Welcome everyone.
This chapter has been a while in the making, and the world fell apart in the meantime which didn't help. That's why I'm two weeks past when I would usually post. It needed just a bit more polish to be where it needed to be.
This was a bit difficult to write anyway, but I am so happy with how it all turned out. I hope you all enjoy it.
"Which bedroom was yours again?" I carefully adjusted my mental grip on the box, settling it at the top of the stairs. It wasn't heavy enough to be much of a strain on my mental power, but this was the fourth box I had carted up the stairs that day, the others having been much heavier than that last one.
"The last one on the right," Vix called up to me while holding the front door open with two of her tails. She paused as Lucy eased her way through the door, carrying our new couch which was nearly three times her size. "Right across from yours."
I glanced across the landing then down the short hallway where the bedrooms were. I reached out mentally and pulled open the door to Vix's new room.
After living in that apartment for over a year and a half, this house was certainly an upgrade. It was jarring moving from a place with four beds across two bedrooms into a place with six bedrooms, and even then there was a pair of rooms downstairs that could be made into bedrooms if need be. When Phoenix had called this place a "house" I imagined something like where I had grown up. The word "estate" fit this place much better.
The house itself was enormous, but from the road it seemed small given that it also sat on nearly two acres of land. Most of the space was small grassy hills, but in the far corner a small forest crept in through the black-iron fence that surrounded the entire lot.
I lifted the box again, balancing it on my back. My body carried most of the weight while psychic kept it balanced, lifting it slightly. I carried it down the hallway, past the last bedroom that we had yet to furnish, and into Vix's new room. I shouldered the door open a little wider, before dumping the box at the base of the scratched and, in a few places, singed bedframe.
Eve had been a little apprehensive about the new house, and I could understand. There was a lot more to take care of and clean, as well as the added furniture we would need. When we'd realized how big the place was we'd been even more concerned. But upon entering we'd found that most of the rooms still contained furniture, most of it covered in white sheets to protect them from dust and from the sun. Some things like the couch and dining room table had either collapsed with age or were so archaic that they were unusable to us, but most of it was pristine. Each bedroom already had beds, complete with blankets, and small chests to hold personal items.
In fact a couple of the rooms still contained things from the previous owners. The chest in my room had a small heart carved into the inside of the lid. Within the heart was two sets of initials: SJD and PVD. Thanks to Phoenix, I knew whom they belonged to. Slink John Delphox, and Pyrrha Veton Delphox. My grandparents. This had been their room.
Vix's room had obviously been my father's. Not only did the bed bear the scorch marks of a young Fire type, but the small chest contained a variety of sticks. To most they would seem random, but I recognized them in a heartbeat. This was mostly because I knew where I'd kept my pile in my childhood home. These were the sticks my father had collected as a Fennekin, hoping that one at least would become his wand.
Likewise Lucy scoured the downstairs bedrooms in her spare time, looking for traces that her father and grandfather had left behind. There were no obvious clues of her family, but a couple of the walls showed signs of patches, perhaps where a growing Riolu had accidentally struck them.
I moved over to the window, propping my paws up on the windowsill. From there I could just see the road that led up to the new house and the Mudsdale cart that we had hired for the day to help us move. Eve was still in the cart, carefully lowering boxes and furniture to the ground. Lucy and I were supposed to be bringing the things inside, but I simply needed to rest for just a minute.
We didn't have that many possessions, and most of what was in our old apartment had been there from the start. There were still a few things that we did own. A few pictures and paintings that we had purchased to decorate the walls. There was the small hand-carved table a Bibarel had gifted us after saving her nephew from a particularly powerful Dungeon, and of course mine and Eve's chess table. There were also the years worth of Birthday, Festival of Xerneas, and other small gifts we had all given to each other. Altogether we all were able to pack a box or-or in Vix's case, two-with personal belongings.
"What are you doing?"
I lost my balance, my paws slipping off the window sill. I just barely caught myself before hitting my head on the wall. I sheepishly looked over my shoulder to see Vix standing in the doorway. I carefully got all four of my paws back on the floor, turning to face her with as much dignity as I had left.
"I'm taking a quick break," I said. "I wanted to see how much we had left to bring in."
"Just be glad I caught you and not Eve," the Vulpix grinned. "She dropped a box a while ago. She didn't think I was listening, so she really let fly. I think I even learned some new words. Quite the catch you got there, Slink." She grinned at me. "It isn't too late to back out, you know."
I shook my head. "Come on, be nice. I think it's cute."
Vix blushed at those words. "Jeez, you two deserve each other." She rolled her eyes at me. "Why don't you just go ahead and and ask her already?"
I sighed. "Vix, if you hadn't noticed, Eve has been a bit busy this week. I'm sure I could have asked at any time, but I doubt she would have even heard me. Once we're moved in, that will be the time to ask." She rolled her eyes once again, but seemed to accept that answer. Eve was a champion, getting everything together for us to move. Unfortunately, outside of eating and sleeping we'd had very little downtime. Not exactly ideal circumstances to have such a big conversation.
At the same time though, I wanted to do it at the perfect opportunity, but so far one hadn't really presented itself. In the back of my mind I guessed that after our next successful mission it would be a good time to do it, but at the same time was that special enough? I wanted us both to remember that moment.
Vix opened her mouth, probably to make another comment, when there was a flash of lavender at the door. "Hey you two. What are you doing up here?"
"Taking a quick break," I said hurriedly before Vix could open her mouth. "Sorry, do you need our help?"
Eve shook her head, "No, Lucy and I got the rest inside at least. I'm not sure which box has what, so it's as good a place as any to leave 'em until we can really sort through them. Anyway, I was going to head back to the apartment. Sierra and Abby should be done packing up the kitchen by now. Do either of you want to come with me?"
Vix shook her head, but I nodded. "Sure. Just let me grab my bag and then we'll get going." I never went anywhere without the black-leather bag at my side anymore. Given what it now contained I never wanted it out of my sight. And I'm not talking about the crystal keys.
We were about a thirty minute walk from the apartment, but with the Mudsdale cart we were able to cover that distance in just fifteen. The new house was situated on the south edge of town, just before the city gave way to open country. It was a lot more inconvenient to get to Society HQ now, but the extra space made up for it.
Sierra and Abby were waiting for us in the lobby. "We've got everything packed," the younger Absol said excitedly. "Plus, we got it all to fit into one box. Come on."
"I've got the box," Eve said nodding to me. "Why don't you get things finished up with Mr. Gloom? You just have to sign saying that we are leaving the contract. I'll bring the keys down after I check over the place one last time."
At that moment, the Gloom himself folded his newspaper with a flourish. As Abby and Eve disappeared down the hall, I walked up to his desk. He greeted me with a smile. "I hate to see you guys go. It was great having you here, and I'm not just saying that because I needed to pay off my debt to your father. Glad you are all moving on to bigger and better things now. Got a house now," he grinned at me, "a growing family."
I'm almost certain he meant Lucy, but I couldn't help but glance to see if Eve had come back yet. "I'm working on it," I muttered to myself once I was certain that the Espeon hadn't returned. "So, do you need a pawprint on something?"
