Episode 24: The Oldest Village in Aseria

"We have to change gondola in Pokétopia anyway, so we might as well take a break there and drop off Marina," Phoenix said, sat down in the gondola. "You are free to take care of your issue."

"Thank you," Infia said quietly. The others didn't say anything, but there was an obvious shift of discomfort from Lute. He had been silent since they left Everend, and spent the trip staring out the window at the dull sky. Only Sophitia had dared to stay close to him, but she didn't say anything. It was difficult to.

"I'll try not to be long. Sorry about this." Infia bowed when they came to a stop. She was the first to step off into the station.

"What's got you in a rush, anyway? Did something happen?" Marina asked.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something," Infia replied.

"Well, go ahead. You could've asked me any time," Marina said.

"Um, I-I… I can't," Infia turned bright red. Esther perked up.

"Oh right, that thing. Yeah okay, er," Esther said, and spun around to look at everyone. "Yeah uh, we're gonna be a little bit, 'kay? You guys go do something for a little while."

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Sophitia wondered.

"It's kinda for me and Infia alone. We'll be in the King's Shield base if you need us. We'll call you when we're ready to go. That means you too, Fluffy Cheeks." Esther waved at them. She pulled Infia and Marina with her, and soon disappeared into the crowd in an impatient sprint.

"Er… shall we grab snacks?" Sophitia suggested with a shrug. Lute remained half-lidded, while Phoenix looked confused.

The three girls went straight to the agent base underneath the shopping arcade, but once there, Infia shrivelled up and couldn't stop blushing. There wasn't anyone there except them and a few operators, and they were hard at work on computers. Some had headphones on. Athens wasn't even around, so all was quiet.

"C'mon now. You all have work to do. And I know no one wants to say it, but I doubt Lute's patience is going to last with you girls keeping secrets like this," Marina said. "What's wrong?"

"I-I, um, I dunno how to say this," Infia squeaked every word.

"Forget Lute, don't worry about him. That turd can wait as long as it takes. This is important," Esther stated. She walked behind Infia and shoved her a little. "Go ahead! Be brave. No one here is gonna judge you for asking."

"Y-yes they are!" she squeaked even louder. Marina tilted her head. "I-I can't. This was a bad idea. I'm sorry about this, sorry. Forget it, I wasted your time."

"No you didn't- urf, alright, I'll do it," Esther said.

"Esther no!"

"Infia wants to know if you can improve her body," Esther said, paws on her hips. The Minun went even redder and pulled her shirt over her head. "Since you made Lute so powerful and stuff, is it possible that you can like, y'know… I really hate to put this way, but is there a way to like, 'fix' Infia? You don't have to give her any crazy powers and stuff."

"Fix her?" Marina said slowly. Esther signalled for the Minun to talk again, and she gulped. She stepped forward and lifted her skirt, revealing her nappy.

"M-m-make it s-so that I don't have to we-wear this anymore… please," she said.

"Oh, that's what this is about. Okay, I totally understand the privacy, now," Marina said. She gave Infia a quick look, and rubbed her chin. "Normally I would immediately decline. This isn't something that could be done on a normal Pokémon. They want me working on V-Pocket and Risen stuff, so this will be a good refresher. But please understand that I can only promise to try."

"Why wouldn't it work? She's a V-Pocket just like Lute," Esther said.

"But she was made by Spirle, not me. I wouldn't be surprised if the technology and programming is totally different. This is very immoral too; you know that right? If Pokémon knew that it was possible to just, remove disabilities, birth defects, that sort of thing, the world would be a million times different to what it is now," Marina explained with a straight face.

"B-but this is so important. There are so many things I can't do properly because I'm so weak and I keep having accidents all the time. I'm just lucky that I'm someone where it can be fixed. Please, if you can do it, I'll do anything. I'm so tired of being a liability to everyone," Infia cried.

"You're hardly a liability, though," Esther sighed.

"Like I said, I only promise to try. We'll start with a scan. Pretty sure they have one of those tubey things here," Marina said.

