Chapter 6 - Just Deserts

"You planning on waking up anytime soon?"

Jay's eyes snapped open as the voice jolted him from his sleep. A figure stood over him, illuminated by candlelight pouring through the room's open door. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust and his brain to catch up with the events of the previous day.

He was still in the barracks. The giant chicken in his room was Bliss. Her arms were crossed, and her beak looked as close to a smirk as a blaziken could manage. "Do all lucario sleep like that?"

Jay stifled a yawn. "Like what?"

"Y'know, curled up in a fluffy ball. It looked adorable."

It was too early in the morning for Jay to deal with taunting. He rubbed his eyes in a halfhearted attempt to conceal his forming blush. "You could've knocked…" he mumbled.

"And I coulda brought you chesto berries on a golden plate, too. Come on, we're already late; sun's almost up."

"I thought we said we were leaving in the morning…?"

"Yeah, leaving in the morning. We've still gotta eat and get geared up." She extended a hand.

Reluctantly, Jay took it, only to have his arm nearly dislocated as she pulled him to his feet. Bliss didn't say another word as she turned and walked out of the room, heading for the mess hall.

To say that Jay wasn't thrilled with her attitude would have been an understatement. Out of all the pokemon who had offered to accompany him, somehow he had ended up traveling with an ill-tempered avian.

She was the only one willing to leave as soon as possible, he reminded himself. You don't have to get along with her, you just have to endure until you get to Jirachi, and then this whole nightmare will be over.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to be on better terms with the blaziken. He considered the idea as he rubbed his aching arm. More accurately, it would hurt less to be on better terms with her. Jay sighed and followed after her.


The mesa village was nearly unrecognizable compared to Jay's initial impression of it. Only the faintest sliver of sunlight illuminated the mesa, dulling its usual harsh red tones. The streets of the desert town were practically deserted as Jay and Bliss walked through them; most pokemon were likely still asleep.

Jay turned to his companion. "Good thing we got up early. I was getting pretty tired of all the looks I kept getting."

The blaziken let out a laugh. "Never thought I'd meet a lucario who agreed that certain mons get too much attention."

"Well, it can be nerve-racking to have people stare at you everywhere you go. How do you deal with all the pressure in your arena fights?"

"I just do," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's easy to not be nervous when people don't expect anything from you."

"Huh. What I wouldn't give to have woken up as a blaziken, then…"

"Hey, we can't change what we are. Look on the bright side; maybe you'll embarrass yourself enough and word will spread until people won't think much of lucario anymore. Then you won't get any funny looks."

Somehow, her 'encouragement' didn't make Jay feel much better. "…You really don't like lucario, do you?"

"No, I don't like the idea of lucario, and kommo-o, and any other species that gets idolized because of one or two mons who found themselves in the spotlight. They have it easy because they got lucky."

Despite his attempts to be amicable, Jay felt frustration tightening its grip on him. His species had done nothing but get him unwanted glances; couldn't she tell that he didn't want to be a lucario? "Just because they get attention doesn't mean they have it easy, right?"

"Pfft, sure. Like you've had it hard; from what you've told me, it looks like mons have been tripping over themselves to make things easier for you."

"I haven't had–"

"–And don't start whining about how hard it is to have mons look up to you, to be excited when you walk by. Because if that's the hardest thing in your life right now, you've got it easy."

"Who made you the judge of how easy people's lives have been?" She didn't know anything about how unlucky Jay really was. He'd been whisked through a terrifying fictional world while being beaten and bruised and burned, and that was just the last few days! He hadn't even had time to think about–

Wait, did you say that first part out loud?

Apparently he had, if Bliss's expression was anything to go by; her eyes were widened in shock. He half expected her to take a swing at him, given what he knew about her temperament, but eventually her expression faded to one of forced indifference. "Whatever. We're at the market."

Jay hadn't even realized how fast his heart had been beating. He took a few deep breaths as the blaziken turned to inspect the nearby wares.

Don't let her get under your skin; it's not her fault that she doesn't understand what you're going through. You don't even completely understand what you've been going through.

He glanced around at the bazaar. It had just as many varied shopkeepers and wares as the day before, and he had just as little of an idea of what would actually be useful to buy.

Jay's pulse had calmed, but all of the confusing storefronts were making his head spin. At least his companion could be useful here. "What do pokemon usually bring on journeys like this?"

Bliss shrugged. "Dunno, but I've got a few ideas in mind. You got any money?"

Jay sighed and reached into his satchel, pulling out the small bag of golden coins that the arena owner had given him.

"Let me guess… from our fight?" Bliss tossed him a pouch she had been carrying ever since they left the arena.

Despite the relatively weak and underhanded throw, Jay fumbled to intercept the bag, barely catching it out of the air. He set his own money back inside his satchel and peered at Bliss's haul.

He squinted at the money and did a quick approximation. It was hard to tell for sure, but it looked like she had even more coins than he did. It didn't make much sense; he had won the fight, so why would he get paid less? "How'd you get so much?"

"Oh, that isn't money from one fight. It's from five."

Jay was taken aback. She had put in five times the effort he had for a similar amount of profit? Had he really been paid so much more just because of his species?

Remarkably, Bliss didn't follow up the revelation with a snide comment comparing their earnings. "All of it together should be enough to get us anything we want; it's not a long trip, anyways. We just need food."

Jay followed Bliss to a tent filled with baskets of colorful fruits owned by a shady looking kecleon. His beady eyes glinted as they approached. "Ahh, yes, travelers! Welcome, welcome! What brings you to my humble store?"

