Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Shadows of Ganderosa

Chapter 45

A Parting Wave


(Unknown Territory: Elysia)

The gabite lied on the purple-sheeted bed with his weight pressed against his arm. He recalled the previous day when he walked down the steps and away from Dialga and Palkia. Upon reaching the bottom, he as confronted with a door. Walking into the room beyond was one of the strangest things he had ever done.

Behind him was the vast expanse of sky filled with orange clouds and the smell of fresh air. Through the door was a square, cobble-stone-walled room that, since the second he entered, reminded him of Palando's Guildmember Quarters. To the back of the wall was a metal-framed bunk bed with purple sheets on both bunks. Each bunk had their own metal shelf jutting from the frame for objects to be placed. In the middle of the room was a round, purple carpet with the Ganderosan Symbol etched into the center. At one of the walls was a fire place with a purple couch that sat in front: supposedly to warm whoever wanted to sit down. Hazel was currently situated on the couch, staring at the fire with a sort of unrest about her. There was also a wooden desk with a matching chair, though the table-top seemed to be empty.

The strangest fact of the room would have to be that nothing like the cloudy lands beyond the grey walls. Instead, the room smelled like dirt and sweat. Sounds of playing children and walking feet could be heard. Everything made this fake room feel like a real Palando, despite the fact that Dillan knew in his head they were in some kind of alternate dimension, though that thought seemed to make it all that much harder to wrap his head around.

Even though the gabite had nearly a day to think about the room – to make himself at home and relax – he knew this entire setting was fake. No matter how real it felt, he still knew it was made to feel that way. Besides: how can he relax when Hazel felt so alone?

The gabite stood up from his bed and walked towards the couch. The charmeleon didn't seem to take notice of the gabite. Instead, she seemed content staring into the dying flames before her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Dillan asked.

"About what?" Hazel asked emotionlessly.

Dillan shrugged. "You've just been staring at the fire ever since I got here. You're obviously thinking about something." He sat down next to the charmeleon and stared at her crimson-scaled face. "Hazel?"

"I'm not sure what to say," Hazel stated simply. "I mean, from what you've told me, Dialga and Palkia aren't sure whether I'm the good guy or the bad guy. And frankly, I'm not…" Hazel trailed off at the end of her sentence. He instinctually looked towards her tail which was currently being strangled by the charmeleon's left hand.

"Having a weird ability doesn't make you a bad guy."

Hazel chuckled lightly. "Doesn't it?" Hazel questioned. "They said 'Shadow Matter' is what causes this, right?" She pulled her tail to the front, showing it to the gabite. "They also said Giratina uses it to strengthen his forces."

"That only gives them a reason to be suspicious," Dillan assured. "That's all. Eventually, they'll realize hat it doesn't matter, and that you're trust-worthy."

"That's not true," Hazel stated quietly, scowling at the flames ahead. "You don't understand at all."

"What's bothering you about this?" Dillan prodded. "I can help if you-" Dillan stopped himself as he felt a sort of tingling sensation at the back of his mind.

"Mr. Lambert and Ms. Prince," A voice called in the gabite's head. It sounded like Dialga's.

"Yes?" Hazel questioned.

"I would like the both of you to report to me and Palkia. From there, the Spirit will meet with you both and your respective missions will be assigned."

"You're sending me on a mission?" Hazel asked. "Why? Neither of you trust me, right?"

"I will answer your questions during our meeting," Dialga stated simply. "I look forward to seeing you both shortly."

As Dialga finished is words, the tingling sensation from before ended. The gabite looked towards the door as if expecting a massive, blue head to peer in at them. Instead, he simply saw the wood.

"We should go see what he wants with us," Hazel said as she stood up from the chair.

"Hazel," Dillan began, standing up as well. "Just tell me what's bugging you."

Hazel stood there for a few seconds, not facing the gabite. "Dialga's more important," she stated quickly. Is she trying to dodge answering?

"You know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?" Dillan asked the charmeleon. "I mean, we're partners."

"I know," Hazel assured the gabite, yet she still wasn't facing him. "But Dialga wants to speak with us. It can wait."

"You're sure?" Dillan asked.

"I'm positive, she said, finally turning towards him with a bright smile. "I mean, this probably means he trusts I'm not the bad guy, anymore. Plus, if he has a mission to take down Giratina, then shouldn't we deal with that?"

Dillan didn't answer her. Now it was as plain as day. She's putting on a fake smile to try and get me to stop worrying. Does she not trust me? Part of him was about to call her out on her act: tell her she was being cruel for not trusting him to be there for her. But another part of him felt that would be a cruelty in itself. She's hiding something from him. Pushing Hazel to tell him wasn't going to help anyone. If anything, it might damage their friendship.

So, the gabite nodded and walked towards the door, dropping the conversation.

"Alright," Dilan said as he reached the exit. If she doesn't want to tell me, I guess that's her choice. And as much as it hurts that she won't talk to me, I can't force her to.

"Well then," Hazel said as she reached the gabite's side. "Let's find out what he wants."


Upon climbing the massive flight of stairs and reaching the circular platform from the previous day, Dillan found Ryan and Reya were standing in the center of the marble floor staring ahead at the floating gigantic beasts that had summoned them. Dillan stood next to the scowling pachirisu while Hazel found herself next to the gardevoir who wore the face of a businessman: void of all emotion.

Dialga and Palkia looked down from their throne of air and stared at the pokemon ahead, not making a single move to speak. Dialga seemed to be simply observing the group with a calmness about him while Palkia took on a harder, more commanding look.

"Master," Reya said as she took a bow. "I have interrogated the traitor as you had instructed me."

"Interrogated?" Dillan asked worriedly. He found himself scanning the pachirisu's unclean, brown-tinged fur for any signs of torture.

