What a beautiful day in the Coronet Highlands!
The sun was shining.
The Yanma were buzzing.
And best of all, Warden Ingo wasn't around to ruin Melli's good mood!
That weirdo was off at Jubilife Village doing who knows what. Something foolish he was sure. That was no concern of Melli's though. Now he had the entire mountainside to himself!
Other than the odd rock he spotted falling from the giant hole in the sky, nothing was out of the ordinary.
"As much as I love helping Adaman, the alone time gathering ingredients is always welcome."
His Skuntank growled in agreement, dropping another leek in the basket before returning to digging up more.
They were out collecting supplies for a new treat idea Melli thought up last night. He was positive his Lord Electrode would absolutely love it.
The only problem was collecting all the material, which was an all day affair.
"IIIIIIInnnnnngggggooo!"
The name echoed through the mountains, making Melli's eye twitch in frustration. He finally didn't have to think about Ingo, and now the mountain itself was cruelly forcing him to remember?!
"Just ignore it Melli…" He grumbled under his breath, retrieving some fallen pecha berries. "Ingo is not here. No need to worry about him showing up-"
"IIIIIIIIInnnnnnngggggggooooooooo!"
The name reverberated again. Somebody was looking for the Pearl Clan warden apparently, and they were making a ruckus of a perfectly good afternoon!
The warden tried to breathe. He wasn't going to let some idiot looking for that inferior warden ruin his day! This was supposed to be a day of prayer, meditation, and pleasing his Lord Electrode! Was that really too much to ask for?!
"IIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGOOOOO!!!!"
Apparently it was.
"Stupid people always wanting to talk to Ingo and his stupid Lady…" Melli mumbled to himself. He certainly wasn't jealous of all the attention Ingo always seemed to attract, or how Adaman actually liked talking with him.
He was NOT jealous!
"IIIIINNNGGGOOOO!!!"
Would that guy shut up already?!
Melli just had to ignore it.
He wasn't in the mood to deal with this after Adaman's verbal berating yesterday.
Again.
He was trying to be helpful, but of course his attempts were met with a cold shoulder.
The glares hurt. Melli didn't understand when Adaman grew to hate him so much, but he messed up at some point. He must have-
"Grrrrrlllll." Skuntank chittered and licked Melli's hand, trying to bring him away from the bad thoughts.
"Y-yes, you are right. We really should get back to gathering." Melli grabbed his basket and started walking again, the two doing their best to accumulate a big supply of ingredients.
Lord Electrode was a massive Pokémon, after all.
"IIIIIIInnnnnngggggooo!"
"If he keeps yelling like that, he'll attract predators." Electrode's warden huffed and picked the berries up even faster. Sure, he should probably track the idiot down and tell him to stop yelling, but that would require interacting with people. Besides, the noise was coming from Ingo's side of the Highlands.
Eventually the yelling in the distance stopped, bringing Melli's disturbed afternoon back to one of semi peace. He was glad the issue resolved itself, and he was almost done!
"At last! This should be everything we need!" Melli added five pieces of rock salt to his basket, now stuffed to the brim with delicious berries and herbs.
Electrode would love them, he was sure.
"Now then, to prepare the -"
Screaming.
That idiot from earlier was screaming.
"Perhaps being chased by an angry Rhyhorn will teach him to be quiet." The Warden mumbled, unable to pull his attention away from the cries.
These screams left a bad taste in his mouth. The kind that made his blood run cold and heart thump uncontrollably.
These were the guttural howls of absolute desperation.
Melli had heard a sound like it before. It was several years ago, but he still remembered like it happened yesterday. When Sneasler's previous Warden was eaten by that Luxray.
The one he hoped to never cross paths with again.
"I'm sure Ingo is closer, he'll get there before I ever could! It's on his side after all…. Wait, Ingo isn't here-"
More cries for help.
That couldn't be good.
"I'm sure he'll get away from the herd if he keeps running." Melli tried waving it off.
Skuntank cried worriedly, paws scuffling ready to move as soon as his human did.
"What? It's not my fault he's too far away to help!"
