Chapter 10: A Long Night
"The Spewpa are hungry, and they are cold!" the human cried in dismay, seeing the sorry state of the shivering children. "How have you permitted this to happen?"
"I have not had the food to spare for them to eat, nor the nesting material to keep them warm," Vivillon lamented.
"And what of your mate? They feast well from your labor, and they sleep in warmth and comfort."
"It was my duty to provide for her... I had promised to give her the world. I could not break a promise to my mate. I didn't know what to do..."
The human shook her head sadly, and pulled the children close to warm them. "The children are your duty too. You have neglected one in pursuit of the other."
Vivillon whimpered feebly, confronted with the suffering of his own brood. "My only want was to give her everything she deserved," he said regretfully.
"Your intentions were well, but the best is often unobtainable. When you take many duties, sometimes you must choose one or another. But those responsibilities are all still yours to bear. The only thing you can do is your best, for all of them."
Vivillon settled to the ground and wrapped his wings around one of the Spewpa. "Forgive me my children. I will not neglect my duty any longer. And forgive me, my love, that I cannot pamper you so again."
"I pray she will understand. For today she has avoided the pain of losing her children."
~ The 11th Tale, The Gilded Vivillon
Bristle ran as fast as her short legs could carry her. Straight through the smokescreen, past the throne, and right out the back of the old ruin through a hole in the wall.
She couldn't see him. She didn't even know what she was chasing. But she had to catch him, wherever he'd gone. So she kept running across the craggy plateau, scanning the whole area, eyeing down every rocky outcropping and every dusty ruin for any hint out of the spirit.
She ran through the entrance to another ruined building, this one filled with darkness thanks to its in-tact ceiling. It opened into a large space ahead, and narrow halls to her side. Which way? Which way did he go?!
She heard it. The slightest scuffling down the hall to her right. She didn't hesitate, darting down it and rounding the corner into pitch blackness. Mid-stride a vine coiled down into her bag and wrenched out a small bead. It reacted to her touch and emitted a dim light, just enough for her to see the dirty floor and walls around her.
The hall turned into a staircase, leading her downwards. She could hear movement at the bottom. This was it! She had them cornered!
Her instincts flared the moment she hit the bottom stair. Off pure reflex she dove to the side, rolling back to her feet as an enormous claw slammed down, chipping the stone where she had stood.
Bristle held the luminous bead up high, revealing just the front of a massive scorpion looming over her. Twice her height, the giant claws protruding from its head dangled above her, tensed and ready to crush her into paste. One of the Drapion's eyes was stretched open wide, while the other eyed her with malice.
She launched a flurry of vines that tangled around the thing's neck before it could strike again. She was not losing this one.
Her normal attacks would do little into the poison-type. She ran to the side and contracted the vines tight around its neck, pulling her around its side and dodging a savage slash from its pincer. She swung the entire way onto its back, another vine ripping a charred and blackened wand from her pouch.
Drapion craned its neck just in time to eat a face full of fire as she activated the blast wand point-blank. It flailed and howled in pain as she activated it again, and again, but she held her tight grip on its neck as it tried to throw her off.
Bristle felt stinging pain as something stabbed into her stomach. She glanced down to realize Drapion had wound its tail back and grabbed her with its sharp barbs. It tugged, trying to pull her off of its back.
She tightened her vines, grimacing through the pain as the pincers dug deeper and deeper into her stomach. But Drapion was stronger. Pain shot back to her buds as her vines tore, and the Drapion's tail sent her flying the instant her resistance vanished.
Her back slammed against far-wall of the empty basement. Her blast wand clattered to the floor, and the luminous bead went rolling across the ground, leaving her in total darkness. She could hear Drapion approaching again.
She'd just have to make her own light. She shut her eyes and focused, trying to recall an elemental source she hadn't used in a long time. She threw her bud out in front of her, anticipating the glitzy glow of a dazzling gleam forming within it.
But nothing happened.
An instant later, claws dug into her from either side, pumping poison into her body as she screamed. They lifted her off the ground and pinned her to the wall, continuing to release toxins.
"You shouldn't go wandering int'a strange places all alone, little girl," the Drapion jeered. "You might not find what ya want. Who sent you? The Crest? ...The walker?"
"I am Guildmaster Roselia of the Rosethorn Delving Guild," she yelled into the darkness as she surreptitiously snuck one of her remaining vines down towards her bag. "And you, spirit, are under arrest!"
Her vine ripped an orb out of her bag. She prayed it was the right one. Just this once she needed some good luck.
She spiked the orb into the ground. A powerful force burst out, sending Drapion flying backwards with her still in his grasp. He landed on his side, losing his grip on her in the process.
"Twerp!" he growled between groans of pain. "Forget where you're from! I'll send both halves of you right back down the mountain!"
Bristle made a run towards the bead but split off at the last second. The bead wasn't what she needed. She let out every single one of her remaining vines, sweeping them across the floor in the darkness. Until one of them bumped it. She curled that vine around the wand on the floor.
She could hear the rushing behind her. Right behind her. He was coming for blood. The vine retracted like a bolt of lightning, pulling the wand close just in time for her to spin and release a blast towards the noise.
