Chapter 26: A Sticky Situation

Shane slinked into Guildmaster Metagross' office. He barely made it through the door when Metagross locked eyes with him. Shane abruptly stopped. His gaze fell to the ground and stayed there until he heard the sound of footsteps. He looked up and confirmed that Tessa had entered the room.

"So, you're all healed up, huh?" she said, her tone completely neutral.

"Y-Yeah," Shane said.

Order: attention on me, human, Metagross bellowed, causing Shane to jolt upright and stare straight ahead. Fact: I have considered your transgressions. Observation: You continue to display a disregard for your fellow Pokémon, sometimes due to ignorance but mostly out of selfishness.

Tessa nodded in agreement, while Shane winced and looked straight down.

Conclusion: your punishment must make clear that exploring is something to be taken seriously, Metagross exclaimed.

"Then why do I have to be here? I've understood that from the get-go," Tessa growled.

Order: no comments or questions until I have finished, Metagross replied. Fact: you've made no attempts to reach out to anyone to help you and your partner settle your differences. Fact: you cannot go through life picking and choosing the Pokémon you work with. Conclusion: this punishment will also force you to work cooperatively with the human.

Tessa's face blanched. "But… that's," she meekly whispered before her gaze fell to the floor. Shane glanced her out of the corner of his eyes and she immediately glared back.

Fact: your punishment is an exploration assignment, Metagross said, to the duo's surprise. Fact: you will guide Oranguru to Sunflower Meadows.

"An escort mission? Are you kidding me?" Shane groaned.

Silence, Metagross thundered, sending Team Radiance shrinking back. Tessa gave Shane a scathing look. Fact: this is not up for negotiation. Fact: if you fail this assignment, you will both be expelled.

Now it was Tessa's turn to interrupt. "Wait, what? Why? That's not fair!" she protested.

Fact: your continued behavior is having a negative effect on other members. Fact: my responsibility is to run the guild and keep it in order. Conclusion: caustic individuals must be removed, Metagross explained. Counteroffer: if you succeed this assignment, you will both obtain apprentice rank.

"So, our places here are dependent on escorting some random Pokémon? That's just great," Shane said. He turned to Tessa and said, "We're going to Dhelmise Depot and dropping off every single item we've got. I don't want this Oranguru fellow dipping into our stock. And, trust me, he will. These things always go badly."

Fact: Oranguru will provide his own supplies. Fact: this is no mere random Pokémon. He is a close acquaintance. I will tolerate no slander of his character, Metagross said. Order: you two are to be on your best behavior. Fact: if you act out, I will know and you will fail the assignment.

Shane's jaw slackened. Likewise, the color seemed to drain from Tessa's whole body. "So, uh, how are we supposed to find this Oranguru guy? Is he in Aeon Town?" Shane asked.

Negative, Metagross responded. Order: you will meet him in Moonrise Marsh. Fact: it is a subterranean swampland at the end of Tethys Tunnel.

"But, that's a Mystery Dungeon, isn't it?" Tessa asked, having pulled out her Wonder Map. "Couldn't we just go straight to the Marsh?"

"Didn't you hear him? It's underground. So, unless the Sharpedo have learned how to dig tunnels outside the water, we have to go through it," Shane said, frowning.

"Okay, I get it. You don't have to be a jerk about it," Tessa growled.

Shane's brow furrowed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You've never done an escort mission. They always suck."

"And you would know this... how?" Tessa asked, her tone growing angrier. "Oh, let me guess, it's another one of those stupid game things you've mentioned countless ti–"

CLANG!

I demand order, Metagross declared, his eyes glowing blue. Shane and Tessa reflexively curled up into balls. This is precisely the kind of negative behavior that has put the two of you in this situation. Reconcile your differences or I can guarantee that you will fail this assignment.

A shiver rad down Shane's spine. 'Okay, is it just me or is this guy a lot scarier when he starts speaking like a normal person?'

Metagross turned away from them. Order: proceed to Moonrise Marsh. Meet up with Oranguru. Escort him to Sunflower Meadows by traversing Mellath Bog.

"Are you kidding me? We have to go through two dungeons in succession? How is that possibly fair?" Shane said, stamping a forepaw down. "If we run into any Prism Virus Pokémon, we're so unbelievably screwed." He narrowed his eyes at Metagross. "I'll bet you're setting us up for failure! Tell me, did you come up with this or is this all Braviary's idea?"

