a doorway appeared in the wall. I darted forward just in time to catch the Vulpix before she hit the ground. Her eyes were a bit unfocused as she looked up at me. "Please don't make me do another of those today. Actually, don't ask me to do that again for a few weeks. Damn that is hard."

I helped Vix get to her feet before we both slowly wandered over to where Eve was waiting by the door. "Where'd you learn that trick?" Eve asked as we approached.

"You know picked it up," Vix said blearily, "you can only spend so many days staring at a brick wall before you start warping the fabric of reality." Behind her I rolled my eyes and Eve laughed. Still though I could feel the exhaustion in her voice.

Before we could enter the next room, Eve threw out her tail. "We don't know if there is anyone in there," she said biting her lip. "I'll go first, and call for you when it is safe." Carefully, as though she expected Smoke to come bursting out of the secret room at any moment, Eve crept forward. As soon as she crossed the threshold warm yellow light flared up within the room. Eve flinched, waiting for some sort of trap. When none came, she glanced back at me, nodded, and then darted deeper into the room.

"Thank you," I mumbled to Vix as soon as Eve was gone. "You've been invaluable, and I am so proud of you. But you've done all you can. You should go home."

"What?" Vix slurred. "I can't go yet. I can't leave while you guys are still here!"

"Vix you are exhausted. No offense but you can't do anymore. You should go home where it is safe."

"No, I want to-"

"Slink! Hurry! Come here!" I heard Eve call. My hackles raised at her voice. She sounded anxious, but not afraid. Probably not a Hatred member. Still…

"Go home," I ordered without even glancing at Vix.

"No, I won't leave you guys!"

"Fine. Stay here, but if we don't come back in two minutes you get out of here. Understand?" I didn't even wait for her response as I slowly approached the hidden room.

The room was much larger than I had expected. Honestly, that should have been my first clue. The roof soared, almost reaching the same height as the courtyard. Along the walls were several sturdy, polished shelves burdened with all sorts of things. There were books, orbs, wands, and several shelves were filled with evolutionary stones.

I only got to examine a few of the objects, but there were a few that stuck with me. There was a glass ball on a tall shelf that somehow seemed to be filled with… space. Perhaps it was the shape of the glass, but the inside seemed to stretch away into eternity. Swirling darkness hung inside it dotted with what seemed like thousands of tiny stars. A small note pinned to the front of the shelf read: Grass Continent, Era of Time, Palkia?

On the other side of the room was a shelf that had several types of stones. For the most part they seemed pretty common, but one caught my eye. It was polished, grey, triangular, and surprisingly familiar. It felt like the stone around my neck had suddenly grown heavier. I had always thought my stone was a common, albeit somewhat decorative, stone. If that was the case though why would the Hatred have one just like it in their base?

But the main attraction, and the item that drove everything else from my mind, was the giant contraption that stood in the center of the room. The base was stone, with a tall panel covered in buttons and leavers rising up like a gravestone among the rocky circle. Twisted metal probes stretched upward, purple light flickering between them. Wires were interwoven between the thicker strands, and then were braided together into little flanges that hung off the main structure. Smaller, thinner wires hung from the ceiling. They twisted and fused with others, more and more to make thicker cables until midway between floor and ceiling all of the metal twisted together into a thick bole. It was a tree. It was the tree.

On the side was a pattern that resembled a diamond and it glowed, for lack of a better word, with an anti-light. The rest of the room was well lit, and by all rights, the tree should have been too, but it seemed to absorb the light. Black goo dripped from the metal joints, but it never seemed to hit the floor. I couldn't tell when during the fall it happened, but the ooze simply vanished. At the edge of my hearing I could barely detect a low, thrumming rhythm. A heartbeat.

Eve stood in shocked awe of the structure. "Do you see that?" she managed to gasp. I was going to ask her what she meant, because of course I saw the giant skeletal tree, when I saw something else. The metal didn't form a complete cover. Even in the center, the metal was only woven together. Through this though, I could see a column of glowing silver mist that hung in the center of the tree. Only then did I become aware of the shimmer that filled the air around the tree. It was like heat sizzling off a stove, or the boundary of a Dungeon.

"Is that…?" I mumbled, but I didn't need to finish my question. So this was why the base was a Dungeon and didn't shift. Somehow they were using this machine to hold it off. But that should've been impossible. Right?

"I'd bet it's like an anchor," Eve said as she hesitantly moved closer. "It holds them to this dimension. I'd guess it also dampens, or at least spreads out the Crimson Peak's power." I got the feeling that under any other circumstances Eve could have spent hours studying the machine. She peered up at the panel and glanced over the myriad of switches and buttons.

She froze. "Slink, we need to go!"

I sighed. "Eve, I know. Help me find the crystal, and we can go."

Eve shook her head, a note of panic entering her voice. "We need to go now. Look." She pointed with her tail at the panel, directing my attention to two large buttons in the center. The one on the left was black, and was labeled "Shift & Purge". The one on the right was red and yellow striped and it read 'Emergency Protocol Δ'. "I don't know what 'Emergency Protocol Delta' means, but if there was ever an emergency for the Hatred, it's now. The Expedition Society knows where the base is. Slink, somebody has to be headed here!"

We didn't waste another second. Together we scoured the room, knocking over a couple of things in the process. Finally, in the back on a low shelf I found it. Well, not it. Them. There were two. Both were mostly clear and were shaped like horns: long, roughly cylindrical, and curved. One was covered in jagged protrusions on one side and was much thicker than the other. The second was perfectly smooth leading up to a sharp, square tip. "Eve, I've got 'em." I called.