"Yes, uh, let me just grab the form real quick. I have it somewhere." He ducked down behind his desk, his humming punctuated with the sounds of rustling paper. I sat down to wait, I was in no hurry after all. But I stood once again when I saw the article on the front of Gregory's newspaper.
"Fireworks on the Water," I read aloud, "Trail Run of New Lapras Liner to Premier at the Festival of Xerneas."
"Have you heard about that?" the Gloom asked as he reemerged holding a single, slightly crumpled sheet of paper. "Kegan only told me a little bit about it when I ran into him yesterday. Apparently the Society has come up with a contraption that can be pulled by any water Pokemon."
"Yeah," Sierra said, coming up behind me to examine the newspaper as well. "We took one of them to the Water Continent. It fit all six of us comfortably on the way home."
Gloom nodded. "Yes, well, apparently they've built one that can carry more than fifty Pokemon. The Society is going to show it off during the Festival of Xerneas. Sail it from Lapras Port up to Festive Town. I even hear that The Gogoat is catering dinner for the passengers. If I wasn't spending the Festival with relatives, I would buy a ticket. Seems like a once in a lifetime experience."
He passed me the paper and watched as I wordlessly pressed my paw against the page. On the inside though I was smiling like a Wynaut. Once-in-a-lifetime seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.
Good thing Eve didn't get seasick.
It seemed like it took months rather than the three weeks it actually was, but finally the Festival of Xerneas had rolled around once again. That morning, after Eve had left the room for breakfast, I quickly repacked my bag and got it ready for that evening. I double and triple checked that I had the badge token and the pair of tickets for the event. I had hours before it would be time, but I was certain that I had Butterfree the size of Steelix whirling within my stomach.
We left the house just after lunch-we had to or there was no way we would have made it. Eve had no idea what was in store as I'd only told her that it was a surprise. She trusted me enough that she didn't even think twice when I told her to grab her bag because we would be gone for a while. "We'll be back in plenty of time for the Fireworks and the Festival. I promise." I told her as she pulled on her blue scarf, tying it across her throat. As we left, the others all quietly wished me good luck, although how Lucy or Abby knew what was happening was beyond me. I had a feeling that Vix had something to do with it.
The journey south was pleasant enough, although it took a bit longer than I expected due to the Dungeon in the way. Since we didn't have Vix we chose to take an alternate road around the Dungeon. Throughout the long walk, we were mostly silent and I couldn't help but marvel at how much had changed since we first met. Then the silence had been awkward, but now it was comfortable. Each of us simply content to be in the other's company.
As we approached Lapras Port, Eve obviously guessed where we were headed. Thankfully she still didn't know what was in store. "Why did you want to come to Lapras Port? Did you find something here that you wanted to get as a festival gift? I guess that when we are done we can get a Lapras back home." She glanced back at the quickly sinking sun, pulling her scarf a little closer around her shoulders. "We are cutting it a bit close though. The Fireworks usually start as soon as the sun sets."
"I told you we would be back in town by the time the Fireworks start," I reassured as we crested the final hill and the town came into view. "In fact, I guess you could say they are waiting on us tonight." Even from here, the massive vessel we were about to board was visible, floating awkwardly by a dock that was clearly too small for it.
Eve's eyes widened as she saw it. "You didn't." She grinned at me, and I couldn't help but share her excitement. I don't think I'd ever seen her tail wag as wildly as it did then. "Thank you Slink, this is already wonderful. I mean, just look at that."
It was truly a sight to behold. The vessel was easily twenty times the size of the one that had carried us to the Water Continent, and even had two levels. Both decks were crowded with tables, although half of the bottom deck was walled off. I assumed that is where the food was being prepared.
As we got closer, we were finally able to make out the massive Wailord beneath the craft, his tail extending long past the end of the float, nearly up onto the shore. His head poked out the front, his enormous black eyes visible just above the water. At least two dozen ropes extended down into the water. Every once in a while a Primarina would surface near the Wailord's head. "You still okay Kyle? That last strap isn't uncomfortable? Just a couple more to go and then we will be finished." She smiled and waved as she saw us watching. "Hello there. Best climb aboard. We'll be setting off as soon as I get Kyle ready."
There were a few Society members that greeted us as we boarded, a couple of them Eve seemed to know from the raid on the Hatred. They didn't even ask for our tickets, they simply smiled at us and waved us aboard the ship. We immediately rushed to the top deck, eager to claim a table that would have a spectacular view.
From there we simply relaxed, waiting as the rest of the ship slowly filled up with more Pokemon. Several groups, specifically families with children, settled on the lower decks. Eve giggled as we watched a little Ralts waddling along by the lower rails and the nervous Gardevoir that was chasing them. There were also visitors from other continents among the crowd, although the only way I could tell was from the diversity of badge shapes worn by many of the Pokemon. A particularly raucous group were all wearing the perfectly-circular badge of the Wigglytuff guild, while a quieter trio represented the Paradise with their golden-ring crowned badges. One couple, sitting only a table away from us, wore the egg-shaped badges of the Rescue Teams.
The sun had dropped even lower in the sky by the time we set sail. It slipped just below the Scale Mountains, dropping the coast into an early dusk. The deck beneath our feet shuddered as the Wailord beneath raised his tail above the surface, bending it almost double so it hovered just above his back. A Loudred was perched unsteadily on the fluke, glaring down at us.
"WELCOME EVERYONE. ON BEHALF OF THE EXPEDITION SOCIETY OF THE FIRE CONTINENT I WOULD LIKE TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THE DEBUT OF THE SOCIETY'S FIRST RUN OF OUR BULK OFFICIAL AQUATIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM. WE ARE ABOUT TO TAKE OFF, SO PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ALL OF YOUR BELONGINGS AND PLEASE DON'T MOVE AROUND UNTIL AFTER WE HAVE LEFT PORT. THIS WILL BE A ONE-WAY TRIP TO FESTIVE TOWN. DINNER WILL BE SERVED SHORTLY. THANK YOU, AND WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE RIDE." As soon as he was finished with his speech that made my eardrums throb he dropped gently from the Wailord's fin to the deck.
The wooden floor beneath us began to tilt as the Wailord dropped his tail back into the water. The first few beats of his tail were choppy and awkward. He didn't have enough room to maneuver, at least without flooding the town. Those few sloppy strokes were just enough to get us out to open water, and it was smooth sailing from there. Still, I could tell that the Wailord wasn't swimming as quickly as he usually would, mostly to keep the ride steady for us, but also to give us time to eat before the fireworks.
As it got darker, a pair of Volcarona flitted around the tables lighting small torches and candles scattered around the deck. I had already lit the ones near us. It was all I could do in the moment. I hardly touched my dinner, my stomach swirling with nervous excitement. Should I do it now, or wait until after the fireworks? No, I would wait. It would be much better after.