"We're looking for supplies for a quick trip," Bliss explained. She turned to Jay and gestured for him to hand the satchel over. "You know anything about the different berry types?"

"Not much," he admitted as he passed the bag to her, "Well, I know that the blue ones heal you, at least."

"Oran berries heal you," she corrected, picking four out of a basket and dropping them into the satchel. She glanced around before she found some purple berries, taking two. "These are chesto berries. They keep you from getting tired."

"Do they help you feel well-rested, or do they just keep you awake?"

Bliss rolled her eyes as she tossed the berries into the satchel. "Do I look like a botanist? They'll help us get through the desert without having to stop and rest, and that's all we care about."

The blaziken turned back to her work, grabbing fruits that she explained were leppa berries, rawst berries, and a single lum berry. Jay was only halfheartedly paying attention to her. Pokemon had begun to crowd the bazaar as the morning progressed, and he couldn't help but feel he was being watched from all angles once again.

Lucario have it easy, huh?

At last, Bliss bought a bundle of apples and some extra water canteens. She paid the kecleon with a surprisingly small number of gold coins, and even received a few silver coins as change. Jay had no time to ponder the intricacies of the world's economic system before Bliss handed the satchel back to him and turned to leave the market.

"Should be a day and a half of walking to get to the ruins. If we're gonna do this all in one shot, we–"

She was cut off by a shrill scream that rang out through the streets.

Jay froze. He didn't know who had screamed, if they were in danger, or if there was even anything he could do to help… still, something compelled him to move. He tried in vain to convince himself to ignore it and push forward on his journey, but he knew that it wasn't an option.

Inaction was the greatest killer of all. If there was something he could do, he had to try.

He sprinted in the direction of the cry. The stores and pokemon around him became a blur of color as he dashed through the crowds. He felt the increasingly familiar sensation of strength being funneled into his limbs with every step he took.

The tents of the bazaar gave way to some of the town's larger clay buildings. As he careened around a corner into an alley, his worst fears were confirmed: a mightyena and krokorok were locked in close combat, swiping and biting viciously at one another.

"H-hey, stop!" His feeble yells had no effect on the battling pair. He stepped forward, desperately trying to think of a way to break up the fight without getting pulled into it himself.

Before Jay could figure out how to deescalate the situation, a rush of warm air engulfed him. A blast of fire passed his side, landing between the two fighting pokemon and forcing them apart.

He turned to see Bliss, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed; he imagined it was her best approximation of a threatening pose. "I'm only gonna ask this once. Who started it?"

Both pokemon were stunned by the sudden intrusion, but the mightyena managed to speak up. "This thief stole my–"

Another blast of fire flew by Jay, this time angled directly at the krokorok. The reptile responded just as quickly, placing a clawed hand on the ground and summoning a massive wall of clay to cut the alleyway in half.

Bliss sprinted forward to pursue the outlaw, but it was clear that there was no easy way around the barrier. She yelled, her fist engulfed in flames as she drove it into the makeshift wall. The barrier cracked under the blow, but didn't break.

The thief had escaped.

Silence persisted for a moment as Bliss stared daggers at the wall. It occurred to Jay that he had barely moved from the spot he was in when he first caught sight of the fight. Had he really just stood by and watched while it all went down? He shook his head as the realization set in. It was stupid to think that you could have helped, anyway.

Jay turned back to the mightyena and moved closer to inspect her for injury. The canine had some cuts, but it seemed like she was alright otherwise. The only other oddity was how grey her fur was, even for a mightyena. "Are you okay?"

She spoke in a raspy voice. "Thank you for your concern, lucario; I'll live, even if shamefully. If only I were a few years younger… I would have had that rogue begging for mercy."

He did his best to ignore the reverence in her voice when she referred to his species. "I'm glad you're alright… Did he get away with the thing he was trying to steal?"

"Sadly, yes. He took my necklace; it's a priceless heirloom. To think, I was asked to help protect the town… and only managed to be the perfect target."

Bliss finally seemed to snap back to reality and turned to face the group. "Protect it from what?"

"Those thieves have become infamous for casing a town and waiting for the perfect moment to steal its greatest riches. When the local guild teams are overwhelmed, they strike. By the time the authorities have a chance to organize, they're already gone. Response times just aren't as quick as they used to be."

Bliss crossed her arms. "So we're dealing with some real professionals, then."

The mightyena nodded solemnly. "Most of the mesa's justice team and half of the rescue team are traipsing around the desert right now, chasing rumors of roaming bandits like the young fools they are. After the first sign of thievery, they called me in. I've told them a thousand times that my days of fighting are over, but I guess I just can't help myself. One quick scrap and I already feel like I need to rest."

"How long until they usually bail?"

"A few hours, at most. I wouldn't doubt if I was their last target of the day. They've already hit some of the wealthier shopkeepers around town, and now that the alarm is raised, there isn't much reason for them to stay." The canine sat on her haunches, looking down at the ground ruefully.

Jay thought for a moment. "Well, there is one place that they haven't been, right? The arena seems to have a lot of gold and treasure inside, so maybe they'll go there last?"

Bliss scoffed. "Nah, they wouldn't stand a chance in there. Even ignoring all the fighters, there's enough security to take down a legendary."

"But some of the security has been pulled away to guard the town because the justice team is spread thin," the mightyena added.

Contemplative silence fell over the trio. If security really was lowered, it seemed obvious that the arena would be the final target.

Bliss tapped her beak with a hand for a moment. "Got it. We'll head over and let them know. We're not going to let these guys get away with this." She turned on her heel and began marching towards the lifts.

