Chapter 26: Exposed
"I hate it here. I hate it here. I hate it here."
Rex shivered vigorously and repeated his mantra on loop, as if annoying Bristle to the verge of snapping was providing a tiny bit of warmth in his chest.
The tranquil, snow-cloaked Everrime Town in the far north had proven an ideal candidate for Rex's scheme. It was an inconvenient location for any other guild, but only a short jaunt for Hoopa, and their advertisements had drawn eyes here. But Rex could barely stand the climate for the minutes it took to retrieve job requests.
"Will you shut up already?" Bristle hissed, her gaze focused on the bulletin board. She tore one job off, that had been pinned directly below their ad. Two more were waiting. And yet, she kept staring at them in confusion.
"F-for the love of g-god, what's the m-matter and why can't we w-worry about it at home?" he snapped, hugging his arms tight to preserve warmth.
"It's been almost a week. There's been half a dozen jobs. And not one of them is Shiver Chasm," she muttered, eyes narrow. "That's the closest mystery dungeon."
"S-so? L-let's just find Hoopa," he pleaded.
Bristle stamped her foot. "Stop being a baby! I'm the grass type here. Come on, I want to ask someone about this." She stormed off towards a cozy-looking cabin building before he could protest.
He briefly considered finding Hoopa and bailing on her, but the billowing smokestack atop the building was enough of a promise. Rex dropped to all fours and skittered after her.
They pushed into a small dining room, simple tables set up at varying heights. A Vanillite and an ice-Vulpix sat together by one, chowing away at small slices of bread with a berry-scented aroma. A display was set up on the front counter with sketches of more baked goods and hot drinks.
And most importantly of all: the heat of the hearth hit Rex like a wall as he stepped inside.
"Just a moment!" a gruff voice called from a back kitchen, behind the counter. Shortly after, a hulking Beartic stepped out and folded his arms to greet them. "What can I serve you two?"
"We're just here for information," Bristle answered curtly.
Rex raised a claw in note. "I'd also like a twisted roll and a..." Rex squinted at the short menu and noted a disappointing lack of coffee. "...Hot chocolate."
Beartic seemed uninterested until Rex made an order. "Will just be a few minutes. What did you need to know?" He turned his head to Bristle.
"Shiver Chasm. Has something happened there?" she asked. "I noticed there's been no job requests."
There was a flash of surprise behind his stoic facade. But then he just grunted and nodded his head towards the children chatting at one of the tables.
"Those two can answer better than I can. I'll have your food out in a few," he said. Then he disappeared back into the kitchen.
Rex and Bristle shot each other a glance, before Rex shrugged and turned to face the children. Before he could open his mouth, he noticed something odd. Two appropriately-sized chairs were already pulled out at the table next to the Vulpix and Vanillish, as if inviting them to sit down.
Hesitantly, he took one seat as Bristle grabbed the other. She made no delay in turning it around to bother the kids.
"Excuse me. Vulpix, Vanillish?" Bristle called. The sets of wide eyes turned to her, surprised to be addressed. "Can you answer a question for me?"
There were quiet, hesitant nods.
"Did something happen at Shiver Chasm recently?"
Vulpix's eyes went even wider and he nodded slowly. "Shiver Chasm is gone..." he muttered meekly.
"Gone?" she asked in alarm. "What do you mean by gone?"
Vulpix shuffled in place a bit, glancing at Vanillish warily a moment. "We were playing out by the edges of the chasm and we saw a big, weird Gardevoir wandering in. We thought she was a delver, so we followed her to see what kinda gear she had..."
Vanillish nodded along. "But Vulpix went too far, and the dungeon snapped him up when we tried to back off."
Vulpix shrank back a bit, a shameful look on his face. "I kept walking, hoping I'd get lucky... Then all of a sudden, it got really dark and- uh- I could feel it all... moving around me," he gulped. "When it settled it was pitch black, and I could feel open air ahead of me, and a wall behind, so I just... stayed put. Until the delvers came to save me."
Vanillish shot his friend a sympathetic look before glancing up at them. "Didn't he already tell you guys this stuff?"
Rex tilted his head at them for a moment before the recognition clicked. "Oh, no. Did you guys speak with the Jade Crest? We're not with them."
That earned some surprise, as the two kids seemed to reevaluate them.
"Did you see anything else? Did you ever find the weird Gardevoir?" Bristle demanded.
The duo recoiled from her intensity and Vulpix clammed up. For five seconds. Ten seconds. Bristle staring daggers into him was somehow failing to help the situation.