Warning: continued combative backtalk will result in your immediate expulsion, Metagross replied.

"Oh, no, by all means, keep flapping your gums," Tessa sneered. "You could make this a lot easier for both of us."

Shane lifted his head up and his left eye twitched. "Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you?" he muttered.

Metagross' door opened up behind them. Exit. I have finished conferring instructions. Oranguru is waiting. He pointed a hind leg toward the door and Team Radiance walked out. They both refused to meet each other's gazes.

"So, uh, are we going to Dhelmise Depot?" Shane finally asked.

"Yeah, we're definitely going there," Tessa responded. She turned around and clutched the straps of the item pouch. "But it's so that Ican deposit my items so that you don't use them up in these dungeons!"

Shane narrowed his eyes at Tessa. "Hey, we're still a team for this. That means those items belong to both of us!"

"But you're the irresponsible one who's going to get hurt and burn through our reserve," Tessa said, leaning in toward him. "So, I want to put as much stuff away as possible so I still have a decent inventory to use once this stupid mission is done and the team's dissolved."

Shane drew back his lips and bared his fangs. "Where did this nasty attitude of yours come from? I already said I'm sorry! You're making me out to be some sort of villain. I'm not out to blow this mission, you know."

Tessa raised her fists and they crackled with electricity. "That's because the only reason we're in this do-or-die situation is because of you! I'm stuck doing this ridiculously difficult mission with a reckless jerk because he managed to delude himself into thinking a random stranger was pure evil. No amount of 'I'm sorry's' can make up for that!"

"I've learned my lesson!" Shane snarled back. "I feel terrible, okay? And you're just making it worse. So, can we please just put this issue aside already?"

"I will not just put it aside," Tessa barked. "Because every time you've apologized and said you were going to try and do better, you've lied. If you want me to shut up, then listen to what I have to say for once. Otherwise, you can bet your sorry ass that I'll keep reminding you of all the boneheaded decisions you've made up to this point."

Shane's left eye twitched. "That's totally uncalled for!" he protested. "Besides, weren't you the one who said you at least appreciated some of my 'boneheaded decisions,' because they pushed you into doing things you weren't comfortable with?"

"I only said that because I thought you were turning over a new leaf. But in the short time since then you've somehow managed to become worse than when we first met," Tessa replied. "You stressed me out to the point where I can't think straight!"

"How do you think I feel? I've been in a coma the past week with a deathly fever and a broken spine. Or did you just happen to forget that?" Shane hissed.

"Oh, you want pity? Too bad! It's your stupidity that got you hurt," Tessa countered. "And if it wasn't for Null, that Bewear probably would've killed you. Have you even thanked him for saving your life yet? Let me answer that. No, you haven't. Because you only think of one person and that's yourself!"

"Do you have idea how childish you're sounding right now?" Shane sneered.

"No, you're the one sounding childish!" Tessa fired back.

A loud thump and harsh hissing noise abruptly jolted the duo out of their argument. They looked over toward the south hallway and spotted Null staggering about. He thrashed his head from side to side, groaning loudly.

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Null," Trapinch called, running over to him. "Is your head hurting again? Maybe you should go see Comfey?"

Trapinch was forced to duck back as Null whirled around and bashed his head against the wall several times. "Wow. I can't believe that's what you want to ditch me for," Shane scoffed. Null turned around to face Shane, who stiffened. He stared right at Shane, letting out heavy, echoing wheezes. Null stomped toward him, continuing to shake his head about.

"Null!" Tessa shouted, walking into his path. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Much to Shane's surprise, Null stopped dead in his tracks. His tired, gray eyes blinked repeatedly. "… sorry about that," he wheezed.

Tessa leaned in close and whispered, "The voices again?"

"… yeah," Null replied. "They're… getting worse…"

"Why don't you come with us, then?" Tessa suggested. "I think we could really use the extra help for this one."

"What? No, no, no, no! You are not dragging that thing along with us!" Shane cut in. "Did you see the way he was looking at me? Besides, we could get in trouble for that. You were the one yelling at me for making bad decisions. What do you call what you're doing right now, huh?"

Tessa turned and glared at him. "Bettering our odds. You said you just wanted to get this mission done with minimal conversation? Null's a perfect way to do that. I can talk to him and ignore you the entire time. And did it ever occur to you that he's giving you nasty looks because you're being mean to him?"