"You have no need to worry," Reya assured. "He was very co-operative in surrendering any information he had." The gabite looked at the gardevoir for any sort of deception in her facial features, though all he saw was a nervousness in her wandering eyes.

"You seem troubled," Palkia said, calling Dillan's attention to the gardevoir. He had to admit; her wandering eyes and furrowed brow radiated feelings of unease.

"We have a pressing issue," Reya stated. "The Traitor has… informed me that him and Thalia of the Enemy have released Akuji from his slumber."

Dialga's eyes widened and Palkia's scowl grew even deeper. "You idiot!" the pink being spat at Ryan. "Do you have any idea what you've released upon Ganderosa?!"

"I had to gain the Enemy's trust," Ryan said as calmly as he could. "Releasing him would have happened regardless of whether I helped or not. I would consider it a win if anything."

"Silence!" Dialga ordered.

"Who's Akuji?" Dillan asked. "And why is he such a big deal?"

"You were in Poltress Town, correct?" Reya questioned.

"When we first joined the Guild," Hazel stated. "They tried to sacrifice us."

"Well," Ryan began. "They were doing it to revive Poltress' leader, a spiritomb named Akuji."

"A spiritomb?" Hazel asked nervously.

"You know of the pokemon?" Palkia questioned.

Hazel nodded slowly. "Spiritomb is a ghost pokemon who is said to be a combination of hundreds of souls – all of which committed horrendous crimes in their lives before they died. As a punishment for their misdeeds, they were all locked in a stone acting as a medium to keep them forever in this world." She looked Dialga in the eyes before asking, "If Akuji is a spiritomb, then how is he able to move around? The stone is only supposed to keep whatever souls that make him up trapped in the world. He shouldn't be able to move."

"The stone acts as a sort of perpetual darkness to confuse the souls trapped in the soul," Dialga explained. "More than a century ago, Giratina found a way to lead one of those lost souls out of the darkness by infusing the stone with Shadow Matter. With that, all that is needed are two lights set in the eyes of the stone to guide a soul out of the darkness. That soul becomes the leader of the hundred that reside in the stone."

"So why is that a bad thing?" Dillan asked.

"Akuji is the Enemy's strongest pokemon," Reya stated.

"Even stronger than Thalia?" Dillan questioned slowly. Reya didn't answer the gabite, but the look she gave him was enough. It was one of the most serious looks he had ever received. It made the gabite take an involuntary gulp. That's not good…

"And you released him!" Palkia snapped at Ryan. The pachirisu scowled at Palkia, but that was it.

"What's done is done," Dialga grumbled.

"That doesn't excuse the action!" Palkia argued. He stared at Ryan with a look of malice. "Spiritomb should not be taken lightly in the first place what with their natural abilities and life experiences. Shadow Matter being used as an enhancement makes them even more of a threat."

"I agree, but it isn't the reason we're having this meeting. Mr. Lambert still hasn't met with the Spirit."

Palkia looked at Dialga for a few seconds before sighing. "After this, we will need to discuss how to go about dealing with Akuji."

"Agreed," Dialga stated. "If there are no other matters that need attending to," he prodded Reya. The gardevoir shook her head, allowing Dialga to continue. The massive, quadrupedal pokemon looked towards the sky and roared. Then, the sound of a tuning fork rang throughout the room, vibrating throughout all of their heads. Dillan and Hazel pressed their respective appendages to their ears to block out the noise, yet they were the only ones. Ryan merely grimaced at the noise while Reya didn't seem affected whatsoever. Then, a massive flash of blue erupted before the pokemon, blinding them all for a second. Little spots littered Dillan's vision, hiding whatever was before him.

Then, a sort of ticklish feeling filled the front of Dillan's mind. It was almost as if someone in front of him was reaching into his brain, feeling it with its light touch. It was unsettling to say the least.

"Spirit," Dialga regarded.

"Yes, Master Dialga," a rough sort of voice said. Strangely enough, Dillan recognized the voice.

The gabite looked ahead with wide-eyed shock as the spots began to dissipate. There, standing in front of him, was a bipedal pokemon with red fur and a white underbelly. Its white paws with black claws reached out towards Dillan in a friendly gesture. A friendly smile with soft, blue eyes greeted the gabite with familiarity.

"My Paladin," Lily regarded Dillan.

"Lily?" Dillan asked in a mixture of pure joy and relief.

The lycanroc nodded at the gabite. "It's me," she said.

Dillan was about to say something along the lines of, "It's great to see you", but he stopped himself. Upon closer inspection of the lycanroc, he noticed a wide scar along the bridge of her muzzle. Did she… fight with Thalia?

"How did you get away from Thalia?" Dillan asked the lycanroc. "I thought you were going to sacrifice yourself to save your tribe."

Lily looked towards Dillan with a sad smile. "Did they make it out alive?" she questioned.

"I… don't know…" Dillan admitted.

The lycanroc gave a stifled laugh before looking towards the floor. "Don't feel bad. I didn't truly expect you to know of their fate. It was only wishful thinking." Lily took a deep breath and closed her eyes, seemingly steeling her emotions. "To answer your question, I went straight to Thalia and confronted her as I said I would. From there, I distracter her and hopefully bought my tribe enough time to escape. From there, Thalia ended my life."

"But… you're here," Dillan said slowly. "You can't be dead."

"I am as dead as all of the keepers before me," Lily stated.

"It is as I told you before," Palkia stated. A spirit is not bound by the laws of the mortal world. Here, it is able to move freely. In your world, it exists as an inhabitant of the Sapphire Star."

"Lily's body is dead," Dialga stated. "Yet her spirit is still needed in this world."