It was tough to tell where we were along the coastline, especially as the sun sank even lower. As night truly fell we couldn't even see the water anymore, it just seemed like an extension of the star strewn sky. The occasional speck of a lighted window or campfire were the only signs of shore. Eventually though we arrived at what had to be Festive Town. The amount of warm orange light spilling from it illuminated the sky above.
As we got closer though, the glow dimmed as the town's lamps and candles were extinguished one by one. I could still see where the festival was set up, but otherwise the city was dark. The same Volcarona flitted back across the deck, extinguishing our torches.
Then, BOOM.
A single column of sparks erupted from just south of the city soaring miles into the air before exploding into a brilliant blue starburst. The sparks quickly rearranged themselves into the Life Pokemon himself. Xerneas trotted in a circle over the city before bursting into golden shimmers.
From there, the real fireworks began. At first the patterns and showers of sparks seemed to be random, beautiful but only in simple shapes and colors. Shimmering silver sparkles, ruby-red embers, and a few brilliant purple starbursts.
As the show went on though the sparks reformed into patterns. Silver stars became bubbles in a sea that Lapras, Wailord, and Milotic swam through. Green stars became fields and trees. Fletchlings, Staravia, and Hoothoot flew around while Stantler, Scorbunny, and Blitzle wandered beneath.
It was a glorious show, far better than the one the previous year. Eventually though it had to come to an end. A colossal tree appeared in the sky, each leaf glittering a different fiery color. A series of tightly choreographed explosions had it morph into Xerneas once again. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized the significance of the tree and the Pokemon. My grandfather was the reason the tree still stood, the reason why years later thousands of Pokemon could continue to celebrate this holiday. I barely even noticed when the fireworks finally came to an end. In fact I only refocused when the lights came back on.
"That was… spectacular," Eve gasped, grinning madly. "I am so glad we did this. Although if they do this next year we need to bring the others. Vix might wet herself from how cool that was."
I laughed, a little of my nervous energy slipping out while I did. "Definitely, although the fireworks weren't too far from the new house. I'm sure that the others had quite the show as well. I'm glad you enjoyed this though."
Eve smiled, looking back towards the town as one by one the lamps were relit. "Oh," she suddenly said turning back to me. She fumbled with her paw and her tail, reaching for her bag, "Kegan sent me a message while we were walking. The Paradise and Rescue Team Society have accepted our request, but the Wigglytuff guild requested some… incentive. Jerks. Kegan suggested that we counter with-"
"Eve, come on. Give it a rest, even if just for tonight. Come on."
"Slink, we are so close to finding the Dreamstone! I mean we've got the Rescue Team Society and more importantly the Paradise looking for the Dream Dungeon. I just wanted to let you know."
"Thank you, I'm just saying, we can take a break tonight. All of that will still be there tomorrow. Is it wrong that I just want a quiet night with my partner?"
Eve raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh, I see how it is," she said in mock anger, "you take me on a couple of dates and I'm supposed to find the Dreamstone for you."
I laughed, "Darn it, you figured it out." I grinned at her. My nervousness was gone, in fact I had no idea why I was feeling it in the first place. This was Eve, I didn't have to worry when I was with her. I took a deep breath, and then took the plunge. "Thank you, Eve."
"For what?"
"For the past year and a half. My life hasn't been the same since I met you. We've done so much since. I mean look at the team we've gathered together." She smiled as I said it, although strangely her ears twitched as I started speaking again. "I know that we haven't been partners for long, but-"
"-Slink!" Eve's eyes were wide, her gem flickering with energy.
"I know, but come on, let me finish." I placed one paw on my bag, "Eve I just wanted to say-"
"-No, Slink, listen!" She pointed with her tail. I turned my head to face the table beside us. I have no idea how I hadn't heard them before. The pair there were having a heated discussion, more of an argument than anything at this point.
"What are you talking about? Xatu himself said that we would need an item in order to get through the door!" the Leafeon on the same side of the table to me snapped.
The Typhlosion opposite him didn't seem impressed. "He also told us that a Pokemon held the keys. We should be looking for them. They are probably already planning on opening the door."
My heart started pounding in my throat. Were they talking about what I so hoped they were?
"Xatu was very clear," the Typhlosion continued, "only a-"
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE," Loudred was back, drowning out any hope we had of eavesdropping on the other couple, "WE ARE PREPARING TO DISEMBARK. UNFORTUNATELY THE FESTIVE TOWN DOCK ISN'T LARGE ENOUGH FOR US TO LAND, BUT SEVERAL KIND LAPRAS WILL FERRY YOU IN GROUPS OF FOUR TO THE SHORE. PLEASE FORM AN ORDERLY QUEUE ON THE LOWER DECK. AND THANK YOU FOR TAKING THIS JOURNEY WITH US."
Once he was finished, Eve and I had to inch closer to the pair's table in order to hear the rest over the ringing in our ears.
"And given that weird symbol," the Typhlosion continued as soon as the Loudred had finished, "it shouldn't be too hard to find them. Come on Al, we should get going."
I'd heard enough. "Excuse me. Mind if we pair up with you guys. He did say four to a Lapras." The two glanced at each other before nodding.
"Sure," the Typhlosion said with a smile. "I'm Cynder, and this is my partner Alyx. We're visiting from the Air Continent."
"I'm Eve, and this is Slink. We're with the Expedition Society." She smiled. "Glad to meet you."
The four of us joined the scramble downstairs, but it was slow going. "Do you mind if I ask you both a question? Have you...been to the Mist Continent recently?"
"Why do you ask?" Alyx replied suspiciously.
Eve glanced at me. "Perhaps it will be easier to show you." I ducked out from under the shoulder of my bag as Eve lifted it off my shoulder. Unfortunately, the string of my necklace snagged on something. My heart leapt as I saw the smallest glint of gold poking out of the secret pocket.
I carefully nudged it back in, hoping beyond anything that Eve wouldn't notice my Psychic power. Thankfully, she was completely focused on the two other Pokemon whose eyes had gone wide as they stared at the symbol stamped on the side.
"That's...that's it. That's the symbol." Alyx turned to stare at me. "It's you, you're the one with the key."
I nodded. "We've been looking for that Dungeon for over a year now. I need to get to what is inside. We just need to know where it is."
Cynder nodded. "Of course. Uh, it was...in the North East. Um… a little South of Smoking Mountain… uh I'm sorry, the name is escaping me at the moment."
Eve was there in a flash. The Expedition Gadget was out of her bag floating in front of the Typhlosion with the Mist Continent filling the screen.
"Wow," Alyx said, "the Expedition Society is doing it right. These are way better than what we have."
Cynder ignored him. She poked and prodded at the screen before finally nodding. "Alpine Mysts. That is the Dungeon you need."
Eve almost dropped the Gadget. She turned to stare at me, her eyes wide and wet. I could understand, the same exhilaration and joy was flooding through me. "We did it! We finally found it!"
We crashed together into what was almost a hug, but we were simply too excited to stay still. "When is the earliest you think we can get a Lapras? We'll probably have to wait until tomorrow morning for it, but I bet we can get one to wait overnight so we won't have to go back to Lapras Port…" I trailed off as I realized that Eve had sobered up a little.
