Episode 25: Temple of the West

A cosy warmth cradled Lute all over, leading to one of the most relaxed sleeps he'd ever had. Not that he had slept at all in a while. It was the perfect level of heat and softness that urged him to keep his eyes shut, body relaxed and dreams vivid. He frolicked in a world of cake next to a river of ice cream, and stopped when he spotted a giant strawberry.

Just the sight of the fruit made his mouth water, but it was atop a towering swirl of whipped cream, to which he licked his lips. The cream was just about stable enough for him to climb up it. He hugged the strawberry, licked it, and then took a hearty chomp before happily nibbling away at it.

That was until he realised how gross it tasted. It was soft but not chewy, and tasted pungent and rough like dirty fur.

His eyes shot open. He had one of Sophitia's forepaws in his mouth, and the way it was covered in saliva, it looked like he'd nibbled at it for a while. He didn't move and slowly directed his gaze upward. This had to be a dream, and the cake world was reality. He wanted things to be that way around.

It wasn't. It was worse. The shiny Sylveon was curled around him and quietly snored away, but the way she slept, they were cuddled up to each other like lovers, right down to his own paws laying on her chest. All that soft warmth he felt relaxed in was hers, right down to the pudge of her belly where he rested his hind legs.

He almost flew off the sewn mattress they shared with a hard, hiss of a shriek. She shot awake at that, darting her gaze all over in expectance of an emergency. He was frozen, unable to look away from her face at all, or stop the heat from filling his own.

"Oh, Lute. Sorry about that, something scared me. Good morning," she breathed a sigh of relief. She took notice of her wet paw and wiped it clean, unbothered. He uttered a reply, and must've looked so dumb that even she was confused about it. "Er, are you okay? Your face is all red. You don't have a fever, do you?"

"Y-y-you! What is wrong with me? No, what's wrong with you?" he gasped. She tilted her head. "Y-you slept. In the same bed. Again. And the hugging and the- yeah, why?"

"We hugged? Wait I'm so confused. There's only one bed in this room, so why wouldn't we—"

"Because that's what couples do! And we're not—" he cried, but then came to a stop. Now that he was awake and aware, all sorts of necessities were made themselves apparent. Right now, he was so hungry that his innards felt like they were turning inside-out. "F-f-food. A-a-anything. Oh gods, anything, just food, please."

"Lute!" Sophitia cried, unable to stop him from running off into the other room.

He couldn't stop himself, either. There was a bowl of apples and oran berries on the table in the middle, and the sight was all it took for him to dive for it. He didn't think twice, he just stuffed the apple into his mouth and demolished it right down to the core and seeds. He grabbed the next one and a berry with both paws and stuffed them into his mouth with even more eagerness.

"Careful, you'll choke!" she warned as he did just that. It barely deterred him, though. He kept eating until he had to swallow a huge gulp, where he was finally able to take a breather.

"Oh gods, that feels so much better. Wa-water, too. Is there water?" He turned to her with a desperate look. She pointed to a bucket in another room, and he was off. He dumped his whole face in the bucket and gulped away without even looking at what was inside. She was her speechless.

He soon fell back with a gasp, and calmed down. "Man, that feels kinda better," he said, and then had few more gulps.

"W-wow. Are you okay?" She walked over.

He had to take a moment to catch his breath and regain some kind of control, to which his stomach rumbled and he looked up at her with a desperate frown. "I-I don't know. All I can think about is food right now. I-I'm so dang hungry."

She watched him divert back to the fruit bowl. He chomped down and devoured every last thing there like a wild beast, even though some of it looked like it had been there a while and had started to brown. She still had concern on her face, but the way he ate only made her feel hungry, too.

"So much for not wanting to eat or sleep anymore. But I guess that's what you get for not eating for two weeks." She rubbed her her face.

"You're right!" he gasped and stopped at the last bite. He only stopped for a second though, and then swallowed the remainder whole. "How? Why am I so hungry and I- I slept! Kuri knocked me out, and then… gods, I'm still hungry."