Shane looked down and pawed at the ground. "But the Guildmaster," he whispered.

"Didn't say we couldn't bring Null with us," Tessa said. "The way I see it, it's perfectly fine."

Shane snorted out clouds of frosty air. "He better stay as far away from me as possible."

~Tethys Tunnel~

Team Radiance proceeded into the cavernous dungeon in silence. It didn't take them very long to lose all light from the surface. The tunnel alternated between flat areas and downward slopes taking them deeper underground. As the sunlight faded, patches of green Luminous Moss appeared along the floor, walls, and ceiling of the cavern. The moss overlay rocks littered with clammy, gray plants.

"This is so strange," Tessa whispered. "Null, do you see these purple threads running through the walls? It almost looks like there's some kind of liquid flowing through them."

Shane glanced at the opposite wall and noticed purple fluid with twinges of red rushing through a network of crystalline veins embedded in the wall. "You're the most knowledgeable about Horizon, Tessa. Can't you explain what these things are?" Tessa ignored him. "Hey, I asked you a question," Shane growled.

"No, you didn't," Tessa said flatly. "I'm Riolu."

Shane gritted his teeth. "Fine. Riolu, do you know what these things are?"

"Nope," Tessa responded, making a vein bulge out of Shane's head. "I don't remember hearing about anything like this. My dad always said Tethys Tunnel was boring. Just a lot of gray inside it. So, these bits must be a recent addition."

"Brilliant deduction there, professor," Shane sarcastically declared. "And not in the slightest bit help– gah!"

Shane suddenly found himself sinking. He looked down and saw that his legs had been sucked up by the ground. "What the–? Hey! Help! I'm sinking!"

His teammates looked over at him. Tessa rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny. C'mon Vulpix, you're holding us up."

"No, I'm serious here," Shane grunted. He struggled about, but that only made him sink deeper, to the point where his belly brushed against the dirt.

"… is that… quicksand?" Null wondered.

"In a cave? I find that hard to believe," Tessa said. "But I guess we've got to help him out. Stop struggling, Vulpix. You'll just make yourself sink faster."

"Then get me out of here!" Shane hollered. Null stepped forward and stuck his foreleg out. "And just what am I supposed to do with that, huh?" Shane growled.

"… bite down on my leg. I'll pull you… to safety," Null offered. Shane looked skeptically at Null's talons, but also felt the quicksand steadily rising along his torso. He clamped his jaw on one of Null's talons. Null's exoskeleton-coated claw tasted horrible, to the point where Shane thought he was going to hurl. Null gave a hearty tug and his massive weight and foreleg strength resulted in Shane getting flung out of the quicksand pit.

Shane landed in a heap in front of Tessa. His entire lower body was covered in coarse sand. "Huh, guess it really is quicksand," Tessa said. "But what would quicksand pits be doing in a cave like this? There isn't even supposed to be sand here."

"How should I know?" Shane growled, trying to brush sand off his coat to little avail. "Maybe your stupid Tapu thingies can magically teleport quicksand into dungeons to screw with innocent Pokémon?"

Smack!

Shane quickly found himself sprawled out on his belly, with Tessa standing over him. "You do not badmouth the Tapus!" she barked. "They're the continent's protectors. That makes them noble, not stupid. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Mom," Shane muttered, glaring at Tessa as he got back up. "The fact remains that there's quicksand in a place where there shouldn't be and we can't explain it. I guess we can just ignore it for now and tell Braviary when we're done."

"You do that if it bothers you so much," Tessa growled and stomped forward in the cavern.

Null stepped beside Shane and cleared his throat. This made Shane jump. "Cripes! Don't sneak up on me like that. You're already frightening enough as it is."

"… Lycanroc said something… about seeing weird stuff… in the environment," Null muttered. "Espeon and Umbreon… planted strange crystals… in the ground. And they… messed with the environment. Perhaps that's what... we're seeing here?"

Shane's muzzle stiffened. "But they're not the bad guys!" Null looked right at him. "I… I mean…" Shane winced and slumped down in defeat.

"Hey! Are you guys coming or what?" Tessa asked from farther down the cave. Her teammates looked away from one another and proceeded forward in silence. Their trek then grew a bit more cumbersome. After the first patch, the team encountered several quicksand areas scattered around the tunnel floor. To make matters worse, the Luminous Moss faded, leaving the mysterious crystal veins as the dungeon's only light source.