The skunk Pokémon chirped sadly. He was giving Melli that pleading look he couldn't ignore.
He was going to have to deal with this. Skuntank wouldn't forgive him for ignoring it.
It was part of his job too.
The worst part.
"…. Sinnoh have mercy!" The basket fell from his hands, contents spilling across the forest floor as the two ran towards the noise. Melli reached for his flute and gripped it tightly, his Skuntank close behind.
As much as he didn't want to go, avoiding another death on his watch would be preferable. Even if he was too late to do anything, at least he could say he tried.
The yelling was increasing in volume, Melli skidding down several steep ravines to get there faster. Who needed a Sneasler to do this anyway? Not him of course-
"WAH!" His foot caught on a hidden rock, sending him tumbling a few feet. Did it make him fall on purpose?! It wasn't very far, but still!
Shaking off the dirt and leaves, he clumsily stood back up and started running again.
Hah! He was completely fine, and no Sneaslers were necessary!
"Groar!"
"Yes, Skuntank, I'm going!" Melli picked up the pace at his Pokemon's insistence. They had to be close by now.
The screams had gone quiet, but he knew they had been around here somewhere!
Why wasn't he finding anything?!
Melli skidded to a halt, listening intently for any signs of life.
Silence.
His heart rate quickened, a heavy weight settled in his stomach.
Was he too late…
"Graaarrr!" Skuntank took the lead, Melli following behind his partner. His friend had the scent, or could at least sense something he couldn't. Avoiding the Rhyhdon herd, Meli weaved through multiple boulders before finally spotting it.
Blood stained the dirt and grass in dark splotches, all leading to the horrifying scene. A Luxray was dragging a man in its mouth.
Not just any Luxray either.
Luxrays were highly territorial and have killed humans before, but this one had a special reputation. The Luxray that actively left its territory to hunt human prey.
It had been years since Mello last saw or heard of its activity. He assumed the thing had passed away leaving everyone in peace again.
Not so.
The large Luxray's patchy fur showed signs of a rough life, and it sported a large 'X' shaped scar across its face. A parting gift Lady Sneasler left it with for killing her previous Warden.
Man Eater.
This was just like the last time.
Melli was too late again-
"GRAAAA!" Skuntank barreled forward, teeth bared. The Luxray snarled and bit down on its prey harder, forcing a clump of blood to drip through it's teeth.
Then he heard it.
Groaning from what he assumed was a corpse.
It was faint, but an unmistakable one.
He wasn't too late just yet!
"Skuntank! Night Slash!" The poison Pokémon leapt forward, claws engulfed with dark energy. Man Eater was forced to drop its victim, leaping back and snarling at its attacker.
"Keep pushing it back!" Melli shout, inching his way closer to the unconscious man. He needed to make room.
Both Pokémon spit and slashed at each other, Man Eater using a thunder wave on its opponent. Despite the status effect, Skuntank sprayed toxins from his tail tip, Man Eater dodging the foul liquid, but retreating several paces when the scent hit its nostrils.
It was time.
Putting the flute to his mouth, Meli played a short tune. The scales echoed loudly, calling the exact Pokémon he needed.
Lord Electrode started as a speck from high up the mountain, rolling like a juggernaut at top speed to reach his Warden. Trees and shrubs were all thrown into the air by his sheer force alone. Hitting the edge of a cliff, he launched himself high like a cannonball, aimed straight at the Luxray. It barely managed to dodge right as the Lord plowed a large hole in the ground from the force of its body. He stopped spinning, looking down at Man Eater in absolute disgust.
A battle kicked up between the two, not that the winner would be a surprise.
Melli took the opening, falling to his knees by the downed man unsure where to start. His coat collar was bent up and shredded, fabric entirely soaked in blood down to his lower back. There were a few blotches of white, assuming that was the original color, though they were slowly being overtaken by red. There were several large brown horizontal stripes too, resembling the coat of a certain Warden that should be handling this instead.
So he came from the sky like Ingo and Akari. Were these weird coats just the norm wherever they came from?