"You know what I think?" she said. She giggled at his crazed look. "When you stopped nourishing yourself, your body started using its remaining V-Waves to just like, keep you alive in general. But after fighting Rhodeas, you were so outta strength that you couldn't fight at all. And now you like, need to replenish!"

"Did Marina say that?" he gasped.

"No, that's just a theory," she said. She giggled again, and put a feeler by her mouth to stop herself. He had a gawking frown, and turned away to blush. "It's fairly obvious though, isn't it? All living things need food and water to survive. And if they don't, there's always some substitute. You shouldn't be an exception."

"But that's so ridiculous! What's the point in having all these powers and stuff if I still need to eat? That's… that makes me useless." He hung his head.

"That's not useless." She turned serious.

"I was made a V-Pocket with all these cool strengths and abilities. If I can't use them when I want to, then I can't do what I was made to do. I'm just a useless liability," he said.

The words made the Sylveon stiffen, but she didn't take her eyes off his frustrated stance. Her chest was heavy, but she fought the feelings and approached to slowly wrap her feelers around him. He didn't seem concerned until she brought him close and cradled him like a baby, with their cheeks within touching distance.

"Wha-what are you doing? Sophitia, what's gotten into you?" he gasped and began to sweat.

"Nothing." She nuzzled him a bit. He made nervous sounds and went stiff as he tried to look away and scrunch himself up. That only made her giggle again, and he gulped, a wriggly smile on his face as he dared to look up. "Let's kiss."

"What?" he almost screamed. "O-okay no, that's weird. Something's totally gotten into you."

"What's the matter? You scared? Or shy?" she said.

"N-no- I-I mean yes- I mean- gah, what and why are we doing this?" he cried.

"You don't seem to be too bothered for someone who said no." She put a feeler by her mouth.

"That's because- I-we—" he uttered, and then clammed up. He couldn't stop blushing.

"I thought you thought love stuff was gross?" she said.

He kept quiet, but that did make him grit his teeth. She put him down after that, and turned away with a sneaky smile. "You want to, don't you? But you're nervous."

"N-no… it is gross. And it's super weird right now. I dunno why you'd wanna kiss anybody, let alone me." He pretended to spit.

She turned back to him and pointed a feeler. "You see what happened right there? Your reaction. Everything."

"Huh?" He tilted his head.

"You got nervous. You got hungry and thirsty. And if you're not lying, confused, too," she said. "All of those things are things that every living thing can get, too."

"They're not real for me, though. I'm a V-Pocket, all of it's just programming," he said.

"Then why and how could you have any kind of feelings for me at all?" she said.

"I don't have feelings for you! I'm just confused," he cried.

"There it is again. You're blushing more than a tomato, too." She looked away.

She didn't look nearly as embarrassed as he felt, which was even more confusing. He was sure this conversation was going to go in the direction of his V-Pocket traits, yet all the thoughts swelling in his head were about the kiss proposal. He didn't even know how to kiss, so where could such thoughts have come from? All it did was make his mind wander to her appearance, and whether or not he wanted to do such a thing with her. Yes or no, the one thing he knew for certain was that he definitely found her attractive, even now with her bed hair and unwashed fur coat.

He shook his head and cried out, then hid under his paws. He couldn't believe what he had just thought, and at such a time as serious as this. They had work to do, yet all he could think about was that he was this close being able to do affectionate things with such a beautiful Sylveon. This wasn't the first time he'd felt this way about her, too.

"You're starting to get it now, aren't you?" She smiled. He managed to look up at her, and was happy to see it was a sincere smile. "You're alive. You feel things. You feel emotions just like any other person. Like me, like Esther, like Infia and Phoenix. Even like Naivie."

"But it doesn't make sense. I was just made to be like this, programmed to look like I'm alive. There's no way it's this advanced, or… unless Marina's that good. It has to be." He rubbed his chin.

Sophitia shook her head and laid a feeler on his head. "How you were born doesn't make a difference at all. It's what you're doing with your life that determines who you really are."

"How I was born…" He looked down and away.