Eve hurried over to me as I picked up the smoother crystal. I felt a jolt, like a kick in the stomach. It was as if the shard was electrified and me grabbing it had discharged it all at once. There was a warmth that filled my chest as well, but it was gone in an instant. I shuddered as I dropped the shard into the bag that hung over Eve's shoulder. The sensation was even worse with the second shard. I honestly felt almost queasy, and I was glad to drop it into my bag.

"Alright, let's get Vix and get the heck out of here," Eve said. She raised an eyebrow at me. "That is unless you have something else to do. Anything else you have to find? Anybody else you need to rescue?"

I couldn't help but respond. "Actually, I am kinda hungry, and the food here has really grown on me. Want to grab a plate for the road?"

Eve laughed. "If it's between us and Vix, sure. We can do that." We were still grinning when we left the secret room. Although our jovial nature didn't stop us from running.

It wasn't something I heard, or something I knew was coming. I was just glad I still had my Psychic going when we left the room. As soon as we crossed the threshold, I felt another presence. And that was never a good thing. I pushed Eve out of the way, and then danced backwards, away from the door just as a huge metal staff slammed into the floor where we had been standing, leaving an I-shaped mark where it had impacted.

"Dammit," Stanley growled as he picked up his girder, easily slinging it back over his shoulder. "Nearly had you that time." He grinned at me, but I knew that this was no time to freeze. I raised my paw, ready to warp out. "Bu-bu-bup." Stanley chided as he noticed my movement. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Wouldn't want to leave Vix here all alone, now would we?"

He lifted his left hand, revealing that he had Vix clamped in his grasp. Her brown eyes were huge in her face. I knew she wouldn't dare even twitch; she was so small compared to him that he circled her neck with only his thumb and finger. He grinned at me menacingly, just daring me to make a move.

I could feel Psychic power gathering behind him, presumably from Eve. "Stanley," I shouted trying to distract him while Eve made her move. Wham! A pulse of energy shot at him, almost sizzling through the air, but it missed his head by inches. The Gurdurr turned with a roar, slamming his staff into the shelves as he went. There were several ear-shattering screeches as metal was ripped apart from the force. Shelves collapsed in a domino effect into several twisted, deadly piles.

My heart was in my throat I searched my connection for Eve. I could still feel her Psychic, but it wasn't being used to attack. I could just barely see a sliver of pink under the wreckage. At the moment, all of her power was needed to keep her from being crushed.

I tried to gather my own Psychic, but Stanley spun back around, leveling his girder at me. "No sudden moves Fennekin. One ounce of Psychic and you'll regret it."

Honestly it was presumptuous for him to assume that I would attack him with Psychic. I wanted to use the element he was weak to of course, but I was struggling to wrestle my Fire under control. I needed a plan, or else I was liable to explode.

"I'm going to kill you Fennekin. I hope you understand that. And if you do anything, anything at all… well we only need the Vulpix to be able to talk. Walking isn't a necessity." To punctuate his point, he held Vix up and started to squeeze.

I heard her yelp, and suddenly I was back in the illusion, staring at Vix's broken form.

I don't remember much of what happened next, but I distinctly recall all of my Psychic evaporating as my Fire exploded out of control. Words echoed in my head, deafening me to reality.

Otherwise something… unfortunate... might happen to her…

...only a millimeter closer... we wouldn't be having this conversation…

...she will not be able to use her back legs or tails again…

...Do you trust me...

...I guess the Fennekin values all of your lives more than his…

...They were trying to hide you, that should be reason enough…

Thoughts didn't swirl in my head, they churned and boiled. Reality and time shattered as something within me broke. A monster, a demon, of flame exploded out of my heart rushing out to take over my body and brain. Within the illusion I thought I had reached the limit of my rage, but that hadn't even been close to what was happening now. I know I briefly turned into a feral as all capacity for rational thought left me.

Flames exploded from my mouth and nose. My fur caught, fire seeming to exude from my skin. My vision was swirling in shades of red, yellow, and black. All I could taste was fire, all I could feel was fire.

I. WAS. FIRE.

The last coherent thought I had for a while were six small words that exploded out of me. "Get your hands off my daughter!"

I was flying through the air.

I was tearing at flesh with tooth and claw.

I was reveling in the tortured screams that filled the air.

And then it was over. Awareness washed over me and I realized I was curled in a corner, just like where Eve had found me over a year ago. A terrible, sour stench filled the room, along with disgusting, oily, black smoke.

A blisteringly cold paw touched my shoulder. Or at least it felt bitterly cold. I was so hot that even the small flames flickering around my feet felt like little tongues of ice. I spun around slowly, to find Eve staring back.

"Go home Slink," she said. Perhaps it was my state at the time, but I don't remember her voice ever being that soothing before or since. "Go home."

In the end, I don't know whether she or I pressed my badge sending me back to HQ.

---

I was curled up on the bed, my head pressed into the pillow. Candice had said I was free to go hours ago, but I didn't care. It was better in the pillow. I knew Eve and Vix were nearby, I could feel their minds, but I wasn't ready to face them. I didn't think I ever would be.

I had arrived back numb and frozen. The cold pit in my stomach was so large I thought it was going to swallow me whole. My mind kept taking me back to that moment, and I had to watch it play out again and again. I kept trying to change things, but this was my purgatory. I could only watch helplessly as I destroyed Stanley again and again.

