"He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down

The river dark will take your only child

He will go down he will drown drown, deeper down

Destiny defiled, soul despair-bound!"

-"Dark River".


Chapter XII: Ambush

-Western Desert-

(!)

Sneasel, Lawrence and Mirari were surrounded by the hellish beasts. Their blank eyes staring at them with murderous intent, aggressively snarling and making sounds no other pokémon of their species should be able to make.

Sneasel smirked as he felt the gentle darkness covering them all, as well as the sudden cold. The snow-like sand that fell from the cloudless skies somewhat dampened his vision, but not enough for it to matter that much.

"Stay back. This will be quick." He cockily declared, his speed so shocking he suddenly wasn't where he previously stood.

First, remove the minions, weak in power, but problematic in numbers, Sneasal thought. He dashed forward and spun in the air, the knifelike shards on his paws slashing the air around him, until suddenly they connected with the shadow geodude's head, violently destroying half of it.

Yet somehow, the shaytan was still able to fight, it flanked the dark type with its fellow rock type, both ready to punch him from the two sides.

Sneasel got in a defensive pose, ready to dodge as soon as the time was right. But he was surprised when he saw the small rock pokémon he had previously injured get turned to dust by a vicious headbutt, courtesy of a hasty dragon type that charged after him.

"What the hell did I say-"

"Behind you!" She cut him off, seeing the other geodude ready to throw a rock at him. By the sharpness of that one, it would cause nasty wounds.

As soon as it left its hand, so did the geodude's arm, making the rock throw lose almost all of its momentum and fall uselessly to the ground.

The beast shrieked in annoyance rather than pain, readying for another swing, but was finished off by a dragon tail. Turning into dark dust that drifted on the wind.

The dark type snarled at the female right by his side. "This changes nothing." He coldly added. Mirari only smirked at him.

"H-HEY! T-TEAM!?" Lawrence shouted, making both frontline pokémon look at him in surprise.

"OH RIGHT!" Mirari jumped, her heart skipping a beat as she saw the fairy get approached by the krokorok, who was baring its fangs at him.

"You stupid little-" Sneasel prepared to once more dash, only to get interrupted by a heavy punch, belonging to a very angry graveler.

Even though Sneasel blocked with his lithe arms, the strength of the strike still threw him back, bruising him as and making the ice type roll on the sand, bleeding from his new wounds, his icy knives broken.

"Lawrence! You get AWAY!" Shouted Mirari who charged another dragon tail, jumping in the air to hit it straight in the head, only to get grabbed right by her tail, and hurled back on the floor right next to Sneasel. The impact so strong she was unable to breathe for a few moments.

The graveler looked down at the two winded pokémon, smirking, and showing its huge toothless and tongueless mouth.

Mirari felt a chill down her spine at the disturbing sight.

Sneasel had to suppress a laugh. Until something clicked in his head, "Wait… You're…"

Before he could whisper more to himself, the creature slapped its hands together, the sound echoing through the desert. They then began to separate, pushed apart by what was forming in between them. It seemed to be creating a... "Rock" would be an understatement, it was a gargantuan sized gravel.

It only grew and grew as if the monster was somehow using its dark powers to summon the boulder. Or perhaps the darkness around them was the one to blame. In any case, the giant stone that the shaytan held within its appendages was now so immense there was no doubt that, if it fell over them, they would never see the light of day again.

"You've gotta be shitting me…"

The creature let out a creepy, distorted laugh, that despite not being as loud as the previous clap, echoed with the same intensity. Then the being hurled the boulder at the two. While it was still in the air, the stone cracked, scattering in a deadly rain of shadowy rocks that now seared the air, seeking to dig and shred into anything or anyone unlucky enough to be under them.

Sneasel quickly stumbled on his feet, jumping to the side as his two bleeding arms painfully hugged the dragon right beside him, pushing the jangmo-o and himself out of the way.

Even though they rolled away, they still weren't completely out of reach. Some rocks were about to cut them, but then a blue barrier formed right on top of the two, blocking most of the deadly rain.

The protect, however, still allowed some to bruise and cut the pokémon's sides. Earning them more injuries that bled lightly.

"Hope your little brother is doing better than us." He muttered, wincing at the injuries that covered his body.

"He's not my brother dummy!" Corrected the ever positive female, focusing on not allowing the barrier to dissipate until the rock slide stopped. "And I'm sure he's doing great!"she said with one of her eyes closed in pain.