"Something tells me that we aren't going to the festival tonight." She grimaced. "The others won't be too happy about this."
"I can make it up to them," I said, forcing myself not to look at her. "Eve, the longer I stay, the greater the chance that the Hatred strikes again, and according to Phoenix if they get even one of the keys they will be able to get through the doors. I can be there and back in just a couple of days. Eve, I've already waited a year. Now that I know where it is I can't wait."
Eve narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm just saying that we should have a plan instead of going into this completely blind. That could go bad for us."
"I'll be fine," I said, my voice rising a little. "One Pokemon by himself won't attract too much attention, even a Fennekin. I'll be fine."
At that point the Espeon finally dropped all pretense. "Slink, you are not going alone."
"Eve, it is dangerous. You can't come. I would never forgive myself if you got hurt or worse from this."
"Like hell I'm not. We are in this together! You can't expect me to stay behind after everything we've been through searching." She glared at me, her gem blazing. I could almost hear her, daring me to say no. "Besides," she snapped, "you may be okay dying, but I'm certainly not about to lose you. I want to be there to watch your back."
We stood there, glaring at one another. That is until Alyx spoke up. "Damn, Cyn, this is awkward." To be fair, I think he had planned on it being a private comment to the Typhlosion, but it seemed like he didn't have good volume control.
Eve and I were now glaring at him, and Cynder slapped him in the back of the head. Still, it had at least broken the tension.
Eve sighed. "Let's get back to shore and find the others. Then we can make a decision." She glanced at Alyx and Cynder. The former rubbed the back of his head while the other glared at him. "We'll be along in a minute." Eve smiled at me, licking my cheek. "Here's your bag."
I nodded, lifting it up and over my shoulder. As it settled, I suddenly became aware of the sharp edge of the badge token digging into my shoulder. In all of the excitement, I had forgotten what tonight was supposed to be about. The instant the thought crossed my mind, a sharp pain blossomed behind my eyes. I stumbled, barely catching myself before I hit the deck. I closed my eyes, clenching my jaw to keep myself from crying out.
The pain vanished as soon as it appeared, but the damage was done. "Slink, are you okay?" Eve rushed over, putting her tail on my shoulder.
"Fine," I said, probably too quickly. "I'm probably just tired." I know she didn't believe me, but she also didn't say anything.
"You didn't eat much, maybe that is it. Come on, let's get back to town." I let her lead me down to the lower deck, the pain nothing but an unsettling memory.
"Do you really have to go?" Vix asked looking up at me from her position sprawled on the floor.
"Vix, you know we do. It will just be a couple of days. Don't worry about it." As I spoke, I repacked my bag once again. The two crumpled tickets from the night before were discarded in favor of our usual supply of berries and seeds. I double checked my bag to make sure I had everything I needed before starting on Eve's bag.
The night before we had found the others just outside Society HQ. We made excuses of being tired, telling them that we didn't want to ruin their fun. Unfortunately, the next morning they were waiting for us demanding answers. So we gave them. Of course we didn't tell them everything, but we told them that we had found a lead and were going to check it out. Of course, I'm sure Lucy knew more than what she said, but I trusted her not to tell the others. Even though we insisted that Eve and I would be fine going alone, Vix refused to drop it.
"Sure, I guess," the Vulpix replied moodily, "but I still don't see why I can't come. I can be useful."
I stopped what I was doing so that I could devote all of my attention to her. "This isn't about you being useful. You are invaluable, I know I've told you that. Any other time I'd have you along just because I want you to come. But this is different."
"How is it different?"
"Vix, I don't know what is going to happen when we get to the Mist Continent. If the Hatred hears any whisper that we know where the Dreamstone is they will be after us in an instant. I will never put you through that again."
I turned away, knowing that if I looked at her much longer I would give. It was time for the final piece of the puzzle. The chest in our room, the one my grandfather and grandmother had carved their initials into, had turned out to be heavily enchanted. I wouldn't have even known had I not decided to store the wand Vix had given me last year in it. I was no enchanter, but I knew enough to figure out what the enchantment could do. Basically if someone opened the lid without using the key, the contents of the chest would be warped somewhere else. It was certainly where my father had gotten the idea for his hiding place.
It was the safest place in the entire house, and it was now where we kept the crystal keys. I triple checked that the key was in the lock before I opened it and carefully placed each of the keys within my bag.
"How long will you be gone?" I turned to find Vix with her head tucked sadly between her paws. It was pitiful, but not effective.
"Vix, I promise it will be fine. Two days there, a day or two to find the Dreamstone, and another two days back. Honestly if we hurry we should be back before sunset in five days." The Vulpix fell silent at those words, giving me an opportunity to finish packing. When I turned around however I found that Vix had frozen in place, a blank look on her face. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," her voice came out much higher than usual. "I just remembered that I...I need to tell Eve something before you go. I'll go see if I can find her."
With that she practically sprinted from the room.
I didn't see her again until Eve and I were standing at the front door, bidding farewell to the others. Sierra and Abby just wished us luck, but Lucy full on hugged me. I honestly wasn't sure that we were there yet, but it was a sweet gesture. Before she pulled away though she whispered in my ear, "Good luck. Tell your father I said 'hi' when you see him."
I smiled at her. "Of course."
Vix was the last to say goodbye. She nuzzled against Eve, but when she got to me she pressed extremely close, nearly pushing me over.
"Promise me you'll come back." She whispered.
It seemed odd that this was bothering her this much, but I still answered her. "Of course. I promise." Satisfied, she pulled away, but she still seemed on edge.
"Did Vix seem strange to you?" I asked Eve as we boarded our Lapras.
"She told me that she had a bad feeling about all of this before trying to get me to bring her along." Eve shook her head. "She seemed off. Nervous maybe? Not that she would tell either of us even if we asked."
I shook my head. "It's probably just that we're leaving. Remember what happened last time? Plus the fact that we left in the middle of the festival. I wouldn't worry about it. We can make it up to her later." In all honesty I was trying to reassure myself. This didn't feel right, but I couldn't lose focus on the mission right now. We were so close to the Dreamstone.
We did have one stop we had to make first.
It wasn't very warm on the Mist Continent. The sun shone brilliantly in an almost cloudless sky, but the air itself still held a slight chill of winter. The Fire Continent had been blessed with early spring. The grass was green there but here it was still shriveled and yellow. A thin veil of fog hung over the ground, yet to be burned away by the sun. The land though still held a strange sense of beauty that was on full display as we made our way through Post Town to the small house sitting on the outskirts.
The cabin looked exactly the same as the last time we visited, but looking closer I found that there were some new things that added a different energy to the house. Things like the small toys that had been left on the doorstep, or the small scorch marks in the grass left by a child that had only recently learned that she could breathe fire. I was delighted to see that a couple of places along the walls were smeared with soot, but these were completely intentional. The patterns were crude, but recognizable. Most of them were small Fennekin, but there were a few Delphox and Watchog, and, my heart leapt as I realized that one showed two Fennekin, an Espeon, a Vulpix, and a pair of Absol.