Jay stood there for a moment, stunned at how abrupt the decision had been. "Bliss, wait!" he yelled as he started after her.

The blaziken stopped and turned to face him. "What?"

"Weren't we supposed to leave soon?"

"Oh, like it'll be so…" Bliss trailed off midway through the biting remark. She took a deep breath before trying again. "It'll be a quick detour. We let the arena know to be on alert, we do a quick check for anyone suspicious, we're done."

"Shouldn't we leave this to people who are more qualified? We already tried to help, and the thief got away."

Her gaze hardened, a fire burning in her eyes. "So what, we don't do anything and let them get away with this? Let them get away with preying on people?"

"Well… I don't want them to get away with it… but I also don't want to get in the way." He paused, a bit surprised with himself. He hadn't intended to be this open. "I just kinda… froze up. I couldn't do anything to help; I'd just be a dead weight if we found them again."

"If you're that bothered by not doing enough, how would doing even less help? You should at least try to do better."

Jay sighed. She didn't get it; he didn't have a 'better' to do. He still couldn't fight well or use any of his powers when he wanted to. He was a liability, getting dragged into high pressure situation after high pressure situation. Dungeon rescues, arena matches, and now criminal justice; he couldn't catch a break.

But it wasn't likely that anything would convince her, or any of the other pokemon he had met. He'd agree, and it'd end up being another in an endless string of detours. All he could do was focus on getting it over with.

"Alright," he said, motioning for her to continue.

Bliss nodded and made her way towards the lifts. She casually strolled towards a packed platform, evidently unbothered by the crowds.

Jay shook his head and boarded the lift, sitting as close to the edge as he was comfortable with to avoid the mass of pokemon sitting in the center. Once again, he found himself avoiding dozens of prying eyes and trying to tune out excited whispers. Why did everyone have to expect so much from him?

Bliss sat down next to him and glanced between the other pokemon on the platform as they waited to depart. It was clear that she was on high alert.

Why is she so determined to catch some thieves that didn't even take anything from her?

At a loss, Jay's curiosity was captured by another subject: an alakazam sitting on a chair between the lifts. He seemed to be staring up at the sky, but his eyelids drooped with exhaustion. It was an odd sight if Jay had ever seen one.

"I'm not cloudwatching," the psychic mumbled, "I'm making sure no one falls. Had to pull a double shift." He let out an exaggerated yawn before turning to face Jay directly. "Can you please think a bit more quietly? Or about something other than me? You're giving me a headache."

Jay would have mentally chastised himself for forgetting about the propensity for psychic types to intrude on his thoughts, but he held himself back when he realized that the alakazam would just read those thoughts as well. He still wasn't sure what 'thinking more quietly' meant, though. Would imagining his internal monologue in a whispering tone help?

The alakazam rubbed his forehead in agitation. "Forget it."

Jay tilted his head, trying to find a way to make it up to the overworked pokemon. An idea struck him. "Well, if you're tired, I have a–"

Jay was cut off by the lift beginning to move up. Panicked, he dug around in his satchel until he found one of the purple berries that could help keep pokemon awake. At least, he hoped it was the purple ones that did that. He tossed it to the alakazam as the lift rose.

"Huh, thanks," the pokemon mumbled as Jay rose out of sight.

Jay let out a breath, relieved that he had succeeded in his mission. A light laugh sounded at his side, causing him to tense up once more.

He had almost entirely forgotten about Bliss. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression. "Y'know, those things aren't cheap. You planning to toss them at everybody we pass?"

"Well… he seemed like he could use the rest. I just hope it really does replenish energy, or else he'll just end up tired again after it wears off."

"It does. It works kinda like an oran berry, but instead of giving mostly physical healing, it helps your mind rest. Just like taking a nap."

"I… thought you said you weren't a botanist…?"

Bliss rolled her eyes. "No, I asked if I looked like a botanist."

"Oh." Jay looked down at the floor of the lift. "You don't, just so you know. With the, uh, fire and all."

This time, he got a genuine chuckle. "And you don't look like the kind of person to worry about 'less important' mons. Today's full of surprises."

Jay shrugged. "It was just a berry. It seemed like the right thing to do."

"You're really not making this easy for me, huh?"

He looked up at the blaziken, confused.

She sighed. "Fine. You were right. I don't know what you've been through. But I do know that you were sprinting off to catch that thief before I could even think of moving. And that you've been throwing our stock of supplies at every charity case you see."

Jay remained silent. Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?

"So… I might have misjudged you. Because as much as I rant about letting people stand on their merits, I wasn't giving you the chance to."

After a moment, Jay's eyes widened in realization. She was apologizing to him.

"I wanted to go on this trip to get out, stretch my legs, test my skills. And we're already fighting bandits before we even leave town, so I guess I'm getting exactly what I asked for. It'd be dumb for me to try to look for stuff to whine about. If you're gonna act like an entitled brat later, I'll give you grief then, but for now… you seem alright."

By the time she was finished, the lift had reached the top of the mesa and pokemon were shuffling off the platform. It wasn't long until they were the only two left.

The blaizken stood up and offered a hand to Jay. "We good?"

Jay accepted the gesture and found himself surprised at the restraint of force she showed when helping him to his feet. "Yeah, we're good."

"Good. Now let's go ruin these outlaws' day." She turned back to the arena and stepped off the lift, marching forward with purpose.

Jay followed, still processing the fact that the conversation had actually happened. He was glad that his companion had decided to stop being so rude to him, but something still didn't sit right: he hadn't done anything that warranted her reconsidering her opinion of him. He'd just been providing miniscule amounts of help where he could.