They went deeper into the lab to the stasis tube that Esther had previously destroyed, only to find it as good as new. Infia looked nervous as she approached it, but with a determined nod and a clutch of her chest, she stepped inside.

"They fixed it already. Geez, Lassic doesn't waste any time with his toys, does he?" Esther muttered.

"They do need this. Clothes off, Infia. And try not to panic. The tube will fill with liquid, but you'll be alright," Marina instructed as she tapped a few buttons. Esther tensed up and closed her fists once the procedure got underway. She stuttered and growled as Infia was submerged, and crackled her cheeks. "Easy now, Esther. I promise you; she'll be fine."

"I… I know but—" Esther gritted her fangs. It looked like the Minun had fallen unconscious, and bubbles came from her mouth. "It's really hard to look at this and not just think somebody's drowning."

"I can understand that, actually," Marina admitted, half paying attention. She tapped buttons without even thinking about it, or at least, that was how she looked when she worked. She seemed to know where to retrieve tools and what levers to pull. She worked with the screens like it was second nature.

"Plus… I kinda don't agree with this. I tried to talk her out of it, I really did," Esther sighed again. Marina finally slowed down to look at her. "She really, really hates the fact that she has to wear nappies. It's not even the idea of wearing them. I've never met anyone who hates themselves so much for something they can't control before."

"Yes. She tried to take her own life over this, didn't she?" Marina replied. She looked up at the Minun.

"According to Lute, yeah. She talks about him a lot. I dunno why she's so open with me, but if you heard the way she talks about him, it's like she's given her whole life to him or something. Its super fucked up," Esther said. "If this works out and she actually does get stronger, I really hope it doesn't go to her head like it did for Lute. Why can't she just be like Phoenix, and just realise that she can still live the way she really wants to?"

"Phoenix and Lute are very different cases." Marina returned to focus. "How can I put this?"

"They're all just V-Pockets, though. It's got a different title, but they're all Pokémon," Esther said.

"Both Lute and Phoenix were brought up as ordinary Pokémon. They know how to value their lives, how to talk to others, how to relax, how to want something, you know? But Infia grew up under a Spirle High Point. All she ever knew was what she was made to do. If she can't do those things, she'll feel like she's useless. This goes beyond simple computer programming – she was physically and mentally raised to know no better than that mindset."

"But she does know how to want things. I can see it in her. She was a fan of me when I was an idol! She wouldn't think like that and have her own feelings if it wasn't true," Esther argued. Marina didn't reply, and she sighed. "She's smarter and more proactive than she makes herself out to be, too. Using Helping Hand when we first fought Evoli, and then Rain Dance when we were in that volcano… she's a fighting genius. And she never gives herself credit for any of this."

"You said she's very open when she talks to you, yes?" Marina said, still not looking. Esther nodded with a hum. "Then it's up to you to teach her. She's obviously opened up to you enough to talk to you about things like this."

"You don't think I haven't already tried, have you?" Esther raised her voice.

"I assume you have. But keep doing it. This isn't something that can just be snapped away. It's years of mental forging and bad experiences that have shaped her into who she is, and you're the first step into trying to break that apart and change it," Marina explained.

Esther looked away and sighed. That made Marina smile, and she faced the Pikachu. "Just stay her friend, okay? Keep treating her as you would your friends, and everything will work out okay."

"I know I know," Esther sighed again, and folded her arms. The machine started making irritating scratching noises, to which her ears twitched and she groaned at it.

"It's just processing the results now. I copied all her data so that I can mess around with it while you guys get on with your journey," Marina said as she finished up. The liquid drained from the chamber and Infia was set free, but she slumped forward lifelessly into Esther's awaiting arms. "Oh. She should wake up after a minute or two."

"She damn well better," Esther said.

"Hmm… Ugh. This is just like I feared," Marina frowned at the screen. "Most of this code is unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm actually surprised this even functions as a V-Pocket."

"Can you work with it, though? Like, this isn't a totally hopeless—" Esther said.