As we approached the door, we could even hear the tell-tale sounds of an excited five-year-old. "Oh, no!" a high voice squealed. "We have to rescue them. Hurry Tay, get the gaddet!" I glanced at Eve, both of us trying not to burst out laughing, as I moved to knock on the door.
As soon as I did though, the mood within the house changed. The happiness and energy I heard earlier evaporated in an instant. Ash's voice became silent, I couldn't even hear her moving. Soft, stealthy footsteps approached the door, pausing for a moment as something thudded to the floor. Then the door was pulled open slowly. "What do you want?" A single red eye peered through the door, I could just make out a clenched, black-furred paw clutching the handle of her wand. Recognition flared in the eye as it swept up and down, taking us in. There was a moment's hesitation before suddenly…"Slink? Eve?"
She stepped back, pulling the door open fully. "It's good to see you too, Xen," I smiled, "may we come in?"
The Delphox nodded, stepping back and waving us inside. "Of course, come in," she said returning my smile as she put her wand away. "Sorry for the hostility, but you understand. I'm not going to take any chances. Anyway what brings you back to the Mist Continent?"
Eve waved a paw. "No problem. There is no shame in being cautious. We're just passing through and thought we should stop by."
"I came across some new information recently," I added, "and I felt that you had a right to know it as well."
Xen blinked at my sudden shift in tone. "Oh, well come in then." She closed the door behind us before looking over her shoulder at the couch. "I almost forgot. Ashley, you can come out now. Come on dear, we have visitors."
A head slowly emerged from underneath the couch. Ashley looked around carefully before her eyes locked on us. She scrambled out from underneath the couch, her claws scrabbling against the floor in her haste to reach us. "Slink!" She cried out as she leaped at me and nuzzled happily against my cheek. She beamed at me before turning to Eve and greeting her just as enthusiastically.
"How have you been Ash?" Eve asked with a warm smile, bowing her front legs to put her at the same level as the child.
"Really good," Ash said, her tail wagging wildly, "mommy got me a new Esp'on toy, and I joined a S'Pedition Team." She puffed out her chest proudly, showing off a somewhat crude paper badge that had been pinned there. The paper had been folded and crumpled so many times that it looked more like fabric, but still the shape and design was instantly recognizable. It was the winged badge of the Expedition Society, and scrawled on top of it was clearly our team signal, the Dreamstone Symbol.
"That is so cool," Eve encouraged, glancing up at Xen with a nervous grin.
"Say, Ash," Xen said, "why don't you take Eve to your room and show her your Expedition Team. Maybe she'll want to recruit some of them herself."
Ash giggled, but seemed legitimately excited at the idea. "Do you wanna?" She asked Eve. The Espeon smirked at me, shaking her head at me before nodding to Ash.
"Of course I would," she looked pointedly at me and Xen. "While we're gone maybe you two can discuss what you need to."
Ash practically dragged Eve to her room, leaving me and Xen alone. "You mentioned that as well Slink. What exactly is it that you needed to tell me?"
"Perhaps we should sit down," I suggested. "It's nothing bad, I don't think," I clarified in response to Xen's grimace, "there is just a lot to talk about. Shall we?"
I let her lead me into the living room where she sank into the same straight-backed blue armchair as she had last time we'd talked, while I settled onto the couch once again. "I don't really know exactly how I want to say this, so let's start here. I am all but certain that Eve and I have found the Dreamstone."
"You have," Xen said, her eyes lighting up. "It's here on the Mist Continent, isn't it?"
I nodded, "That's why we are here. We were just stopping by on our way through. But that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. Well, I guess the best place to start is with my grandfather, or I guess I should say our grandfather."
She blinked, trying to register what I had said. "Our...you mean, we're…"
"Half-cousins," I supplied. "Not really sure if there is another term for us. Anyway yeah, that Delphox you suspected was your grandfather, well he was, and he was my grandfather too."
"Cousin works for me," Xen said, a small smile forming on her snout. "I don't really want to overthink it. Haven't really had much family in my life. Makes it even luckier that you found Ash, huh."
"Yeah, about that...I don't think that was really a coincidence. That was the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. I think that the Hatred won't be after Ash anymore."
"Are...are you serious?" In her excitement sparks flared in her fur. "Why do you think that?"
"Its a long story," I admitted, "and honestly I'm not sure I understand most of it myself. I met a Pokemon who explained it all to me. Our grandfather created the Dreamstone, and he made it so that only a Fennekin could access it. He made the crystal that you gave me to ensure that the wrong people couldn't get the Dreamstone. I don't know for certain, but I think that is why the Hatred took Ash. I'm sure they planned on using her to get to the Dreamstone. Once I find it though, they'll have no use for Ash. They haven't been known to chase shinies off-continent, so you guys should be safe."
Xen had stopped looking at me. She had a hand across her muzzle and she didn't seem to particularly be looking at anything. "I wouldn't exactly let my guard down," I added hastily, "but...that would be one last thing for you to worry about."
At that Xen turned again to face me with eyes that were more red than usual. "Are you sure that we are merely family? Because if I didn't know better I'd say you are my daughter's Wonder Guard. Thank you Slink, you have no idea what a weight off my shoulders this is."
I remembered how she had answered the door, and the desperation and hopelessness I had felt when my own daughter had been in danger. "I can understand," I said softly.
Xen continued on, like she hadn't even heard me. "Charlie did his best, but he isn't much of a fighter, and the Paradise simply doesn't have the resources, and we don't have the money to post a guard or anything. Every morning I was afraid to go into her room because I was afraid that she would be gone again." She sighed and I realized that she had been holding onto this stress, unable to vent it, probably since Ash had been returned. "I'm happy, proud even, to call you family Slink. I mean it."
I shrugged off the praise. "I was just doing what anyone would do."
"Yes, well, thank you anyway Slink. Hmmm, so do you both need a place to stay the night or...?"
"Thanks, but we were planning on moving out just as soon as we finished talking." I glanced over my shoulder to see if Eve had finished with Ash yet. "I'm sure that once Eve gets back we will probably head out. We promised our team that we'd be back three days from now. If we want to keep on schedule we have to keep moving."
"I understand," Xen nodded, "although if you know Ash, we might be waiting a while for Eve." I couldn't help but smile. Ash was a talker, and she was so sweet and earnest that you felt bad for interrupting her. "So how is the rest of your team? Ash talks about them all the time. I feel like I know them at this point, although I believe I was given a few...extraordinary details. I haven't met them, but from what Ash has told me I don't think Sierra or Abby are 'made of clouds'."
I laughed. "Their fur is pretty soft, they are Absol after all, but not quite that good."
"Oh, is that what they are? Looking at Ash's drawings I thought they were Rhapidash," Xen laughed. "And the rest of you. Vix? Eve?"