It was worse than in the illusion. At least there Stanley's death had been an accident. This time I had meant it. As much as I regretted it, I meant it. When I had tried for Shane in the illusion, at least part of my mind knew it wasn't real. Now though, I would never be able to forget what I did.

How did Smoke do it? At the very least he had killed my family. Three people who were innocent. How was that guilt not eating him up inside?

I wondered if Stanley's death would hit him as hard as my parents death had hit me.

I think that I fell asleep at some point, because suddenly the room was full. Abby and Sierra had joined Eve and Vix at the foot of my bed. "What did the nurse say was wrong with him?" Sierra whispered.

"Technically nothing," Eve said softly, "He and Vix are a bit malnourished and dehydrated after everything, but physically that is all. Mentally, who knows what they did to him. I think he's in shock. He hasn't moved for a while now."

"What's he in shock about?" Sierra asked not unkindly, but with a tremor of derision in his voice. "You said he was fine when you found him."

"He killed Stanley." Eve said.

"To save me," Vix added with a shuddering sigh. "I shouldn't have been there. Slink told me to go home and now…" her voice broke as she trailed off.

"Stanley was one of the ones who took Abby right?" Sierra asked.

"Yes," Eve said nervously.

"Good," Sierra snapped, "I don't see why Slink has any regrets about ending him."

"Dad?" Abby cried.

Eve and Vix were up and arms about it too. "Sierra, he was a person too. Don't be such an ass."

"But-" Sierra snapped, but Eve cut him off.

"Obviously it's hitting Slink hard. Now let's stop arguing before we wake him up."

"Too late," I mumbled.

They were all silent for a moment. Finally Eve spoke up. "Hey Vix, why don't you head home with Sierra and Abby. I'll stay with Slink, and we'll be back later. We'll even grab dinner on our way home, okay?"

"But…" Vix tried to protest. I didn't say anything, I didn't even move, but I felt the same way. She had been my lifeline for the past two weeks. It was hard to part with her, even temporarily.

"Vix, it's okay," Eve said, "we'll be back in a couple hours. He needs some time, and I'm gonna stay with him until he is ready."

"Besides," Sierra said, and I swore there was a smirk hidden in his words. I didn't catch the rest of his sentence as he whispered it directly in Vix's ear. I heard Vix grumble a bit, but that seemed to be the end of the argument.

"Come on Vix," Abby said softly. "Mr. Gloom got three new games while you were gone, and dad isn't nearly as fun to play as you are."

"You mean as fun to lose to," Vix said sounding more like herself. "You're going down Red Disaster."

"Red Disaster?" Abby teased. "After two weeks in a cell I'd have thought you would have spent at least a little time coming up with better insults, Sixtales."

"Ooh, now you are really going down." Vix growled playfully. "First one there gets to pick the first game!" I heard the pair run off. I opened one eye and watched them both dash out of the hospital. Just before she left though Vix turned her head to look back and we met eyes. She blushed, ducked her head, and then hurried out of the room.

"Get your hands off of my daughter!" Uggh, why'd I have to say that. I certainly cared about Vix, and I would be kidding myself if I didn't consider her my daughter. Still I had no idea how comfortable she was with the idea.

Suddenly I was face to face with Eve, and she didn't look happy. "I know you are awake. Now get up!"

I didn't know what she'd do if I didn't so I quickly sat up. Nevertheless, I refused to meet her gaze. "Slink, look at me. I don't blame you. He was going to kill you and hurt Vix if you didn't. You did the only thing you could."

I was shaking my head far before she finished. "No. There were so many ways that could have gone. I could've easily broken his arm or knocked him out with Psychic. I could've given into him, and…" I trailed off as I realized where that train of thought went. "I could've ended that without killing him."

"Slink you made the best decision you could-"

"Eve," I said, almost begging, "I lost control. Fire took over and… That's the worst part. I don't remember half of what happened." I don't know why it was so important to me that Eve agree. I guess it would have taken the guilt from me to have Eve yell and scream at me, to have the Society lock me up for my crimes. I wanted some way to atone for what I had done. "I don't know Eve. What if I could have-?"

"If? If! Slink I missed Stanley. I had a clear shot to knock him out and end the whole thing, but I missed. Do you not think that I'm going to have to live with that for the rest of my life? What if I had hit him? Slink we could play the 'what if' game all day, but it won't change what happened. I hate to say it, but we are just going to have to figure out how to live with it. Slink this mistake doesn't make you a bad person."

She stared me down for a moment before hopping up on the bed with me. She bent down to nuzzle me. "Slink, you are one of the friendliest and most loving people I know. I know this was a mistake. Please don't let this ruin your life." As she spoke I felt her mind move closer to mine. Part of me, my Fire, wanted to shy away, to raise my wards and force her away. I pushed it down, it had caused enough trouble for one day.

I took a deep breath. "I'll try." But my words felt empty, even to me. I think we both knew that I wouldn't be able to forget, at least not easily.

Eve smiled at me wanly. "Just for tonight? Please?"

I think I knew what she was talking about. Was it cowardly? Yes. Was it what I needed right now? Almost certainly. "Yes," I said just before I felt a soft click in my head.