"Infia should be the same as you. Yet still, she wanted to go on that date with you. And she became a fan of Esther. Phoenix made friends with Esther and Kuri, too. None of that was because of programming or whatever the person who made them. They're who they are, and you're who you are. All of your feelings are real. You're all living!" Sophitia said. "So please stop saying and doing things like that, okay? You've said some pretty mean things to everyone, and when you go on like you're useless or your feelings don't matter, it really hurts us. Your friends."

"My… friends…" he muttered.

"Don't you enjoy living, too? I know you enjoy living. Being on this journey and being able to see the world, being part of King's Shield and helping people in need, becoming the hero you always said you wanted to be. All of that was you," she said. She began to pace around the room, and her voice became soft as he followed her. "I'm not saying we should ignore all those other things. We can work it all out together, but only if you let us, you know? Because if today's anything to go by, it's fairly obvious that things don't work the way we thought they do."

"Okay okay I get it." He turned away. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, though."

"We'll do what we've been doing. What you want to do. Restoring the seasons and saving Aseria," she said, and raised a feeler. He gawked at her again.

"… No. That wasn't really what I was doing. That's why I feel this way," he said. His soft tone surprised her. "It was you. I mean yeah, I wanted to be a hero, but all of this only happened because I met you. And from since then, I really wanted to help you get your memory back. Now that I think about it, I haven't really done anything about that for a while, besides those weird scenes we keep seeing in the temples."

"Me?" she said. She shivered slightly and started laughing awkwardly. "All that stuff's just super weird mystery stuff. You've got a lotta problems going on yourself, y'know? Worry about those before me."

"But if it wasn't for you, I'd have never changed. Because of you, I got stronger, I got to go on this journey, and despite all the bad stuff that's happened, I…" He trailed off and looked down. He paced, then stopped to look up at her with a look of surprise. "Wow, now that I think about it, I've been through a lot, and I've been really selfish with a lot of it."

"You haven't! Not at all. Look this has nothing to do with me, 'kay?" She shook her paws.

"But it does. I became a King's Shield agent because of you, I decided to explore Moand Dia because of you, too. I knew you were really special from the moment I saw you. And then even though you've got all of this mystery going on, here you are, sticking up for me even when I've been the most unfriendly I could ever be." He shut his eyes. He slowly opened then, looking straight at her and smiled. "That's why I feel the way I do about you. You're… you're a really special friend, you know that?"

"Well I am pretty cool and all, and I better be. I'm your leader, after all," she said, rubbing below her nose.

"Yeah. That's why I like you, you know. So I guess I do wanna kiss." He smiled. It took her a moment to realise what he'd just said, and her face went deep red.

"Wa-wa-wait a minute, what?" she screamed. "I-I-I didn't mean that, I was just trying to prove a point and stuff I didn't really—"

"Hahaha, gotcha. You're really confused now too, huh?" he snickered. She was the one who couldn't stop blushing, now. "But I do mean it that you're a special friend who I want to stick with, though. I spent all this time thinking about myself, even though I was really doing it all to help you get back your memories. So that's what I'm going to do, now. From here on, it's all about you, Sophitia."

"Aww, don't do that either," she whined and swayed her head. "If I cared about who I used to be, I'd never be able to move forward and do stuff with my life. And don't say stuff like you liking me and wanna kiss, okay? When a boy says it, it's not supposed to be joked about!"

"Huh? That's not fair," he said. She slapped her face with a feeler.

"No no, that didn't come out right either. Look, if you're saying or doing affectionate things, you don't just suddenly stop and say the whole thing's a joke when the other person gets weirded out."

"But that's exactly what you did! You even slept with me and cuddled me and everything!" he cried.

Her face went red again. "You tried to kill yourself! Is it so wrong that I really didn't wanna let my friend out of my sight since then? Like, I've genuinely been super worried about you and the way you're hurting, you know!"

"You did it before when we had to sleep at Gen's, too," he argued.

"Yeah, again because you were hurting! And sometimes words just aren't enough. Well they are, but I don't know enough words." She puffed out her cheeks. He didn't reply, and slowly stepped closer. "What? Don't look at me like that! Stupid kid."