This was also when the team encountered traps and wild Pokémon. It was nothing they couldn't handle, but the quicksand pits limited their maneuverability considerably. Not helping things at all was Shane's insistence on staying in the back of the group, for fear of walking into another quicksand pit.

"Quit being such a baby and get up here! I need your help with these wild Pokémon," Tessa ordered.

"No way! There are Tirtuoga over there. And I have no intention of getting smacked around with rocks," Shane whined. "You have the fighting-type moves, you do something."

"Then can you at least take care of the Wimpods? They're only Wimpods, for pity's sake," Tessa growled. A frosty gale rushed past her, nearly causing her to fall into a quicksand pit on her right. "Hey, watch where you're aiming!"

"I thought you wanted my help," Shane taunted.

"Move it along," Null growled. "Neither of you are doing us any favors."

They continued through the tunnel, dipping into their supply of apples and each taking an oran berry to refresh themselves. "Ungh, how much further do we have to go? The air's musty down here," Shane said.

"If you don't like it, take the Escape Orb," Tessa said. "I'll happily report your disappearance to the Guildmaster when we return."

Shane gnashed his teeth together. "Are you going to just take a dig at me every time I open my mouth? Because that's beyondobnoxious!"

"You brought it on yourself," Tessa said, her voice caustic. "It's not fun when people say things that make you feel bad, huh?"

Shane frowned. "If you're trying to tell me that this is how Lycanroc felt, then you're doing a lousy job of it. You're only making yourself look like a spoiled puppy throwing a temper tantr– oomph!"

He walked into Null's hindleg and staggered backward, muttering angrily under his breath. Null turned back to give him a disapproving look. "… perhaps it's best… if you keep quiet…"

"Ha!" Tessa taunted.

"… that goes for you too," Null growled, eliciting a frown. He walked beside Tessa and whispered, "… I thought I had told you… that the best way to get him to change… is to be a good role model. He's right… you're acting foolish."

"That went right out the window the second his stupidity got me in a situation where I could get kicked out of the guild," Tessa said, and then walked forward. Null hung his head, sighing. He trudged forward after his teammate, while Shane followed him, boring visual holes into the ground.

As they walked down another incline, Tessa's aura feelers twitched. "Hold up," she whispered, "I think someone else is here."

"Well, yeah, we've seen tons of wild Pokémon," Shane scoffed.

"No, I mean someone a bit stronger."

"This is preposterous. I'm getting the same signal everywhere. There's no way for me to localize this energy pattern with so much interference."

Shane frowned. "That's one strange voice," he said. "But he doesn't sound all that threatening. Let's just move along and ignore whoever he is."

"Maybe we ought to wait and see if he leaves?" Tessa proposed.

"Oh no, I'm not sitting around in this musty cave," Shane growled. He walked forward, hip-checking Tessa in the process. "If you're not going to lead anymore, then move aside." He descended down the rest of the incline and entered a flattened area.

Bwoop! Bwoop! Bwoop!

A beeping alarm made Shane tense up. He turned to the right side of the room and found Sticky floating by the wall. "And just what are you supposed to be?" Shane asked. "If you're a Pokémon in distress, then I can help. But you've got to shut off that awful alarm. You'll wake up all the wild Pokémon here!"

"My sincerest apologies."

Sticky turned around to face Shane. "I am referred to as Sticky, however I understand the inhabitants here refer to one another by species name. So, my species designation is Poipole."

Shane cocked his head in confusion. "Your species name is just a color? What a joke!" He then noticed the alarm was coming from the harness on Sticky's chest. "Hey!" Shane narrowed his eyes at Sticky. "That's just like the thing Gallian had on. What's going on here? Are you working for the Prism Virus?"

That statement drew not only a panicked expression from Sticky, but footsteps from behind Shane. His teammates hastily caught up to him. "You know Gallian? Where is he? Please tell us," Tessa called out.

"Drat," Sticky muttered, fidgeting his nubby hands. "This is precisely the type of predicament Gallian warned the captain about. He will undoubtedly be incensed at this development." Sticky raised up his arms. "Attention, terrestrials. I am doing routine reconnaissance of this subterranean habitat. I mean you no harm. Please, continue about your business."

"Fat chance of that," Shane growled. "If you're in league with Gallian, then you're working for the Prism Virus and that makes you the enemy."