"Vix is doing great. As for Eve…" I could have easily given a basic answer, 'she's great too', but I felt like that couldn't even describe the thoughts swirling through my head. I pressed a paw to my bag, thinking about the token within, and how when we found the Dreamstone I was going to…
"Argh," I nearly howled, putting a paw to my head. A bolt of pure white pain seared just behind my eyes that seemed to pulse along with my heartbeat. It was totally unexpected. My paw pressed right between my eyes didn't seem to lessen the pain at all, but I had half-convinced myself that it did.
The strangest part of it all though was that Xen also grabbed at her head around the same time that I did. "Hey, Slink, could you turn it off?"
What was she talking about? I wasn't doing anything, or at least I didn't think that I was. As soon as my thoughts focused on that question, the pain faded. It was instant, like it had never existed in the first place. But Xen continued to look at me warily, all the proof I needed to know that something strange was going on. "What happened?" I grunted.
"Why don't you tell me? Do you have a headache? You clutched at your head, but then I got a blast of Psychic feedback." Her expression softened. "Seriously Slink, is everything okay? I don't think I've seen anything like this since-"
"MOMMY!" A grey streak shot across the floor before skidding to a stop at the foot of Xen's chair. "Look at what Eve just gived me!" Eve followed at a much slower pace, with a nervous smile on her face.
Ash puffed out her chest yet again, but instead of the well-worn paper badge she'd had on earlier there was a true silver badge with little gilt wings. Our team symbol was etched into the face, but there was no glow emanating from within it. "It was in my bag," Eve explained quickly, "it's completely decommissioned since we upgraded to the new ones. I thought it would be better than her old paper one."
"That is really cool Ashley," Xen said, smiling at Eve, giving her a small approving nod. "You just have to be very careful not to lose it. And did you tell miss Eve thank you?"
"I didn't think she was ever going to stop," Eve said dryly. "I don't mean to be rude Xen, but Slink and I really have to get going soon. We only stopped by so Slink could talk to you."
Xen frowned at me, but didn't say anything. "Slink told me. It's a shame really, I wish you had more time so that I could get to know my new family better."
Despite the lingering memory of the pain, and the confusion around the Psychic consequences I couldn't help but grin. "We'll be back, I promise. And maybe next time we'll bring the others too so you can meet them properly."
Soon after we were out the door, following the road northeast towards Alpine Mysts. We were finally on our way.
Eventually though we had to stop for the night. The sun had set, and we were hours away from the Alpine Mysts Dungeon. Plus after two days on a Lapras, and how far we had traveled that day we were more than ready to call it a night.
Since disks wouldn't work outside of Dungeons, we were forced to rig up a makeshift camp, just like the night we had first met. Things were slightly easier this time though. We only needed one nest, and it took half as long to setup a fire. We were like a well-oiled machine at this point.
Once camp had been setup we settled down, but didn't sleep quite yet. Despite how tired we were, it was still far too early to sleep. I was lost in thought, while at the same time my insides were writhing like Ekans. At the moment at least, my mind wasn't at all focused on the Dreamstone, but rather on the strange headache I'd had.
"You okay Slink? You've been acting weird since we left Xen's place. Is everything alright?" I jumped at Eve's voice, turning to face her. I hadn't realized how close we were sitting, our noses were barely an inch away from touching.
"I'm fine," I answered quickly, leaning away from Eve. "It's just… something Xen mentioned."
"What?"
"The other night, on the ship, do you remember when I almost collapsed?"
"Maybe. Is that what happened? I mean, it looked like you just stumbled." She was staring at me intently now. "Why did you almost collapse?"
"Out of nowhere, I just...I got a blinding headache. What I want to know though is if you felt anything when that happened? Anything Psychically?"
She shook her head, which normally would have reassured me but there was a hesitation to it. "There was...something. I wouldn't have even thought about it had you not brought it up, but yeah I think there was something. It was faint, and it was just white noise. I thought it was just the waves."
Xen was right, but that didn't explain why it was happening. Was I sick? Was there something wrong in my head? "Eve, could you, er, check it out? I mean," I put a paw on my head, "there is obviously something messing with my Psychic."
"Of course," Eve said a note of concern in her voice. "I think I have a vague idea of what it might be. I've read about something like this. May I?"
Our connection was still open, and I could feel her power creeping through it into my head. It was a tiny, ticklish tingle that hummed against the base of my skull.
Eve had been in my head so many times that we were both comfortable with it. She knew her way around in there at this point, but I still tried to direct her to where I had felt the pain. "A little higher. To the left, no not that far. Forward a little."
"I...I think I may have found something. Hmm." She cocked her head to the side, keeping her eyes closed.
"What? Is it what you thought it was?"
"No, but I know what it is. You've got a Psychic lock in here. Seems like whatever you've locked up has been trying to get out."
"Lock? I don't remember locking anything up. If it is trying to get out that badly, would it be better if I unlocked it?"
Eve shook her head. "Whatever it is, it seems powerful. You might want to have Kegan or someone take a look at it when we get home. But the strangest thing-to me at least-is that it is my lock."
"How come you don't know what is in it if you blocked it?"
"That's the strangest thing. I have absolutely no memory of it. I would definitely remember doing that. I mean the only time I ever used a Psychic lock with you was after we rescued you from the Hatred, and that one only existed for a day."
A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Eve, can I…" she'd opened her eyes at this point, so I simply gestured to her head.
"Sure, I guess. Why though?"
"I want to check something. Maybe I'm wrong." I had a feeling that I wasn't though. I closed my eyes, sending power down the connection until I had arrived in Eve's head. It didn't take me long to find it as I moved through her mind-somehow I knew exactly where it would be. A Psychic lock, one that I had created, there in Eve's head.
I had no idea when or why I had created it, but the evidence before me was hard to refute. "There is one in your head too," I communicated to Eve as I inspected the lock. "You haven't had any headaches right?"
"No," Eve said. "What did we try to forget? Is it the same memory for both of us? I doubt it considering how desperately your memory is trying to escape." I could feel her thoughts begin to swirl, and I almost lost track of the lock in the process. As she continued to muse, I stared at the seal, reaching out with my Psychic. The lock trembled as my mental probe got closer, but as I did Eve must have felt it. "Wait Slink, I don't think this is such a good-"
The lock burst open, the sudden rush of memory forcing me from Eve's head. I flinched as I landed back within my own mind. Opening my eyes I was met with the horrified, shocked, expression on Eve's face, her eyes wide and unfocused as the memories washed over her. Light poured from her gem as it flickered in an erratic, almost painful pattern.
And then it was over. She froze, and even from where I was sitting I could hear her heart pounding, but she didn't speak. She didn't do anything. Eve simply lay there, muscles pulled so tight I'm amazed that her bones didn't snap. "Eve, are you okay? What memory was it?"
Eve blinked, and then looked up at me. Her eyes flickered over me, as if searching for something. "I...I...you said…"
"I'm so sorry Eve. I didn't hear you until I'd already opened the lock. Please tell me what is going on. I'll block the memory again if that will help you."
She was already shaking her head, slowly sinking, almost melting until she was curled up in the grassy nest we had made with her back to me. "It's already out. There will be no hiding it again. Not for a while."