"That's all I'm asking for. Come on, lets get dinner and then go home." I stood up on shaky legs. For the first time I looked around the rest of the hospital. I'd have guessed that about half of the beds were full, although that number was growing as more and more Society members returned from their assault on the Hatred base. Candice and her assistants were busily scurrying up and down the row of beds tending to the many patients. At the best I saw mild cuts and scrapes, and the worst… only burns and broken bones.

Two figures stood out to me. Across the aisle and two beds down a familiar grey mass was curled up on the bed. "Oh Arecus, how could I forget about Ashley." I said, ready to rush over to her.

Eve grabbed my shoulder before I could move. "Candice gave me a report while you were...sleeping. There was nothing wrong with her, except she was utterly exhausted. Poor thing. Candice put her to sleep. She said she'd call me when she had finished up with everyone else and ask what to do with her."

I glanced at Eve sheepishly. "She's staying with us right? I can't leave her here. I promised I would keep her safe until I found her parents."

She gave me a lopsided grin. "I didn't really expect anything else. I guess she can sleep in our room. You know Slink you really need to stop inviting strangers to live with us." She meant it as a joke, but...I turned my attention to the other figure I had noticed.

The big ball of yellow and black fur was only a few beds away from me, near the main doors. A similar blue and black Pokemon sat anxiously at his bedside. Eve didn't stop me as I walked over to them. I sat down next to the Luxio, not looking at him, so that I was facing Leo. The big shiny Luxray was snoring softly with his front left leg encased in a bright yellow cast.

"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked.

Buzz nodded slowly. "Yeah. A fighting type kicked him in the leg. He should be fine in a few weeks."

"I'd like to thank you and your father for helping us. You guys saved my life. I don't think I can repay you."

Buzz still didn't look at me, but I saw his lips twitch as he almost smiled. "I think he would tell you that we are even at this point. You saved my life too, Slink."

"Still," I said, "it can't be easy for him now. The Hatred can't be happy with him giving them up."

"Yeah. He told me before we left that he'll probably have to leave the continent after this. Even if the Hatred doesn't know already that he gave them up, they will find out."

"Does he have to leave? Can't the Society do something?" I asked.

Buzz shook his head. "He'd rather leave than put more people in danger trying to protect him. I know you've met Smoke, and if even half the things that my dad told me about him are true, I wouldn't want to give him a chance to get to me either."

I nodded. "What about you? You are more than welcome to stay with us. It is the least we can do. You could be a huge help to the team."

The Luxio nodded. "I don't know yet. I have a few weeks, until he heals, before he has to go. I'll think about it."

"Just remember," Eve suddenly said, "our doors are always open to you. Whatever you decide, if either of you need help just find us." Eve walked over, resting her tail on his shoulder and squeezing gently. "Thank you for everything, both of you. I'm glad to call both of you friends."

"Thanks," he whispered, "that's not something my dad has had for a while."

Eve waited at the door as I took one last look around at those who were here. All of them had helped save my life, whether they had known it or not. All of them had answered Eve and Kegan's call for help. I couldn't have been more grateful.

I turned back to the Espeon and found her smiling. My bag was on the floor by her feet, and her bag was back over her shoulder. I couldn't help but return her smile as I saw it. Everything wasn't necessarily back to normal, but this was a good step in the right direction. We left the base, passing Kegan and Dimitri who nodded at us (Dimitri's eye glowed yellow when he saw me).

"Come on Slink, we're gonna be late." Eve said. She started walking faster.

"Late? To pick up dinner?" I sped up to match her as she took the lead. Strangely she didn't seem to be headed towards any of the restaurants we normally went to. I only figured out where we were going when Eve stopped in front of our destination. I couldn't help but laugh as I saw the brightly-lit sign above the door. The Gogoat!

Eve grinned at me. "Though you might want to try it, considering the last time we were supposed to come here." She turned and pushed open the front door.

The place wasn't exactly what I was expecting to be honest. It was bright in there from the multitude of windows and light fixtures. The walls were a cheery, albeit a bit obnoxious, yellow-green color, but there were enough paintings and pictures to tone it down to a comfortable level. Most of the tables were tall and made of polished steel with high stools crowned with colorful cushions crowded around them. It was a warm, upbeat environment, and I enjoyed it.

The titular Pokemon, a Gogoat, stood waiting behind a short podium with a thick reservation book lying open on it. "Hello. How many?"

I was about to answer that we were getting five to-go orders, but Eve was already talking. "Two. I have a reservation for Eve." The Gogoat's expression changed as he heard that. He looked me up and down, as if examining me in a new light.

"Er, right. Do you both have your tickets?" he asked, quickly regaining his composure.

"Tickets?" I asked.

Eve bumped me with her shoulder. "In your bag," she prompted. I was very confused, but I looked in my bag. Understanding flooded my mind as I found the two glossy yellow tickets from the grand opening right at the top. I shot Eve a look as I pulled out the tickets and handed them to the Gogoat.

"Excellent. It seems you two are going to be seated at table nine. Follow me please." He grabbed a pair of menus in his mouth before heading deeper into the restaurant.

I cocked my head at Eve, offering her a half-smile. "How long have you been planning this one?"

Eve shrugged. "I figured that after the last two weeks, we deserved a do-over of our date. Just let yourself enjoy it. Please?"

"Here we are… oh." The Gogoat blushed. "Sorry about this, give me a moment." He turned and rushed off, deeper into the restaurant. The table he had led us to was covered in a significant layer of dust. Even the small "reserved" sign was coated in dust. I glanced around, confused. This whole place was immaculate. Why was there dust on this table?