Yet, much like the other pokemon Jay had met, it only took a few simple actions for Bliss to start seeing him as heroic. Yet another expectation to bear; he dreaded the moment when it would be put to the test and all come crashing down.

As if the universe itself was seeking to provide him that opportunity, a shout rang out through the crowds. Pokemon parted to reveal a servine sprinting towards the lifts, holding a parcel of some sort.

They intercepted a package before it could make it inside to avoid the guards… These guys really are professionals.

Jay caught up with Bliss, who had placed herself firmly between the thief and his intended escape route: the only lift platform that currently remained at the top of the mesa. She gave Jay a glance over her shoulder. "When this guy gets close enough to avoid collateral damage, I'm gonna roast him. Make sure he doesn't get on that lift."

"Alright." Jay took a few steps back, guarding the lift. He wasn't sure how he was going to stop the thief if he made it past Bliss, but he was prepared to try.

The servine's eyes widened as he noticed the duo blocking his path. He swerved away from them and headed directly for an already departed platform. As he approached, he leapt off of the mesa's outcropping and wrapped some vines around the pulley's rope, disappearing over the edge as he slid down.

Bliss yelled out in frustration and sprinted towards the nearest departed lift. "Come on!" With no hesitation, she threw herself towards the rope and began sliding down after the thief.

Jay, who had been running after her up until she had jumped, simply stared wide-eyed. On the one hand, he'd probably get himself killed if he followed. On the other, she'd probably kill him if he didn't. Plus, Bliss had just gotten over her grudge against him; he didn't want to justify her original feelings towards lucario.

It didn't seem like a fantastic reason to throw himself off a cliff. But something else propelled him forward: he had stood by while the krokorok escaped earlier. Bliss and the mightyena and the entire town were all expecting him to help. He couldn't keep letting people down; he had to take whatever steps he could to help.

Well, less 'steps' and more 'a giant leap', in this case.

With a sharp intake of breath, Jay took a running start and jumped off the mesa. He wrapped both arms around the pulley's rope as he reached it, paying no mind to the intense rope burn that left his skin stinging as he slid down. The wind whipped around him, ruffling his fur as he fell.

After a few seconds, he hazarded a glance down. Bliss was below him, her focus purely on the servine who slid down a rope a few lifts over.

The thief grimaced as he noticed them. He wasted no time in shooting small leafy projectiles out of his body towards the duo.

Bliss swung her leg in an arc of fire to singe the leaves before they could reach her. She looked up at Jay and yelled a single command above the rushing wind: "Don't let him cut the rope!"

Jay said nothing in response, still keeping a death grip around the rope. Even if he felt confident enough to pry an arm free, what was he supposed to do, punch the projectiles out of the air? He winced as he felt the sharp pain of one of the razor leaves slicing his leg as it flew by.

This was a terrible idea! What were you thinking?

He caught sight of a flash of green angled directly for the section of rope between him and Bliss. He thought fast and loosened his grip to increase his speed, narrowly making it in time. The leaf dug painfully into his arm, but he much preferred the stinging pain to the alternative of a freefall.

A quick glance down revealed that they were halfway to the bottom. They just had to hold on a little longer.

The small amount of hope that Jay felt was immediately crushed as he heard a loud snap echo through the air. The servine had finally managed to angle an attack into the length of rope above Jay, far too high for him to block.

Because he was already sliding down, it took a second for the change in momentum to register. But as his velocity increased and his ears and aura appendages billowed furiously in the wind, something clicked.

He was plummeting to his death.

Jay didn't know if he was screaming or if it was just the howling of the wind. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could. A thousand regrets flashed through his mind in an instant.

Then it was over.

Literally. He had stopped falling. Somehow, he had instantly gone from a freefall to a standstill in the air without feeling any pain.

Jay floated there, refusing to open his eyes. He felt like he couldn't breathe, though he wasn't sure if it was due to the terror or if he had genuinely been asphyxiated when all the air was rushing around him. His entire body trembled as he tried to form a coherent train of thought.

Everything. Always. Goes. Wrong.

He didn't care if the thought wasn't productive, he didn't care if the thought wouldn't wouldn't help him progress in his hopeless adventure, he didn't care. He didn't care that he heard Bliss yelling at him, or another voice, or anything.

All of the pressure boiled over. He had just wanted to do the right thing and then make it back home, and somehow he kept failing in both of his goals. But no matter how much he failed, they just expected more and more from him. All because of him being the wrong species, or him being in the wrong place, or him being there at the wrong time.

Worst of all is that he just couldn't say no. They'd ask and pester and he just went along with it. Even when he knew he was unqualified and would mess it all up, he still couldn't stop himself. It'd gotten so bad he'd thrown himself off a cliff just to avoid disappointing anyone, and he'd still failed.

Tears fell from his eyes. He just wanted one thing to go right for him in his entire life.

Does me catching you count?

The voice that had gone through Jay's head wasn't his. His eyes snapped open. He was greeted by the alakazam from earlier sitting below him. Jay's eyesight was still a bit blurry, but he could tell the pokemon was smiling.

"I thought I'd return the favor." His hand was raised and a pinkish glow emanated from it; a similar glow seemed to surround Jay's entire body. "What were you three doing playing on the lifts like that?"

"Playing?" Bliss's agitated voice sounded at Jay's side, prompting him to turn. He couldn't maneuver his body very easily in the psychic grip, but managed to swivel enough to see her in a similar state as him. "We were trying to catch that guy!"

With a bit more effort, Jay managed to crane his head far enough to see the servine caught in a psychic hold as well. The outlaw struggled in vain against the psychic grip, clearly distressed.