Rex rolled his eyes and shoved her aside. "Hey, just relax buddy. We're just curious about this all. You haven't done anything wrong."
Vulpix stared back nervously another few moments before answering Rex only. "She found us."
Rex nodded gently. "And then what did she do?" he asked, fearing the answer.
"She startled the Granbull and he fell. Then she uhm... saved him. She apologized and told them not to try and find her. Then she was just... gone."
Rex leaned back and his brow furrowed. This was weird. He'd suspected Faith had done something awful, like she had to him and Bristle. But she sounded... lucid. Had her corruption worsened since?
"A Granbull. Team Poise," Bristle muttered. "Those delvers must have been her teammates. Which means... the Jade Crest knew where to find her. My parents mentioned dungeons disappearing as well. It sounds like they're investigating it too."
Rex's brow furrowed further. But the nervous shuffling of Vulpix and Vanillish sent him back to reality, and his expression softened.
"Sorry about all this. We didn't mean to interrupt your lunch. Thanks for telling us, though," he said, pulling his chair back to let them return to themselves. After an anxious look, they did.
"Well, I guess point to you on this o-" Rex stopped as he turned around to face their own table. His roll and drink were sitting on a platter in front of them. He blinked twice. "Err, Bristle? When did this get here?"
She finally broke her stare at the children to look over as well, to a similar response. "I... don't know? I don't imagine Beartic is that quiet?" she answered, staring at the enormous bear in the front.
Beartic seemed to notice their reaction and growled. "''Rora! What did I tell you about playing games with new customers?"
A soft giggle filled the air as a Froslass faded into view by the table. "Sorry, sir!" she called back. She leaned into the duo with a small smile. "I hope I wasn't too much of a bother..." she whispered. Then she floated backwards and faded away again.
Rex stared confused at the empty space for a moment, before sharing a glance with Bristle and shrugging. Not the weirdest thing he'd seen. Though, it did give him an idea, which he stowed away for later.
"The Crest. I think it's about time I see it for myself," he said, getting back on task. "They have information about this."
Bristle raised an eye at him. "Wasn't the whole point that you didn't think the Crest would let you be involved with this? Why would they tell you anything?"
A sly smile curled up on Rex's face. "Who said I was going to ask?"
Light flooded into a once-dark alley, as an open field replaced the adjacent wall. A lanky, purple-furred Pokémon recoiled, shielding its eyes from the light with long claws. Rex, Bristle, and Clicks stepped through into the alleyway, and moments later the wall was back where it belonged.
"Hey! Watch it with the lightshow!" the purple Pokémon hissed down at them with a nasty glare.
Bristle took one inspecting glance up and rolled her eyes. "You don't own the alleys, Sneasler."
Sneasler folded her arms and tilted her head condescendingly. "That depends who you ask, ma'am. Stay in your zone."
Rex watched this petty catfight with a blank apathy for a few moments before grabbing Bristle's arm. "This really is not wor- YOWCH!"
Rex yelped and pulled his claw away. There were now several thorns protruding from Bristle's arm where he'd grabbed her.
"Stop touching me," she muttered, as the thorns withdrew into her leafy skin. She shot Sneasler one last dirty look before starting to walk towards the street. "But fine, let's go."
Sneasler grinned smugly down at Rex and Clicks as they did the same. She was either deeply amused with his pain, her perceived victory, or both.
Rex's eyes widened as he stepped out onto the open streets and took in Sapsion City for the first time. The long, stretching cobbled street was adorned on both sides by mismatched buildings of every shape and color. Countless signs of escalating flamboyance, advertising everything from 'Golduck's Pottery' to 'Inky's Edible Art Emporium'.
And the people were equally as diverse, ranging from hulking titans to skittering insects. All sharing the same streetside with surprisingly few people stepped on- though that wasn't to say none. A fact which likely contributed to all the shouting, and arguing, and talking, and laughing, and playing which weaved throughout the crowd without so much as drawing an eye.
It was complete and utter chaos.
"First time in the city, huh?" Bristle snorted. Rex opened his mouth to retort, before realizing she wasn't looking at him.
"Yesyes..." Clicks mumbled back, eyes wide and starry and whiskers twitching frantically. "It's everything I imagined. I must-find suppliers. And- and the gates! I simply must-see the gates, if I am-to complete my assignment!"
"Assignment?" Bristle eyed him skeptically.
His head flew up and down frantically. "Affirmative! Rex has given me-my first directive!"