From behind the Graveler, the two could both see a small egg-shaped pokémon, dodging from reckless bites coming from the mindless krokorok, screaming for his life.

Lawrence's movements made him seem like he was dancing, while in reality he was frantically and clumsily trying to avoid losing his head. His little pendant was moving up and down, similarly to Mirari's clanging scales on the wind.

"See, I told you! You show that thing, Lawry!" Cheered the dragoness.

"If there is any solace to all of this, it's that you'll die along with me." Sneasel half joked with his ever present acid tone, clutching his wounded arms trying to avoid the pebbles the protect couldn't defend against.

Meanwhile, Lawrence had his own problems.

The creature growled and fainted another bite, only for the fairy to try dodging once more, and get hit by a vicious tail straight in the back of the head, thus making him fall face first into the sand with a loud thud.

"Ouch… Don't worry Lawrence! You got 'em right where you want 'em!" Mirari tried to cheer from afar.

"You're delusional." Spat Sneasel to Mirari, while looking straight at the graveler, who finally stopped his dark rock slide.

As soon as the path was clear, Sneasel sprinted towards the rock/ground type, his right paw slashing the sands below him as he ran.

When he appeared in front of his foe, Sneasel swung his arm and threw the sand on the shaytan's eyes, making it screech in anger.

The dirty trick staggered it long enough for the dark type to make a small icicle on his left paw and stab the creature right in the chest, twisting and turning his bleeding arms to further lacerate the boulder pokémon.

"Hmph. You know, for a rock type, you sure are soft…" He slowly started to hack the being's body with the icicle, "...On the inside."

The graveler once more roared like a beast, using all four of its arms to produce spiky rocks, the four coming to eviscerate the Sneasel, who remained calm and in control even then.

But he did not expect the dragon behind him to come charging towards the two, jumping in the air and using her heart shaped head scale to headbutt the being, breaking its face and releasing him from the sneasel's stab.

"Wha- I don't remember telling you to interrupt." Sneasel growled, the shaytan falling on the floor and becoming dark dust to the wind.

"Don't worry, I saved you!" She proudly and obliviously replied, "Now, I'll save Law-"

As soon as the dragoness thought of charging to help her friend, she was greeted by a rock throw, right on her side, the impact so vicious it made her cough blood.

Sneasel's eyes widened, right around them, as the sand snow fell from the darkened skies, the three shaytans they just ended reformed, as if the sands that fell from above joined with those below, rebirthing the abominations.

The worst part was the smirk on that graveler, as if it knew how screwed the pokémon were.

"Cocky son of a-" Growled Sneasel, stepping in front of the jangmo-o, claws and fangs barred to the monsters surrounding them.

Togepi felt the sand licking his body. Unlike when they were walking, it felt cold. Almost like snow. He tried to get on his feet, "M-Mirari! Sneasel!"

Though before he could do anything, a kick downed him once more. Lawrence didn't even have time to process the pain, soon a bite hit him straight in the area under his mouth. Now being carried by the krokodile's mighty jaws, Lawrence flinched, ready to be mauled.

His two allies seemed to be in a futile struggle, in a cycle of finishing off the shaytans, only to have them grow back stronger, and keep them in a circle of pain.

Winded and stunned, the togepi only coughed and resisted the urge to cry, eyes clenched shut. There was nothing he could do...

What are you doing!?

...? That voice… It was… His own?

Of course I'm you! But nevermind that-

The krokorok started to move his jaws left and right, ripping more and more of the togepi's neck, drawing blood and making him scream in pure pain. Once more, Lawrence felt his life being violently taken away.

Are you seriously always going to regress back to that crybaby that has to be protected? Don't you remember what happened back in that cave?

He did. He had the chance to finish off that monster, and he failed. He could have helped his friends, but he failed.

Yes, good! Instead of trying to run away and forget that unpleasant experience, learn from it!

"Lawrence! I'm coming, hang on!" Desperately screamed Mirari, trying to fend off the three rock types even though she was completely exhausted, whilst the fairy was gored by the ground crocodile. The darkness, cold and sand falling from above making it all the harder for her to fight.

See! You're making her worry again… Now think. You can't just brute force past your problems, remember sableye?

Blood was starting to pour from his small body, he was feeling lightheaded. The monster opened his jaws and threw him on the floor once more, where he laid down, bleeding from his neck. The attack was so cruel and violent, that his pendant was still stuck in its teeth, but the mindless monster seemed to pay no mind.