"Well, what is it? And do you know why it was blocked? Why both of us have our memories locked?" I tried to put my paw comfortingly over hers, but she snatched it away. She'd completely walled off her mind to me, and she had shifted slightly so that we weren't touching.
"It's... that night we told our stories I… asked you to lock away a few of the gorier details. I...I didn't want to remember them anymore. You didn't want to accidentally slip up, so you asked me to lock away your knowledge of the events too." It seemed reasonable, but something felt off about her explanation. I simply chalked it up to her being upset.
"I want to help," I implored her. "Unlock my memory too. I can help you through this if you tell me what it is."
"No!" Eve snapped. She sounded angry, and more than a little panicked. "This is my memory. I can take it. Besides, you have to find the Dreamstone tomorrow. One of us needs to be thinking clearly." It made sense, but I was a bit perturbed by the strain in her voice, especially as she talked about the Dreamstone.
"Okay, if that is what you want." I Psychically snuffed the campfire, sending us into near complete darkness. I tried to shift closer to her, but she shied away again. Mentally, I sighed. She wanted to be alone. I could understand that. "Just remember if you need anything, I'm right here. You can tell me anything. I'll be here for you. I promise."
I had a hard time falling asleep that night. Eve kicked and shifted for hour after hour. Eventually though I managed to drift off into my own troubled dreams.
If only Eve had confronted me then.
The silence was killing me.
Obviously there was the typical stillness of the Mystery Dungeon, but then there was the fact that Eve was still silent. She wasn't herself. I understood that she was still reeling from whatever that memory had been, but even then she was acting strangely.
From what I'd seen that morning, she hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night. I'd found her the next morning outside of the nest. Her head was draped over her paws, and she opened her eyes as soon as I moved. When I asked her why she was sleeping there, she completely ignored the question.
We didn't even reach the Dungeon until long after noon. Before that Eve and I engaged in a long, silent march East. I didn't even attempt to ask Eve if we were stopping for lunch. We hadn't stopped for breakfast either. I simply had to make do with a handful of Pecha berries from my bag. We did stop to rest though as we finally reached the base of the mountains. The air was laden with moisture, and the distinct smell of the sea.
Several times I tried to start a conversation with Eve, but she simply ignored me. She just continued on, shoulders hunched and tail dragging along the ground behind her. From what little I could see of her face, her gem was still performing that erratic flicker from the night before. Psychically, she wouldn't let me anywhere near my mind. The surface level readings of her head that I got were simply chaos. I knew her better than anyone, and I couldn't make any sense of what she was thinking.
I felt helpless, like I had countless times before. This was the first time though that the helplessness was paired with guilt. The first time I'd caused the problem I couldn't fix. Eve wouldn't talk to me, I had no idea what the matter even was and I couldn't unlock my own memories either to find out what we had blocked for each other. I simply had to press on and hope that something would change.
Slowly we made our way up the mountain, towards Alpine Mysts. I think it was then that it finally registered to me that we had done it. At the peak of that Mountain, my family was waiting. Despite Eve's distress, I couldn't help the excitement coursing through my body. By nightfall I would have my family again.
"I know you are going through something right now, but I am so excited for you to meet them." Eve remained silent, and she gave no indication that she was listening. Still, I couldn't let the dead air stand between us. I needed something.
"There is so much I could tell you about them Eve. Blaze, my sister, well you know what growing up with an older sister is like. Of course there is the typical sibling rivalry. She used to tease me endlessly about the stuff she knew would get to me. But she was also so protective of me. If anyone messed with me, she'd be there wand ablaze. She saved my life once. Did I ever tell you that?
"I was...eleven maybe. A year past when I was supposed to have evolved. There was a small forest behind my house, and I used to wander it for hours searching for the stick that would eventually become my wand. I'd already tested all of the sticks on the ground, but none of them seemed to resonate with me. Of course, I was a Fennekin. Even if I had found my wand, I would never know it. Eleven year old me though decided that my destined stick would be higher up in the trees. Despite my parents many objections and scoldings I started climbing trees. One day though I slipped from the branch I was on. I was headed headfirst towards the ground. I probably would have snapped my neck if I had landed, but my sister caught me. She was leaning out of her bedroom window, her own wand extended desperately. Not only did she save my life, but she also didn't tell our parents about it. It was our secret."
The mountain path doubled back on itself as we climbed higher and higher into the mountains. Sooner than I expected though we reached the Dungeon. I guess that made sense though. In my visions of the cliff by the see I hadn't been high up at all. Since Eve still wasn't talking, I continued on, simply filling the dead air. Occasionally I could feel tiny sparks of power from Eve, all of them almost stinging when they hit me. She has a lot going on, I reasoned, so some of her power must be leaking.
"My mother. She is the sweetest Pokemon I ever met, present company excluded of course. She's brilliant, and fierce too. Not quite as powerful as my father, but her power in Psychic would make your head spin. Sometimes literally. You two would have gotten along so well. She always had a book with her, and she would spend any free time she had reading it. There was this one week, years ago in the spring, when it rained the whole week straight. It wasn't exactly safe for us to go out so we were basically trapped inside. She made it through at least a book a day. She told us that she made it through fifteen books that week, and I believe her."
Eve took the lead, or at least the best she could while we were employing the tried and oh-so-slow method of trial and error Dungeon navigation. At every dead end she'd simply turn around and start off in the opposite direction with the same stomping stride as before. If I was in her way, she wouldn't even slow down. It was up to me to get out of her way.
Even by those standards though this Dungeon was frustrating to navigate. Like when we were looking for Enzo, we had to thoroughly search each floor. If we missed the door, it would be impossible to go back and get it. Not helping was the fact that it was a supremely powerful Dungeon. Four ley lines kind of powerful.
It was beautiful though. Canyons made from rust-red stone sliced through the mountains. The foliage above was a thick, beautiful green which stood out brilliantly against the sky. As we marched though it quickly faded into a subtle orange color. I stepped up my speed, overtaking Eve in the process. Time was short. If we didn't find the door soon we'd have to stop for the night.
"My father though, he taught me everything. He was my hero. Still is really. I don't really know where to begin with him. He was a semi-retired researcher with the Society. He was never an explorer, but his enchanting abilities got him in as a consultant with the Society. I never really knew exactly what he did, the theory was beyond me, but he loved it. He was also pretty handy as well. I mean, I told you already about the trapdoor setup that he used to save me that night, but he built most of that house himself. There were enchantments worked into every stone and plank within that house. Unfortunately none of them were fireproofing, or at least not powerful fireproofing."
I trailed off, unsure of what so say next. "He was a good 'mon," I concluded, "they all were. I'm so excited to see them again. Desperately excited to bring them back."
For the first time all day Eve spoke, her voice little more than a low rasp. "I'm glad. You've been waiting so long. I'm happy for you."
I smiled encouragingly at her. She didn't seem ready to talk about what her memory had been, but this was a good start at least. "And I have you to thank for it. There is no way I would have found the Dreamstone without your help. Thank you Eve." I thought the praise would cheer her up, but by her expression you would have thought I had hit her. She retreated back into her shell, curling back into the hunched posture she had carried all day. She pushed past me, leaving me to awkwardly scramble to keep up.