Dillan looked at Lily with confusion, expecting her to say it was a joke or something. But she merely smiled sadly at him. Then she's really dead…Guilt rushed into Dillan's mind. He turned away from the lycanroc, not being able to face her. If I stayed, I could've helped… Maybe I could have saved you…

"That isn't true," Lily's voice echoed in Dillan's head. Looking downwards, he noticed the Sapphire Star began to glow as she spoke, then stopped when she fell silent.

"Are you speaking through the Sapphire?" Dillan asked, still not looking Lily in the eyes.

"Dillan," Lily began. "You must understand that the Sapphire Star and its Paladin are connected just as much as a lycanroc's howls with the night sky. They are meant to be with each other, communicating on a personal level. Although a simple howl in the dark pales in comparison to the Sapphire and its Paladin."

"She can't be the spirit," Hazel stated flatly. "From what Dillan's relayed to me, you guys said that the Spirit can guide him through a pull, and that's happened while Lily was alive."

"That is making the assumption that I was the only spirit to have inhabited the Star," Lily stated. "The one who previously inhabited the Star was my predecessor and grandfather: Edward Raksha. He guided you back to Poltress. He was also the one who urged you to leave Howling Plains."

"Then is he still in the Sapphire Star?" Hazel questioned.

"No. The old spirit leaves when he or she can be replaced by the successor. This time, I was the one replacing the old Spirit."

"Spirit," Dialga stated.

Lily didn't make any hesitation, turning quickly on her heels from the group to face Dialga before saying, "Yes, Master Dialga?"

"First of all, we need you to teach the gabite how to communicate with you using the Sapphire Star. You have been informed of your role in this fight, correct?"

"I am to inform the Paladin of whatever he wishes to know regarding the Enemy," Lily said, continuing to bow to Dialga. "I am also to relay any further orders either of you wish to carry out."

"She is a smart one," Palkia said to Dialga.

"Thank you," Lily said with a smile curled at the end of her lip.

"In that case, you are dismissed." Dialga looked at Dillan before stating, "As for you, your mission is still to find the Eevee Tribe and recruit them for the cause. Reya will accompany you on this task and-"

"Master Dialga," Reya interrupted, stepping ahead of the group and bowing. "If I may be so bold as to interrupt, I need to speak with you about my continued support of the cause."

The whole room fell silent, looking at Reya with confusion. Even Dialga and Palkia seemed befuddled by Reya's statement.

"Yes?" Palkia asked.

"I must inform you that I have no intention of going back to Ganderosa."

"What?" Dillan asked in shock.

"This is arrogance in its finest!" Palkia said with resentment. "You think you have a say in this matter, even after what you did for the Enemy?! You should be thankful that we even considered your proposition to join in this cause!"

"Excuse me for saying this," Reya began calmly. "But for nearly a year, I've done nothing but sacrifice for this cause, constantly putting myself in jeopardy. Before, it was being hunted by Thalia. Then it was the Guild. And then, enduring torture and refusing to give up the door's location. I have done nothing but sacrifice and put my own life on the line for this cause. I even lost my left eye for you both. And it isn't like I don't want to fight for a better world. What I want is to live the remainder of my life in that world. I want to live my life in peace."

Dillan was shocked. She talked about quitting on the ship, but she seemed so serious. Earlier, she was submissive with these pokemon. But today, she challenged them openly, even after Palkia's scolding. It just further enforced in the gabite's mind how broken she was.

"And what would you suggest doing?" Dialga questioned forcefully. "You are supposed to protect the gabite and make sure he doesn't fall into the Enemy's hands! You are to safe-guard Ganderosa's future through Mr. Lambert, yet you want to quit!"

"If I may, Master Dialga," Lily said, walking to Reya's side. "From hat I understand, Reya has given her mental and physical wellbeing to this cause to try and pay for her wrongdoings during her time with the Enemy. In my opinion, she has done exactly that. If she wishes to preserve what ever future she has left, why take that from her?"

"We are not taking it if she has already given it to us," Palkia said.

"Master Palkia, if I may speak freely." Lily walked further towards the pokemon, reaching the edge of the circular platform. The lycanroc began speaking with the pink and blue pokemon in a barely audible voice. No one could hear what they were saying, though the two giant pokemon seemed to be taking whatever Lily said into consideration, talking it over with each other in a hushed tone.

What are you saying to them? the gabite wondered, not expecting an answer. Then the Sapphire flashed, and Lily's voice echoed in Dillan's head.

"If Reya no longer wishes to give her all, then she becomes a liability. Forcing her to continue on this path is reckless. That is all I am saying."

I… didn't expect you to answer that… Dillan couldn't tell, but somehow, he could almost guess Lily found that comment amusing. Was she enjoying being in his head?

Lily bowed to the pokemon and began walking back to the group. Dialga waited for her to rejoin before he spoke, saying, "We have come to a decision."

"Reya," Palkia began. "We have decided that if you wish to stay back from the fight and remain here, you may do so."

Reya smiled slightly at this statement. Giving a sigh of relief, she bowed to the pokemon before stating, "You misunderstand. I only wish to remain here, but I still want to fight."

"And I thought we were the confusing ones…" Palkia grumbled. "Turns out mortals are even more mind-boggling…"

"I have a plan," Reya stated. "Although, I do not wish to reveal it at this point in time." She shot Ryan a quick glance, making it clear to Dillan that she didn't want the pachirisu to know about whatever idea she had.

"That is another tangent as it is," Dialga said, closing his eyes and lowering his head in annoyance. "For now, why don't we decide who will be going along with-"

"I'll do it!" an energetic, cheery voice shouted from behind the group. Upon turning around, Dillan found a tan, marsupial pokemon with brick-red arms, whiskers, and rounded ears bound up the stairs towards the group.

"Valery!" Fitz' voice shouted from below the stairs.