You don't have time! Toughen up! Just like you did when you were drowning in that lake! Remember what made you strong then!

He remembered. It was-

"LAWRY!" Shrieked the little dragon, breaking the defensive formation she had with Sneasel.

"Are you insane? You're gonna get split in two!"

"I don't CARE!" She dragon-tailed a geodude out of the way, headbutting another, further injuring herself as the two seemingly weren't phased by her attacks.

As she ran, she cried in pain, a barrage of rocks hitting her from all fronts, making her fall as sharp pain shot all throughout her bleeding body.

Sneasel grunted and tried to do something to help, but as soon as he turned around to aid her, he got grabbed by the grinning graveler shaytan, its strength boosted at least twice as much.

He closed his eyes and had to use all of his will not to scream, as the four rocky hands that held him began crushing his fragile bones, he was sure the thing wanted to remove his arms.

Even though the togepi's vision was red with his own blood, Lawrence felt his eyes widen.

He wasn't going to let that happen because of him…

He… He would be brave! He had to be brave!

Just like in that cave! Even if he didn't have strength… even if he was weak…

He remembered what he said to himself as he fell on that dark river!

Lawrence stumbled on his feet, the krokorok approached him, blood dripping from its jaws.

"I'll be brave! I'll be the bravest ever… At least when Mirari needs me!" He told himself, biting his mouth and trying to ignore the unspeakable pain on his spine.

He didn't notice, but the previously colorless pendant started to shine in the krokorok's jaws. The pure light was so intense that it stopped the aggressor for a moment.

"I… Won't… Watch this... Anymore!" He weakly, but bravely repeated what he had said previously.

The necklace seemed to evaporate, in a flash of light it was gone from the ground type's jaws and back on the togepi's wounded neck.

A gentle, wave-like light aura surrounded Lawrence, the pendant was serenely shining. It wasn't nowhere nearly as bright as it was in that cave, but it was still enough to boost him.

Both the dark type and the dragoness couldn't help but stare as the shy togepi emitted such a powerful glow, piercing the darkness around them.

The small togepi felt his body regaining his lost stamina. Perhaps getting stronger than before even! As if something from around him was entering his body, and replenishing his energy.

"You won't… hurt her!" Screamed the togepi at the top of his lungs, in his high pitched voice.

In each of his hands, white balls of light with a slight rainbow shine were formed, floating sloppily in the air, clearly with no mastery involved.

Lawrence without much thought proceeded to slap them together and create a bigger one, that was immediately shot forward. The strength of the move was so great that it pushed the togepi back, making him fall and roll on the floor.

It flew so fast it split the sands underneath, creating a cascate of sands around it.

The krokorok couldn't react as the rainbow focus blast hits it straight in the chest, piercing through and immediately ending the creature.

As soon as it passed by the monster, the focus blast exploded, creating a shower of fairy dust, that contrasted with the "sand snow" that previously dominated the surroundings.

Both the sneasel and the jangmo-o felt the glowy dust falling upon them, their bodies shining, most of their minor wounds meding. Air returning to their lungs.

Meanwhile, smoke started to come out of the shaytans' bodies. They seemed greatly weakened, almost sluggish in their movements.

Sneasel was the first to act, backflipping whilst in the graveler's grasp, using the momentum and the creature's vulnerable state to get himself freed from its grip, though he somehow tossed it in the air in the process. This feat shocked the rogue, since he merely wanted to free himself.

Feeling strength still in his body, Sneasel smirked, his paws creating those icy knives once more. Using his enhanced senses, the dark type jumped high in the air to meet the boulder pokémon, his malicious yellow eyes glowing in the darkness as he began slashing and cutting the shaytan with extreme speed and precision, so fast those attacks were that they made loud cackling sounds as the pierced and broke the graveler's body piece by piece in a display of focused violence. Each of them were in specific parts of the creature's body, being sure to strike it where it would hurt the most, even if pain was not something the beast necessarily felt.

On the floor, Mirari got back up as well, feeling temporarily renewed by the fairy rain, she bit one of the geodude's bulky arms, spinning him around like a ragdoll, and tossing it to its fellow shaytan, both falling on the ground with cracks in their bodies.

With a final strong kick on the forehead, the rock type was launched straight to the ground like a cannonball, cracking all around and crumbling into pieces, right on top of the two geodude.