He should have felt relief at seeing the thief apprehended, but he couldn't tell what he was feeling after his freefall. He wasn't even afraid anymore, just… done.

Though, seeing the thief's body glow with an ominous white light did serve to rekindle a bit of fear in Jay. "H-he's trying to–"

A bright flash engulfed Jay's vision as the servine fired the solar beam directly at the alakazam. The psychic was knocked out of his chair and released his hold over the trio. Jay didn't have time to react before he fell the remaining few feet to the ground, landing on his back.

"He's getting away, let's go!" Bliss shouted as she leapt up and dashed after the thief, who was quickly disappearing around the bend of the mesa.

Something festered inside of Jay. It wasn't the fear he had felt fighting the beedrill or the apprehension he had felt fighting Bliss, though. It wasn't even the helplessness he had felt moments prior.

He rubbed an arm against his eyes, allowing his tears to be soaked up by his fur. He was done letting himself be led into these situations. He was going home. Jay jumped to his feet and chased after the blaziken.

Jay ran around the mesa's rounded cliff until he finally caught up to Bliss; she wore an expression of pure rage as she glared at a hole in the bottom of the rocky wall. "He squeezed through, the little–"

"Bliss, it's over. Let's go." It was perhaps the first time since he had arrived in the pokemon world that his voice was steady and forceful.

The blaziken turned to face him, an incredulous look on her face. "Go? They're about to get away! They've gotta have another tunnel out, if we circle around we can–"

"I'm not going to run around the entire mesa until we find another hole that we can't fit through. I'm done."

"We'll figure something out! What if we–"

"Nothing we've done has helped anyone so far. We almost died!"

Bliss narrowed her eyes. "Oh, I see how it is. I give you the benefit of the doubt, and you end up being a coward. You stop helping out as soon as the going gets tough."

"I'm not stopping because things are tough, I'm stopping because nothing good is coming out of any of this." Jay hardly noticed the blue sparks flying from his paws as he spoke. "We broke up a robbery and the krokorok got away, we tried to chase after the servine and then he broke the lifts, and then he shot a laser beam at–"

Jay froze. He hadn't even thanked the pokemon who had saved his life, nor had he been at all concerned when his rescuer had been hit by a powerful attack. He'd been too caught up in his frustrations and problems. He'd been too focused on himself.

He glanced down at his paws as the blue energy faded. "What am I doing?" All the confidence drained from his voice. Had he really been thinking so selfishly? "I… I'm sorry." The apology wasn't even to Bliss as much as a general statement of remorse.

Bliss crossed her arms. "You're frustrated. I'm frustrated. You know what would make us both a lot less frustrated? Catching these thieves and giving them their just desserts."

Jay looked up at her. "I don't want to beat up outlaws. I just want…" He trailed off, unsure of how to even finish the statement.

"To do the right thing? Yeah, I caught that. And right now, the right thing is getting back all that stuff that was stolen and making sure these guys never hurt anyone again."

She wasn't wrong. Jay did want to help out; despite himself, he had become distracted from his true goal of returning home over and over again all for the sake of helping out random pokemon. But that didn't change the increasingly clear fact that it was wasted effort on his part. He just couldn't live up to expectations. "Bliss… I want to help. I really do. But I'm not the hero that everyone expects me to be."

"So? You can't let random mons tell you what you're supposed to be; that's up to you. If you wanna try to live up to the hype, fine, but it's on them if they assume you're something you're not. As long as you're doing your best, who cares what they think? Why get so caught up in the negatives when it has no effect on you?"

He said nothing, letting the words sink in.

She turned back towards the hole through which the thief had vanished. "Look, you can give up and go for Jirachi now if you want; take all the supplies with you, for all I care. But I wanna see this through, and I think you do too."

Jay considered the offer. For what felt like the first time, there was no insistence or coercing; the choice was entirely up to him, and it seemed like a simple decision. He wanted to get home as soon as possible, there was no question about that. Getting sidetracked just seemed to get him into increasingly dangerous situations.

But despite everything, he did genuinely want to stop the thieves from hurting more people. If there was a chance to put a stop to so much suffering with one last quick attempt… He felt compelled to try, even without any external forces prodding him.

Your conscience is going to be the death of you, one of these days.

Jay heaved a deep sigh. "Alright, I'll give it one more try."

"Good," Bliss said as she continued to stare at the hole in the cliff. "Because I think I just found a way through. I see a larger cave underground, but the entrance is small because of where the mesa meets the ground. But fighting types can hit hard enough to break rocks, right?"

The blaziken's plan clicked in Jay's head. "Oh, I don't think I can–"

"Who said anything about you breaking the rock?" The blaziken drew back a fist and smashed it into the wall above the opening. It cracked but didn't yield. "Never done this before; it's a pretty advanced move, but y'know what they say about on-the-job learning." She threw her fist into the rock once more, producing more cracks, as well as some blood.

Jay's eyes widened. "Bliss, maybe you should let me take a few swings at it…"

She gave him a glance over her shoulder. "Didn't you just say that you aren't strong enough to break rocks?"

"I'm not, but–" He was cut off as she punched the cliff one final time. The wall yielded, and chunks of rock fell into the opening, clattering as they hit the floor of the cavern a few feet down. The hole was now wide enough for them to fit through.

Bliss shook her fist, a few flecks of blood staining the mesa wall. "Gonna have to keep practicing that. Let's go, before they get away." Without another word, she dove into the cavern.

Jay wasted no time following her, determined to put an end to the misadventure. Bliss had barely moved out of the way as he dropped to the floor of the cavern, landing unsteadily on his feet.