Suddenly the Gogoat was back with a Minccino following close behind. The small grey Pokemon hopped up on the table and immediately began wiping it off with her long tail. "Once again, sorry. We've never used this table. I guess the cleaning staff forgot about it." The Minccino leapt from the table to his back. "Thanks Cici. What can I get you two started with this evening?" The Gogoat placed the menus onto the table as Eve and I climbed into our seats.

"Pecha berry juice for him, oran for me." Eve said not even looking at the menu.

"Of course," the goat said. "I'll be right back with those."

And finally we were alone. I tried to look at the menu, but Eve was staring at me nervously. "Can I help you?" I eventually asked.

Eve blushed, but she didn't look away. "Do you like it?" she asked.

"I'm with you. Of course I like it. Although is it weird that they don't use this table? Why wouldn't they use it?"

"They better not use it?" Eve said, an edge to her voice. "They better not have given my table to anybody else."

"Your table? Eve how long have you had this table reserved?"

"Since the night this place opened. Two weeks at least." She said it like it was no big deal, but I was stunned.

"You kept the reservation? How'd you know I was gonna...come back?"

Eve avoided my gaze. "I didn't. But I had faith that you would get back. I had to. I couldn't let myself think of the alternative."

We chatted for a few more minutes as we surveyed the menu. We dropped the more serious topics, and we simply talked about stuff. Eventually the Gogoat brought us our drinks and took our orders.

As the Gogoat noted down our order, Eve hopped down from her stool. "I'll be back in a minute," she said as she headed towards the bathroom.

"So she found you," the waiter said once Eve had left. "I will say it was an odd request when she had me reserve this table, especially the night the place opened. But when she told us the why, well what could I do? Although I'm glad you both made it tonight. I'd hate for the reservation to run out without you guys being here."

"What do you mean?" I asked, just as Eve returned.

"Tonight was the last night that this table was reserved. I'm glad you could make it." With that he left.

I stared at Eve in curiosity as she returned to her seat. "Why does the reservation end tonight?" I asked. "Did you know?"

Eve shrugged. "I gave myself a deadline to rescue you if possible. I figured that you would probably only be able to hold out for two weeks. Once I got Kegan on board I set the end of the reservation for tonight. Because by tonight I would know whether we would be celebrating, or I would be burying you."

I was stunned. Simply awed by her faith and devotion. Then we simply started talking. It wasn't anything about the last two weeks, we just talked. We could've been any two Pokemon on a date. We talked about ourselves, we shared funny anecdotes, and asked questions. It was like we were simply picking up where we had left off.

After dinner we had a nice sedate walk home. I barely paid attention to anything as we walked, not even Eve. I was staring up at the stars and tracing the constellations, breathing in the cool night air, and letting my mind wander for the first time in a while. Eve looped her tail around my waist to keep me on track.

Still though, I was ready to pass out by the time we made it home. The staircase to the second floor of the building was about all I could take. The smell of the place is what hit me first as Eve opened the door. It was comfortable and familiar, and I felt myself instantly relax even more if possible. What I wasn't expecting though was that the TV was still on. It was nearly eleven at that point, and after the day everyone had had, I assumed they would be asleep. Then I realized what must have happened.

"Damn it Vix," I mumbled under my breath. I directed my voice to the figure on the couch. "Sierra go back to bed. I'll talk to Vix in the morning."

"Sierra? Slink I must say I'm insulted." Vix glared at me over the back of the couch.

"Vix," Eve said softly, "what are you doing up? You should be asleep."

The Vulpix ducked her head. "I know. I tried. I couldn't sleep. I had a…a...a nightmare." She hesitated on the word, as if she was loathe to admit it. "I was waiting for you guys. Can...can I…?" She sighed.

"Vix, would you like to sleep with us tonight?" I said. I completely understood her discomfort. I couldn't imagine waking up alone right now. I glanced at Eve, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes," Vix grumbled, sounding like she didn't care one way or the other. I knew better, but she was just too stubborn to admit it.

I smiled at her. "Come on." Eve lead the way into the room, but stood back as Vix hopped up onto our bed. The girl stood there for a moment, looking unsure as she curled up tightly tucking her snout into her tails. Eve clambered up next, curling around Vix. As soon as the Vulpix felt Eve's reassuring warmth around her, she melted. The tight ball she had pulled herself into uncurled, and I could see the calm that washed over her. I sidled up beside them both, draping a foreleg over Eve so that my paw resed on Vix's side. We stayed that way for a while, simply reveling in the feeling of being together again until their breathing slowed, the gentle rhythm lulling me to sleep.

Together, we were happy.

---

I knocked on the door three times and then sat down to wait. Eve was sitting right beside me, her tail laying across mine. Ashley waited shyly behind me, hopping from foot to foot.

It had been a long two weeks since the mission, and it had taken a lot to find Ashley's family. A few times we weren't certain if we would find them, and with how hard it was to find them I had been silently nervous that they hadn't wanted their daughter back. Still, I had made a promise, and I was going to keep it.

The day after the raid Ashley came to live with us. We had to adjust quite a bit to having a five year old move in, but eventually we all warmed up to the literally fiery child. She slept in our room, in the other bed, although like Vix she spent the first week home almost incapacitated by nightmares. Some mornings I found that she had crawled into bed with Eve and me, and was curled up happily under my ear.