Before Bristle could interrogate him, a large, humanoid bird slammed into her, both bouncing off of each other. The bird shot her an almost feral squawk of anger before storming past in a huff. The sight didn't turn a single head.
"Doesn't watch where he's going and then gets mad at you about it. Yep, seems like city-living," Rex noted dryly. "Alright, Hoop-who-shall-not-be-named told us to meet back at the same spot at sundown. Me and Bristle are gonna go check out the Crest. Clicks, you... do whatever it is you do."
Clicks gave a manic nod again, content with those clear instructions. He skittered off alone, down the hill, while Rex and Bristle set their eyes and their path upwards.
Rex couldn't decide if the streets were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen, or one of the most surprisingly mundane. On one hand, the array of Pokémon was even stranger than he'd expected- with him at several points witnessing fish swimming through the air in suspended streams of water. But on the other, many of the storefronts were familiar- restaurants, bookstores, accessory shops.
Every so often though a particular one would raise his eyes, like a place which at first glance appeared to be a cafe- until one realized that as opposed to drinks they were instead bringing out large pots of a dark, rich soil. Several Pokémon- which were all more plant than animal- were resting inside them out front. …And one or two non-plant Pokémon were there, eating the soil instead.
Rex resolved not to question that one, and his momentary temptation to ask Bristle if she'd enjoy a delicious pot of soil was silenced by the gentle throb of the small thorn pricks still on his claws.
Perhaps the most interesting sight was their destination- the towering castle spires of green and white that sat at the city's crest. His emotions fluttered between awe at the pristine beacon, and profound amusement that Bristle thought she could compete with it.
It seemed a bit less funny when he remembered he'd signed up to compete with it too.
If Rex's amazement grew as they approached, Bristle's comfort rapidly shrank. Her eyes flitted at every Pokémon they passed with a little green badge. And increasingly, they looked back with surprise.
"How long do we have to be here?" she asked, leading him quickly through the central courtyard. They could see the tall mission board ahead- and the afternoon crowd around it.
"Depends how many f'ing flights of stairs I have to go up," Rex muttered in response, the awe vanishing as he craned his neck up one of the spires. "Who's most likely to be tracking this, and where would they keep records on it?"
Bristle frowned disapprovingly. "You really want to do this, instead of just... asking them?"
A smug, toothy grin curled on his face and his tail gave a cocky smack against the floor. "And risk dealing with lies, half-answers, or outright refusal? Nah, I'd really rather just skip straight to the truth before they know we're looking. Trust me, I feel... confident in this," he said, the fact surprising him a bit.
She continued glaring at him, as if hoping it would make him back down, before finally letting her posture relax. "Ninetales Lore. He'd keep any records in his study. Top floor of the fire tower. That way," she pointed a flower towards one of the lobby exits. "I can't go with you. I'll... attract attention," she muttered, casting a bitter glance at the crowd around her. A few curious peers were sent in return.
"And remember-" she added in a hiss. "If you get in trouble, I'm not bailing you out. You're on your own."
Rex was already scampering away, sparing one claw to wave her off dismissively. He didn't need her to bail him out. He'd done this plenty of times before.
His eyes widened a bit at that thought. He'd... done this before? That was a memory, wasn't it? But it wasn't a memory- just an instinct.
He wasn't sure what to make of that. And his eyes caught a penguin-like creature eyeing him like a weirdo as he crawled absent-mindedly into the stairwell on all fours. He couldn't dwell on it now. He needed his game face- that was what those instincts told him.
He pulled up to a bipedal stance as he started up the stairs- moving to the right where a more shallow set existed for shorter species. He straightened his back out, adjusted his bag, and put on an expression that was just slightly nervous. Apparently new recruits often dropped in and out of the Crest as they tried out the delver life. His presence wasn't likely to be noticed, as long as he looked the part. He was missing a badge, but that could easily be chalked up to a rookie's mistake.
As Rex clambered up the endless stairs, two problems occurred to him. One- he was not in the fire tower, judging by the lightning symbols regularly posted at each level of the spire. Two- this was a lot of stairs.
He'd have to leave this stairwell sooner or later, so lacking any better option he pushed through the next doorway he passed. He arrived in a small, circular lounge centered on the stairwell. A handful of Pokémon rested on small mats, chatting or reading or playing games. Doors lined the perimeter of the room, all marked with team names. He'd arrived in the living quarters. The arrangements seemed fairly nice, so likely not for rookies. Which meant...
Rex immediately increased the anxiousness in his look and clutched his bag closer. He let his eyes dart around the room like he was lost, and within seconds someone took the bait.