Valery ran towards the group and tackled Dillan in a hug. "Dillan!" she shouted. "I'm glad you're alright."

"V-Valery?" Dillan asked nervously, recalling the mienfoo from the Alkan Islands. "You're here?"

"Of course, I am!" Valery said with a smile. "Where else would I be?"

"Val!" Fitz shouted, her head poking up from the steps. When she reached the top, she walked forwards towards the group. "What are you doing?"

"I'm volunteering for duty!" Valery shouted at Fitz.

"A war is no place for a child," Dialga said.

Valery looked around and pursed her lips together in irritation. "Well, excuuuse me!" she said sassily. "But in case you're just that thick, no one here's even eighteen: therefore, all children! And I'm tougher than Dillan! Might I remind you that I was actually trained!"

"Valery," Hazel began, shaking her head. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea for you to go."

"I'm going whether you like it or not!" Valery said.

"No, you are not!" Fitz shouted.

"Why not?" Dillan asked. "I mean, this is her world, too. Shouldn't she have the right to fight for it?"

Fitz stopped for a few seconds, staring at Dillan in disbelief. "You do realize that she could die if she goes with you, making her life your responsibility? For a pokemon that does not even trust himself in a fight, that should scare you more than anything."

Oh… Dillan felt the back of his neck getting hotter. She made a great point.

"It doesn't matter!" Valery shouted. "It's my life, and I refuse to sit back anymore!" She turned towards Fitz and said, "By the way, you can come if you're so worried about me."

"I concur with the idea," Palkia stated.

Dialga turned to his compatriot, wearing a look of murder so fierce, it made him seem like even a practical joke could set him off on a murderous rampage. Palkia met his gaze, creating what seemed like the first titan staring contest.

They have to be having some sort of psychic conversation.

"Telepathic, actually," Lily said in Dilan's head. Dillan looked over at her with a bit of confusion, but also some fascination. Lily met his gaze and smiled once more. "Just ask me anything and I will probably have the answer."

Then how about… what are they fighting about? Dillan looked back towards Dialga and Palkia, staring at them with curiosity. Their facial features continued shifting as they had what could only be viewed as the most silent shouting ever.

"I'm sure that if they wanted you to know, they would be having this… debate… vocally."

Dialga and Palkia both faced the group simultaneously, neither of them looking happy with whatever was said: or in this case, thought.

"She will not listen to us, will she?" Dialga asked.

"Not likely," Fitz said with horror. "But that is why you would force-"

"Valery," Palkia said over Fitz. "You may join Mr. Lambert in his search."

"Not happening!" Fitz roared.

"Uh…" Dillan began. "I'm… not sure that's-"

"Have some faith in me!" Valery said cheerfully to the gabite, winking as she did so.

"This is not up for debate," Palkia stated. "She will join the journey, but she will not be caught up in any fight. If a fight does happen to arise, Valery will stand back and let Mr. Lambert and Ms. Fitz fight. I'm sure the two of you will be enough to fight anyone who-"

"N. O," Fitz said flatly. "Firstly, you were the ones who said Valery was to be kept safe. Secondly, I did not sign up to fight for this country!"

"Come on, Trin," Valery urged, grabbing Fitz by the arm. "I'm going whether you like it or not! If you want to protect me, come with!"

"Hang on," Hazel interrupted, squinting her eyes as she waved her hands for everyone's attention. "Why didn't you include me as a pokemon who can fight?"

"You will not be a part of the group," Palkia said.

"Not part…" Dillan began. "No, Hazel's coming with us."

"I agree," Hazel stated.

"Well, we don't," Dialga and Palkia said together.

"You are still a rogue element," Dialga stated. "We still have no clue how you achieved your ability, meaning we have no idea whether it is harmful or not."

"I'm going on that mission whether you like it or not!" Hazel insisted.

"No, you aren't," Lily stated. "Three is enough for this menial task. Besides: the masters have another use for you."

"Alright," Hazel said reluctantly, scowling at Dialga and Palkia. "Let's hear it."

"Mr. Lambert needs training in how to be a leader," Dialga began. "He also requires lessons in fighting. The best way to achieve both is to bring in a pokemon who is skilled in both aspects."

"And you want me to find someone who can do it?" Hazel asked. "That's not going to be possible considering we're probably outlaws as-is. I can't think that everyone qualified to teach a beginner to lead an army would dumb enough to overlook us being traitors."

"Yet there is still one who would not care, correct?" Palkia asked.

Hazel looked at the pokemon like she was confused for a few seconds, then a look of wide-eyed realization took over, followed by shock. "You're insane! He'll never help after what we did to him!"

"Who?" Dillan asked in confusion.

"Aw, son of a… beedrill!" Ryan exclaimed loudly.

"We have talked it over, and Ignitus Blaine is the only option left," Dialga stated.

Dillan adopted Hazel's look of horror as he realized what they wanted. "The leader of Team Armageddon?" he asked. "That Ignitus Blaine? You want him to train me?"

"Ignitus is a skilled leader," Dialga stated. "He has also taken an obvious stance against the Enemy, giving us a common goal."

"Aw!" Hazel groaned, pressing her paws to the sides of her face. "Does that mean Team Armageddon's real purpose was to fight Giratina?"

"From Ignitus' stand-point," Reya stated. "It may very well have been the case. Then again, I don't pretend to know what swirled around in that infernape's brain. But I doubt his followers ever truly knew of such a fact. They probably believed the same thing about their group that you did: they were fighting oppression in their country."

"This is all too confusing to me…" Hazel sighed. "But I guess that's beside the point. Anyways, I'm not finding Ignitus."