"Prism Virus?" Sticky gasped. He looked away from Shane and whispered, "It must be further encroaching on these terrestrials." He cleared his throat. "I am afraid that such a term does not register any…" His voice trailed off as he turned to face Null. Sticky's jaw dropped.

"Hey, don't ignore me," Shane said. "Riolu, what's this stupid Pokémon's deal?"

"Pokémon?" Tessa cocked an eyebrow. "I've never seen a Pokémon like that before."

Shane's brows raised. "So, what, is it an alien then? Oh, that's just great. The Prism Virus is an alien virus. Because this wasn't messed up enough, already." He snorted out frost. "Well, I'm not about to let this jerk get away."

"Get away? You should be the ones attempting evacuation!" Sticky yelped, hovering back from the group. "Do you not realize you are in the company of a dangerous monstrosity?"

Null's muscles tightened up and he let loose a low growl. Tessa stood in front of him and thrust her arms to the side. "You leave Null alone! He's part of our team."

Sticky's eyes widened. "I am afraid that that is an unacceptable response, terrestrial," he declared. "This failed experiment is a threat to those of us with ultra auras. Though my team adheres to our Ultra Recon Squad's nonaggression policy, I'm sure my captain would overlook it in this instance. Your friend must be immediately neutralized. Please surrender him to me."

Null's head fell toward the ground. "… experiment?" he rasped.

"So, he is a total freak, then? I knew it!" Shane scoffed. He shook his head at Tessa. "And you actually want to be his friend. You're really something, you know that?"

"I am quite surprised that this experiment has not already attempted to eviscerate you," Sticky said, looking directly at Shane. "Your presence triggered my scanner. You display a perplexingly substantial ultra aura for one of such minuscule stature."

Shane's smirk faded to a look of confusion. "Ultra… aura?" He looked at Tessa. "You're the aura reader. What's this freak talking about?"

"I don't know," Tessa said. "It just sounds like an ultra-powerful aura, to me."

"Gee, thanks, Brock. Never would've guessed that on my own," Shane deadpanned.

"What did you just call me?" Tessa growled.

"Ultra auras are energy signatures displayed by anyone who has been exposed to a particular type of radiation as a result of traversing Ultra Space," Sticky explained.

"Okay, that's it. I know when I'm being messed with, and I've had enough of it," Shane said, eyes narrowing in anger. "I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because you also thought Null's a freak show, but you're clearly just as obnoxious as Gallian is."

"Your hostility is unnecessary," Sticky said. "Simply surrender the experiment and I will leave you both in peace."

"I'm not about to let you take Null," Tessa responded.

"Very well. Though my combat skills are lacking, it behooves me to utilize force. Gallian said I should be able to do an adequate job defending myself," Sticky exclaimed. He raised his nubby arms, and blobs of purple toxins formed up in them.

"Oh, come on! Another poison-type? I'm getting sick of this nonsense. Literally and figuratively," Shane hissed. He released the icy energy gathering in his mouth, trying to bathe Sticky in it. Sticky easily hovered over it and launched the poisonous globules downward. One of them smacked Shane directly in the face, causing him to stagger back with an agonized howl. Tessa jumped out of the way out of the second one.

Null gathered air around his foreleg and sent a wind blade up in Sticky's direction. Sticky once again skirted the attack, gathering more poisonous sludge in the sacs on his head. "Riolu," Shane said, coughing, "gimme a pecha berry. This jerk's slinging Toxics around!"

Purple splotches now coated Shane's fur. Tessa glowered at Shane. "I just knew you were gonna end up dipping into my item reserves," she said. Null appeared by her side and flicked a foreleg skyward, shooting an air blade in Sticky's direction. Sticky held his ground and allowed the attack to strike. He fought through the pain and pointed his head in Shane's direction.

"… look out… human!" Null called. Shane looked over his shoulder in time to see streams of purple ooze raining down on him from Sticky's location. He dove forward, sliding across the cave floor on his belly.

"Pity, I missed," Sticky declared stoically. "I should not have tried withstanding that attack. It clearly impacted my aim."

"Pecha berry, now!" Shane ordered, glaring at Tessa. "If I get Venoshocked while I'm poisoned, we're gonna start dipping into ourReviver Seed supply."

Tessa rolled her eyes and produced the berry in question. Sticky's eyes gleamed at the sight of the fruit and he pressed the central gemstone on his harness.

Click!