The dragoness began tearing up a little, her throat growing slightly, her muzzle shut, smoke coming out from it.

She widened her eyes, opening her snout and blasted the three shaytans with a royal blue flare, the dragon breath having a hint of rainbow energy, immediately dusting the foes into nothingness.

"I know that was sort of redundant, given their refusal to die," Sneasel said, falling behind Mirari, popping his neck and stretching his renewed claws, "But damn, did it feel good."

Meanwhile, Mirari was coughing, smoke spewing out of her muzzle still, "I… Hate this… Move…" She said, gagging in between her words.

Joining them came a running togepi, still wounded and tired, but no longer on the verge of death, "A-Are you alright?"

Mirari suddenly went back to her jolly mode, hugging the fairy out of a sudden, cringing as the pain returned to both of them due to her sharp movements, "Hah… Sorry!" She puffed up some more smoke, before taking a deep breath.

The togepi opened his mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by her, "Lawry, you did great! I know you had it…" She coughed one last time, wheezing a bit, trying to catch her breath whilst still smiling somehow, "... In you!"

"Don't celebrate the kill before the hunt is over." Sneasel coldly cut their happy moment, still with his claws in a battle ready position.

Even though it took some more time, the creatures soon reformed around the trio, looking angrier than ever.

The krokorok in particular seemed rather interested in Sneasel, who noticed the grievous scar on its neck.

"I knew I should have chopped you up…" He muttered, the creature replied with a feral snarl.

The trio had to stand back to back in a triangle formation, circled by the four vile enemies, who were fearlessly approaching, waiting for the right time to take them down.

"S-So… What's the plan?"

"Hit them really hard!" Mirari confidently answered.

"Isn't t-that what you've been doing?" Gulped Lawrence, eyes never breaking contact with the foes, his stumpy hands grabbing his shining pendant, "d-doesn't seem to be working..."

"True!... So we need to hit them really hard… Together!"

"We have also done that." Grunted the grumpy Sneasel.

"Not the three of us, we haven't!"

"I swear, if these shaytans don't kill you, I will!"

While the two bickered, and the monsters approached, Lawrence was deep in thought. Trying to scan his few memories for anything that could help, anything that could make them overcome those odds. A piece to the puzzle…

He recalled once more what happened in the cave, with Pichu and Mirari. When he was drowning in that river… Or whatever strange place he was taken as he died.

Lawrence remembers the darkness shrouding the dungeon. Shrouding him. Tainting his mind with promises of bliss and rest, things his nervous and overwhelmed self craved deeply.

He felt a bit ashamed even, when he remembered how… good it felt to just let it consume him. To just drown in that dark river, to just allow his selfish desires command him. How good it felt to allow his broken limbs flail uselessly in the waters, and allow his heart to stop beating…

The shaytans around them started to cackle, screaming and shrieking in ungodly sounds that quickly made the three pokémon stumble on their feet, a shockwave of dark sounds staggering them. Even the stoic sneasel seemed shocked and even a bit scared at the sight.

The krokorok in particular, with the wicked scar on its neck, seemed to be the one to scream the loudest. Every cell in its zombified corpse was blistering with the most primal form of anger, making it look almost… Joyful, in a corrupted, distorted sort of way, its eyes shining its scarlet bloodthirsty glow so 'merrily'.

"Oh hell no…" Growled the startled sneasel as he took a step back, ever-ready for the incoming attack.

"Don't break the defensive line! It's what they want!" Mirari defiantly growled back, her tail moving like a rattlesnake's, her scales clanging back at the monsters. Despite her loudly beating heart, she seemed otherwise unfazed by the creatures.

"These creatures aren't as dumb as I thought, I'll give 'em that…" Grunted Sneasel, cracking his own neck whilst breathing heavily in mild exhaustion.

"If I break the line now, you would be gored…" Annoyedly stated the ice/dark type, rolling his eyes and slashing his icy claws on one another, "...Which makes it very tempting, now that I think about it."

Think Lawrence! Think! Was that how the shaytans felt, blissfully drowning in their negativity, like he did in that river? Was that how Sableye felt?