In a burst of orange light she saw Drapion lunging for her just inches past the wand's tip. She bore half the blast herself as it detonated against him instantly. She stumbled backwards, barely keeping her footing. Her ears were ringing, and the vine holding the wand had been singed black. She didn't care. She quickly swapped the wand to another vine, and blasted again. And again.
Each flash showed a different picture of Drapion, transitioning from pain and outrage to fear and desperation, and finally to an unconscious figure on the ground. She didn't stop blasting until the wand was depleted, at which point she threw it at him for good measure. And then she waited.
She waited for the sound of him rising again. She waited for the fight to continue. But it didn't.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked over and picked up the bead. She brought it over and confirmed that Drapion was totally unconscious. Or... perhaps a bit more. She might have overdone it. But his chest still stirred with a shallow breath, and that was enough for her.
She had done it. She'd fought a foe she was disadvantaged against and won. She'd finally beaten her fate. The spirit was no more.
Umbreon's heart was in her throat as she looked over the collection of items behind the throne. All items from the farm. A crop crate, a few of Taproot's lost tools, several of Mumble's toys... He'd been here. Mumble had been here.
Roselia had been right. The spirit had him. The spirit had her son.
She could only imagine why. What did an angry spirit need with a lost child? None of the answers were good.
She carefully moved each of the items into the crop crate, prioritizing Mumble's toys. He'd want those back when... when he was home. After all, Roselia was chasing the spirit right now. In a few minutes, this would all be over.
Umbreon finished gathering up Mumble's belongings and dragged the crate over to the hole Roselia had run through. She'd be back any minute now... Umbreon continued to reassure her beating heart.
After a few minutes, she heard groaning in the distance. She stood up with anxiety flooding her chest. Emerging from one of the surrounding ruins was Bristle, hunched over and weak... and dragging an enormous, unconscious Drapion with just four thin vines.
Bristle looked up and saw her. "C-care to help?" she grimaced, shaking under the weight.
Stunned, Umbreon nodded and rushed over. She was about to bite down on the Drapion's long pincer when something occurred to her. "W-wait. Who is this? What are we doing with them?"
Bristle straightened her back and puffed her chest, boasting through clenched teeth. "This- is our outlaw. The so-called spirit fell easily!"
"Then where's Mumble?" she asked desperately, ignoring the blatant lie of 'easily'.
Bristle paused a moment. She'd nearly forgotten about that. "I'm... I'm not sure. I don't think there was anyone else down there. I can double-check the rest of that ruin."
"Also, shouldn't the spirit be a fire type?" Umbreon asked with growing skepticism. "Or at least something that can use fire attacks..."
Nervousness started to set in as Bristle realized she didn't have any proof at all that this was the spirit. But what were the chances there were two outlaws hiding up here? Then again, she'd said it herself: this was a popular place to hide, thanks to the abandoned buildings and remote location.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to ask him ourselves!" Bristle huffed.
Bristle retracted her vines and shook her right bud, a coating of yellow pollen falling onto the tips of her petals from within. She walked over to the Drapion's face, and rubbed her bud across it, lining his mouth and nostrils with the pollen.
She let out just one of her vines and slapped it across Drapion's face repeatedly. "Wake. Up. Stupid. Criminal," she yelled directly in his ear.
His head slumped over and slammed into the dirt. Bristle growled and stomped her foot. "Useless, as expected!" she hissed.
Umbreon bowed her head, exhausted. "Roselia, if you knocked him out a few minutes ago, he's not going to wake up that soon. Slapping him won't un-knock him out."
"Hmph..." Bristle pouted and slumped down in front of him. "Well, the sun is setting anyways. We should start setting up camp. We'll be ready when he chooses to get his lazy behind up."
Umbreon eyed the massive Drapion nervously. "What makes you think he'll talk to us, and won't just attack us?"
Bristle scoffed. "All of the stun spore he's currently inhaling. And I'll be sure to refresh it periodically. Besides, even if he wasn't paralyzed, I already beat him once. If he wants a repeat, I'm happy to continue kicking his criminal behind into the dirt until he chooses to behave."
Umbreon could barely believe Bristle had downed the hulking scorpion once. She wasn't familiar enough with the species to tell for sure, but this Drapion looked powerful. And even unconscious it had a malevolent air about it. She definitely wasn't gambling on her repeating the feat. But the stun spore was a bit of a reassurance.
"Okay..." she relented. "But I want to look around first... It's possible they hid Mumble somewhere else."
Bristle slapped her chest with a bud, still shuddering from weakness. "Very well. I'll search the area. Keep an eye on the prisoner."
Umbreon looked at the enormous beast and blinked. "Umm... maybe you should watch him, and I'll look around..."
"Fine. I'll move him into one of the ruins and start setting up camp for the night," Bristle resolved. Another set of weak vines coiled around the Drapion's claws once again.
With a relieved sigh, Umbreon scampered away. The Drapion unsettled her greatly, and the last thing she needed tonight was more stress. Looking to the sky, there was no way she'd finish her search before sunset. But day or night didn't matter much to her.
She let out a huge yawn at that thought. Nocturnal or not, she'd been up all day. And she had barely slept the night before, either, between worrying about Mumble and the sudden shift in her sleep cycle.