"Oh. Oh. Ooooh. Amazing. Okay, this looks amazing," Marina continued, slapping her paws on the sides of the computer to lean over the screen. Her eyes began to gleam, and Esther could've sworn they were growing bigger. "Oh yes. Who could've imagined that that formula could possibly work? Like so, it is only an amalgamation of that code. I have a hypothesis. It is almost a cheese! And this part here, this must be the move data… ohoho, Spirle, you clever little dunces!"

"Uh," was all Esther could mutter, and she leaned away. Marina froze and slowly averted her gaze from the screen in a robotic fashion.

"This was a fantastic idea, and a clean insight into Spirle's plans. I am going to tear this apart! The anatomy of the code, the ambition in the formulas, the material tying it all together… it's remarkable! I've never seen anything like it. Mwahahaha, it's like a whole new void has opened up to me!" Marina rambled with growing intensity.

"Yeah uh, you have fun with that. Just y'know, don't forget to actually help Infia?" Esther leaned back.

"Oh yeah, I will," Marina said dismissively. There was a moment of quiet, and then she realised that the Pikachu was still there, cradling the unconscious Infia in her arms. "Go on, get outta here! Can't you see I'm deep in work now? Go sleep on the couch or something. I'll give you guys a call on the badge when I've found something."

"There's a couch here?" Esther squeaked as she was pushed out of the room. Marina slammed the door shut the moment they were out, but could be heard laughing maniacally within. "O-kay then. Lute's mum is a fucking weirdo. Noted!"

Infia woke up soon after that, so they returned to their main trip: a gondola to the island where the third temple was. The Minun was disheartened by the news, even though there was open-ended potential for her.

They dropped the topic the moment they reunited with Lute and the others. The group had restocked on the important things they needed, evident by their overstuffed travel bags and Sophitia snacking on a chocolate bar. The only question that was asked was whether or not they picked up Esther's favourite cup noodles.

The gondola ride was mostly in silence again. Everyone occupied themselves until their destination had come into view. The moment it did, Naivie got everyone's attention. "There it is. And it looks as good as ever."

"You said it was called Obire, right?" Lute said as he went to the window. His mouth hung agape, and an old feeling awoke in the back of his mind.

The island looked like one of those generic scenic paintings of holiday spots you could buy in a market. The difference was that this was reality, and so every last detail was unlike anything he had ever seen. The land was tropical, wild, and bursting with nature. The station was near a beach, which led into a jungle lined with plant life so foreign it looked alien. Beyond that, mountains peaked through the central region of the island, all at different heights that went beyond the clouds above. Everything about it screamed adventure.

"This place... is there even a town or a village here or anything? It almost looks like an uninhabited island," Sophitia remarked.

"This is so cool! I've never seen anything like this," Esther gasped.

"It is probably the last place in Aseria to have not been taken over by the advancing technology. I do not know much about the island, but it is considered to be out of the agent's jurisdiction, so any criminals that escape there, we let go," Phoenix explained.

"Whaaaaat? You knew about this place and never told me? Fluffy Cheeks!" Esther put her paws on her hips.

"This is my first time here. I know not what to expect," he added, half-lidded.

"If it's untouched by your tall foxy friend, then that means the village should still be there. And that the Pokémon living there will be ancients," Naivie said. She fluttered around everyone in glee. "The temple is somewhere in the mountains there. Looks like you guys'll have to climb a mystery dungeon to get there."

"Kinda a good thing we stocked up then, huh. I guess we're even luckier that a gondola goes here," Sophitia said.

The gondola station was no greater than a single square room situated on one end of the beach, with only one rail for carriages to come and go. Lute was the first to jog away the moment he set foot on it. The sea wasn't stagnant, but the waves that washed up weren't strong. He twisted and sniffed his own footprints, surprised to have gotten his own scent from it. Then he let the water wash over his legs a few times, and shivered from how cold it was. It was a pleasant cold, the cool cold that was perfect for hot weather.

"Lute, don't run off like that. The heck are you even doing?" Esther called.

"I just told you the temple is up there in the mountains, and you start frolicking in the sand like a hyper little infant. Good job, kid," Naivie groaned.