After he… transformed, he remembered the power coursing through him. He remembered how… confident he felt. Strong. Brave. Like for once, he had taken control of his life…

But then, he thought back about the shape. His heart was clouded in so much darkness that it made the river look like the sun. Perhaps he had used the darkness to prepare that ambush for them at that otherwise safe dungeon… Wait…

"That's the key! That's the answer!" Lawrence felt his heart skip a beat, his face a huge smile. He had finally understood!

"Huh? Lawry, are you okay?" Mirari tilted her head at the togepi's sudden surge of joy.

"I understand! I finally realized the final piece to the puzzle!" Cryptically, he replies to her, still joyful. Expecting her to just get it.

"Oh great, the baby fairy lost it already…"

As soon as the grumpy sneasel said that, the creatures jumped at them all at once, clearly impatient and wanting to just end the trio. Their dark purple auras burning like bonfires around them, their shrieks so loud that once more created shockwaves around them.

"Here they come!" Mirari got in her battle pose, rattling her scales, snarling at the graveler and the geodude.

Lawrence put his little hands together, channeling a ball of pink, rainbow energy. He once more used his positive feelings to charge it, absorbing the strange energy from his surroundings much like he had done before. His little pendant acted like a small beacon of light on his neck.

"This time, I'm gonna cut off your entire goddamn head, you stupid sand lizard!" Sneasel stood his ground, his icy knives doubling in size as the scarred krokorok approached.

He remembered the training he had with miss Kommo-o, the flurry of blows he landed on the Shape, the strange dreams he had, Pichu laying there half dead after risking her life, Mirari's tears…

The ball on Lawrence's hands doubled in size. He deduced it was almost volleyball-sized, arguably way bigger than what would be practical for a normal dazzling gleam.

Sneasel started to clash with the krokorok, claws slashing against claws, creating small sparks as they violently collided with extreme speed and savagery.

Mirari jumped high in the air and slammed her heart shaped headscale on the monstrous graveler, who was all too happy to headbutt back, creating another powerful gust of wind in the clash.

The two geodude each stabbed Lawrence's sides, trying to crack his hard shell and impale him. The strength was such that blood poured out of his little mouth, but his concentration was such he refused to move, still channeling the attack.

"Are you nuts? Release this attack already and fight, you insane-" Growled Sneasel, his limbs shaking as the bigger pokémon used his weight to pressure him, their claws entwined in a power struggle.

Though the cat-weasel pokémon was silenced when he saw the pink ball was so immense in between the togepi's hands that it reminded him of how the graveler was carrying that huge boulder before. It was almost twice his little size.

And not only that, it seemed that an insane amount of energy burned to create the thing, twice as much to maintain and thrice to keep carrying it like a damn rock.

Underneath the ball, the togepi was shaking, holding back tears and sweating could, still getting pressed by the two mad pokémon.

But unlike before, Sneasel saw pure, undaunted determination in the fairy's eyes.

"The… Answer to the mystery… The way to end this…" He panted, breathing heavily and gagging in his own saliva and blood, "Is to…"

The graveler slapped Mirari's sides with its huge strength, enough to probably crush any pokémon less well protected.

The krokorok used its large feet to kick sand in the sneasel's eyes, making him take a step back and weaken his grip, allowing the shaytan to start clawing his face mercilessly.

The two geodude kept attacking Lawrence's exposed spots, further earning more pained grunts and moans from the child. His vision was blurry and his head was spinning, but his resolve was unshaken.

"Dispel… What makes them strong… In other words..." He whispered, biting his own mouth to endure his injuries.

"To win… We need to… Break this CURSE!" He musters all of his might to shout it out, turning around and hurling the large sphere into the sky. Despite the togepi's small frame, the spiritual force behind the throw was such that it whooshed like a bullet and flew like a plane in the sky.

It seemed to connect with the sky itself, exploding right above them. It popped like a balloon, but made a sound similar to the collision between two giant boulders.

At first, all pokémon questioned what that was for. But soon their eyes widened, seeing the dark skies themselves crack. Shatter. Slowly crumble like a mirror that was smashed by a hammer.

And in a flash, the same fairy-dust fell from the skies, rays of sunshine slowly entering the dark world they were fighting in. Eventually the cracks were so many that the sun broke whatever else was left from the darkness.

And as soon as the sunlight touched the creatures, they shrieked even louder. But this time it wasn't aggressive or threatening. In fact, it was quite pathetic. Pained cries of abominations that were forced to face their own mortality.

Mirari got back up and just stared in pure shock, her eyes wide as the imposing and strong graveler tried to punch its surroundings in a pitiful attempt to remain 'living', before finally falling on the floor and combusting into nothingness.