"Ever heard the phrase 'look before you leap'? You almost crushed me," she chastised in a hushed tone. "And keep your voice down, we dunno where these guys are."

"Sorry," Jay mumbled as he inspected the area. The interior of the cave was dry and dark; the only light source was the hole they had come through. Ahead of them was a long and uneven hallway, the other end of which was shrouded in darkness.

With only one way forward, Jay followed Bliss as she made her way through the cavern. The sides narrowed as they pushed forward and the floor sloped upward until it was downright claustrophobic. It wasn't long before they were too far from the light of the entrance to see. Jay's ears brushed the ceiling and twitched.

It took him a moment to realize that the involuntary motion wasn't due to the contact with the rocky surface; it was because he heard something. He tapped Bliss on the shoulder, producing a light shuffling sound as she turned to face him. Even in the dark, he could feel her eyes bearing into him expectantly as he tried to decipher the sound.

"It sounds like… people talking," he whispered. "Dead ahead. They're close."

"Good, they haven't left yet. Stay low and quiet, and wait for my signal to move in."

Jay gave a hum of affirmation and they continued forward. Before long they caught sight of light at the end of the tunnel. The walls finally spread out and the floor gave way to a gaping hole that led deeper into the cave system. They approached the opening and peered over the side.

Below was a spacious cavern. Light trickled through cracks in the walls and glinted off of various shiny trinkets and stolen goods that littered the floor. The krokorok stood on the far side of the room, his arms crossed, while the servine paced nervously. Neither seemed aware of the duo eavesdropping above them.

The servine spoke first. "I'm tellin' you, brother, that lucario's bad news. He's gonna track us no matter which exit we take. We should just cut and run while we can."

The krokorok huffed in annoyance. "Oi, we're not leavin' the haul. Fink of sumfin' better."

"Know what? Let's just take the expensive stuff and split." The grass type shot out his vines, picking up the parcel from the arena and a silver necklace.

The other thief shook his head dismissively. "Naw, I wanna take it all."

The servine sped up his pacing, still clutching the items. "That lucario is gonna find a way down here sooner or later. Have you heard the stories, brother? Nothin' stops 'em." His pacing led him directly below Jay.

"The lucario is the least of your worries right now."

Jay didn't even have time to register that the voice had come from his side before Bliss dropped through the ceiling and smashed her flaming leg directly into the servine's skull. The grass type crumpled to the ground immediately and the blaziken toppled after him.

A glance at the krokorok revealed that he was just as stunned as Jay was, though he rapidly recovered. He put both hands on the ground, prompting the entire cavern to shake as colossal earthen spikes shot out of the floor in a line heading directly for Bliss.

Time froze. Bliss was sprawled out on top of the servine after her fall and couldn't possibly hope to move before the spikes reached her. Jay narrowed his eyes and was filled with resolve. He was done being dragged into terrible situations, sure…

But it was still his choice if he wanted to throw himself into one.

Jay dropped. He landed directly in front of Bliss, crouching down and setting all four paws on the ground. The spikes continued forward, getting so close that he couldn't even see the krokorok behind them. He took in a deep breath and tried to remember what the lucario at the arena told him.

He dug deep, focused, and felt a pulse. He funneled it into the ground and a glowing blue barrier extended across the floor around him. There was a crunch as the spikes tried to rip their way through the shield, but they couldn't break through. The ground type attack fizzled out.

Jay stood back up to full height and turned to check on Bliss as the barrier dissipated from the floor. Thankfully, she was unharmed. He offered her a paw to help her back to her feet.

Bliss barely even seemed to notice the gesture, instead focusing on something behind Jay. "Look out!"

Stinging pain raked through Jay's other arm as the krokorok slashed him with a claw. He recoiled, reflexively throwing a punch to counter the reptile's attack. The outlaw ducked under the blow, his jaws snapping as he tried to wrap his teeth around Jay's arm.

Jay pulled back his arm and angled his spike so that it scratched along the roof of the krokorok's mouth. The reptile cried out and whipped around, using his tail to sweep Jay off his feet and send him crashing onto his side.

As Jay struggled to get back up, a fiery figure flew towards the thief. Bliss cried out and delivered a flaming punch directly to the outlaw's stomach.

The krokorok stumbled back and attempted to counter with a swipe, only to be knocked off balance by a fiery leg sweep. Bliss jabbed him in the side of the head as he fell. The thief landed heavily on the ground, unconscious.

After ensuring her target was out cold, she turned back to Jay. "You good?"

Jay gawked, speechless in equal part due to the impressive display of fighting prowess and the fact that they had successfully apprehended the criminals.

Bliss rolled her eyes at his dumbfounded expression and took a step forward, extending her hand. "Little slow on reading the signal, but thanks for the save."

Jay took her hand and rose to his feet. "Wait, that was the signal?"

She shrugged and looked back at the crumpled servine. The parcel the thief had taken from the arena had been damaged in the scuffle; purple liquid oozed out of it ominously. Bliss disregarded it and instead picked up the silver necklace that the grass type had dropped. Thankfully, it seemed to be in perfect condition.

The trinket reminded Jay that there was still work to be done, prompting him to scan the room. Even though they had recovered the stolen items, there was far too much for them to take it all back on their own. Some of the wares were even too large to fit into Jay's satchel. "We should find a way back to town and get the authorities. They can take it from here, right?"

The blaziken bent down again and grabbed the servine's tail leaf. "Sure, but first we gotta make sure these two model citizens don't get away." She dragged the unconscious outlaw over to his accomplice and began tying the grass type's limp vines around the pair.