"I was curious. I've never been to a beach before," he replied. Everyone froze.

"Su-seriously?" Infia whispered.

"Places like that were always too far away for Mum to ever take me. I-I just wanted to try stuff out." He looked away.

"Holy shit, way to remind me that you're a sheltered little bumpkin. If you hadn't been a big dick earlier, maybe I'd call for you to have a little fun here," Esther pouted. She folded her arms and turned away.

"Oh. No, you're right," Lute sighed. He shook himself off and looked up at everyone, immediately awkward thanks to Sophitia's gleaming smile. "Sorry about that. We should focus. The rule of mystery dungeons is- okay, what's up with you? Stop looking at me like that."

"It's just, you're excited," Sophitia said in a sing-song tone. "I didn't know you hadn't been to the beach before! We should look around."

"We should focus on the quest. Forget about what my feeble little outburst wants," Lute replied, unable to hide a blush. "If we keep walking towards the direction of the mountain, then even if the mystery dungeon diverts our path, we should make it to our destination. That's the rule of mystery dungeons. Let's go."

"Uh uh, hold on a second," Naivie objected. "Normally that would be true, but that only really works because of your V-Wave stuff stabilising all the ley lines and preventing the landscape from moving. But this island is untouched. To get through the mystery dungeon, you're probably going to need the help of those ancients."

"Oh, right. That's also true. So like it or not, Obire Village is our best first stop," he said.

"I mean, that's still just as exciting, huh?" Sophitia brushed past him with a feeler. "We still get to look around. We get the full package."

"We're not here for fun, Sophitia." He rolled his eyes.

"Listen to yourself, Lute. I never thought you'd be the one to say no fun allowed," she said with a giggle. He growled and shivered to stop himself from retaliating. They set off after that, but he still felt that tone sting.

The transition of the soft sands to the loamy, dusty soils of the forest was almost magical to him. To go from such a vast open space to this dark, enclosed corridor of trees and foliage, it pushed his curiosity to insanity. Even though the weather had stopped the wind and left no sunshine, he wanted to imagine this area with the heated light beaming through the leaves overhead, or know how it felt to run on the beach with a tailwind behind him.

Even without that, everything about this area was attractively fantastic. Fruits, berries, and mushrooms of all sorts grew all over the place, many just waiting to be picked. Feral Pokémon could be heard all around them doing what they were said to do in fairy tales: Kricketot chirped, Weedle snacked on leaves, Taillow eyed them and their prey cautiously. It was truly the epitome of nature in its purest form, and he wanted to bask in every last second of it.

"I know for sure where I'm taking my next vacation," Esther commented. She tucked her paws behind her back. "This place is super inspiring."

"Watch out!" Infia cried and shoved her forward. The stingers of a Fury Attack hit the spot where the Pikachu just was, making everybody flinch. "The bugs and the birds were watching us!"

"That means—" Esther gasped. She looked at where the attack came from, and wound up rolling away as a Beedrill charged at her, stingers front and ready. It got lodged into the soil below and was stuck in place. Phoenix was first to act, flaring up for a Flamethrower.

"Wait, don't shoot! Do you wanna set the whole forest on fire?" Naivie screeched. He retracted with a cough that made embers puff from his mouth instead. In that time, the Beedrill pulled itself free and glared at the group with its stingers bared.

"Heh, wouldn't be a mystery dungeon without the feral Pokémon defending their homes," Sophitia said as everyone readied themselves for battle. At that moment, a flock of flying types soared down towards her, but the group were brought down by Esther's Thunderbolt.

"Easy-peasy. For somewhere dangerous, they really don't put up much of a fight," Esther bragged. She dusted her paws.

"Lute, behind you!" Infia cried, making him jump.

All Lute was doing was strafing the Beedrill that awaited its chance to attack, but he stepped on something unexpectedly soft. He flinched around, and took a second to realise that a camouflaged Amoonguss was rising up out of the ground. It grew above him, and its cheeks were puffed up.

"Watch out, it uses spores!" Phoenix shouted, but it was too late. Lute crossed his paws over his front to defend himself, but that was helpless against the cloud of colourful dust the mushroom Pokémon shook to shower him with.