"You don't have a choice," Dialga stated. "You are still seen as a threat to this group. As such, you won't be joining Mr. Lambert on his missions. Finding Ignitus jeopardizes nothing considering the Enemy is already hunting for him. Besides: it has come to our attention that one of his followers has a sense for Shadow Matter. As such, he should have no trouble with identifying you as a threat if given the proper resources."

"You can't expect her to go through with this!" Ryan snapped at Dialga. "You'll be sending her to an early grave!"

"Why do you say that?" Hazel questioned harshly, making Ryan look towards the floor in shame.

"Akuji is the one tasked with hunting Team Armageddon," Reya said grimly. "Having you search for Team Armageddon with be putting you on the same path as him, making what could be a simple search a threatening path."

"It is true that Akuji is hunting them," Palkia said. "But the way I see it, you only have two options: stay here as a prisoner until the unlikely event that we find an alternative way to learn of your allegiances, or you can find Ignitus and his remaining followers and bring them here to help in our fight, clearing you to work with Mr. Lambert. Those are your only two options. I suggest you choose."

The option was a no-brainer. Choosing Team Armageddon was too big of a risk. They couldn't risk losing Hazel. And having Ignitus on their side seemed like an awful decision. The last time he'd seen Ignitus, the infernape had a look of murderous intent. It was a shock he left the gabite alive. He didn't want to consider what kind of awful circumstance Hazel would find herself in if she found them. He might actually kill one of them this time around.

"Who's the other pokemon you want me to find?" Hazel asked calmly.

"You're considering this?" Dillan asked in shock. "Ignitus will kill you."

Hazel sighed and shook her head. "I haven't agreed to it," she explained. "I only want all of the information."

Dillan opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't. She was considering this which made him feel very uneasy, but she was right in saying she hadn't agreed to it yet. "Alright," he stated.

"The other pokemon is one you have met before," Palkia began. "A shiny charizard that goes by the name of Titus."

Dilan felt his heart skip a beat. His eyes drifted towards hazel's scars that were etched across her chest. Hazel's paw seemed to find its way over the scars, as well. Her upper lip began to twitch ever so slightly at Titus' name.

"You think Titus is an expert on Shadow Matter?" Hazel asked slowly.

"No one ever said he was an expert," Palkia said. "We only said that he was able to sense Shadow Matter. His abilities to sense Shadow Matter are unrivaled."

"As we stated before," Dialga began. "With the proper resources, Titus will be able to tell us what we need to know."

"And why would he give up that information freely?" Hazel questioned. "What makes you think Ignitus is even going to say yes and train Dillan?"

"Achieving goals," Dialga stated. "Ignitus' only motivation is to rid the world of Giratina. With the collapse of Team Armageddon, any hopes of achieving that goal on his own have been quashed. Joining us will be the only option he has.

"As for Titus, we believe he will come of his own volition. The pokemon has, in fact, shown an interest in Shadow Matter. Coming here will be the fastest way to gain the information he seeks."

Hazel stopped, contemplating what the pokemon had said to her. "Is there anything else I need to know?" she asked, her tail-flame flickering wildly as she thought.

"There is nothing that we haven't already told you," Palkia stated.

"Then give me some time to think about it," Hazel asked. "It's… a lot to consider."

Palkia raised an eyebrow at Hazel before saying, "Very well. Take all the time you need."

"In that case, we should be off," Lily stated with a bow. She turned around and walked towards Fitz and Valery. "Come along if you wish. Otherwise, don't follow." She then turned to Dillan and smiled at him.

"What?" Dillan asked nervously. "What's with that look?"

"I'll explain later," Lily stated. "For now, all you need to know is that I will not be physically accompanying you from here on out. If you wish to speak with me, it will have to be through the Sapphire Star."

"How does that work, again?"

"All you need to do is tap it twice, then concentrate. At that point, I will be connected with you for a short period of time before you need to repeat the process."

"That's not really what I meant," Dillan admitted as he rubbed the shaft of his claw nervously.

"I know," Lily said with a bow. With that, she vanished in a flash of blue light.

Dillan looked on in wonder at where the lycanroc use to be standing. This was all too weird for him. Magic crystals was enough. Now he had to deal with spirits inhabiting stones, beings from alternate dimensions, and a fight that's lasted centuries that he still didn't fully understand.

"If that's finished," Valery said quickly turning on her heels to face a scowling hakamo-o. "You still haven't said whether you'll be joining us or not!"

"Because I have no intention of going," Fitz said defiantly, crossing her arms and sticking her nose into the air.

Valery looked at her for a few second of disbelief before shrugging and walking towards Palkia. "Fine," she said. "Don't come."

"That is the plan," Fitz said.

"Good," Valery said.

"Fine," Fitz stated as though it was a counter.

"Palkia," Valery said. "A portal to Kerroshia, if you would be so kind."

Palkia scowled at Valery. "I don't take orders from commanding little girls," he said shortly.

"Don't be like that!" Valery said with a smile. "Haven't we had enough fun with each other to know that I don't really mean to be bossy?"

Palkia stood there for a few seconds before his arm began glowing pink. He slashed through the air, and almost immediately after, a pink circle with what appeared to be a pink liquid inside, formed vertically out of thin air.

"That portal will take you to Oasis City in Kerroshia. From there, I suggest traveling north towards Quicksand Coast. At this time of year, it is the preferred hunting ground of the Eevee Tribe. If you're lucky, that's where they'll be."

"So just walk through the portal?" Dillan asked.

"And the journey begins!" Valery answered the gabite. She darted towards the portal and jumped at it, flipping as she did so. Right before she entered the portal, she made an upside-down wink at Fitz who wore a look of horror.

"Val!" she shouted after the mienfoo, but it was already too late. Valery faded through the pink liquid and out of sight. Fitz stared at the portal for a few seconds before sighing. "Dang it…" she said through a sigh.