Of course we spent most of those two weeks trying to find Ashley's family. Unfortunately we didn't have much to go on, and our only source, Ashley, was five. That meant that getting information out of her was like trying to use Psychic on a Dark type. We did eventually make progress however, and the small snippets we were able to gather gave us enough clues to start our search.

It was almost incidental when Ash gave us our first major lead. We were watching the news one night, and Meowth was giving his report. Apparently the Expedition Society had tracked a criminal to the tiny town of Starreach, but the trail had gone cold at that point. Ashley had just barely looked up at the screen from where she was playing a game with Vix and Abby. "Hey, I live there," she said to the screen, then she returned to the game.

I am so glad that Eve (who had the remote) was listening as she instantly paused the TV. The image froze showing Meowth standing in front of a short, one story house with blue trim. "Ash, are you telling us that that house right there on the TV is where you lived before the Hatred took you?"

Ashley looked at Eve curiously, and then glanced back at the TV. "No my house is red. That house is just down the street though. I could see it from my window. I always thought it was pretty."

Boom. And just like that we had a place to start. Ashley had lived in Starreach village.

Unfortunately there was one problem. Kegan outright refused to let any of my team leave the safety of Festive Town. "We just stirred up the wasp nest and you guys want to leave? Absolutely not. In a few weeks when we have more information on the Hatred's movements, maybe. But not now."

"You know where the base is now," I protested, "you can't tell me you don't have a team or two watching them."

"Hard to do that when you don't know where they are." Kegan grumbled, running his hands through his long mustache. "The base is gone. I don't know how, but the Hatred base is no longer in the Crimson Peak's crater."

"How is that even possible?" Eve asked. "Did they just evacuate?"

Kegan shook his head. "The Mystery Dungeon is still there, and now works fully as far as we can tell, but even the building is gone! I don't understand it, and I have every branch of the Expedition Society trying to figure it out. Our best experts over on the Water Continent have told me that to hold off a Dungeon's shift would take insane amounts of energy. They don't even know how that machine you both saw would even work."

"Kegan, I get it," I said, "but we can't just not do this. If the trail goes cold, we may never find Ashley's family."

"I'm sorry Slink. I'm sorry, I really am, but it is far too dangerous for me to let any Society Members other than those who are tracking the Hatred out of Festive town."

"Kegan, what if you teleported us to Starreach?" Eve suggested quietly. "We won't be out in the open travelling, so they can't ambush us, and they won't know we are there for a while. Ash being shiny may give us away, but that still gives us a couple days at least."

The Kedabra glared between me and Eve for a moment before sighing. "You have two days, understand. If you don't warp home after that I am disbanding your team. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir," Eve and I chirped happily.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Kegan muttered to himself. "Be here bright and early tomorrow morning."

After that everything went pretty smoothly. The next morning Kegan dropped Eve, Ash, and me in an alley in Starreach. Once there, we went directly to the blue house we had seen on the news and had started walking around looking for the red house Ashley had lived in. There were a couple of them nearby, so we went door to door. Unfortunately none of their occupants seemed to recognize Ashley.

When we started asking about a Delphox we had slightly more luck, but not much. An old Floatzel was the only one who seemed to have any idea. She remembered a Delphox quitting her job at the Temple of Arceus in the village. When the Floatzel had asked, the Delphox had explained that she and her family were moving off continent.

It was actually an amazing clue. Civilians only had one way on or off of the continent. The Lapras port, a few miles south of Festive Town. We spent a few days there asking around if any of the water Pokemon remembered taking a Delphox anywhere. Eventually we had a destination. The Mist continent.

That is what led us there, to a small cabin on the outskirts of Post Town. I just hoped that we hadn't come all the way to the Mist Continent for nothing.

Eve and I perked up as we heard the rasp of locks on the other side of the door, and then it swung inward revealing a sickly looking Delphox. Her fur was matted and hung off her in shaggy clumps. She was unhealthily thin too, and from the way she held herself it appeared that she had only recently lost a lot of weight. She was far shorter than my parents, and even my sister had been. Her wand was also curious; a willow branch that was so long that the tip was sheathed in the fur on her hip before it curled in an arc behind her back with the handle stuck in the fur of her other hip. "Hello?" She said when she saw us, her hand automatically drifting down towards the handle of her wand. "What do you want?" She scanned us up and down before her eyes went wide. "Are you with the Society?! Please, just go away. I can't lose my mate too, not after losing our daughter!"

She made to shut the door again, but I pushed out with my Psychic and prevented it from closing. "Wait a moment," I said as the Delphox attempted to fight against me. I didn't feel much Psychic from her, and from her voice I knew that she was emotional enough to be solidly within her Fire. "We aren't about to take anybody away. We have your-"

"Mommy?" The Delphox froze at the voice. Ashley shyly peered out from behind me. She was looking up at the door with wide eyes. I dropped my Psychic, as I didn't think the Delphox would shut us out anymore.

"A-Ash-Ashley?" Eve and I were forced to duck aside as the Delphox sprinted forward, falling to her knees before the small Fennekin.

"Mommy!" Ash cried as she leapt forward into the open arms of the Delphox. Warmth filled my stomach as I saw it. In that instant I decided that everything I had been through was worth it just for this moment.

Eve and I sat by watching as the two reconnected, both purring deep in their throats. Eventually the Delphox looked up at us with tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said. "I don't know how you found her, or found us, but thank you. I didn't think I'd see her again."

I bowed my head. "I understand. The Hatred took loved ones from me too. I don't ever want anybody else to go through that. Besides, all I did was help a kid get home. I promised her I would."