Just as Tessa tossed the pecha berry to Shane, she stepped on a glass tile, breaking it. She looked up and watched the berry expand outward, taking on the form of a bulky Carracosta. It completely flattened Shane, who could only squeal in fright at the turn of events.

"What the... he turned the berry into a Carracosta? How?" Tessa said, recoiling in shock. Null looked up in time to see Sticky pressing the gem on his harness again. Null looked around the room and noticed several flashes of purple on the ground. Glass tiles appeared for a split second, before vanishing. When Sticky finished, Null thrust a foreleg forward to shoot air blades at him. Sticky descended toward the ground and gathered more toxic blobs in his nubby hands.

"Nrrrgggh! Somebody… help… me!" Shane wheezed, thrashing about beneath Carracosta. The newly-summoned enemy seemed to get over its momentary confusion and stand up. It turned around, formed a rock between its flippers, and shot it into Shane from point-blank range. Shane howled in pain as the attack buried him underground.

"Riolu… go help… Vulpix," Null ordered from across the cave. He and Tessa managed to jump back from the toxic blobs that Sticky threw at them.

"Me? Why do I have to help him? He's the one who escalated things, as usual," Tessa growled.

"Just do it!" Null roared, to Tessa's surprise. "I'm… the one… this guy's after. Don't… get yourself hurt… protecting me."

"But…"

Null shook his head about, hissing loudly. Tessa quickly got the message and ran in Shane's direction. Sticky anticipated this, however. The gemstone in his harness opened up and produced a small seed that he hurtled at Tessa. She wasn't prepared for the projectile, so it struck her in the head. Pink gas washed across her body. Tessa flopped onto her belly, snoring loudly.

Sticky nodded in satisfaction, only for his smile to disappear when he saw Null charging him down, claws glowing bright white. He quickly pointed his head at Null and blasted purple streams at him. Null managed to sidestep the attack. But in the process, he stepped on one of the glass tiles Sticky had summoned. Sickly-purple spikes popped up around him and dug into his foreleg. With a groan, Null staggered forward. Purple splotches appeared along his hide.

However, much to Sticky's surprise, the splotches immediately vanished and Null resumed his charge. He lunged at Sticky and swiped at him. Null's claws hammered Sticky into the ground. Null prepared to follow that attack up, but Sticky blasted him in the helmet with a stream of purple venom, forcing him backwards.

"So, you armed yourself with an anti-poison apparatus," Sticky said. He looked down and saw the looplet around Null's foreleg. "Ah, yes. The device you terrestrials use to bolster your abilities when exploring. I should have expected something like this."

"Heeeeeeey! Where's my pecha berry?" Shane whined, sprawling out on his belly to dodge a set of rocks Carracosta shot at him. "What's the hold up, Tessa?" He poked his head up and his eyes flashed pink. Psychic waves burst forth from Shane's body, knocking Carracosta onto its back. It landed directly on a purple tile, scattering toxic spikes all around it. Carracosta flailed its limbs about, desperately trying to right itself.

Shane staggered to his feet and scrambled over to Tessa, doing his best to skirt the purple tiles Sticky had scattered. Sticky spotted Shane and again opened the gemstone in his harness. But before he could grab the item he wanted, Null slammed into him, sending black energy through Sticky's torso. Sticky petered backward and pulled an oran berry out of his harness. He quickly ingested it, restoring some of his vitality.

Over at the other side of the cavern, Carracosta still struggled to right itself and now had poisonous blotches across its body. Shane repeatedly smacked Tessa's snout until her eyes fluttered open. "Hey! What's the big idea?" she hissed.

"You let yourself get put to sleep, doofus!" Shane snarled. "Give me my pecha berry, now. I feel like I could collapse any second."

Null realized Sticky could attempt to interrupt the item exchange again, so he charged Sticky down. Sticky's eyes widened and he quickly ascended. He gathered a ball of orange acid between his hands and chucked it down at Null, who evaded the attack. In the process, Null ran past Sticky, whose head tilted in confusion. Null's helmet then gained a metal sheen. He ran directly into the cave wall. The shockwave from his collision raced up above him.

Sticky yelped as shards of rock rained down on him from the ceiling, sending him crashing into the ground. Across the cave, Shane had managed to heal up, but Carracosta had righted itself. Furious, Carracosta surged forward on a jet of water. Tessa just barely managed to evade the attack but Shane was smacked in his side. The water drenched him and knocked him to his belly.