To Dillan's surprise, the hakamo-o walked towards the portal and into it, disappearing in a less-impressive fashion that Valery, yet still to the same results.

"We wish you luck on your expedition," Dialga said to the gabite.

"May Arceus smile upon you," Palkia stated.

They expect me to go through the portal… but… The gabite stared at it with a mixture of fear and dread. He looked towards Hazel who stared back with a look of sadness.

"This is good bye, isn't it?" Hazel asked.

"I… guess it is…" Dillan said, looking downwards with discontent. He knew this was the only option, and at this point he was prolonging the inevitable, yet he didn't want to leave Hazel. This time, he'd be without Team Rapture. Sure, it wasn't the first time, but he still couldn't imagine what hardships were ahead of him and how he would be able to deal with them without his teammate. They'd relied on each other so much over the past few months that he didn't know if he could stop.

Dillan felt a calloused, scaly paw squeeze his arm lightly. "You'll be fine," Hazel said to the gabite.

"Yeah…" Dillan said half-heartedly to the charmeleon.

"No, I'm serious," Hazel insisted, squeezing harder. "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Dillan. You might not see it, but everyone else does."

"Fitz?" Dillan asked.

"Fitz has reasons for attacking you," Reya began. "But none of them are valid. I've seen you leave everything behind for the hopes of doing something good. That alone should show you that you are strong enough to do this."

Dillan said nothing. Their reasons sounded valid, but they didn't seem to ease his worries. I… I'm not sure…

"No one else understands you better than yourself," Lily's voice echoed in Dillan's head. "Therefore, you are the only one who can cure your self-doubts."

Uh… how? Dillan thought nervously, looking down at the glowing crystal around his neck. How do I go about… doing it?

"Throw yourself through the portal. Any challenge that you face will present a new opportunity to prove to yourself how strong you are. It may take time but continuing to do so will build your self-confidence."

Dillan thought about Lily's words. You're right… I'm not trusting myself. And no one seems to think I have a reason not to… so I'll do it. I'll build my self-confidence and fight on.

Dillan nodded in an attempt at looking confident, though he felt nervous about the whole thing. He was to embark once again on a journey without the pokemon he relied on. But it was fine. If he needed to, he could rely on Lily for advice and turn to Valery or Fitz for help. Sure, it would be completely different. Their personalities and attitudes would probably create an entirely new team dynamic: one Dillan wasn't used to. But he needed to trust in himself that it would turn out alright.

"Hazel-" Dillan started, but he was cut off by the sudden and tight squeeze of Hazel's embrace. She had to stand on the balls of her feet to meet his height, but that didn't concern Dillan. In fact, the warmth of Hazel's body seemed to sap all of his worries away leaving a fuzzy feeling inside of him that he couldn't explain. He looked down at her with a little awkwardness, unsure of what she was doing.

"You'll be fine," Hazel assured the gabite. "And don't worry about being alone. I'll make sure to finish my mission fast, alright?"

Dillan's eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "Hazel-"

"You can't convince me to stay here," Hazel said calmly. "I've… been keeping this a secret, but I'm terrified of whatever this 'Shadow Matter' stuff did to me…"

"What are you talking about?" Dillan asked.

"Don't worry about it," Hazel said. "It's probably nothing, but I need to be sure, and Titus is the only one who can tell me whether I should be scared of this or not."

"He'll kill you," Dillan said to Hazel.

"Do you trust me, Dillan?" Hazel asked.

"Of course, I do."

"Then trust me to do this." Hazel pulled her head back, looking into Dillan's yellow eyes with a pleading gaze. "Tell me that you won't hate me for doing this."

"I'm not going to hate you for this," Dillan assured. "I just… think it's an awful idea…"

"I promise you I won't die," Hazel assured.

Dillan stared into her chestnut-brown eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. He knew she couldn't sit back and do nothing. That wasn't Hazel. She was a pokemon of action, and he understood that.

"Alright," Dillan said with a nod. "I trust you."

"Thank you," Hazel said with a bright smile, hugging him tighter than before. She then let go of the gabite and – not turning away from him – walked away with a thankful look.

"You should head through the portal, now," Lily's voice said.

"Alright," Dillan nodded. He waved good bye to Hazel and Reya but stopped when his eyes set on Ryan. The pachirisu looked at him with sadness and a sort of longing in his eyes. He began to wonder whether Ryan wanted to come. He did look sad to be paring, but he hadn't said anything to the gabite since the ship. Dillan began to wonder whether he'd pushed him too hard.

No… He turned from the group and looked towards the pink portal before him. Ryan's on Dialga and Palkia's bad side. Coming would risk his life. And besides… could I completely trust him after what had happened?

"Alright…" Dillan repeated. He took a deep breath, readying himself one more for the journey ahead. Finally, he took his next step, plunging his body into the portal, leaving his old group behind.


As soon as his foot touched the liquid, Dilan was consumed in a mass of pink, shining liquid. Each nerve in the gabite's body tingled from the moment he stepped into the portal. It was as if a thousand feathers were brushing against every inch of his body. The strangest thing about it all was the feeling of falling, but it wasn't pulling him down. Instead, it felt like gravity was dragging him forwards.

He couldn't say how long he was in the pink expanse. It could have been seconds, minutes, hours. For some reason, this portal was messing with his internal clock. Then, everything stopped as the warm feeling of the sunlight bounced off of his navy-blue scales.

"Woah…" Dillan exclaimed. His head spun from the experience and he was wobbling back and forth.

"Fun, right?" Valery exclaimed.

When the dizziness stopped, Dillan found he was in the middle of an alley-way. The only light that fell through the cracks of the surrounding, yellowed-stone buildings were touching his head and ending just below the shoulders. Looking skywards, Dillan found the sun was very bright, forcing him to shut his eyes despite not even looking directly at it. Behind the gabite was the pink portal he had just gone through.