"How'd… how'd you find her? The Hatred…?"

"We were neighbors," I said with a grimace. "The Hatred captured me and my...friend. She was in the cell next to ours. When the Expedition Society broke us out, we brought her with us."

"But you aren't shiny." The Delphox said cocking her head. I sighed in resignation of playing twenty questions, but the other Pokemon plowed on quickly. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me. What are your names, may I ask?"

Eve nodded. "I'm Eve and that's Slink," she said. "Can I ask your name?"

"Xen," the Delphox smiled, tears still glistening in her eyes. She shook her head. "I… you said that the Expedition Society broke you out. What…?"

Eve stepped forward. "I lead the mission. Slink and our teammate Vix were captured by the Hatred about a month ago-"

"A month ago?" Xen butted in. She had gone deathly pale, and was looking between us in horror. "Wha-what team are you?"

I glanced uneasily at Eve. "Team Mindfire." If it was even possible, Xen seemed to get even paler.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Ash said. Even she was picking up on it.

Before Xen could say a word, a strangely familiar voice butted in. "Xen dear, what's wrong? You've been gone a while. What is happening out there?"

I felt myself tense at the nasally voice. Then a Watchog stepped into the doorway. "Ashley! Oh Arceus Ash. How are you..? Where did you..?" He looked up, saw Eve and me, and the blood drained from his face.

I remember several years ago when my sister had gotten in trouble. It was so long ago I don't even remember what she had gotten in trouble over, but I will always remember the expression on my sister's face as she recognized what was happening. It wasn't anger, disappointment, or frustration. She didn't protest, whine, or cry; she faced the music with a stoic, neutral expression. It was something that I always respected about her.

The Watchog had the exact same expression. It was a look that said he recognized that he had done wrong, and that he was simply waiting for our verdict. There was no way I could actually like the guy after what he did, but in that moment, I respected him.

Eve wasn't on the same train of thought as I was. "You!" She snarled. "You...slimy...deceitful...abhorrent…" for the first time since I had known her, Eve was so angry that she was at a complete loss of words. Unfortunately she wasn't planning on using words. As she stumbled to find a word she deemed adequate to describe how terrible the Watchog was, I could feel her gathering power.

I took a step forward, placing a paw on Eve's shoulder. "Enough. He isn't worth it." I muttered to her. She grumbled, but reluctantly let her power go. The glow from her gem slowly fizzled out. I turned to the Watchog who had fallen to his knees in the doorway.

"I surrender," he said quietly. "Arrest me, take me away. I deserve it. Just leave my family be." He glanced over at where Xen was clutching Ashley. "Whatever punishment you have for me, I'll take it."

As I looked at the family, I made a decision. "I'm not going to arrest you," I said loud enough that everyone could hear me. The Watchog looked shocked, Xen burst into tears of relief, and Eve just didn't look happy. Personally my anger towards the Watchog had waned since I had been imprisoned. "You owe me an explanation though. For everything."

"You brought my daughter back," he said, "and you spared me. I owe you everything."

"Perhaps we should head inside. It is getting pretty late." Xen suggested. She headed inside, but not before handing Ash off to her mate. He hugged her closely, and she purred before he got up and awkwardly invited us inside.

The main room actually reminded me a lot of our apartment. It was simply a large space that was a combination of living room, kitchen, and dining room. However it was much larger than our apartment, and the longest wall was made of windows revealing a beautiful view of the town leading to the ocean. Xen turned back to us, clearly a little uncomfortable with the whole thing, but trying to be nice to us. "Would you like something to drink? We have tea or coffee."

"Coffee?" Eve asked hopefully.

"Tea please," I said, but I kept my eyes on the Watchog. He was carrying Ash on his shoulders, exaggerating his steps so he swayed side to side like a rocking ship. Ash giggled as she held on and swung along. Eventually he reached the kitchen table and plunked Ash down on one of the stools, running a paw between her ears.

He looked up and saw me watching him. He sighed and took a seat at the

table and waved his hand at the two stools opposite him. Xen handed us steaming mugs before sitting down between her mate and daughter.

"When Ashley was born… we weren't quite sure what to do," the Watchog began. "We knew that the Hatred would be watching for her, and we also knew that our neighbors would treat her differently simply because she was Shiny." He glanced up at me, pleading with his eyes. "You have to understand, I didn't want Ashley to have to face any of that. All I wanted was to protect her."

I met his gaze but revealed nothing. Eve however grimaced and nodded. "That's all I ever wanted for Shane," she muttered.

"Our main priority was avoiding the Hatred," Xen continued. "So we decided that we needed to leave the Fire Continent. We also decided to keep Ashley as much of a secret as possible."

"It wasn't so easy as just moving though. I had a five year contract with my work, and we figured that it would be far more suspicious to just run out. Plus if I ran out of my contract my employer could have gotten the Expedition Society involved and stopped us from leaving the continent. It almost worked. We only needed three more days."

"I came home one day to find the front door in pieces, and Xen unconscious on the floor. The house had been ransacked and searched. Ashley was nowhere to be found." The Watchog paused. "This would have been a week before I met you guys."

"I didn't even know what happened," Xen said hanging her head, "I heard the door slam open. Before I could get my wand out, the world went dark. By the time Charlie was able to wake me up, they were all gone, Ashley with them."