Jay searched for an exit while she was preoccupied. The cracks in the wall that served as the cave's light source certainly seemed to lead to the outside of the mesa, though getting through could pose a problem. He recalled Bliss's earlier demonstration and glanced down at his paw.

Well, you've got a record streak of one win in a row. Double or nothing.

With a newfound boldness, Jay drove his fist into the wall. The rock cracked under the force of the blow and more light flooded into the room as an opening formed. Unfortunately, Jay's paw also cracked under the force of the blow. He cried out, holding his bleeding limb close to his chest.

Bliss completed her task and walked over to check on him, tilting her head as she approached. "Just because we took down these goons together doesn't mean we need matching scars." She held up her own injured hand. "Y'know, fighting types can only make their bodies so durable, so I have an excuse. You're fighting and steeltype."

Jay was too busy trying to keep tears out of his eyes as he cradled his aching paw to come up with a retort. He wasn't willing to cry a second time today; opening the floodgates once was more than enough.

After a moment of silence, Bliss shook her head. "Seriously though, if you need to break through a wall like that, let me know. I'm not great at managing recoil, but I can tell you're starting from square one when it comes to this kinda stuff."

Jay took a deep breath as the pain subsided. Despite the setbacks, he had accomplished his task. It was true on multiple levels, when he thought about it. But he could dwell more on that later; they had a job to finish up. He gave Bliss a nod and walked through the opening.


It didn't take long for Jay and Bliss to flag down a local official and explain the situation. Apparently, the alakazam who had saved them hadn't been seriously harmed by the servine's solar beam and had immediately informed law enforcement about the situation while the duo were pursuing the thieves.

Within minutes Jay was sitting back by the mesa's lifts while Bliss led the authorities to recover the items and apprehend the criminals. He would've joined them, but he had some injuries to tend to. His paw didn't seem broken, though it was a bit swollen and throbbed with a dull pain.

He nibbled on an oran berry as he sat in the shade that the mesa provided. After everything they'd been through that morning, he was glad to have some time to rest and heal. Pokemon muttered as they boarded the lifts around him, but for once he didn't mind. He had done what he had set out to do, and that was enough for now.

Plus, when he slowed down and stopped worrying about the crowds, he could take in the natural beauty of the town. Even if most of it was made out of the same red clay and stone of the surrounding geography, it had a certain uniformity to it that made it charming. He lazily observed that more and more buildings were being liberated from the shadow of the mesa as the sun continued to rise higher in the sky.

Jay squinted up at the sun. It's almost noon? Time flies…

"Evidently it's not the only thing that flies." The alakazam was back in his chair, though he hadn't made any noise on his approach. "Looking for clouds?"

Jay sat bolt upright. He really had to stop getting caught off guard by psychics. "Oh, uh, sorry for not thanking you for catching me earlier. And not checking on you after you got attacked."

The alakazam waved a hand dismissively. "You were caught up in catching the outlaws, and clearly under duress."

Jay's face flushed. The psychic had been privy to his entire meltdown, hadn't he? "Well… I'm just glad you're alright."

"And you as well. I was too tired earlier to properly appreciate a lucario coming to town, but we're very lucky that you happened to be here. They likely would have escaped otherwise."

'Lucky'. That was a bold word to use on someone who had recently fallen several thousand feet. Then again, Jay had survived the fall… "I can't take too much credit. I would've died if you hadn't caught us."

The alakazam looked over towards the broken lift. "I may have been too exhausted to catch you all if I hadn't had the chesto berry you gave me. Perhaps the entire situation was fortunate for all parties involved."

Jay tilted his head. Things had worked out pretty well, somehow, hadn't they? Despite all of his doubts, the thieves had been caught with no lasting injury to anyone involved. He almost felt a little silly for getting so upset earlier.

Before he could get too deeply entrenched in his musings, Bliss walked around the bend of the mesa. She practically had a skip in her step as she approached. "They'll take it from here. Ready to hit the road?"

"Yeah," Jay said as he stood up. His paw was already feeling better, no doubt thanks to the berry.

"Good. We should probably restock at the market first, though. We have enough cash to buy back all the berries we lost, plus extra in case we see any more charity cases." She glanced at the alakazam. "Speaking of which, thanks for earlier."

By the time the alakazam had opened his mouth to respond, she was already making her way towards the market. The psychic type shook his head before turning his attention back to Jay. "You shouldn't let her get too far. Good luck."

"Thanks." It was all Jay could think of saying before he turned and dashed after his companion. It didn't take long to catch up to her, but it was clear she was moving forward with purpose. "Why'd you run off so fast? The fighting's over, right?"

"Yeah, but we've still got one more thing before we're done."

Jay didn't have time to voice his confusion before Bliss turned off from the main road, heading into an alley. Realization struck as Jay followed; the mightyena was right where they had left her. She was laying in the shade, clearly awaiting their return.

She perked up as they approached. "Did you alert the arena?"

"Nah, we did one better," Bliss said as she held out a hand. The silver necklace glinted as it hung from her fingers.

The elderly pokemon jumped to her feet. "That's it! You managed to catch the thieves so quickly?"

Bliss shrugged. "We ran into them at the arena, chased 'em to their lair. Then it was just a quick beatdown while they were cornered."

"It's good to see the youth of today still have some initiative." She wagged her tail as she approached the duo to accept the item. "Good work, you two. I should have expected as much from a lucario, after all."

Jay rubbed the back of his head with a paw. "Well, Bliss took most of the initiative. And did most of the fighting. And led the authorities to the cave after we were done."