What could the spirit possibly want with Mumble? Why let him bring toys? Had it tricked him?
Either way, she knew he'd been here. She just had to figure out where he went...
Within the dungeon walls, Rex felt pressure. Like he was submerged in a thick liquid that was pushing into him from all sides. He drifted through pitch blackness, feeling nothing but this pressure and the faint warmth of Team Pride around him. It was... an ominously familiar sensation.
Then suddenly, in a burst of relief, that pressure vanished and light returned as Rex and the dragons were spit out the cliffside. A mix of trees and sheer cliff faces towered above them. Rex pulled himself to his feet to get his bearing, climbing off of Xew's still-unconscious form. Ego and Deci were sprawled out on the ground around them.
It seemed they were in the foothills, right along the trail where it ascended into the steeper cliffs. And the sun was already out of sight beyond the mountain. And the ambient light was visibly dwindling.
He rubbed his eyes and cursed. He was in the middle of nowhere, at night, with three unconscious people he couldn't move. And, if Bristle wasn't totally full of shit, there was a chance that if they stayed here the dungeon might just swallow them right back up!
But grumbling wasn't going to do him any good. Now was the time to survive.
He grabbed Ego's arm, his little claws barely wrapping around it. Starting with the hard one, he dragged Ego's massive body through the dirt and slumped it next to a tree by the path. Still huffing, he did the same for Deci and Xew.
Okay... now what? The vanishing twilight was threatening to leave them all at the whims of night... and he wasn't prepared to be food for some nocturnal predator. If ferals were anything like wild animals, fire would deter them. If not... well, at least he'd see what was eating his face.
Rex quickly scanned the woods around him and gathered up what dry branches he could. It was a pitiful collection of twigs, but he took what he could get before the light vanished. He dug a small ditch into the path and arranged them into a bonfire, keeping one last stick in his claw.
Okay... fire... Just... heat, right? One quick jolt and-
Eyes shut, he released a quick shock into the twig. Then two more. They were still weak... he'd spent everything he had on his ill-fated attack into the voice earlier. Even he was surprised to see the stick smoldering with a weak burn when he opened his eyes.
Quickly, he jammed the twig into his kindling and prayed it would spread. The twig continued to smolder faintly.
Okay, he'd done what he could here... Now... He glanced over to his unconscious teammates and his heart stopped. A shadowy shape was looming over Xew, bent down and pecking at his bag. The round bird had swooped down in total silence.
"Hey!" Rex shouted angrily. He froze- perhaps he shouldn't treat a bird who rivalled his size the same way he would a pesky pigeon.
The owl spun in place, staring back at him with two wide red eyes. Rex flinched. But it didn't look angry. It looked afraid.
The owl stumbled backwards in a panic, dropping the berry it had pilfered. As silently as it came, the owl frantically took to the sky and disappeared over the treeline.
Stupid, timid bird... Rex retrieved the berry and gave it a look. It emanated a faint blue glow. An Oran. Right, they had medicine in their bags.
With a heave he rolled Xew onto his back. None of his wounds looked critical. The brunt of it was charred and chipped scales, with bruising where the skin was exposed. Neither the spirit nor his damned assistant seemed to have opened any wounds. That was a minor positive.
Rex grabbed the dragon's jaw and pulled his mouth open, his thick tongue lolling out. He ripped a tiny chunk off of the faintly glowing berry and watched as the glow faded from the rest of it. He had no idea if the seemingly magical properties were affected by how big of a chunk he took, but he wasn't sure he could get Xew to swallow. The last thing he needed was to choke the guy to death on medicine.
Rex dropped the tiny chunk into Xew's mouth watched it plop down into the back of his throat, disturbing his shallow breath. He tried to massage the dragon's throat to make him swallow, but the scale armor was far too thick for that to have an effect.
Scowling, he lodged himself under Xew's head and tried to prop him up. Even though Xew wasn't that much bigger than him, he felt like he weighed a ton. How did this guy wander around in his own armored body?!
Panting, he managed to wedge himself under Xew and get him mostly upright. With a bit more fighting, he dragged him back and propped Xew against a tree, using the dragon's tail to hold up his weight.
Rex collapsed and finally caught his breath. He was relieved to see that Xew seemed to have swallowed the berry at some point along the process. That was a good sign. His head probably wasn't messed up too bad, if that reflex still worked.
Looking super closely, Rex thought he could already see the berry's effects taking hold. It was subtle, but the scales around his wounds seemed to be ever so slowly growing outward, sealing off patches of gray skin. Or maybe it was just a trick of dim light.
Content with his work, Rex climbed over Xew to retrieve more berries from his bag. As soon as he touched the dragon, Xew began to groan.
"Grmmm... Oww..." Xew muttered lowly without opening his eyes.
Rex jumped back and stared at Xew in surprise. "Hey! Hey, Xew, you awake?"
A single red eye slowly dragged itself open, staring at Rex wearily. "W-what happened?" he asked, groaning with pain.
"The uh... 'spirit' guy jumped us. You guys got roughed up real bad. I popped an Escape Orb and I've been trying to help you guys."
Xew closed his eye solemnly and leaned his head back against the tree. "Right. Thank you."