I might've, I should've, pressed her on it but then the path opened up in front of us. Larger rooms were common in Dungeons of course, but this one felt significant. There were two paths on either end of the roughly elliptical space, an entrance and an exit. But along one of the walls was a third path blocked by a pair of tall, slate-gray, stone doors. They stood nearly thirty feet in height, together describing an arch-like shape. The split where they opened was so seamless, it was completely indistinguishable from the rest of the stone. A slight shimmer around the edges showed that it was somehow an exit from the Dungeon, but also told me that the only way was through. The Dungeon would thwart any attempts to climb or fly over.
The most important detail though was the intricate carving that spanned across the top. It was the promised Dreamstone symbol, just like we had expected. But it was somehow more than that. The larger shape was filled in with layer upon layer of smaller intricate carvings. The jagged right half suddenly resembled flowing flames, the stone carvings seemed to move within the structure. The smooth left half didn't move, but the carvings seemed to stretch deeper into the stone, sinking impossibly deep. This was it. This was it. We were finally-
There was a presence in my mind. For a moment, I was panicked until I realized how familiar the presence was. Eve. Her probe was powerful. Even if I'd wanted to, or had been prepared for it I doubt I could've gathered enough power to prevent her from entering my mind. She moved with purpose to the front of my mind, her haste making her movements rougher than she probably intended. I knew what she was after and just managed to get out, "Eve, wait," before she broke open my mental lock.
My back arched, the world around me fading away as the memories burst before my eyes like fireworks.
"...You have to promise me that when I find the Dreamstone that you let me go to it… I need you to promise that when I find it you will sever all ties with me and we can go our separate ways…"
"...You tell Vix all this stuff about being a family. About how we always have to be there for each other! And you just plan on bailing once you get what you want..."
"...Eve, what happens after I find the Dreamstone? I bring my family back, and then what? Do I say to them, 'Hey so I have these friends and this job halfway across the Continent so I'm going to leave you even though you just came back. So bye'?..."
Everything snapped back into sharp focus. I could only stand there, paralyzed, and stare blankly up at the symbol engraved in the door. No, I thought numbly, that can't… I simply couldn't process these new memories.
"I'm sorry Slink," her voice was strained, choked with barely contained emotion. Her mind was finally open to me, if only to show me the shock and pain she had been feeling. In the moment, I had no idea how she had kept it bottled up inside for the last day, especially alone. "But I couldn't let you go any further without knowing."
I felt like I had been punched in the gut. No matter how much I gasped, I simply couldn't get even a gulp of air. My stomach boiled and twisted, and for a moment I feared that I would throw up right there in front of the doors. But the worst pain was a dull ache in my heart.
"Eve, I…" what was there to say? It felt like the whole world was crashing down around me. "There...we.. Eve this can't-"
"Slink, you know it is real. You know it is." She hung her head, closing her eyes. "How could we be this stupid, Slink? From the beginning, day one, you and I both knew this would just be a temporary thing. I should have stopped this before it could get out of hand."
I wanted to close my eyes. I wanted to curl into a ball and lay there until the end of time, but no, this was a conversion we needed to have. There was so much I wanted to say, to shout, to scream. I refused to believe that this had to be the end, but all I could say was, "I'm so sorry Eve. I never wanted things to turn out like this."
Eve finally looked up at those words, her gaze like a physical weight. "Then why?" There was a note of anger in her voice, but mostly it sounded like desperation. A need to understand. "Why did you have us forget? Why did you do the one thing that meant things would have to end like this?"
"Because...I never wanted to make the choice. It was always one or the other, you guys or my family and I just… I couldn't. I knew that if either of us remembered what would have to happen, then we would never be able to connect. Neither of us would let us grow to be anything more than teammates."
"So you were just setting us all up for heartbreak? At least I chose this. Vix and the others, they never got a say in any of this. Do you realize what this is going to do to them? I have absolutely no idea what I'm going to say to Vix."
She was right, and I knew that. But in the moment I simply couldn't face that. "And what about you?" I argued back. "You went along with it. You locked up your memories too. You could have prevented this. So, why?"
"Because I cared about you Slink." She practically shouted it at me, and I didn't blame her. "The things you told me, about being family… I didn't want to lose that. You were in the hospital, you'd nearly died. Slink, you and Vix were all I had in the world and I thought that if I didn't do this you'd stop being the family I needed right then. I couldn't think in the long term, I was just waiting to see where things would go. Maybe, eventually, if we got far enough, something would change…"
In that moment I felt the badge token digging into my shoulder. Now though it felt as heavy as a Snorlax. So much of me wanted to pull it out, to show it to her, but I held back. I had to know if that was even possible. "Eve come on. There has to be something we can do. We can figure something out, right?"
Eve laughed. It was a hollow, bitter sound, devoid of any humor. "What has changed since that night? After everything they've been through, there is no way your family will want to come back to the Fire Continent. Maybe if you were even a Continent away we might have, but we're talking oceans apart. I'm just not sure we can do it. My family is still on the Fire Contient, I can't just leave it. And that's all Vix has known. We can't just all uproot our lives."
"You can't, or you won't? Vix will be happy wherever we are, and none of the others have any ties to the Fire Continent. So who exactly are you staying for?"
"I still have family on the continent, Slink. I can't just leave."
"Family you haven't spoken to in over a year." I said incredulously. "Family who never supported you. Family who, only a couple of weeks ago, you were afraid to tell about us. We can't make this work, despite everything we've been through, because of them?"
"Yes," she snapped, " I told you, I don't want to cut them out of my life. I...I can't be that far away from them. Being a continent away is already hard enough. I still care about my siblings. I still care about my parents no matter what they've done. They are my family, and if there is a way to get them back I have to do it." She sighed, her shoulders slumping further. "I'd have thought that you of all Pokemon would understand that."
"This is different," I tried to argue, but Eve cut me off.
"Slink, the idea of losing you is physically painful. Last night when you unlocked the memory I thought I was going to die from the hurt. But I can't go. I need to repair things with them and I can't do that from so far away. I never wanted to choose Slink, I never thought I would need to. I'm sorry, but this is what I have to do."
My paw fell away from my bag. "I understand." I said quietly. I couldn't show her. Not when I knew it would only cause both of us more pain. We were both silent, knowing what had to happen, but neither of us wanting it to.
Finally Eve moved. She lunged towards me, pressing herself as close as possible. She had her nose pressed into me, taking a final deep breath as she rubbed her cheek against my throat. Her paw came up behind my neck, pulling me even closer.
Then she was gone, she moved away with that same determined step that I so admired in her. "I guess this is where I leave you. I don't think things will get any easier by staying." The whole time she spoke, she still didn't turn to face me. "I know you Slink. Don't follow. Don't come back, because I don't want to make you choose…again…" the last word I barely heard. Merely a breath on the wind. "Goodbye Slink."
I could only watch as her shoulders hunched, her paw coming up to her chest. A burst of green light, and she was gone.