"Kerroshia?" Dillan guessed, looking at the sand-stone buildings surrounding him. "But we were just in the Alkan Territory." Does that mean… Palkia's strong enough to teleport us across Ganderosa itself?

"I mean, yeah," Fitz stated as she squinted to the sky, holding her left paw above her eyes to block the sun. "The lack of moisture in the air should tip you off. Though I guess you would not notice it seeing as you are a ground-type. And all that is said ignoring the fact that this is the exact place Palkia said he would send us."

"So, what now?" the mienfoo asked with delight, looking towards the end of the alley-way.

As soon as Valery finished, a massive vibrational hum started emanating from the portal. Looking behind, the gabite noticed the pink waves beginning to ripple wildly.

"What's… it doing?" Dillan said cautiously.

"Fitz?" Valery asked, looking to the hakamo-o for answers.

"No one is supposed to be following us," Fitz said with a grimace. She brought her paws out, her scales glowing as if readying herself for an attack.

Then, a loud, "Pop" sound came from the portal and out rolled a dirt-covered, white ball with a light-blue stripe down the middle. It continued its path before coming to a stop at Dillan's feet, where it opened up, revealing Ryan's dizzy body.

"I'll never get use to that…" Ryan complained aloud.

"Ryan?" Dillan questioned with surprise, feeling conflicting emotions of confusion and joy flow through his head.

"You little…" Fitz snarled, shoving Dillan to the side before grabbing Ryan by the shoulders and pressing him against the wall forcefully. "You weren't supposed to be here!"

Ryan looked at Fitz with a massive scowl. "Get your hand off of me right now or-"

"Try me, you little whelp!" Fitz said coldly.

"Hey!" Dillan and Valery both called out.

"Stay out of th-" Fitz began before a gush of blue electricity surrounded her body. She grimaced and shook from the jolt, dropping a sparking Ryan to the floor. He quickly moved around her and towards the opposite end of the alley-way.

"Y-you…" Fitz stuttered, holding her head as she tried to recover from the sudden shock. She gave a quick shake before she reared on Ryan, pouncing towards him with a glowing fist.

Dillan instinctively threw himself in front of Fitz' attack, focusing on his fins as he did so before blocking her strike. The two attacks collided, sending white particles of energy towards the walls around them.

"Stop!" Dillan shouted nervously at Fitz. But she didn't seem ready to listen. She seemed to be intent with pushing on Dillan's attack, forcing him to brace himself with his left leg.

"He is not supposed to be here!" Fitz shouted. "He is going against the plan and is putting us all at risk doing so!"

"Get out of the way, Dillan!" Ryan demanded, getting into a readied stance. "If she wants to fight me, then let her!"

"Ryan!" Dillan yelled. "Not helping!"

"Trin!" Valery cried. "Knock it off!"

"This does not concern you, Valery!" Fitz scolded. "Stay out of this!"

"But-" Valery began.

"Everyone just calm down!" Dillan yelled, feeling the strain in his arms as he continued to hold Fitz in place.

"I am not afraid to hurt you," Fitz snarled. "So get out of my way!"

"Fitz!" Valery screamed, squinting as she did so. "Stop!"

Fitz looked away from Dillan and towards Valery. As she did so, her expression softened into a look of horrific realization. Valery was snarling with the rest of them, pointing her anger towards Fitz. The hakamo-o looked towards Dillan, then around to Ryan. She snarled before dropping her attack. She then stamped her foot in anger before sticking a finger towards the gabite. "This is the last time I want to tell you! He is a loose-cannon, and a threat to all of us! It would be better to kill him where he stands rather than allow him to become a liability!" Fitz dropped her finger and walked away towards the end of the alley-way.

"Where are you going?" Dillan asked.

"I have no allegiances to Dialga or Palkia," Fitz said coldly. "Therefore, I am choosing to opt out of this suicide mission before it kills us all."

"Trin!" Valery called. But Fitz had no intention of listening. She just continued to walk down the path before turning the corner and fading from sight.

Valery was about to go after her, but hesitated. She then looked backwards towards Dillan before her head and ears drooped. She then looked towards the end of the alley with sadness.

Dillan shook his head, directing his attention towards Ryan. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Ryan shook his head before stating, "You really think I'm going to sit this one out?"

"Dialga and Palkia will kill you," Dillan said. "You're risking your life."

"It's mine to risk," Ryan shrugged. "Besides: I know them better than you. Unless they're told to interfere, they won't. So as long as I don't go to their 'Elysia' again, I'm fine."

"You drove her off!" Valery shouted at Ryan, looming above him by a foot. "Why'd you even come?!"

"And you are?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Valery G," Valery stated shortly. "The G. stands for 'get out of here'!"

"Hang on," Dillan said, putting himself to the side of the two smaller pokemon. He felt awkward as he stood there, towering above the pokemon.

"Trinity's right!" Valery said to Dillan. "This guy's a delinquent and a… liberty…" She looked down at the floor in thought as she tried to recall the word Fitz had used before shaking her head. "You know what I mean!"

"And Fitz isn't?" Ryan asked. "She's constantly mad at Dillan to the point of attacking him here and now just to get to me. If you ask me, she's one shove away from killing him. It's probably for the best that she's gone."

"Th-that's different!" Valery shouted nervously. "And… And Trin wouldn't abandon me like that! She cares about me too much to leave me with you! She'll be back!"

"Sure, she will," Ryan said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"Hey, you three!" a pokemon's voice rung out.

The three pokemon looked towards the voice. There, blocking the end of the alley-way, stood three pokemon Dillan didn't recognize.