The mightyena let out a laugh. "Giving credit where it's due, I like you. I bet the justice team was fawning over both of you. They'll probably try to double the bounty."

Jay turned to Bliss, tilting his head. "Bounty?"

"Yeah, the guild gives out bounties for catching outlaws. We're not staying to get it, though; they said they'd take a few days to process the thieves and get the paperwork done."

"Young mons, always wanting to run off to adventure," the mightyena mumbled. "No need to be hasty."

"Eh, I promised my partner we'd get on the road as soon as we were done," Bliss said as she elbowed Jay in the side.

He stumbled back, bewildered. "Bliss, you'd really–"

"Listen," the blaziken interrupted, "Seeing justice served was reward enough. I'm not gonna stick around for more money when we already have plenty." She stepped forward, offering the necklace to the mightyena once more.

The aging pokemon glanced between the duo, wistfulness filling her eyes. "You two remind me of when I was first starting out. Perhaps it's time I finally pass it on…" She pawed at the ground as she deliberated. "Yes, it's time. Open the locket."

Bliss looked down at the necklace, noticing a small locket in the middle. She fiddled with it for a moment before it popped open. A small golden seed fell into her waiting hand. "What is it?"

"A reviver seed."

The words meant nothing to Jay, but Bliss's face contorted into a mixture of wonder and doubt. "Really?"

The mightyena nodded, dead serious. "My dear Flint gave it to me, to keep me safe on our adventures. How I miss that old firestarter and his romantic gestures…"

Jay's confusion only increased. "What the heck is a reviver seed?"

"Pretty much the rarest and most valuable thing in the entire world," Bliss explained, still staring at the kernel in her hand. "Stories say they come from the Tree of Life. They're rarer than legendaries and worth enough money to buy the entire arena; they can fix any injury."

"Any injury?" Jay stepped closer to inspect the seed further; it seemed completely mundane in every sense of the word.

"As long as you're alive when you swallow it, it can bring you back from the brink of death itself," the mightyena clarified. "It does no good for aging, though. It's time I gave it to the next generation."

Bliss beat Jay to the punch. "We can't accept this."

"You two are young, enthusiastic heroes. You're going to get yourselves killed." She looked at Jay, her old eyes piercing through him. "There hasn't been a lucario on this continent in twenty years. It'd be a shame if we ended up without one again because you made a foolish mistake. Consider it a safety net, and your one reward for the good deed you did here today."

Jay began to protest, but the mightyena dashed forward before he had the chance to say anything. She leapt up and grabbed the necklace with her muzzle, leaving Bliss holding the reviver seed. She gave the duo one last nod and trotted out of the alley, tail wagging.

They simply stared after her. After a minute, Bliss let out a shaky laugh. "Huh, is that what you meant by mons expecting things from you?"

"Yeah."

"That's rough."

"…Yeah." Jay thought about the blaziken's earlier advice. "But, I can't let it get to me too much. All I can do is try to do my best, right?"

The edges of her beak shifted into a smile. "Hey, that's solid advice. You hear it from someone really smart or something?" She reached over and put the reviver seed in Jay's satchel. "At least we've got a backup plan in case we do something crazy again."

Jay sighed and looked down at his paw. "I don't even think this is the worst injury I've had. The beedrill sting was probably worse."

Bliss tilted her head. "Beedrill sting? For an amnesiac, you sure seem to remember going through a lot."

Jay looked up at Bliss, considering his words. Sure, the blaziken had helped him realize that he shouldn't be as concerned with perception, but that was just a small facet of a larger idea. Even during all the setbacks on the mission, Bliss hadn't seemed to focus much on what was hindering them. She moved forward dauntlessly, undeterred by the losses.

"I've… spent a lot of time thinking about the bad things that have been happening to me lately. But it hasn't been all bad, right? I helped save a pikachu, then I managed to find out where Jirachi was, and now we stopped those guys…"

The blaziken only met his gaze, saying nothing.

"I guess I just got so caught up in my problems that I didn't see any of the good things that were happening. Sure, everyone wanting me to do a lot because of my species is stressful, but it's also helped me get to Jirachi. And even if these distractions cost me some time, at least I've helped other people out. I can't keep being so selfish and pessimistic; it's hurting me and everyone else."

Bliss set an arm on Jay's shoulder, leaning in until her beak was nearly bumping into his snout. "Jay."

Jay wanted to reflixely recoil at the breach in his personal bubble, but he was already too deep into airing out all of his emotional revelations to back out. "Yes?"

"We've been working together for a day and we're one tearful hug and a sappy declaration of friendship away from being ripped right out of a children's play. We need to cool it."

Jay's brain nearly short circuited from the sheer amount of incongruity that her statement provided. Had she really killed the tone of the conversation that quickly? Wouldn't hugs be lethal with his chest spike? Pokemon did have plays as a valid form of entertainment?

Bliss released him and took a step back, sighing. "Really, I'm glad we're both learning some stuff. But we don't need to be so melodramatic about it."

Jay shook his head to clear his thoughts. She had a point; it was just a simple shift in mentality, at the end of the day. "Alright."

She gave him a thumbs up. "Good. Now let's go get restocked; we've gotta get moving soon if we wanna make it to the ruins on schedule."

He couldn't help but smile at the reminder as he followed the blaziken out of the alley. Before long, he'd be back home, and with quite the story to tell his sister. With an increasingly supportive companion and a magical healing seed in tow, things were looking up.

Maybe it would all actually work out in the end. After all, stranger things had happened in the last few days. He just had to keep moving forward, doing his best and hoping for the best.