"Hey rookie, you lookin' for something?" A cat-like creature with white-fur and red streaks had looked up from its book and called over to him.
Rex nodded hesitantly. "I'm uh... Supposed to find my room in the fire tower?"
The creature raised an eye, setting its book down. "Fire tower? Ain't no rookie housing in there."
He cringed and forced on a pitiful look. "R-really? I coulda sworn it was the fire tower... They gave us so many locations, all at once, and they got all tangled up in my head... Fire tower must have been something else, and the water tower must have been the rooms, and the grass tower..." he trailed off muttering.
"Fire tower is cafeteria. Grass tower would be your housing. No idea what they were sending you to the water tower for." The creature sighed. He pointed a claw down a hallway that led out of the lobby. "That skywalk will take you directly to the grass tower. If you need to reach the cafeteria, go down two floors and there's a skywalk to the fire tower there."
"Oh! Thank you!" Rex perked right up, internally cursing the asinine construction of this castle.
"Mhm," the creature mumbled, lying back down and snatching its book up again.
Rex set straight off, admiring the view of the castle courtyard from the skywalk windows as he crossed over. He proceeded down two floors as instructed and found himself in a similar lobby- albeit much busier. The rooms around the edge also seemed far tighter packed, suggesting he had indeed found rookie housing.
He took a step towards the skywalk to the fire tower when he locked eyes with someone coming the other way. Someone who knew he shouldn't be here.
For a moment, Rex convinced himself it was a coincidence and that this had to be some other Skiddo. But from the way Alek was staring back at him with the same surprise, it clearly wasn't.
Rex shifted to the side to conceal the lack of a green badge that Alek was clearly searching for.
"Uhm, Rex?" he asked hesitantly.
Rex had half a mind to say no, but in a moment of weakness his surprise had given him away. If he walked off now, he'd only garner more suspicion.
"It's Alek, right?" Rex asked in return with a slight standoffishness.
The Skiddo scraped his hoof against the floor and shot a nervous glance about. "Yeah... I didn't know you came around here," he muttered.
Rex's eyes narrowed. He could sense something was off here. There was an air of fear, or perhaps guilt, about the little green goat.
"I don't often. I came to meet with someone."
Quickly, he formulated a more detailed lie in his head in case Alek pushed, but to his fortune the Skiddo just nodded meekly.
"Ah." There was a moment of tense silence before he blurted- "How long are you gonna be here for?"
"Not too long."
There was another silence. Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. It wasn't that Alek was on to him. Light trespassing in an unguarded dormitory wouldn't earn this kind of response from a timid stranger. But Rex couldn't afford to push it right now. He had to focus on one thread at a time.
When the silence didn't break, Rex just continued walking. Alek stayed frozen in place, watching him as he went, before finally working up the nerve to shout after him-
"Wait! Uhm... One thing, Rex! Is that uh- is that your real name?" He cringed immediately after asking it.
Rex couldn't help but let the surprise register on his face as he glanced back. Even if it was pointless now, he stuffed it down behind a neutral facade.
"Yes."
He turned and kept walking. He could hear the clop of Alek's hooves walking away at a hurried pace behind him. Yes, something was very wrong. One thread at a time- but he'd need to move fast before whatever that was came back to bite him.
Far-too-many-f'in-stairs-later and Rex had reached the pinnacle of the fire tower, where massive wooden doors awaited, inscribed with an elaborate mural of a many-tailed fox, bathed in flame. Which, by Bristle's account, would be the Lorekeeper himself.
Rex set an ear to the crack of the doors and listened carefully for a full minute for any hint of noise inside. Fortunately, it sounded unoccupied. Just a quick slip in, find evidence, and get out before anyone came by. He set a claw against the doors, gave a gentle push, and...
EEEEEECCCCCCKKKK
Rex clenched his teeth as the creak of the door echoed down the stairs behind him. He froze in place and listened in silence... but no footsteps came. He darted through the crack without pushing any further, leaving the door ajar behind him rather than risking shutting it again.
The study inside was dim, with only a few small windows pouring light in from the domed ceiling. Bookshelves lined the room- including a back loft- and several more populated the center. A cozy looking stuffed bedding sat abandoned by the fireplace, with a hearty stack of marked books beside it.
His mind immediately grasped for the important things. There was only one exit, meaning if someone came, escape would be impossible. Limited hiding spaces, especially if the open door gave him away. If he was caught he'd need to talk his way out of it- which meant preparing a story.