He still didn't say anything. He kept stared up at her until she dared to look back, her cheeks still red. It all made him gradually begin to laugh, all until his stomach growled above his volume. He couldn't help but shrivel up and rub it, and now he was the one blushing while Sophitia was smiled cheekily.

"Serves you right. You're a real glutton right now, aren't ya?" she said. Her own stomach broke the silence, but that only made her laugh.

"Am I?" He smiled.

"To be fair, it's like lunch and I didn't have dinner yesterday. You were sleeping like a log," she said cheerfully. "So uh, find the others and get some grub? We should probably get a move on!"

"Best plan you've ever had," he agreed. The duo nodded and made their way toward the door.

"The others should be close by. The village isn't very big, and it is lunch, I think," she said.

"Aww what? No, it wasn't supposed to stop there!" Esther whined as she pushed through the door to the house. The two Eeveelutions flinched as the others filled the house, Kuri and the Azumarill from yesterday included. "How the hell didn't you kiss? And start getting all saucy and stuff. And Lute, you weren't even being dense and stuff. Like, how, just how?"

"Esther," Infia sighed.

"Esther, everyone," Sophitia gasped. "Wa-wait a minute. How long were you watching?"

"I dunno. It was Esther's idea, though. Once she saw you babying him, she made pretty sure to get us to hide," Kuri said, arms folded and eyes closed. Sophitia started growling.

"In her exact words, she really wanted to see you 'rock his world'," Phoenix said.

"Shh, guys, way to rat me out!" Esther hissed.

"Rock… my world? Wha?" Lute tilted his head. Sophitia blushed again and her growls intensified. She suddenly snapped back to being calm, though she locked right onto Esther.

"Excuse me, everyone. Before we eat, me and Esther have a little business to attend to," Sophitia said.

"Eeep! We do? No we don't, I didn't—" Esther squeaked.

"Of course we do. Follow me now, if you will," Sophitia sung as she drew her sword and shield, while her spare two feelers directed the scrambling Pikachu out the house. Lute watched them leave with an eyebrow raised, and flinched when Esther's wild squeals came from beyond the door.

Lute had to wait a little while for food to be prepared, but once it was ready, him and the group were treated banquet beyond their imagination. Apple pies, vegetable stir fry, strawberry cakes, bowls of curry, and all other sorts of elaborate dishes were laid out on giant table in the centre of the village. It seemed like everyone who lived there had come out to eat together, and not one of them seemed to mind how much of a glutton he wanted to be.

He stuffed himself royally, all the while surrounded by some of the happiest Pokémon he'd seen in months. It was almost like he was back at school and they were all having some big celebration, only there wasn't anything to celebrate and he didn't know who anyone was. Still, it put a great big smile on his face, and from the looks of the others, it lifted their spirits, too.

"Azu," Lute said, lying on his back in his seat. The Azumarill had finally walked past him and the group, and she giggled at his bloated and lethargic look. "Why did you all do this? Do you always eat like this?"

"Not at all. But this was the best we could do, given the circumstances," Azu replied. She put both hands on her staff.

"Wow Lute, is that stack of plates yours? You weren't kidding about how hungry you were," Sophitia giggled. He a groaned a bit and slumped in his seat.

"All the food was good. I didn't know when to stop," he groaned. "But what's the occasion? Why go to all this trouble?"

"Because his highness is with us, and departing for the temple to restore the seasons, no less," Azu said.

"His… highness? There's royalty here?" Lute gasped and flipped over to appear proper.

"Wait, going to restore the seasons is our job. Esther and the others were supposed to ask you for help on that," Sophitia said.

"I know. You require assistance on reaching the temple, of course. Making sure your group is well fed and up to code is only the most basic of hospitality we need to offer," Azu nodded.

"Look, enough of the old grandma act. The only thing we need is getting to the temple. So go gather everyone and let's go!" Naivie popped up between then. "You kids are wasting time again."

"I implore you to have a little patience," Azu said with a groan. "This old body may have once leapt over the oceans, but now I can hardly manage a trip to beach without requiring a rest."