"Lute!" Sophitia cried. The Beedrill tried to attack at that point, but she made easy work of it by whacking it away with her shield. She rushed over to him, but the smell of the spores irritated her. "Argh… n-no!"

Everyone waited in angst, surprised when the dusty cloud faded and Lute was revealed to have a clear barrier around him. He didn't seem to know it was there either, and looked up with a dumbfounded gasp.

"Safeguard? Infia you genius, you did it again," Esther praised, noticing she was glowing as well. "Now's your chance, trash that thing!"

"R-right," Lute staggered. He jumped up high to use Swift, and threw as many stars as he could to hit the cowering Amoonguss, but each hit seemed to blow up harmlessly against the thing. It used its padded arms to block the hits, dumbfounded by its lack of pain. Seriously? Nothing? I'm still this weak?

Before he could fret about those thoughts, Sophitia picked him up by his mane and made a break for it. "We need to keep moving. That's how these dungeons work, the feral are gonna keep attacking."

"You've got that right," Esther said as she threw an Electro Ball to her side during her sprint. It hit a tree, but it shrouded a swarm of Spearow in smoke.

Lute was put down after that, but he didn't argue. They ran through the forest as quickly as its bustling paths would allow. Lute changed pace to ensure he didn't trip on any of the giant roots or logs of wood littered here and there. It felt shameful to have to charge through here so hastily, but with all the feral Pokémon around them, they had to.

He looked up as he ran, seeing a constant watch of birds or bug Pokémon. Some attacked right away and made everyone jump or clash an attack, while others snarled and growled to keep them away. This carried on for a good while, but when the trees began to thin out and be more spaced apart, the group had to stop to catch their breath.

"Geez. Okay, that was close," Esther huffed. "C'mon Lute, watch where you're going! How'd you step on an Amoonguss of all things? It's only a couple inches taller than you."

"My eyes were on the Beedrill! Like everyone else's," he argued.

"You're supposed to be better than this! If Infia wasn't so good, we'd have gotten spored!" she snapped.

"I barely did anything, though," Infia muttered.

"How can I be better than—" Lute said, but cut himself off. He frowned and went half lidded. "Are you really going to do this? Are you going to look for a reason to fight with me at every opportunity? Because that'll make you even more insufferable."

"Wha-what?" Esther gasped.

"Whoa there, okay, easy now. There's no need for this," Sophitia interrupted.

"He called me insufferable. After everything I've done for him!" Esther yanked at her head fur.

"You haven't done anything for me except pull me into things I don't want to be part of. We've had this conversation already," Lute said. "Grow up and get a grip."

"Grow up? How dare you, I'm older than you you little shit!" Esther hissed.

"Then act like it. We don't have time to be bickering like little children. I don't care if you hate me, we have work to do. So suck it up, and let's do what we have to do. The sooner we finish, the sooner you don't have to put up with me," Lute stated.

Esther shivered, and the others mouths dropped. "A-as if I can work with someone I don't like!"

"That's enough you two!" Sophitia shouted and stood between them. "I dunno what's gone down between you two, but cut it out. No one's gonna get anything done if you keep snapping at each other like that."

"Tell him, not me!" Esther said.

"You're the one who snapped first actually, but whatever, forget it," Sophitia sighed. "Where are we?"

"The village," Phoenix said.

"What village?" Sophitia said. There was still quite a bit of woodland and shrubbery in front of them, but there was enough space for the area to be lit. She strolled forward and spread the bushes apart, and then gawked at the clear space of the village that lay beyond. She pulled back to bring everyone over. "How did you spot that?"

"Enhanced eyes," Phoenix said as he walked past. Infia stopped Esther while everyone else went ahead.

"Please don't fight Lute like that," Infia said.

"Grr, look I know you like him and stuff, but if he's a dick, he's gonna get treated like a dick. That's who I am. I'm not gonna change that 'cos of you," Esther replied.

Infia moaned and held down her skirt. "He's just hurting, though. He doesn't mean any of it, I know it."