Near the front of the room he caught sight of a small ledger, with names of what he assumed were books as well as Pokémon or teams. It seemed the study operated as a makeshift library as well. He probably wasn't supposed to be here unattended, but he could feign ignorance.
That left his lack of a badge... He'd asked Bristle to give him her old one, but she'd flatly refused that request. He'd just have to figure something out. He shot another glance at the ledger and stole a team name- specifically picking a rookie one- to use for later and set to work.
The books by the fireplace first. He picked them up one by one to investigate. Fairytales. History. A few where he couldn't tell the two apart… If there was a deeper trend, it was hard to tell what it was. Maybe monsters?
Rex carefully set them back exactly as he'd found them and turned his eyes closer to the hearth. One final book lay beside it- old and weathered, but clearly cared for and placed apart with reverence. A large rolled up sheet was propped up against the fireplace beside it.
He didn't dare pick the book up, fearing any slight disturbance would be noticed. As his claws lifted the cover open he realized it was bookmarked in two spots. A quick flip through showed it was a compendium of sorts. Diagrams and descriptions of Pokémon without names, and explanations of their 'banishment'. 'Mavericks', it called them.
The cause of the bookmarks was obvious- in two separate spots pages had been torn cleanly from the book. Rex wasn't sure what to make of that, and a quick glance around suggested those pages weren't anywhere nearby. He took a quick scan of the surrounding context, in case it turned up relevant, and very carefully set the book exactly as he'd found it.
So far, none of this had been helpful. Even if it was related to Faith and Eternatus, none of this meant anything to him and he didn't have time to piece it all together. He finally reached for the rolled-up sheet and quickly unfolded it.
It was a large map of Trespis, and a heavily marked-up one at that. Mystery dungeons were marked and labeled, many with notes scrawled beneath in ink. But most notably, there were two chains of them circled with lines connecting them together.
A chain in red ink started at Shiver Chasm and stretched all over the continent without a clear pattern- passing through Flak Hollows near the end. A date was marked under each dungeon in the chain.
A similarly dated chain ran between dungeons in blue ink. Seeing Rolling Fields and Ashen Glade near the end of it, Rex had a sneaking suspicion what that chain was for.
Rex silently cursed the lack of smartphone cameras as he traced the dungeon chains repeatedly with his eyes, committing the names and orders to memory. The dates would be a lost cause, but he tried to get a general sense for the frequency.
Then he heard it- the faint patter of footfalls on the stairs. Muttering another curse he rapidly rolled the map back up and—
Lore was pleased with how things were going with the humans. Fortunately he hadn't seemed to have offended them too much, after Natalie's initial scare. In spite of how little they seemed to know, their information had been invaluable.
And being able to openly prod them about human culture was a huge bonus, too.
But anything pleased about his mood vanished when he returned to find his study door ajar and heard the careless rustling of someone inside. If there was one thing one should not dare to tamper with, it was his study!
He pushed furiously inside to catch the culprit red-handed- a Helioptile patrolling over one of his collection, clutching curiously at a book from one of the lower shelves. They jolted at the creak of the door and turned to face him, looking friendly for all of a second before his fury registered. After a moment of visible panic his claw shot to his head in salute.
"Oh, uhm, sir!" he reported with alarm and confusion.
Lore's eyes narrowed, and a snarl formed on his lips instinctually. Without meaning to, he stepped forward with a predatorial march. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
Helioptile was practically quivering at this point, shrinking back against the bookcase. "W-well, Team Scarf Scouts has been asking me to join them l-lately, and I w-wanted to check out the guildhall. And they said there was a l-library and I thought I kinda liked reading so I wanted to check it out," he squeaked.
Lore let out a low growl. It was always the rookies. "Library". Like his study was a public service that they could pop their heads into at any moment. He'd be having a talk with Team Scarf Scouts about this.
"My study is strictly off-limits without supervision," he growled. "And only registered Crest members may check out books."
"U-understood, sir!" the Helioptile yelped, quickly stepping back and returning the book he was holding to its place.
Lore puffed smoke from his nostrils and forced himself to relax a bit. The kid seemed to get the point. "It's Lore. Ninetales Lore. Now, run along then. Go find your friends. If you join the Crest and want to take out a book, come back when I am here to speak to me."
The Helioptile nodded fervently and scampered out as though he were escaping death. Lore let out a sigh and shook his head. Perhaps he'd gotten a bit too worked up, but really. After seeing the Book of Mavericks damaged, he was on edge about people tampering in his study.