Rex waited a few minutes in silence, expecting the injured delver to lay back down to rest. To his relief, the tiny kindling he had lit up had spread a bit. It was a far cry from a proper fire, but it had created a dim glow that spared him from total darkness.
After a bit, Xew pulled himself to his feet. He was wobbling and grimacing in pain, but his eyes retained their stern expression.
"I must aid my teammates," he said simply and began to trudge over to where Deci and Ego lay.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Dude, you're still seriously hurt!" Rex leapt to his feet and tried to stop him.
Xew shook his head faintly and pushed past Rex with a surprising strength. "Yes, I am. But my responsibility remains."
"Then give me the berries and let me do it! You need to rest."
Xew paused. Then he relented, collapsing down by the nearest tree. "You are right. At the moment, you are my teammate as well. And I am your responsibility," he nodded as if convincing himself. He reached into his own satchel and shifted through the crushed and dirtied items before procuring two more Oran berries. "Thank you. Please, see to our teammates."
Taking a berry in each hand, he brought one over to Deci first. He plucked off an even tinier chunk and tossed it into the bat's mouth. And fortunately, Deci's neck was exposed. With some soft motions he made the unconscious bat swallow the medicine.
Ego was a trickier task. He'd need to prop him up like he had for Xew... With a defeated sigh, Rex set to work wedging himself under Ego. But even though Ego was lighter than Xew, he was larger and harder to maneuver.
Suddenly, Rex felt the weight of Ego's body lighten above him. He glanced up to see Xew propping the Gabite up with a pained look. Together they dragged him up against a tree and propped him up. Rex ripped off a larger chunk of the berry and forced it down the dragon's throat. He quickly swallowed.
Rex cast Xew a thankful look. "Honestly, really glad you're awake. Cause I don't know what I'm doing."
"You've done well, especially for a civilian," Xew gave him a nod of gratitude. "I suspect Ego had called this a test in humor... but if it were actually a test, you'd have passed with flying colors."
"Really? Cause we kind of got our asses kicked and then I spent half an hour panicking alone in the woods," Rex laughed with a sheepish grin.
But Xew remained serious. "Yes, but we all got our 'asses kicked'. And the reason we're here now is because you displayed the flexibility to recognize when victory was impossible and retreat. It may seem a simple skill, but you'd be surprised how often experienced delvers grow too fixated on one course of action."
Rex debated whether to tell Xew that Team Pride's own leader had refused to back out when the fight was clearly unwinnable... But just accepting the compliment seemed like the easiest route.
"Well, thanks, I guess. But honestly, it wasn't really some grand strategy. I just wanted to, you know, not die."
"Perhaps. Survival instinct aren't a bad thing. But you managed to bring all of us with you, which is proof enough that you weren't just panicking."
What Rex couldn't say out loud was the reason he'd rescued them all. It wasn't some grand act of heroics. He just didn't want to be alone in this mess anymore. If he'd left them all there to be defeated- or worse- then he would have been alone again. With no plans, no resources, and no allies. After having met Pokémon that could help him, and that he actually liked... he couldn't have let that happen.
"Which reminds me," Xew continued, "I apologize to remain on matters of business, but I'm afraid I have a duty to observe. Can you recount for me what happened during the ambush, from your perspective? Everything happened so quickly and within the smoke, so it's hard to accurately understand what occurred."
"Right..." Rex sat down in front of him and gripped his frill anxiously. "So you saw them hit Deci, right? When you guys charged I went back to check on Deci. I heard him scream, and then there was another voice."
Xew's eyes narrowed. "I had thought as much. It was hard to tell what was happening in the haze, but there appeared to be two attackers."
Rex nodded. "Right. The other guy finished off Deci and then thrashed me pretty bad." Rex neglected to mention that beating had been with his own attack. "He taunted me and then vanished, I think to go help the spirit."
Xew nodded along, "Yes, that connects with what I remember... The secondary attacker engaged shortly after."
"Things seemed to be going poorly for you two, and I was panicking, so I grabbed Deci's escape orb and dragged him towards you all. That was around when I think you went down. Ego didn't want to give up. But then the spirit unleashed a big attack, and he fell down too. The spirit screamed out another warning, and then threw Ego at me. Which was actually kind of lucky, since it let me catch everyone with the Escape Orb."
"Did the spirit or his assistant say anything important? Any details that might let us know motives, intentions, or a location?" Xew asked sternly.
Rex suddenly remembered the warning the spirit had given. In all of his panic, its significance had failed to sink in before. "He- he said he was going to burn the village in the woods down. In two days. I assume that means Solemn Meadow?"
Xew's eyes lit up with resolution. "Yes, presumably... Is that all?"
"That was everything I saw. Everything else he said was just about killing the interlopers."
Xew suddenly stood up, determination blotting out any hints of pain on his face. "Thank you, Rex. You need to get going. Immediately."
"I'm sorry, what?" Rex gaped. "What do you mean?"
Xew stared at him unflinchingly. "Solemn Meadow needs to be warned. Immediately. It's a day's trek. No matter how resolute we may be in our duties, none of us are in the condition to make that trek in time."