"I'll believe that when he apologises." She folded her arms.

"Esther, Infia, c'mon!" Sophitia called.

Obire Village was every bit the ancient locale they expected it to be, and more. Comfy rock floor, wooden log houses painted a creative variety of colours, and not a single modern-day material in sight. It was quiet, but a few Pokémon chatted as they went about their business. More tropical forest surrounded the village on all sides, and there were a few stone streetlamps to mark a path. The best thing was the open cooking which gave the area a delicious smell.

"It's just like the ones I've read about. They even have a Kecleon Shop and Kangaskhan Storage," Lute remarked.

He wanted to wander around and get lost in this homely place, which he felt relaxed in even though it was surrounded by forest he had just been attacked in. This wasn't like Everend, it was a newfound cosiness that awakened natural instincts in him. If he ever got to move out and live on his own, this would be his number one choice for sure, or first pick for a holiday destination.

"Oh there you are, about time you guys showed up!" a familiar voice got their attention. Kuri had just exited one of the buildings, the biggest one to be exact, and was followed by an old Azumarill.

"Oh great. It's you." Sophitia rolled her eyes.

"Aww, don't be like that. I could've spent more of my holiday with the wife, but I decided to give you guys the time instead," the Chespin said as he walked over. "After all, what's a hero if he's not a team player?"

Lute glared at him coldly. "Why are you here?"

"Oh wow. What am I like, not welcome all of a sudden?" Kuri shrugged

"It's not that, it's just… okay, sure. So what, are you gonna work with us for good this time?" Sophitia said.

"Well yeah. I waited here all this time for you kids. Don't tell me my entry ticket has expired," he said. "The head of Obire here let me stay once I explained the situation, but I didn't expect you to take so long. Did I miss something?"

Sophitia's eyes diverted to Lute for an instant, but focused on Kuri. "We just ran into a bit of trouble. Things changed a little bit, but we're back on track. We shouldn't get held back by King's Shield, either."

"Oh yeah?" Kuri said. He folded his arms and his face went straight. "What about all that stuff with Lute?"

How does he know about— Sophitia's eyes widened. "Oh wait, Phoenix told you everything, didn't he?"

"Good. No more keeping secrets from each other," Kuri said cheerfully.

"Y'know, you kinda gotta stop doing that," Esther commented.

"Does he not he deserve to be in the know?" Phoenix replied.

Okay, so how much do you know? Not that it matters much," Sophitia asked.

"Everything. The V Pocket stuff, the way he functions, even the fact that he beat Spirle's big monster by tearing it a new hole. So before I join your team, I want to see something important," Kuri replied. Lute remained devoid of emotion even when Kuri stood right in front of him. "Battle me."

"Waste of time," Lute replied.

"Could be a fun waste of time. Give it a go," Kuri said, a hand on his hip.

"We didn't come here to entertain you. This is a waste of time," Lute said.

Kuri shrugged. "So what, you think you're all invincible, now? That if we fight, maybe you'll get your ass handed to you? What happened to your want to get stronger?"

"With my powers, I can be as strong as I need to be to finish this quest. I don't need to 'get stronger'," Lute said. He was clearly aggravated.

"Oh wow. See I like the confidence, but are you actually sure about that?" Kuri said as he walked a few paces away. "Have you actually beaten anyone since discovering those powers?"

Lute didn't reply, and gulped. The recent memory of his Swift failing to damage the Amoonguss replayed in his mind, and he shook his head. "Don't try to reverse psychology this. I don't want to fight you!"

"Yeah, I'm not going to lie, even I'm confused about what you're up to. This kid can get pretty savage, so I don't think it's a good idea to wind him up," Naivie finally appeared.

"In Phoenix's exact words, he knocked down Spirle's Golisopod after getting the power boost. That doesn't sound like defeat to me." Kuri folded his arms. "I just want to make sure you're really up to code on this. If you think you can defeat everyone you need to be able to beat like the hero you wanna be, then you've got zero reason to say no."

"It's a waste of time, Kuri!" Lute growled.