"Sinnoh help me…" Melli said a silent prayer, carefully placing his hand on his sticky arm and rib cage, pulling him onto his back.
He was heavier than he looked.
A horrible, guttural noise sent him doubling over.
Melli had to cover his ears. Man Eater's enraged snarl was loud enough to shake the ground. It had taken a direct hit from an energy ball, courtesy of Lord Electrode. It chose to retreat.
Not that Melli was too concerned anymore.
As long as Lord Electrode was there, they would all be safe.
The Lord of the Hollow roared himself, reaserting his claim over the mountain. Any nearby wild Pokémon quickly fled in case he wanted more of a fight.
Now that they were safe, Melli could finally assess the damage properly.
The stranger's front was far worse than his back. Whatever shirt he had was completely destroyed, the remaining fabric impossible to tell apart from torn flesh. His hair was stained red, face too swollen to make out any details regarding his features. Tooth holes were visible on the upper portion of his coat too, and his arm was at an odd angle.
Melli felt like vomiting.
"T-too much blood…." His voice trembled. How the hell was he still gasping for air in the state???
The man managed to open one eye at hearing Melli speak, gazing up with an unfocused grey iris. Whether he actually understood what was happening or not remained a mystery.
"H-hey!" Melli attempted comfort. He was never good at talking to people. This would be a much better Ingo job. "Just take slow, deep breaths. The great Warden Melli is here to help! T-there's a Galaxy Team camp not far from here. I just need to get you there."
The stranger's gaze softened a bit at Melli's words. His lips started curling upwards, right cheek splitting where a long gash separated the skin from muscle.
He was… trying to smile?!
"D-don't do that! You're making the bleeding worse!"
He responded with a raspy noise, nothing but air and bile coming out of his throat.
And through it all, he was still trying to smile.
What the hell was wrong with him?!
Maybe it was from all the blood loss?
Skunktank chirped quietly, putting his face into the man's gloved hand. The stranger's tension dropped the smallest amount, twitching his fingers just enough to acknowledge the Pokémon. Skuntank continued rubbing under his good arm and hand, drawing his focus away from the fact he was dying.
Melli took the chance to fish some bandages from his hip pouch. Though his hands were shaking too much to do an efficient wrap job, it would at least slow down the bleeding.
"P–please stop smiling, you're starting to freak me out."
His mouth finally fell at the Warden's request, along with his eyelid.
Wait, no. He was just losing consciousness.
Which was worse!
"I didn't mean to pass out! Hey! You're not supposed to sleep!"
It was no use. He was out cold.
"C-calm down Melli… just one w-wrap at a time…" He tried to coax himself, shaking too badly to even try getting the remnants of shirt fabric off. He just tightly wound over top of it all.
It probably wasn't the most effective patch job, but he was already very close to having a meltdown.
And he still needed to figure out transportation!
Standing up he tried pacing to calm his thoughts, dark blue shirt and leggings staining an odd rusty purple from the other man's blood. His filthy hands were wrapped around his flute, dying the soft white wood a bright red.
'Focus, Melli. Focus.'
The stranger was too heavy for Melli to carry alone, and Electrode wasn't shaped for ferrying people.
Maybe he could rush to the Galaxy Team camp and get help? But what if the guy died while he was gone?
He knew he himself would hate to die alone…
That left him with one final option.
"… but Sneasler hates me…." Melli groaned, unable to stop cringing at several flashbacks to Lady Sneasler trying to claw his face off, only for Ingo to hold her back. Even before Ingo started serving her, she still had a natural distaste for him.
"My Lord," he turned to Electrode and bowed his head. "Please stop her from killing me?"
Of course his merciful Lord smiled to show his support.
He was so lucky to serve such a wonderful Pokémon.
Placing the flute to his lips, he could taste small hints of iron on the mouthpiece.
He was ready to cry.
Playing a slightly different tune to what he normally played, the final note especially leaving a worse taste in his mouth than the blood.
He hated dealing with Lady Sneasler.
It only took a few minutes for the Pokémon he dreaded to emerge. Tall slender figure, two foot long claws curved at the edges, and sharp eyes that always glared right into the deepest recesses of Melli's soul.