Rex stared at him in disbelief. Then he glanced over to the still unconscious Deci and Ego, and the feeble excuse for a fire he'd made. "But you guys are still injured!" he protested. "If I leave now, the dungeon could swallow you guys back up. Or a feral could find you!"
Xew's expression didn't waver. "To do nothing would be a failure of our duty. Since we can't send warning ourselves, the most we can do is not hold you up here. I am... not in my peak form, but my pride would never let me fall to a feral. If anything bothers us, I'll dispose of it. And should the dungeon reclaim us... " Xew shuddered. "We will bear that burden until the village is safe and another team may rescue us."
Rex gulped. Great. Great, great, GREAT! This was just wonderful.
He didn't have a choice in this matter, and he knew it. Warning Solemn Meadow was so obviously the right thing to do. And yet...
He had no horse in this race. Obviously he didn't want to see the village burn down. But he didn't live here and he didn't know any of these people. So why was it on him to risk the people he actually liked to go help everyone?
"Alright," he relented with a heavy sigh. There was no point in grumbling.
"I am grateful. And I must apologize- you would not be in this predicament had we not failed," Xew said as he removed his bag from around his neck. He handed it over to Rex. "Take my supplies. I'll take Ego and Deci's. When you get down to Flak Grotto, see if Talonflame is there. The old bird has gained some gray feathers in his retirement, but he seems dependable as ever. He can get word to Solemn Meadow faster. Or if you make good time, perhaps even request help from one of the Jade Crest's fast-flying teams."
Rex flung the second bag around his neck with Bristle's. It also dragged on the ground beneath him. Strangely, shoulders were quickly becoming the thing he missed most about being human...
He took a small, smoldering twig from his pitiful attempt at a fire. It barely emitted any glow, but at the very least it would let him see the ground beneath him. Xew dragged himself to his feet again and began attending to his teammates.
With a solemn farewell, Rex set off down the path back to Flak Grotto. It was going to be a very long night.
"Umm.. Roselia? Wake up Roselia! Quick, wake up!"
Bristle woke to Umbreon's panicked whispers as the fox frantically nudged her. "I think he's waking up!"
That got her awake quick. Bristle leapt to her feet and spun towards their prisoner to see... absolutely nothing. It was pitch black in the ruined hall they'd sheltered in.
"What's he doing?" she demanded.
"Just rolling around a bit... I don't think he's fully awake yet," Umbreon reported in a hushed tone.
Bristle scowled. A thin, freshly regrown vine whipped out from her bud and slapped in the Drapion's direction. A muffled groan confirmed she hit.
"Who- grrrarggg..." Drapion groaned as he inhaled the stun spore. He spasmed on the ground, filling the room with a loud scraping sound. "T-the heck is this?"
"Stun spore. You'd do well to remain still, unless you'd like a second serving," Bristle explained coldly.
"Y-you! Crest prey..." he growled. Without hesitation, Bristle shot out a vine and smacked him.
"Shut up. I will be asking the questions. You will answer them, say nothing else, and then I will personally escort you directly to prison."
"Lot of talk from a littl- Augh! You pest!" he shrieked with rage as she smacked him again.
"Honestly, I enjoy doing this. So you can keep talking as long as you'd like. I'll just keep hitting you."
An indignified growl was his only response.
"Good. Now, are you or are you not the spirit of Flak Mountain?" she asked directly. Her eyes were starting to adjust some, and she could make out the Drapion's hulking silhouette now. The beast was massive, twice her or Umbreon's size. But she was the one in control. His overwhelming strength meant nothing to her.
"Spirit of... are you high on your own spores?" he hissed. She smacked him again, getting him right on the face this time. "I'm not a blasted spirit, you glorified meal!"
"So you don't know where Mumble is?" Umbreon asked, bowing her head in defeat.
"What in the skies is a mumble?" he growled.
"I'm asking the questions here!" Bristle stomped her foot to reassert dominance. "Next question: what are you doing up here?"
"What am I- What are you doing up here? This is my territory. I live here!" he roared angrily. "Or is that against one of your little rules now?" he sneered. "Was I a bad Pokémon for not coming down to share food and play games with the bugs and the prey?"
"You violated the rules when you attacked me unprovoked. Your squatting up here is... tacky, but would have been permissible."
Even in the darkness, Bristle could sense the rage incandescing behind Drapion's eyes. "Per... missible? Permissible? Child, perhaps you don't understand," he snarled and shook.
"Uhm... Bristle..." Umbreon started nervously, eyeing the furious Drapion with fear. He was starting to move freely again...
"I don't give a damn what you 'permit'. And I don't give a damn about your rules. You, prey, came into my territory acting aggressively. I followed the only rules I do give a damn about: the rules of nature. You prey can play pretend at being humans all you want. But those of us at the top won't be tricked into bowing down to you. You should have killed me when you had the chance."
He lunged. Umbreon shrieked. But Bristle foresaw the attack, and her buds were in front of her in an instant. With a spray of golden pollen, Drapion slammed to the dirt in front of her, paralyzed once more. He glared up with murderous intent as she calmly stepped back.