"At least show me. Humour me! Show me what you're made of." Kuri smiled cockily.

"Do you have to be so provocative? Seriously, how are you a hero? You really just sound like a villain right now," Sophitia said.

"Then pretend I am. I'm a villain that's challenging you to an honourable duel. Lose to me, and innocent lives will suffer for it," Kuri said aloud. His words had gotten the concern of the villagers, who had already been eying the confrontation. Now there were mutters, clearly wary about what was going on. Lute glanced at them and sighed.

"I don't know what Phoenix told you, but I react to damage and get stronger through it. You can't defeat me, and I might end up knocking you out. That'll only slow us down," Lute explained.

"Again, you're so damn certain that you're unstoppable that you're really not even going to try? I want to see this for myself you coward. Show me this power that makes you so confident and invincible!" Kuri raised his voice. Lute groaned angrily.

"Fine. You had your warnings. If you really won't take no for an answer, then bring it!" he said, gritting his teeth. Kuri smiled and unfurled his arms.

"Wait for real? C'mon, we don't have time for this!" Naivie cried.

"Tell that to him, not me," Lute said.

"Naivie, let it happen. A little punch to the guts ought to knock some sense into him," Esther giggled.

"That is not why I told him to do this," Phoenix said quietly. He pulled the others back with him.

"Wait what?" Sophitia said, going quiet as well. "You told him to fight? Kuri?"

"Just watch," he said.

Lute had his eyes on his friends and took note of them going quieter as they made space for the battle. The Azumarill seemed to be cooperative as well, stood at the front of the crowd as they did the same. He groaned a little, realising that it must have been a setup of some form, but played along anyway. After he failed to damage that Amoonguss, he needed to prove himself.

"Well then, let's begin. Come at me, show me your best move," Kuri said, and opened his arms out.

Lute knew it was a taunt. It actually hurt inside just to see the Chespin look so jolly and silly despite the serious tone earlier. But if he used any of his attacks now, he would only make the Chespin overconfident. In order to show off what he could really do, he needed Kuri to hit him first.

"You know how my powers function. So you're not going to get anything interesting unless you go first," Lute said. He remained tense with his feet spread, eyes on the Chespin who slumped forward in disappointment.

"Oh gods, it works that badly? That's lousy. How can you expect to win a fight if you have to get beaten to a pulp, first? Sounds like some really bad shounen manga hero," Kuri complained. Lute became even tenser. "Seriously though, that's a lousy power, especially if you can't control it yourself. What happens if you get knocked out right away? Or your bones break?"

"That can't happen. I won't get defeated, no matter what," Lute replied. Kuri was quiet for a moment.

"Let me show you that that absolutely can happen. At the same time, I'll give you an example of the power a real hero is supposed to have," Kuri threatened.

The Chespin shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and then curled his hands into fists. He thrust them down, tensed up, and let out a low roar as if powering up for an excessive attack. It took a few moments before any sort of effect started to show, but surely enough, he was powering up. The leaves on his head fluttered in an invisible aura, and dust started to blow away from him. Not long later, Sophitia and the others started to get unsettled, and shifted back.

"O-o-okay, hold up. I wanted Lute to get punched, but not like, super hard. Is that Kuri?" Esther gasped.

Sophitia didn't reply right away, and stared at the Chespin in disbelief. "Is that really Kuri? What's going on?"

"Is he getting super strong? M-me and Lute can't feel energy like you guys. What is he doing?" Infia said worriedly.

"His power's rising alright. But this is unreal, and it's still going up," Sophitia said. "U-uh, hey Kuri, that's enough! We get the point!"

The Chespin ignored her, continuing to increase in volume. With a shout at the top of his voice, he released himself from his strained pose, and a gush of wind brushed away from him. The green on his body glowed brightly, and somehow, his face became a little darker and bolder, too.

"You look surprised," Kuri said after a while, his voice unexpectedly calm. Lute closed his mouth and gulped. "You can't feel it though, can you? The power of a hero."