Lore made his way to the back and glanced at his stack of pending research reads. He nearly spat an ember into the fireplace and got started on it when the sun caught his eye in the window above. It was nearly noon. And it was news day. He shot a look back towards the doorway. It wouldn't hurt for him to grab a drink and catch Sage's most recent reports. His job required him to know what was going on, after all.
He pulled the study doors shut properly this time and set off once more.
Rex made his way down the stairs feeling all-too-pleased with himself. A clean getaway, and useful information. The only thing stopping him from self-congratulating too much was desperately needing to commit that map to memory.
That good mood carried with him as he made his way back into the central lobby and scanned the crowd for Bristle. It took him a moment to find her, because she was hidden in the center of a new, smaller crowd. She was crouched in a fighting stance, flowers at the ready, and seemingly prepared to fight her way through them all.
That sent him into a panic- they couldn't afford the attention- and he began to weave between Pokémon to get to her.
"You actually beat that 'spirit' Houndoom creep down?"
"Hey, why'd you leave, anyways, Bristle?"
"What's the Helioptile like? Is he normal, or can you… tell?"
She was being swarmed with questions, despite clearly having gone too feral to answer any of them. It wasn't until Rex pushed into the center with her that she reacted with anything more than a growl. Her eyes shot wide.
"We need to get out of here. Now," she hissed, scanning the crowd for a gap.
Before Rex could figure out what was going on, every set of eyes in the crowd had snapped to him. And then, three people at once—
"Helioptile, are you really a human?"
For half a second, the crowd went silent as Rex's heart stopped. How… had… Did they all know?!
Rex recovered from his momentary flinch and his face scrunched into a tight scowl. Rather than answer his neck snapped towards Bristle, silently demanding an answer.
She pointed a flower towards the mission board, which had changed since he'd gone upstairs. The missions had been relegated to one section of it, whereas a newsfeed and a few other itinerary items had taken over the rest of it.
Rex pointedly shoved his way through the crowd, ignoring the cacophony of questions as they trailed behind him. He pushed his way up to the board, only gaining more of an entourage as he went. He skimmed down the news feed until—
"Ex-Crest Member and Alleged Human save town of Solemn Meadow from Unknown Assailant"
Rex let out a long string of curses under his breath as he read on, reading through a recounting of his own false version of events followed by descriptions of Bristle and himself, citing her as a 'former prodigy' of the Crest and himself an 'alleged human savior' by 'anonymous sources'.
The crowd had mostly given up asking questions, but Rex could still feel all of their eyes on him. And he could see each new set of eyes on him in turn as the Pokémon alongside him finished reading the board. And as he looked at that group, he noticed someone else among them for the first time. A certain nine-tailed fox he'd just recently escaped.
As soon as Rex looked at Lore, Lore looked down from the news feed and back at him in surprise. There was a moment of mutual realization as everything else seemed to disappear. The lies that had worked back in the study were about to be under a lot more scrutiny.
Rex turned and ran.
"W-wait! Hold on a moment!" Lore called indignantly after him.
On all fours, Rex bolted as fast as he could out the mission hall, ditching the crowd while they were too surprised to follow, and leaving Bristle to catch up with him later. Straight through the courtyard he ran, then out the front gates, darting around Pokémon and earning angered shouts.
At that point he finally stole a glance behind him.
The Lorekeeper had been startled for a moment, but he was now in hot pursuit. And the old bookworm was fast, his tails trailing behind him like a spread of ribbons.
Rex's eyes shot forward and he didn't dare look back again as he descended down the hill into the city streets. There were wide eyes, startled leaps, and yelps as he weaved through the crowd. And even louder cries further behind, as the larger fox tore past them as well.
Rex darted towards the densest crowd he could see, hoping to be lost among the bigger Pokémon. He shoved his way past a Poliwhirl into a tight cluster crowded around a small stage, where a floating fan with a face screamed eagerly about his latest products.
He squirmed deeper and deeper, like pushing his way into a cave made of people. Shoving into a tight crowd like this, his anxiety over his small stature began to kick up, as the sea of legs and torsos threatened to trample him in their excitement. The air felt stuffy and thick. Hard to breath, and his chest tightened up.
But the shouts and complaints behind meant he wasn't safe yet. So he dug deeper.
Rex took a huge breath as he pushed out the other side of the crowd, the congestion thinning until he wasn't threatened any more. A stolen glance behind showed no sign of Lore but shifting within the cluster of people.