"Well, your 'rules of nature' seem to be working out just fine for you," she glared at him coldly. She shot out a vine and smacked him several more times. She needed to vent the adrenaline... he'd shaken off inhaling an entire stun spore so quickly. This monster was impossible to control. She definitely couldn't let him see her anxiety.
Or let Umbreon see it, for that matter. Never good to let a client think she was worried.
"Next question. Do you know anything about the spirit of Flak Mountain? Or the kid with him? You said this is 'your' territory, yes?"
"What is with you prey and fairytales? There is no 'spirit' of Flak Mountain," he growled. "Think I woulda met the guy by now."
Bristle resisted the urge to smack him again, just for his attitude. "We encountered him up here, just a few hours ago. Seems your watch of 'your' territory is lacking. Do you know anything about the Pokémon that was in the ruins or not?"
"Two of 'em, far as I could tell," Drapion answered begrudgingly. "Came up here a few times and camped out in one of the ruins. Seem to teleport in and out."
"Did the Eevee seem okay?" Umbreon blurted anxiously.
Drapion squinted at her. "Eevee? Lady I wasn't keeping watch on 'em. They hid out in the ruin thinking they were sneaky. But the one of 'em had a real loud mouth. That's all I know."
Bristle eyed him closely. That didn't add up with what he'd said before.
"So you let two strangers intrude on 'your' territory, and you did nothing about it? You didn't even check if they were prey?" she asked accusingly.
Drapion's expression wavered momentarily. He quickly regained his cruel veneer. "Wasn't hungry. If they wanted to hang around until I was hungry, all the better."
"I think you're lying," Bristle looked him dead in the eyes.
Drapion dragged himself up on one leg to gain a bit of height and tried to extend his out menacingly. But still paralyzed from the spores, they twitched and hung weakly from his face. "I really couldn't care less what you think, meal."
She rolled her eyes at his pathetic intimidation attempt. "Seems the mighty predator was too afraid to even defend his territory," she jeered. "Suppose its obvious why, considering how well you did against a 'meal' like me." She smacked his face again just to add to the humiliation.
Drapion dragged himself to his feet, powering through the paralysis with sheer anger.
"Listen here you little weed. Leaving them be was a... special exception. Normally I would have torn the both of them into pieces and marked my territory with the blood. If you don't believe that- I'm willin' to demonstrate!"
Drapion lunged again. Less prepared, Bristle barely stumbled backwards as a pincer shattered the ground in front of her.
Drapion didn't hesitate to strike again. His pincer grabbed around Bristle's waist, digging the freshly sealed wounds open again. He opened his maw wide and dragged her closer.
A blast of dark energy stuck his face. He staggered back and dropped Bristle. Umbreon was trembling, but her rings glowed and she looked ready to fight.
"You're- you're outnumbered. Surrender and we'll make this easy," Bristle coughed out. She clutched the massive gash in her side with one of her buds, trying to stem the green fluid leaking out.
"Is that so?" Drapion chuckled smugly. He inhaled sharply.
Bristle knew what came next. Out of instinct her legs unfurled and her roots shot into the dirt.
Drapion let loose a feral roar, the force of it blowing Umbreon back to the far end of the room. Even with her roots ingrained, Bristle struggled to hold her ground against the wind. This Drapion was on another level...
Instinctively Bristle coiled a vine into her bag and poked around for something. Anything. She'd exhausted her blast wand earlier. She had a poor matchup into this Pokémon. And she didn't even have all of her vines regrown yet...
No, this couldn't be hopeless. It didn't matter how bad it was. She would win. She had to win.
Drapion attempted to grab her with his pincer again. The attack was becoming predictable, and Bristle ducked under it, taking the opportunity to slide beneath the beast's belly. She loosed every vine she had left and whipped futilely at his underside. But his chitin was as thick here as anywhere else.
She slide out behind him just in time for his tail pincer to fly down towards her. She rolled out of the way and leapt up to her feet. This thing was lethal from every angle.
Drapion turned to face her again, hatred still permeating from his face. He was clearly still injured from their previous fight. She was too. But raw vehemence kept them moving.
But as soon as she'd glimpsed his face, she lost it in the darkness. Umbreon's glow had vanished from the room. She was alone with Drapion, and couldn't make out more than his vague shape.
"So much for outnumbering me," he growled. "You can pretend to be civilized all you want. When it's life or death, everyone does what makes sense. And a predator dyin' to protect prey... that only makes sense to the prey."
Drapion inhaled again, and Bristle quickly ingrained her roots. But as soon as she did, he stopped and leapt forward. His pincers sunk into her once more, lifting her high off the ground.
"You were obnoxious. Now fulfill your purpose and die." Drapion opened his mouth wide, exposing the dim outlines of countless sharp teeth. He thrust her towards it.
At the last moment a fountain of dirt erupted beneath them, throwing Drapion onto his side. On impact he lost his grasp and Bristle collapsed on the ground a few feet away. Umbreon's soft glow filled the room once more, as the mud-covered fox pulled herself out from the hole.
Bristle struggled to pull herself onto her feet. She could- she could barely move now. But she still had to fight. She couldn't lose- had to keep fighting. She dragged herself onto her shaky legs and stumbled towards Umbreon.
But Umbreon was just starting to relax. Drapion was finally still. The surprise attack had left him unconscious again.