The Watchog, or Charlie apparently nodded. "Work didn't seem to matter anymore after that. I'm not sure if I quit, or if they simply fired me. We looked all over town. Everywhere within a five mile radius was scoured for any sign of the Hatred. That was the longest forty-eight hours of my life.

"Then, as the third day dawned, we found a letter on our front step. It was in a plain white envelope that was blank except for a black wax seal stamped with a skeletal tree. The letter inside was short and simple. It had a date, a location, and said that if I didn't get Team Mindfire to that Dungeon on that date, they would kill Ash. What other choice did I have?"

He bowed his head, and I could see his shoulders shaking. Ashley's eyes widened as she watched her father break down. She hesitantly reached out to him. The Watchog jumped as he felt his daughter's paw on his shoulder. He smiled warmly at the child and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay honey. You are back, and that is all that matters."

"Not to be mean," Xen butted in awkwardly, "but Ash needs to get to bed."

"Awww," the Fennekin pouted, but she perked up almost immediately. "Okay then. See you tomorrow Slink and Eve. I can show you my Entei toy. And my blankie. Oh, and my favorite book."

"Ash," Eve said patiently, "Slink and I have to go home. We have to go back to Vix, Sierra, and Abby. We can't stay."

"Nooo. I don't want you to leave. You are my friends." Ashley pouted. Then she lit up, glancing up at me and Eve. "Can you guys come tuck me in? One more time?"

"Sure we can," Eve said.

Xen picked up the still pouting Fennekin and clutched her tightly to her chest as she carried Ashley back towards her bedroom. Eve followed along, but glanced back at me. "You comin'?"

"In a second," I said as I glanced over at Charlie. He was just sitting there with his head in his hands.

He must have known I was watching him. He cracked open his fingers and peered out at me. "Y-you were serious? You aren't going to arrest me?"

I cocked my head. "Do you want me to?" His eyes widened, but he hesitated before shaking his head. I stood up, leaping down from my stool. Charlie had sunk back into his paws, so he didn't notice me circle the table to sit next to him. "You feel guilty." It wasn't a question. "You know you did something wrong, and part of you wants some sort of punishment. You want some way to atone for what you did since you know you can't fix it."

He turned his head in his paws. His face was still cradled in his paws, but one beady red and yellow eye could now regard me. "How?" he breathed.

I shrugged, not meeting his eye. "Because I killed someone to save my tea-" I swallowed the rest of that word. I had already made it clear how I felt about Vix. It was time to own it. "- my daughter."

"Do you regret it?" Charlie asked, although I suspected he already knew the answer.

"Every day. But what's done is done, and if I had to do it again, I would always choose Vix over him." We were both silent for a while. "I'm not going to arrest you. I won't take you away from your daughter again."

I walked away without looking back. I didn't blame him, and I hoped I had helped him move on. There were two doors in the back of the house leading, I assumed, to the bedrooms. One was shut, but the other was slightly ajar with a soft purple glow emanating from it.

Nosing the door aside, I saw Xen sitting on the end of a small bed and Eve standing at the side. What surprised me; however, was that Ash wasn't on the bed, she was clinging to Eve. "Please don't go Eve. I'll miss you. I don't want you to go."

"Ash, it's okay. You are back with your mom and dad. You don't need me." Eve cooed.

"But you are my friend. I don't want to say goodbye."

Eve laughed. "You are my friend too. But Vix and Abby and Sierra are also my friends, and they are all over on the Fire Continent. I can't just ignore them to only be your friend right?"

Ash seemed to deflate. "I guess so," she pouted, but she perked up again when she saw me. "Slink, you can stay right?"

I shook my head. "Vix, Abby, and Sierra are my friends too. I can't leave them either. And besides," I whispered, "Eve loves me and she can't stand being away from me." Eve gave me a look that said, I heard that, and I'll get you back for it.

The little girl sat back, lifting a small fuzzy blanket up to her face. Even in the dark I could see that it was almost the exact same color as her eyes. "Okay. I guess you have to go." Then her eyes widened as a thought struck her. "But you could visit right?"

Eve and I shared a look. "Of course we can visit." Eve purred. "Would that be okay?"

Ashley nodded excitedly. "Yep."

"Goodnight Ashley. We will see you later, okay?" I said as the little fox settled into her bed.

"Goodnight Slink. Goodnight Eve. See you later Feraligatr." Ashley said through a yawn. Before we had even left the room, Ash was asleep.

Before I left the room I looked back at the child. I had kept my promise, I had gotten her home, and I hoped she was now out of the Hatred's grasp. I prayed that that was enough to keep her safe now. "After a while Totodile," I whispered before I slipped out and shut the door. Mission accomplished, but I still had one thing to do before we could leave.

Xen lead me and Eve back into the living room where Charlie was now sitting on the couch. He sat perched uncomfortably on the edge like he was going to spring up off of it at any moment. As we entered I saw him visibly stiffen. I wondered if he was afraid of looking too comfortable, and thus appearing cocky.

"Ash is asleep," Xen said softly. She glanced at me and Eve with a rueful smile. "Part of me wants to stay in there the whole night. The Fire in me has me convinced that she's going to disappear on us again."

"I know the feeling," Eve said before she nuzzled into my shoulder.

"Thank you. Thank you both," Charlie said. "You have done more for me in one night than I could ever repay you for in a lifetime. Our doors are always open to you if you need a place to stay. And if you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask."

"There is one thing." I turned to Xen, praying to Arceus that she would have some answers for me. "What do you know about the Dreamstone?"