The first one was a small, quadrupedal, brown lion-like pokemon. Its short muzzle, rounded ears, small paws, and puffy tail were all tan. The pokemon's big-round eyes were centered on the group of pokemon with concern.

Behind the litleo stood a tall, quadrupedal, purple pokemon with yellow spots that's centers were filled with purple. The pokemon had to have had the longest tail Dillan had ever seen in his life, stretching upwards about two feet above the pokemon before curling downwards to what appeared to be a scythe hanging on the end. The pokemon's paws, underbelly, and muzzle were all yellow while it had flares of pink fur just above its whiskers, centered around the eyes before stretching up towards its pointed ears.

The third pokemon who stood just to the left of the liepard was a quadrupedal that, for some reason, made Dillan feel very uneasy. It was the strangest thing, considering the pokemon's entire body seemed as smooth as silk what with the pastille colors. Bows were tied to the pokemon's neck and left ear, yet the ends stretched around its body, floating in the air in a strange, almost mystical fashion. The bows themselves were white with light pink touching the middle and striped at the ends before fading with a blue. The pink mirrored the pokemon's tail, paws, long ears, and the fur on the pokemon's head, making it look as though it had hair.

The litleo, liepard, and sylveon each had a red and polka dot buff tied to their front, left ankles. Dillan felt his heart stop as he noticed the explorer's badges pinned to their buffs. Guildmembers…

"You three are disturbing the peace," the liepard stated with a voice as smooth as silk, yet as demanding as Thalia's. "I suggest you take your squabbling elsewhere." Dillan saw the litleo's eyes widen before he got down on his front paws, the small tuft of fire on his head growing brighter.

"Yeah?" Ryan asked, eyeing the group cautiously.

"I know you guys!" the litleo said with a snarl. "You're the two traitors who escaped Jarondai!"

Dillan grimaced at the statement. He knew it probably wasn't the best reaction given the circumstances, but how else was he supposed to react? Not five minutes outside of Dialga and Palkia's dimension, and we're already targeted?! How did they even know what we looked like?!

The liepard's expression grew into a smile as she realized her friend was correct. The sylveon decided to take on a more defensive expression as she realized her friends were correct. She mirrored the litleo in stance as her ribbons stretched outwards.

"They have a hostage…" the sylveon said as she looked towards Valery.

"Hostage?" Valery said with annoyance. "I'm not stupid enough to be a hostage to these bozos!"

"Then she's with them!" the litleo called out. "Fine by me!"

"Hang on a minute," Ryan said to the guildmembers, holding out his paws. "We're not who you think we are."

"You are Ryan Simon and Dillan," the liepard stated. "Both of you are guildmembers who turned on the monarchy. That makes you traitors to Ganderosa itself."

"Uh…" Dillan began. "I'm… shocked you know about us…"

"You know," Ryan began. "Technically, the monarchy turned on us-" A flash of white light shot out of the sylveon's ribbons, striking the ground at Ryan's feet. The pachirisu looked at the sylveon with a bit of annoyance. "Seriously?!"

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your faces here!" the litleo said with spunk. "Didn't you hear? This is the town of Team Dark Flare!"

Valery looked at the group with a raised eyebrow. "That's gotta be the dumbest, most unoriginal name I've ever heard."

"Get use to it," the liepard said. "Because I imagine you'll be cursing it frequently when you're behind bars."

Ryan began pressing his paws against each other as he popped his knuckles. "If you know who we are, then you should also know that you're gonna lose."

"And why is that?" the liepard asked.

"Ever heard of the Team Armageddon attack on the Alkan Island's Guild?" the pachirisu questioned.

"That isn't possible!" the sylveon shouted.

Ryan shook his head. "Then I guess you wouldn't know how powerful we are…"

"Hang on," Dillan said, raising his claws in a passive stance. "We haven't done anything!"

"Sure, you haven't," the liepard stated. "Just like you weren't invited personally to Jarondai Island as potential Royal Guards before attacking the King in a badly planned assassination attempt. You also didn't kill three royal guards, steal Judah's personal ship, and escape justice?"

"I-I mean, we did take his ship… But we never killed anyone!"

"Lies!" the sylveon shouted.

"Look," Valery stated. "If they've really killed three royal guards, what makes you think three guildmembers are going to be any better?"

The three pokemon all looked at Valery with shock. Looks of recognition hit their faces before they turned to themselves as if questioning whether this was truly the right call to make.

"Stop!" the litleo shouted. "They're just trying to psyche us out!"

"No," Ryan said. "The girl has a point."

"Enough of this useless banter!" the liepard demanded. "We of Team Dark Flare will end you here and now."

"Once we do," the sylveon began. "We will be declared heroes of Ganderosa!"

"That's not how this is gonna work," Ryan said, dropping to his front paws as he readied himself for battle.

"Try us!" the litleo called.

"There's no escaping this, is there?" Dillan asked the pachirisu."

"Consider them a warm-up," Ryan said confidently to the gabite.

"I'll take the liepard!" Valery stated. "Dillan, you take the litleo while Ryan can take the sylveon."

"I thought I was leading this," Dillan said as he focused on his fins, crating his "dragon claw" attack.

"You are," Valery said. "But I wanna give the leader thing a whack!" The mienfoo walked up towards the guildmembers before turning her body, raising her paws in a stereotypical karate stance. "So, bite me!"

Dillan shook his head. As much as he felt he should be taking charge, a bigger part of him could care less. He had bigger issues to deal with: namely the enemy team in front of them. He was shocked and frustrated that word had gotten out so quickly about them being against Judah. It just further enforced the ever-lurking fact that the entire world was against them. But what more could he do?

The gabite brought his fins up in front of him, readying himself for the fight ahead. As the sun disappeared behind the buildings, casting their shadows across the group, the two opposing teams rushed in, ready to beat the other senseless to achieve their goals.