"We need to go. Right now," she instructed Bristle anxiously. "Who knows when he'll be up again?"
Bristle shook her head. She steadied herself, nearly falling from the dizziness. "No... it'll be easier to transport him in the daylight."
Umbreon stared at her in disbelief. "Transport him? Roselia, are you mad? We need to escape before he kills us!"
"He won't be able to kill anyone after we've turned him over to the officers," she mumbled, weakly wrapping her underdeveloped vines around his pincers.
"Roselia! He weighs ten times what you do! And the second he wakes up he's going to start trying to kill us again! We can't bring him all the way back to town!" Umbreon froze. "Oh stars, I can't even imagine the harm he could do if we did bring him to town."
"I beat him! If we let him go now, then what? It won't matter at all. I beat him, and that means I get to hand him over to the officers," she complained weakly. Okay, it didn't make much sense. But right now, not a lot did. Her head was so fuzzy... Were his toxins in her system? Or was it just the exhaustion?
"Roselia you can't haul someone like this back to civilization without a proper team," Umbreon begged desperately. "We're not prepared for this at all. Please, we don't know how long he's going to be down for. Mumble isn't here anymore. We're done."
A team, Bristle thought bitterly to herself. She wanted a team. She had done everything in her power to get a team. But she had to prove herself for anyone to follow her. And whenever she did prove herself, like this, something would always get in the way.
Umbreon was right of course. They were totally unprepared to haul a strong, violent, and most importantly heavy criminal all the way home. But- it just wasn't fair! Why were her victories always ripped away from her?
Grumbling quietly, she retracted her vines and stepped towards the collapsed titan.
"Roselia, please!" Umbreon begged again.
"I know, I know! I'm just doing something first," she snapped. She set to work lining Drapion's face with stun spore again. "This should slow him down if he tries pursuing. I can't see in the dark, so you'll need to keep eyes out for him."
Umbreon's shoulders relaxed. "Oh. Okay, that's a good idea. Thank you, Roselia."
"Of course," she grumbled. "Let's get moving before he wakes up."
As soon as she was certain Drapion would inhale the spores, the duo made their escape and set off back down the mountainside. Both still in desperate need of some rest. It was going to be a very long night.
Dawn was still approaching when Rex caught first sight of Flak Grotto down the mountainside. Just a shadowy crevice in the foothills below, where little wisps of light floated up from the Pokémons' settlement.
The trek back down had been unpleasant- he was exhausted and anxious. It was impossible to keep from tripping in the dim light, though at least it wasn't a far fall at his height. And the constant sound all around him... What was it Umbreon had said? A Pokémon with no training could fall prey to ferals?
In a rare stroke of mercy, none had bothered him. They were definitely there. He could hear them. Though perhaps the ones he couldn't hear were the scarier thought. But apparently he hadn't looked like too easy a prey.
He could have just stayed at the inn this morning. Sure, it might have been a little boring. But what had he expected, getting tangled up in all this craziness again? Naturally this was going to happen!
If he hadn't have come though, Team Pride might have... Eugh, fine. It was better that he came. He knew that. But what a sorry reward for saving them... Being stuck as the only person who could stop this. After all, what else was he supposed to do? Let a village full of people burn?
On the verge of dawn, he made his way down into the grotto. It was a beautiful place at this hour. Steeped in darkness between two cliffs, orange glows emerged from the windows to faintly illuminate the wall murals. The streets were empty, making the long corridor feel like a serene sort of gallery.
But Rex had no time for art appreciation, and certainly wasn't feeling peaceful. Examining each doorway closely, he picked out the inn in the dark. He entered and paused, waiting for the sentinel innkeeper to rise as always.
After a moment of hesitation, Claydol did spin to life and rise into the air. Each passing eye examined Rex curiously. "I did not expect you to return at such an early hour. Team Pride is not with you."
Rex just shook his head. He didn't have the time or energy to explain. "They'll be back later. Is Talonflame in town?"
Claydol's head clicked back and forth. "No. I suspect Talonflame is at home in Tranquil Knoll."
Rex let out a heavy sigh. His march would continue for a few hours more. Once he got to Solemn Meadow and gave his warning, then he could finally crash. Maybe they had an inn there? If not, he could probably bum a favor off of Leafeon... He was saving their farm after all.
What were they even going to do with this warning, anyways? They had a day. Dig trenches? Prepare water? Come to think of it...
"Hey, Claydol. Any water guys live here?"
"Water types. The only resident water type is Wimpod," he said and then paused. "After re-evaluation. I am uncertain if he counts as a resident."
Rex rolled his eyes. That was a reassuring name if he had ever heard one. "Where can I find him?"
"Wimpod makes his... residence in a pile of rubble in the northern end of the grotto. It is unmarked and lacks a clear entrance. I suspect it is a naturally occurring landslide. Furthermore, I assume this matter is related to your trip with Team Pride," Claydol stated.
"Yeah, someone-" Rex paused to let out a huge yawn. "Someone announced they're gonna burn down Solemn Meadow or something. Gonna go warn them. Figured it might help to bring water types."
Claydol's rotating eyes all widened. "That is a serious concern. You are surprisingly nonchalant on this matter."