Without a second thought, he darted down the nearest alley. He scrambled past a dumpster, past a startled Torracat, and into the adjacent street. Things were calmer here, so he slowed his stride, blended into the crowd, and prayed the Ninetales kept running down the other street.
He strolled for just a fraction of a minute, stealing glances behind him, before Lore wandered out of the alley at a hurried pace- snout to the ground, and sniffing aggressively. A jarring contrast from his usual dignified look.
Rex muttered a curse and picked up the pace. With the fox tracking his scent, he'd never get away, but at least they were slower this way.
He pushed further down the street, fast enough to gain distance but slow enough not to draw attention. Dead ahead of him was a large park, taking up the equivalent of a few city blocks. Even from afar he could already see the flashes and motion of several Pokémon engaged in fights, and the large birds roosting in the trees.
He entered a small path into the park and more oddities became apparent. The path was barely a path at all, so much as a narrow gap between the brush on either side. This was less like a park, and more like someone had transplanted a patch of wilderness into the middle of the city. And the Pokémon occupying it played the part of ferals- climbing up trees, napping in the dirt, and running and chasing each other through the brush.
Rex kept pushing deeper into the transposed forest. The park was alive with the sounds of constant motion. He yelped as a dinosaur-like creature flew across the path in front of him, and he scurried faster. A blast of… something followed it behind him. His eyes caught movement above him, as he caught sight of a round owl-like creature tracking their motions from a tree-branch.
Weird. It was all just weird. He kept pushing through until he hit a wall. Perhaps fifteen feet tall, and he could see the city streets continue above. He examined his little lizard claws and smiled. Perfect.
Rex made his way over to the nearest tree beside the wall and sank his claws into the bark. He stretched his other arm over, sank that one in too, and- after several yanks- moved his first claw up on the tree. He began to haul himself up the tree this way. He was unfamiliar with climbing in this body, and it was slow-going, but it was something the large fox couldn't do. A chance to lose him.
Just as he'd managed to get high enough to throw himself over the wall and onto the upper streetside, Lore came sniffing rapidly into view. Rex couldn't resist a smug grin back down at the fox before he fled.
The Lorekeeper caught sight of him just before he vanished. "Oh blast it all, will you stop running! This is ridiculous," he growled.
But Rex was already gone.
Some small part of him told him this was ridiculous. He was already in the news- he wasn't getting out of this forever. And now his trespassing had become resisting arrest, or whatever the law was here. But a louder part told him he just needed to flee.
Problem was, his only escape was Hoopa. He'd have to pray the imp was back already, waiting for him. He darted from street to street, trying to figure out where the alley they'd meet was. He was moving faster now but trying to avoid drawing attention.
Finally he was saved by a particular soil-eating shop that he recognized from their walk up. Finally having his bearings, he rushed down the street and darted in the alley they'd arrived in.
"Hoopa! Hoopa, are you here?" he hissed. "We gotta go now!"
"Geez kid, you got into trouble that fast?" a voice called back that was distinctly not Hoopa's. Sneasler stepped out of the dark, claws on her hip and a smug grin on her face. "I'm half tempted to offer you a job. But I won't. Beat it."
Rex staggered back with a grimace. This bitch was a bit more worrying without Bristle. He couldn't hide here and pray for Hoopa to come back early, and he had the sense that the Lorekeeper wouldn't give up his hunt in the city.
Whatever choice he wanted to make, it was cut short by a growling behind him. He turned his back to Sneasler to see Lore at the mouth of the alleyway, back-arched and tails splayed wide as his mouth curled into a feral growl.
"You. You have made quite the game of this," he hissed. Rex's heart raced as the Ninetales prowled into the alleyway, leaving him with the awful sensation that they were about to pounce and eat him.
"H-how did you even get here this fast?" Rex demanded with a scowl as he backed up nervously. He felt his back hit something soft and his head shot up to see Sneasler towering over him, arms folded and a shit-eating grin on her face.
"Stairs. A thirty second's jog from where you ran off. Perhaps don't try to outmaneuver me in a city I've known for centuries human," he snarled.
Before Rex could respond, a pair of enormous claws grabbed around him like tongs and lifted him from the ground. Struggle as he might, he could barely budge between Sneasler's claws as she held him up.
"Human?" she snorted. "Man, I'm getting the full show today."
Lore seemed to take notice of Sneasler for the first time, his scowl turning upwards to appraise her. As he did, it only deepened, becoming something of pure hatred.
"I know you," he said, crouching down into a battle-ready stance. "Your wanted posters have been up for a while, now. Sneasler Madam." He said the name like an accusation.