"What did you do? Is that Solar Beam?" Lute asked, trying to sound unfazed. In reality, he could hear the surprise in the other Pokémon, and a dark possibility was in his mind.

"I've spent a lot of time researching moves, powers, and abilities, training with my friends and Pokémon that mean a lot to me. Thanks to everyone, I achieved this form a long time ago, and I've used it to become the wanted mercenary that's eluded King's Shield for all these years," Kuri began, still stoic and calm. "I'll spare you the complexities. Species like mine can use abilities like Overgrow to power up their grass type moves, but only when their back is against the wall, similar to the power that you're using."

"So like Overgrow, Blaze, and Torrent?" Lute said. He gasped. "N-no way. Did you learn how to bring that power out without taking any damage?"

"Not just bringing out that power, but fully controlling it, using it to enhance the entirety of my body and not just my grass type moves. In this state, I am even stronger than a Chesnaught utilising Overgrow!" Kuri bragged. He entered a fighting pose. "Still think you can take a hit from this and take me down? This is your last chance."

Lute grit his fangs and stretched his feet apart to brace for the worst. He shuddered, but then thought about it. Such a high power hit would guarantee his win, here. After all, that Golisopod had stabbed him right through to trigger his Adaptability. The worst Kuri could do was Frenzy Plant, which he was sure to survive.

"Go ahead and do your worst. Like I said, it won't work on me!" Lute shouted.

Kuri frowned at that. It wasn't like his prior frowns where he had been acting, but more as though he was genuinely disappointed and furious about something. Still, that was his call to attack, and he took it. But the instant he shifted stance to sprint, he vanished from Lute's sight.

The Eevee didn't even get a chance to react in shock. Just frames of time later, a Needle Arm had smashed its way into his chest so hard that the shape of Kuri's fist was shaped out of Lute's back, and the Eevee was suspended in the air.

This wasn't like taking any of the attacks he had taken up until now – it did more than wind him. It literally stole his consciousness from him. It delivered an overwhelming amount of sensations unto him in an instant. He couldn't breathe, he was in so much pain he had been silenced, and he had gone numb all over. He couldn't close his mouth, felt like he might throw up his organs, and couldn't do anything other than shiver in place while time caught up to him.

"Lute!" Sophitia and the others cried. That was the last thing he heard before he collapsed, eyes wide open. Kuri stood in front of him for a moment, wary that his ability might work and he'd stand up again. However, Lute lay motionless.

"Good. Not even King Shield's ultimate weapon can stand up to me," Kuri announced, looking into his fist.

"What the heck was that? You didn't kill him, did you?" Sophitia gasped as she rushed to the fight. "Lute! Lute, wake up! Lute!"

"You don't need to panic. I held back," Kuri said quietly. He swiped his arm aside to dismiss his power. "Won't lie though, I expected way better."

"Why though? For the love of the gods, just tell me why you do the weird shit that you do!" she cried, holding the Eevee up.

"To get his head in the right place, teach him a lesson. Isn't it obvious?" Kuri replied. "I did the same to Phoenix back when I first rescued him, you know."

"He's hurt!" Sophitia cried.

"He's knocked out. Defeated. At a time when he thought he couldn't be beaten. Hopefully he won't have such a big head when he wakes up, and will learn to watch his mouth, too." Kuri turned his back.

"Now now, you're sounding just like him, your highness," the Azumarill addressed the whole group. Her voice was strong but fragile, a reflection of the few wrinkles on her face and hands. She held a peculiar walking stick, a pink rod with a yellow star on the end. "You were victorious, exactly as we predicted."

"So this was a setup. But damn, did you have to literally kill him?" Esther said.

"The harshest lessons are learnt without restraint, after all," Phoenix said.

"You all are the heroes of Aseria, correct? The ones growing the Ancient Flowers," Azumarill asked. "Please come with me. You must all be tired. We can talk over tea."

"Not like we have a choice now. Geez, another time-waster!" Naivie said.

"We were going to stop here to get help with the mystery dungeon, anyway," Sophitia said. "Pardon me for asking, but you are?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Azu. I am an elder of sorts for the village, even though I'm not that old."