Tessa managed to get behind Carracosta. Her palm lit up with aura and she hammered Carracosta in its shell. Howling, Carracosta lumbered forward, giving a weary Shane the opportunity to engulf it in psychic waves. They exploded around Carracosta, upending itonce again. Unfortunately, Shane neglected to account for Tessa's positioning. Tessa yipped in fright and dove to the ground to dodge the falling Carracosta.

It struck the ground and disappeared in a puff of smoke. At the same time, Tessa hit one of the remaining glass tiles. Toxic spikes appeared all around her. They pricked her arms and legs, drawing a pained whimper. Sticky noticed the development and ascended to dodge a swipe of Null's talons. He pointed his head sideways and sent purple bursts racing toward Tessa.

Shane leaped out in front of her and blew out a large cloud of frost. He froze the poisonous streams solid and they dropped to the ground, where they shattered harmlessly. "You can thank me later," he said.

"Thank you?" Tessa hissed, scrambling to pull out a pecha berry. "This was all your fault! How could you not know I was behind Carracosta? Were you trying to crush me?"

"I didn't know, okay!" Shane barked. "Unlike a certain someone, who's really starting to twist my tails, I don't have awesome aura-sensing powers."

"It's called depth perception, loser!" Tessa snarled, shoving Shane's shoulders.

Shane's left eye twitched and he snorted ice tufts at Tessa. "Don't you dare shove me like that. I'm not the one you're supposed to be fighting," Shane growled.

"Well, I was hoping we wouldn't have to fight anyone. But you got that creepy purple guy all hot and bothered. Because you can't seem to open your mouth without making someone mad," Tessa hissed.

Shane glowered. "You certainly didn't help things! We don't need to protect Null. Didn't you hear the alien? He's some sort of failed experiment. In other words, a waste of our time and energy!"

Null skidded to a halt in front of them just as Shane finished that statement. He whirled on Shane, an enraged look in his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that," Shane said. "You know it's tr–"

A multicolored blast struck both Shane and Tessa, rendering them as stiff as statues. Null looked up in time to see a metal rod evaporate from Sticky's hands. "There, that ought to quiet you two down," Sticky said. "Now I do not need to split my focus anymore." Null didn't like this new development. He whipped a foreleg forward. An air blade raced toward Sticky, smacking him in the side.

Sticky hovered backward and produced another oran berry. He quickly devoured it and dusted himself off. "Even with your abilities inhibited, your strength is frightening," Sticky said. "Perhaps I can synthesize a trap to hinder you further?" The gemstone on his harness glowed and Sticky prepared to press it.

"… what do you mean… abilities inhibited?" Null wheezed. "And… why are… you calling me… a failed experiment?"

Sticky produced a glimmering tile and hurled it at Null. He wasn't expecting the projectile and it smacked his helmet, shattering on impact. A chilling sensation ran down Null's foreleg. He lifted it up, only to see his looplet had turned to stone. The emeras within it were drained of their colors. Null hissed angrily and charged down Sticky.

However, Sticky was much faster, and moved to his right. He gathered blobs of poison in his hands and tossed them right at Null, who managed to pivot and run toward the poison. Null's helmet turned to solid steel. He lowered his head and the toxins harmlessly splashed against his helmet. Sticky's face blanched and, seconds later, Null charged into him. This finally knocked the alien out of the air and down to the ground.

Null lumbered toward Sticky. "Do you… know who I am?" he panted. "Tell me… why do I… hear all these voices? Why can't… I make them… go away?"

Sticky rolled backward and resumed hovering. "Hmm, so your creators tampered with your memories, did they?" He rubbed his forehead. "Yet, your aggression levels have clearly spiked at the sight of me. Which means, on some subconscious level, you still acknowledge ultra auras."

Null roared in frustration and slung a line of air crescents at Sticky. Sticky turned and fired poisonous beams from the pins on his head. They struck the wind blades and resulted in a stalemate that splattered toxins in all directions. Null backpedalled, allowing Sticky to reach into his harness and produce a small seed. He hurled it at Null and a large explosion ensued, blasting Null across the cave.

This had the unintended side effect of causing Null to strike the petrified Tessa. She dropped to the ground, clutching her knee in pain. Sticky didn't notice this development and instead proceeded toward Null. "Well then, I believe we should wrap this up before you manage to do any significant damage," Sticky said.