The krokorok seemed to shout to the heavens in agony, angrily swiping at Sneasel one last time. He looked at it with his cold and emotionless expression, effortlessly grabbing the creature's paw and twisting it.

"Hm. Nice toy you got here." He smirked, before shoving his claws all the way in the creature's scales, cruelly and sloppily ripping it right off. Dark sand poured from the wound, before finally the shaytan returned to nothing, purged by the sun, "too bad it breaks oh so easily…"

The two more experienced pokémon turned to the smaller one in the middle, seeing the two geodude just lay down and be purged by the light that came from the sky. Right in front of him, a togepi layed down, utterly spent, wounded and barely conscious… But smiling cutely.

As the glowy dust fell like a glitter rain from above, the togepi lifted one of his little stumpy hands, his eyes closed.

Lawrence suddenly remembered he didn't have fingers anymore to thumbs-up. Oh well. He decided to let his weariness take over, and fainted.

The other two kneeled on the sand as well, each panting in similar exhaustion. Their heads lowered as they processed what had just happened.

Shaytans. Ambushing them outside of a dungeon with somewhat intelligent tactics. But what scared them the most how personal the attack felt. Yes, these evil creatures usually were vicious, but there was a certain neutrality in their actions. This one felt… Surprisingly intimate. It was hard to describe, but… For once, these monsters seemed to have a shred of whom they once were…

These questions only really disturbed the Sneasel. Mostly because the creatures' wrath seemed to be mostly focused on him.

"There's… A cave nearby. We either rest there, or you pipsqueaks sleep in a nest of hot sand…" Sneasel cuts the silence, trying to recompose himself to start walking once more.

"I… Could use some rest. I assume the same applies to you, right Lawry?" Mirari turns around and looks down, the only reply from the togepi being a high-pitched moan of sheer discomfort.

"Yeah, he agrees…" Mirari nods.

"Hmph. Just pick him up already. I don't want to hear a sound until we get there, got it?"

"Sure thing, mister explorer… But as you know my scales do tend to clang and-"

"Not. A. Single. Sound."

Mirari sighed, noticing the weariness and the absolute finality in his voice. She picked Lawrence up carefully with her mouth, placing him safely on her back.

The little togepi instinctively moved to settle himself better, laying in a sleeping position and peacefully rested on her back. She couldn't help but smile.

Sneasel quietly observed them while some more of the glitter dust fell from the skies. A smirk appeared on the furred pokémon, "guess you're not that helpless after all, boy."


-?, Eastern Desert-

Many hours later

"You're a failure! You just can't do anything right, can you?"

"I told you time and time again, and you still can't create a spark! A single spark is all I ask you! Arceus, that's ALL I ask of YOU, and yet you still FAIL!"

"I guess I was wrong about you. You're not just a failure… A 'failure' would imply you at least had a shot at success. No, you're just a complete and utter embarrassment."

That tormenting voice kept repeating over and over again in her mind. Images were not necessary, just the tone of those contemptful words were enough to make her want to rip her own heart out with her bare hands. Anything to make it stop.

"I guess letting you rot in here would be doing the world a service. This family doesn't need a worthless female that can't even create a fucking spark."

Her heart was racing. Her breathing was intense. She felt like she was gonna burst.

"AH-"

And just like that, Pichu had woken up. She felt like she had just run a marathon across the entire planet in a millisecond.

Her heart was thumping so loud in her chest that she was sure it would jump out.

The electric mouse immediately checked her surroundings, her ears and tail lowered in fear, as if she was waiting for an attack to come at any second.

"Careful now. Your body has sustained major injuries, little one."

That voice was so different from the one in her dreams. It was powerful, yet gentle. It was strict, yet loving. It was feminine, but could probably put an alpha tyranitar to shame.

And more importantly, just hearing it made Pichu's immediately calm down.

Though before she could really say anything, she felt as if stealth rocks had entered every single cell of her body, stabbing at her and making her muscles freeze in sharp pain.

Her little body was almost completely covered in bandages, most parts with dried up healing juice, the only reason why she wasn't entirely paralysed due to exhaustion, she concluded.

"Ow… Ow… Ow…" Cringed the small mouse, "M-Miss Kommo-o… Where are… ? Where's the village...?"