Lady Sneasler's first action was to snarl at seeing him.
"L-Lady Sneasler, please!" He jumped back with a shriek, voice rising a few octaves unintentionally. "This man is going to die! We need to get him to a Galaxy Team camp!"
Sneasler huffed, sniffing the air and finally looking down at the broken human. She and Lord Electrode looked at each other, having a short conversation that Melli couldn't understand.
Without giving the warden another glance, the Lady walks past him and gently picks up the limp form in her arms. Somehow, despite how sharp and venomous those claws were, she was still careful enough to never cut his skin.
Melli would have been impressed, if it wasn't for the angry hiss she directed at him right after.
"I'm sorry!" His pleads went ignored, Sneasler walking past him with her nose held high, headed straight for the closest Galaxy Team camp. He followed behind, giving her a wide berth of space. Skuntank stayed next to Melli, the only real anchor he still had at this point.
He was surprised he managed to keep himself together this long. If he was lucky, maybe after getting this guy help he could find a cave and cry it all out.
If he lasted that long.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
The sun had already set by the time Mai and her Munchlax reached Diamond Settlement.
All wardens of Diamond Clan had been called home for an emergency meeting. She had to admit, it was far less lively than usual. Normally she'd still see people of all ages around campfires or saying their farewells until the coming day, but instead most were clustered inside their homes, and the normal number of guards were doubled. Everyone was tense and on high alert.
She had heard somebody was mauled by a Luxray earlier that day, and as tragic as that was, careless people had died to such attacks before. Those incidents hadn't resulted in such extreme reactions. Not for a long time at least.
The rest of her knowledge was unfortunately lacking.
She managed to speak with Lian before heading out, and apparently he had been summoned to Pearl Clan settlement, and he knew just as little as she did.
The only other people she spotted were her fellow wardens gathering around a campfire, and two smaller figures hanging around one of the huts looking lost. At least until they spotted Mai approaching.
"Warden Mai!" Akari rushed forward to great here, Rei following close behind.
"What are you two doing here?" Mai questioned. She honestly hadn't expected to see them here of all places. With how serious Diamond and Pearl Clans were taking this, she figured the two Survey Corps members would be called into Jubilife Village by their Commander.
"We were asked to escort the Galaxy Team doctor here." She answered.
"Someone got mauled really badly by a wild Pokémon," Rei elaborated. "Adaman asked if one of the Galaxy doctors could come and help."
"The victim was brought here?" Mai blinked. She was honestly surprised this person still lived.
Akari nodded.
"Melli and some Galaxy Team scouts carried him from the Coronet Highlands…" she twiddled her fingers, looking especially worried. "It was the closest settlement they could get him to."
"Melli brought him?" That was something else she hadn't expected, though Ingo had been spending a lot of time in Jubilife Village. It made sense all responsibility would fall to the Diamond warden.
"H-he hasn't said much since he got back. I tried asking him what happened, and he just walked away…"
"I told you to give him a bit," Rei scolded. "That guy was in really bad shape. I can't blame Melli for being shaken."
"But I'm really worried!"
Mai had tuned the two out at this point. Melli brought the man here… but where was said warden? The children didn't seem to know, or have much else to tell her.
She would need to ask the other wardens.
"Thanks for the info. You should both try and rest."
The two didn't like that response, especially Akari.
"B-but what about-"
"There's nothing we can do without knowing more. I need to speak with Adaman and my fellow wardens." She gave them both a small grin, Munchlax waving at the two while tailing behind her.
Adaman was already seated with Arezu, Iscan and Sabi.
Melli was nowhere in sight.
"Good to see you made it safely, Mai. Please sit down so we can get started." Adaman greeted.
"Shouldn't we wait for Melli?"
Their leader grimaced, the other wardens looking uncomfortable.
"He.. went to get cleaned up," Adaman sounded as exhausted as he looked. "I will talk to him separately."
Mai didn't wish to press the issue just yet, deciding to take a seat and listen.