Rex rubbed his own face with a groan. "I'm just... tired, man," he grumbled. That and the fact that none of this involved him at all...
"I suspect Wimpod will be of little use to you. However, when the villagers awaken I will inform them of the threat and attempt to gather an aid force. The plethora of rock and ground types making residence here would be effective at fire response. I will require details about the timeframe."
"Two days- " Rex answered, and then immediately frowned when he realized the time. "I guess tomorrow, actually. And what's wrong with this wimpy guy?"
"Wimpod's demeanor is exceedingly cowardly. Getting him to approach danger will be virtually impossible."
"Figures. I'll give it a shot on the way out. But I need to get going. It's a few hours walk and I'm on the verge of falling asleep."
Claydol clicked his head in a nod. "Thank you for the information. I will attempt to gather assistance. I will also assure that someone sends word to Tranquil Knoll."
Rex almost wished he wouldn't. If Bristle heard about this, she'd definitely stick her nose in it. And he'd put money on her somehow starting a second fire.
Plans all sorted, Rex set out for the deepest part of the chasm. A landslide, huh? He was used to Pokémon just kind of living wherever, but that hardly sounded comfortable.
The doors and windows along the chasm walls thinned out as he approached the depths, until soon the only light was the dim glow of dawn above. The walls melted away into steep slopes of loose stone and chunks of clay. Nothing here even began to resemble a home.
"Uh... Wimpod?" Rex called out in defeat. He wasn't expecting much. "Anyone here?"
He waited a moment for a response. But no one came. He let out a sigh, which turned into a yawn. Whatever. He didn't have the energy for this. He started to walk away, when a nasally voice spoke up.
"Y-yes? I'm- I'm here," a voice whispered so faintly he barely heard it. Rex scanned the area. No one was there. "O-over here..."
Following the muttering, Rex caught sight of it peeking out from betwixt some rubble. It was an athropod no more than a few inches tall, but several times as wide. Looked kinda nasty, but at least it was smaller than him for once.
"You're a water-type, right?"
"Well- well yes, I am," it muttered. It was still cautiously hiding in the cracks. It was a pretty good hiding spot for a supposed coward. Rex could probably barely fit a claw in there, and who knew how deep the creases ran.
"Well, there's threats of someone starting a fire in Solemn Meadow tomorrow. I uh, I ain't got any money, but if you're able to help somehow the residents would probably reward you. You guys can like... shoot water, or something, right?"
"A- a fire?! Oh... That sounds... dangerous. There's uhm... a lot of good people, in Solemn Meadow... I hope no one gets hurt, but..." He shrank back further into his hole. "Shouldn't the professionals handle it and not uhm- not me. Yes, no fire for me..."
"We don't have time for the professionals. Got the warning on short notice. I mean if you can make water, just that would probably be useful. Can fill buckets or something. Don't need to be on the front line."
"Oh, right. But- what if the ferals panic and attack? Or what if the fire is just a distraction for something else awful? Oh- there's a lot of things that could go wrong..." He squeezed his eyes tight.
Rex just sighed. Unsurprising. "Whatever. Thanks anyways," he muttered and turned to leave. Claydol would hopefully come through. And if he didn't, it wasn't his problem. He'd tried.
As soon as he took a few paces, Wimpod spoke up again louder. "But- but this is serious, isn't it? People could get hurt..."
"Yes, fires are in fact dangerous," Rex grumbled sarcastically, rubbing his face with impatience.
"And- and if I was there... If I was uhm- If I was in danger too... Things could be better though, right? Better than if I wasn't, I mean."
"I mean, hypothetically? I'm not a psychic dude. Do you want to help or not?"
"Yes," Wimpod squeaked immediately.
"Then come on already. I'm on a tight schedule," Rex motioned impatiently.
Wimpod only sunk further into his crack. "I can't. I- I can't."
"And why not?"
"I'm- I'm afraid... I- I don't just mean like, I'm a bit afraid. I mean like- if I see danger, I can barely move."
"Then you don't want to come."
"No!" Wimpod immediately shouted. He cringed. "I- I do want to help... I- I should help, right? I can help... they need help..." he muttered to himself. "I just- I can't... if I see fire I'll run. If I see anything I'll run. I don't want to run! I hate it I hate it I hate!" He flailed his head in frustration.
Rex was too fatigued for this. "Listen dude, I'm not your therapist. I can't talk you into not being terrified. If you go running, it's probably not any worse than just not helping in the first place. I've got to go. Come if you want. Or don't."
Rex turned to leave again. After a few steps he heard the faint whisper, "I'll- I'll come..."
The bug dislodged himself from the rocks, revealing that he was almost entirely flat. He winced when Rex looked at him, but then scuttled up to his feet.
"I'll do what I can... I'm- I'm sorry I can't do more."
Rex nodded and muttered his thanks. He figured the bug would go running before they made it to Solemn Meadow, but it was no skin off his back. And hey, if they got the whole way there, at the very least it might be able to fill up some water buckets or something. More than anything, he just appreciated someone to keep him awake for the remainder of the trek.
The sun finally peeking over the horizon, they set out to warn the meadow with Wimpod's constant whimper trailing behind them.