Suddenly, Pichu felt a large claw gently touching her back, a loud affectionate rumble soon following.

"You are safe. That's what matters." The powerful adult declared, bending a knee and lowering her scaly, armored head so she was on the same level as Pichu.

"But Lawrence… Mirari… That thing that attacked us-"

"They are somewhere safe. The… Creature will not find us here. Please, your wellbeing is currently your top priority, understood?"

"Y-Yes, miss Kommo-o…" Gulped the yellow rodent. Lowering her head, still shaking from her injuries.

"You did your best." Kommo-o seemed to have an answer to her doubts before she herself could even consider them, "that's what counts."

"My best was equal to nothing in the end…" Sighed the baby pokémon, "what's the point of trying, if in the end I achieved nothing?"

Kommo-o once more patted her in the back, "It's not about succeeding or failing, little one. It's about fighting for what you think it's right."

Her little ears perked up, her gaze returned to the big dragoness as the adult continued, seeming to be looking for something in her bag as she spoke, "you used every fiber of your being to protect your friends. You burnt through your entire reserve of energy, you threw everything you had. And most importantly… You kicked that monster's tail."

The child couldn't help but giggle at the unexpected comedic tone of the otherwise very serious adult, who was picking some medicinal mixtures and putting around them.

"To me, those things are more than enough. Even if you didn't deal the final blow… you were essential for what happened. Even if we are away from them, even if you hurt yourself so bad you almost passed away, even if things almost went wrong… You should be proud of what you've accomplished by doing your best." Slowly, the dragoness removed the child's bandages to expose her injured, but healing body.

Pichu's ear once more moved, her gaze returning to the floor as a contemplative silence took over her, letting the experienced Kommo-o continue with the treatment.

"Remember, little one… Power comes in response to a need. Not a desire." The kommo-o picked a liquid from her bag, using her own scarf to pass the ointment on the little Pichu's fur, earning a few shivers from the little one as the cold medicine was applied on her body.

"When things get rough, and everything seems lost… When the storm takes away the sunlight… That's when pokémon show who they really are. Some are swept away, others stand and fight the storm, no matter how hopeless it is." She declared, her eyes eyeing the little one's body with almost cirurgical attention, examining for any sign of injury, quickly switching between the liquids to apply each on an specific area.

"And I am very happy to say that you've more than proven yourself. So did the other little ones. You just need some more training, and you'll be able to consistently use your potential."

"Ow!" Pichu groaned in pain, pulling away her little arm from the dragoness' large paw.

"But of course, there are many walls you must still need to overcome." Smiled the adult, once more grabbing Pichu's arm to continue her medical caring.

"But miss Kommo-o… How can you say those things for certain...? You weren't there for most of the fight…"

The big dragon stopped for a moment, as if suddenly pondering.

"I-I don't want you to think I'm accusing you of lying or anything-"

"It is fine, little one." Sighed the scaly pokémon, closing her eyes, "I suppose you deserve to know. Keeping secrets is one of the reasons why we are in this conundrum…"

Pichu noticed the melancholy of the last sentence. She knew better than to question the ever so mysterious adult though.

"I have an ability. It's related to aura. Much like your blue lightning, it is something that I had to train for years to properly master… For example, It's what allows me to see my surroundings without needing to move my eyes. Or even locate someone that is dear to me, no matter how far…"

"I never knew you could learn such an ability! That sounds like something a psychic type would do- or perhaps a lucario or a ninetales!"

A hint of a smile was present on the kommo-o's snout, "hah. As sharp as ever, I see. Though I admit it is not something I was born with, nor that my species usually knows."

"Hm. So I guess it is like my blue electricity in a way… But you said you weren't born with it...?"

"No. It was… A gift. From someone very dear to me." She looked away, as if assaulted by nostalgia.

"I… See. But why don't you use it now, miss Kommo-o? We can use it to locate Lawrence and Mirari!"

"Correct. I could do that. But using it, since it is an unnatural habilty, greatly fatigues me. It could even lead to death if I use it too aggressively. It's an ability that actively rejects my body, but through years of intense use, I have mostly tamed it. There are… other risks involved too." Kommo-o couldn't help but remember the time her power was intercepted by… Him that one time she used it recklessly.

"So that's why you always offered to help with my own training… Because in a way…"

"... I understand your struggles. And by that, I mean more than just with your inherited power."

Pichu tilted her head, legitimely confused, "huh? I… Don't get it."