Hearing that gave Tessa a second wind. Ignoring Shane, she rolled to her feet and sprinted forward, electricity gathering in her fists. She jumped onto a small rock and leaped at Sticky. He didn't realize his mistake until Tessa connected with his right temple. Sticky careened into a wall, leaving a sizable imprint, and slumped down toward the ground. Electric bolts crackled across his body, signifying Tessa paralyzed him.

Tessa ran over and helped Null to his feet. Null looked silently at Sticky. His gray eyes had glazed over. Tessa picked up on this and stomped over toward Sticky. "You do not threaten my friend like that," she said. "Now you can look forward to a nice, long talk with Officer Magnezone."

"I have… made a grave miscalculation," Sticky muttered. He shakily reached a hand toward his harness and produced an Escape Orb. Tessa's eyes widened and she lunged for Sticky. But her efforts were in vain. The second he pulled the orb out, a multicolored aura encased him, then he disappeared in flash of light. Tessa wound up striking the wall. She fell back on her rear, clutching her face in pain.

"Oww!" she whined. "Okay, that didn't go over very well, but at least we fended that little creep off, right?" She looked over at Null, expecting a response. Null continued to stare emptily ahead of him. "N-Null?" Tessa squeaked, getting to her feet. She approached him, reaching out a paw. "Are you okay? Do you need a healing item?"

Null suddenly banged the side of his head against the cave wall, keening despondently. He dropped to the ground, clawing at his helmet with his talons. "Make them stop! Make them stop!" he cried, jerking his head in different directions.

Tessa bit her lower lip and ran up to her friend. But before she could get up close, one of his forelegs swiped at her. She barely jumped back in time to dodge. "Null, you have to calm down. I can't help you when you're all riled up like this," Tessa said.

"N… no… get away," Null muttered.

"But you need help," Tessa pleaded.

"Get away!" Null roared. He lumbered to his feet and sprinted further into the tunnel. His loud stomps echoed through the cavern, until they gradually faded out. Tessa's eyes widened and she quickly tried to run after him, only for a muffled scream to cause her to skid to a halt.

"Oh… right… Vulpix," she whispered, looking back at Shane's motionless body. Tessa approached him and kicked him in the chest. Shane abruptly regained his movement, in time for the air to rush out of him. He dropped to his belly, eyes watering in pain.

"What… the… heck?" he snarled, breathing rapidly. "You were just going to leave me there!" he accused.

"No, I wasn't," Tessa insisted. 'As tempting as it sounds.'

"Don't lie to me! You were ready to book it after that freak," Shane spat. "And thanks for breaking me out of petrification when you were freed, by the way. You're a real class act. A wonderful teammate. I'm such a lucky Vulpix."

"We have bigger things to concern ourselves with, you selfish jerk," Tessa growled. "Null needs our help. That little alien totally spooked him."

"Really? Are you sure that isn't what Null's normally like?" Shane sneered. "Need I remind you that the alien is in league with your brother? If he thinks Null's a threat, then what do you imagine the big guy would do to us?"

Tessa crossed her arms defiantly. "You're thinking backwards to suit your own desires," she said. "If that alien is evil, and he's afraid of Null, then that means Null's on our side. Which means we should do everything in our power to help him."

Shane opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't think up a counterargument. He settled for snorting out tufts of frost and storming off into the next tunnel. Tessa followed him, grinning triumphantly. They proceeded down the darkest inclined path they had encountered yet.

"I don't see any sign of him," Shane growled. "And I don't hear anything eith– yaaaaaaaah!"

Shane suddenly slid away from Tessa. She took another step forward and found out the hard way that the dirt along the cave floor had given way to water, which swept Tessa up and carried her down the tunnel. All the while, she let out a scream matching Shane's.

Paradox Navigator, Sticky
And who could this creature be? Did he really call himself "purple?" What kind of Pokémon names itself after a color, anyway? Well, despite his minuscule appearance, he has a couple of tricks up his nonexistent sleeves. Like the ability to create trap tiles on the ground! It's believed that this ability is shared between the aliens dwelling beyond this world.

One of the things I love about the early PMD games is rival teams. But they kind of fell by the wayside with Gates and Super. Naturally, I had to bring that mechanic into this story. And with Team Fang having been arrested, who better to take their place than Team Paradox?

Next time: someone on Team Radiance finally reaches their breaking point. Who snaps? What sets them off? You'll have to read on to find out!