If she was threatened by the gesture, she didn't show it.
"Oh, nice work you mangey old fart. I'd be applauding right now if I didn't have your runaway child clogging up my claws." She rolled her eyes. "As much as I'd love to have an epic duel to the death, we both know you won't win a fight here and now, and you'd lose your catch of the day in the process."
Suddenly Rex was flying, for a brief, brief moment before hitting the cobbled stone in front of Lore.
"So, what'll it be?" Madam asked, refolding her arms. "Take the easy catch, and go call a dozen starry-eyed children with little green badges to rush over here, while I find another alleyway to conduct my nefarious business in? Or force me to bloody my claws and draw a bunch of attention with your screams, while the rascal runs off traumatized? Really, one of these options just sounds like a bummer for everyone involved…"
The Ninetales growled at her for several seconds longer before letting out a nasty bark and looking down at Rex. "Come. Now. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be."
Rex whimpered, but he knew better than to try and split. Better to play along, hope he let his guard down, and…
Alright, he wasn't sure what he'd do, but he'd figure something out.
He nodded meekly and followed along. Lore shot the Sneasler one final, nasty snarl before marching indignantly from the alley with Rex in tow.
Madam just waved her claws back, a smug grin on her face.
Near the outer edges of the city, there existed a certain restaurant Sneasler Madam and her acquaintances were quite fond of. Not for any good reason of course. The Primeape that ran it was inept beyond belief, the place was poorly maintained, and the few staff which remained had long since ceased caring about the place.
Which made it perfect.
See, Primeape wasn't the brightest, but he did understand that his few odd regulars weren't here for the food. And that if he wanted to keep them, it was better not to ask questions. Which was why Madam didn't have to worry about getting caught back in the storerooms. It wasn't like they went through stock fast, anyways.
It was a bit of a downgrade from the alley, but Madam waited patiently, back against a storage rack, for far too long until she heard a click and the door opened. In shuffled a well-groomed Ninetales with flowing white fur, and an elegant figure. A brilliant, classy scarf was coiled around her neck. She glanced around the room and smiled as she caught sight of Madam.
"Oh! Good evening. There was quite the scuffle out on the street," she said with a dainty titter.
Madam gave her an unamused stare. "Let me guess? Buncha little green badges trying to get a promotion?"
"Something like that," she hummed gently. Her fur, and the air around her, began to crackle and warp. "Quite a few older folk too. You really caught their eyes." Her voice changed as she spoke- the gentle and regal tone becoming a smug drawl.
And then the warping around her twisted and bent, the air and her body distorting into a different figure. A towering Zoroark, with wispy white hair overgrown and flowing unkempt behind her. Her entire body rippled, and a manic grin beneath her scarred face completed the maddened look.
"Figured somethin' went down when you weren't at the rendezvous. Can't leave you for a couple'a hours without you rallyin' up some trouble," Zoroark said, shaking her head and shrugging.
Madam folded her arms. "Bad luck. Not my fault. Mangey old fox from the Crest stumbled into me chasing a runaway."
"Well darlin', this is what we got contingencies for," Zoroark grinned. In an instant her expression became harsh. "And you best watch your comments about age, child!"
"You get a pass, on account of whatever immortality nonsense you've got going on," she responded with a roll of her eyes. "If you weren't so swift still, I'd swear you're a skeleton under an illusion."
"Realest deal there is," Zoroark said, grin returning just as fast. "Ready to go?"
Madam sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Before we do this- how'd it go? You find out anything?"
"Things just got… interestin'," Zoroark hummed with a thoughtful smile. "These dreams we've been gettin'... we ain't the only ones. More I learn, it's soundin' like an offer. Somethin' weird is puttin' in a job with us, see? A very special hit- on that weird lil' imp they keep showin' us in our dreams. Seems they've got a tracking problem on their claws."
"And are we gonna take the weird dream job? You don't see anything suspicious about that?" Madam asked skeptically. She finally stood up straight and stepped over towards the Zoroark.
Zoroark cackled fervently. "Course we are, hun! Never pass up an interestin' offer! The only question is— who're we hittin' in the end?"
Madam gave her a concerned sideye, as the Zoroark grabbed her firmly by the neck. "Every conversation I have with you leaves me more certain you'll kill me in my sleep one night, Zurakuvra."
Zurakuvra's grin only widened. "We'll see."
At that, she pulled Madam's head back by her neck, and then thrust her face towards the ground. Before it could hit and shatter, both of their bodies rippled, and they dove straight into the floor face-first.