"Much like you, little one…" Sighed the dragon, now once more patching up Pichu, "I had my heart shattered by someone I loved."

Both of the females were quiet, in a pleasant, yet solemn silence they both often shared.

"... We are going to move at sunrise. We must travel east, towards Ghobi. There we'll meet up with the other little ones." Declared the adult, tightening the last bandage on Pichu's body.

"B-But that's a mawal city… We'll have to get through a lot of their settlements. They might not even allow us in, miss Kommo-o!"

"Correct. It is why I have spent quite a lot of time pondering on contingencies to increase our changes." The fighting type started to look into her bag once more, picking up a paper with some notes written.

"Step 1: we henceforth, when near to civilization, shall refer to each other as 'mother' and 'daughter'. It is the excuse we shall use as to why we are travelling together, and so light." The adult said in a very matter-of-fact way, pointing to a very childish drawing of a Pichu and a Kommo-o holding hands with 'family' written on top of them in footprint runes.

Pichu's eyes widened, and she blushed scarlet red, "b-but miss Kommo-o… Wouldn't that be awkward? I mean… Not that I don't like the idea, but… Y'know… We look nothing alike!"

"Oh. Forgive me." She picks up the sheet of paper and writes something in it, before setting it back down in front of the young girl.

Now the crude drawing had 'adoptive' right beside 'family', in their native written language.

… That made a bit more sense. But it didn't stop the awkward stare Pichu shot Kommo-o's way.

"Step 2: We shall never refer to the village or from where we came. We are hermits, and never settled anywhere." The drawing of this one were the two in front of a bunch of badly drawn houses to represent Oasis Village, but with a huge X behind It.

Again, the adult said those outlandish things like they were no big deal, but surprisingly, Pichu quickly absorbed this one in particular and adapted to it.

"Perhaps the stranger one. Step 3: we shall adopt names to be used along with the (adopted) family story." Kommo-o had to give this step a slight rewrite too, before Pichu could read it. The drawing depicted the two of them wearing masks, each with 'disguise' written on top of them in footprint runes.

Wait. Had she read that correctly?

"We're gonna… Choose names?"

"Yes. I have some in mind. You don't need to use them forevermore, but I insist we start using them at least between us, so we can be prepared when the time comes."

"U-Um… Spirits, this is gonna be so weird… Umm… So…" She gulped, once more feeling very awkward at the prospect of suddenly being named by her 'mother'.

"You may call me Shahrazad. It is the name I used when I worked in a mawal guild way back then. But that's a story for another time." 'Shahrazad' said, ever so to the point and seriously.

"And how about me...?"

"You'll be 'Zarina'. It is a strong name, and it suits you perfectly. Even if it is temporary."

"Um… Zherina...? Tsareena? Sareena?"

"Zah-Ree-na."

"'Zarina'… Ok. Arceus, this will be so weird…" 'Zarina' sighed, quickly adapting once more.

"I know it's hard, but you've been through harder trials, Zarina."

The pichu now named Zarina took a few moments to process the question, before responding, "Thanks… Miss 'Shrasaraaahd'?"

"SHaa-Raa-ZAA-D"

"Shahrazad... Shahrazad. OK, miss Shahrazad." Zarina muttered, trying to get used to the sudden drastic change in naming they both received. "I'm sorry but… Couldn't you have picked an easier name?"

"If you refer to yours, I have chosen the easiest one that held the most meaning… If you refer to mine, I wasn't actually the one that picked it. But I have grown quite fond of it over time. It carries many memories…" Once more, the big dragon seemed to be taken away by her own thoughts. Of old, simpler times.

"... I see. I shall use mine gladly then, miss… Shahrazad."

"Please, I've told you already, little one… No need to use 'miss' all the time." Kommo-o got up after having finished the treatment, packing up the rest of her supplies, preparing to kill the fire so they would move out, the sun slowly rising on the horizon.

"Come now. We have to hurry. We've thrown away precious time with our healing." Shahrazad gently picked up Zarina, carrying her right on her chest, in that comfortable and soft way that only a mother knew how.

"Thanks… Miss Shahrazad. But may I ask one last question?"

Shahrazad steadily started to prepare to move out, still carrying the electric type. Seeming as calm as ever, "Sure thing, little Zarina. Ask away."

Zarina pondered for a moment, before innocently letting out a bomb.

"Why don't we just go back to the village?"