"I will get right to the point." Their young leader stated. "Man Eater the Luxray is back."
All four of them were taken off guard. It had been years since they dealt with THAT Pokémon. There were twelve confirmed cases of this particular Luxray targeting and killing humans, one of whom being Lady Sneasler's former warden. The only reason they knew about this particular Luxray were the eyewitness statements of the only three survivors, and a later one from Melli.
No wonder the settlement was so guarded.
"O-ohhhh, that's bad." Iscan's voice was shrill.
"My sight didn't see that coming." Sabi commented. She didn't seem too surprised at least, not like Iscan. "Could it be sick?"
"It's been around for over a decade. I don't know any illness that would cause it to target humans for so long, unless it's an illness of the soul," Arezu looked to Adaman, her expression serious. "So what are we supposed to do? Both Diamond and Pearl Settlements are especially exposed, not even mentioning the lands of our Lords and their young."
"You will increase your patrols of your Lord's territories, and you will each be accompanied by either a Survey Corp member, or one of our men. No one is to walk the land alone until this is resolved." Adaman hummed. "We will also be organizing parties to hunt Man Eater down."
Mai wasn't surprised in the slightest, though it had been a long time since their clan had hunted a Pokémon for such a reason. Usually it was for supplies like food or furs, not as an execution.
'If it's a Pokémon we cannot safely coexist with, then it must be destroyed or captured. For the sake of our people's safety, and our Lords."
Adaman continued listing off everyone's orders. Who would be stationed with who, and when these hunts would take place. Pearl Clans and Galaxy Team were already prepared to assist.
This was going to be a massive undertaking.
Still, Mai couldn't help but be a bit distracted. She knew Melli wasn't well liked, if not outright ignored, among most of his own people. That wasn't mentioning his own history with losing a fellow warden. It was unlikely anyone even checked on him, and that didn't sit well with her.
As soon as their meeting concluded, Mai took a walk around the outskirts of the settlement. It took her a while, but she finally found Melli, sitting on a fallen log alongside his Skuntank. His eyes were puffy and his hair was wet.
Likely from 'cleaning up.'
She took a seat next to him. Neither of them spoke, staring off at the Ghastly and Haunters wandering the marshes and scaring unsuspecting Pokémon.
He would say something eventually. It had been a long time, but Mai knew how her old friend tended to be about upsetting matters.
"… The doctor said his tall coat collar was the only thing that kept him alive." Melli's voice was a whisper, absentmindedly stroking his companion.
"….. did you want to talk about it."
"No." Was the only response she'd get. They sat in silence for a long time, staring up at the half moon overtop the settlement. It was a very clear night.
Yet a potentially dangerous one.
"…. Come on. We need to join the others. It's not safe to be this far from the settlement alone." Mai stood and offered him a hand. Melli slowly took it, never making eye contact with her.
Neither of them spoke the rest of the night.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
The Pearl Clan wardens had taken the news very badly.
Outrage.
Embarrassment.
Sadness.
Old wounds had been opened, and now Irida's meeting had devolved into chaos.
Lian especially. He and Gaeric were getting heated, Calaba shaking her head in disappointment, and Palina trying not to cry. They had all been good friends with the deceased warden, and knowing the Pokémon responsible was alive and out there only made things worse.
Irida's attempts to calm everyone went completely ignored.
All while one warden remained completely quiet.
Ingo's frown was larger than usual, hat brim pulled over his eyes to hide his shame.
It was his part of the mountain. He was supposed to make sure Lady Sneasler's territory was safe, but he was off at Jubilife Village teaching Galaxy Team about proper Pokémon battles and training.
He neglected his duties, and someone suffered the consequences.
Now he took the verbal abuse, knowing he deserved all of it.
In his duties, he failed miserably.
XxxxxxxxxxxxX
It will start getting better next chapter, I promise! Just…. Yeah this chapter had a good deal to set up.
We're ya all expecting Melli to be the one that had to respond? I'm sure he didn't lmao
Also, Melli is not in the drop down list in the character selector for these stories. I guess he's just too new? Or people really don't like him lmao