"Then get somebody who can!" Naivie shouted.

"Naivie please, I can hear you from all the way over there." Esther came over. Phoenix and the others were behind her, but Lute was immediately drawn to a jewelled anklet around Infia's leg. It looked pricey, but it shone.

In fact, her whole costume was different. The Minun had stuck to her pink preferences, but her costume was a lot more dancer-like and similar to Esther's. Her shirt was looser and had various tones and patterns on it, while her skirt was a little shorter, frillier, and shinier, too.

"Wa-wait, when did- Infia, how didn't I notice you changed your clothes? You look really good," Lute said. She flinched in surprise, but instead of hiding her face as usual, she simply tipped her skirt and blushed.

"Thank you. It's just stuff that Esther got for me, though," she replied. He turned to the Pikachu and noticed a similar anklet of her own equipped, but her costume hadn't changed. She was as blank as ever at him however, so he settled his thoughts and approached.

"Esther," he began. She only looked cross at him, but when he bowed at her feet, she almost fell backward. "I'm sorry for how much I hurt you. All the mean things I said and did. I'm sorry."

"I- er- oh geez, you're the last person I expect to go bowing at my feet. Get up, you look stupid." She rubbed her face. "It's gonna take more than that for me to forgive you, though. I'm normally cool, but I can't just like, snap and forget about all this."

"I don't expect you to forgive me right away," he said, getting up. "But I don't want my own immaturity to throw away our friendship, either. Or even if we just have to work together for the remainder of the journey, I hope we can get along."

"Okay whoa, you rehearse this or something?" She looked away and folded her arms. Everyone else's eyes were on her, making her groan and turn back after a moment. "I just can't look at you the same way again. What you said is literally haunting me."

"Esther, I—"

"Don't bother with it. I-I'll just do what I've been doing, 'kay? We get into a fight; I've got your back. Make sure you've got mine with those new powers of yours, too. I'm not gonna be a cheeky butthead, either," she said.

He didn't know how to reply, but it definitely hurt to hear her talk like that. This didn't even look to be like something else bothered her. It was a new experience to be this close to her and not have her dote over him the way she usually did. He always thought of it as slightly bothersome, yet now he actually wanted her to say sike and to body slam him or something.

But she didn't. They continued with an awkward exchange of silent, awkward stares and uncertain body language, and that was what burnt. What she said, she meant.

"Huh? Was there a love triangle or something?" Kuri said, finally breaking between them.

"Oh piss off," Esther spat, and went back to the group. The Chespin looked back and forth between the two of them and shrugged, a dumb smile on his face.

"Are all of you ready to depart?" Azu said with a smile. Sophitia looked over everyone and nodded. "Please follow me closely. The mystery dungeon works in unexpected ways."

"It's a mystery dungeon, we kinda expect that," Sophitia commented.

Azu walked slowly and had to use her staff to keep herself upright. Thankfully it didn't take them very long to reach the edge of the village, where a dusty road led right up the mountain. Stone candle lamps with an eccentric design lined the path, and each one glowed with a curious blue flame. Thick, dark green woodland lined their sides, so many bushes and things that the depths of the area looked like a dark cave even though it was in the middle of the day.

"This is the Umbra Grove. Unless you follow the candles perfectly, you will find yourselves circling back to the village, even though you are ascending," Azu explained. "Your highness, please allow me to guide you directly."

"Um, I know I'm the leader and all, but calling me royalty is a little too flattering," Sophitia snickered. Her smug smile turned into a sharp yelp when Azu hit her foot with her staff.

"Do you think I'm senile? I'm not talking about you. I know that not all blue Sylveon are male," Azu snapped.

"Then who are you talking about? You've been saying that ever since we got here," Esther wondered, arms tucked behind her head. The Azumarill didn't answer, and begun her ascent instead.

"I did say to stop calling me that," Kuri sighed.

"You? Ha. Can't tell what's a bigger joke. You thinking you're royalty, or the fact that one of us is being mistaken for one," Sophitia said.

"Oh my. Have you not told them yet?" Azu turned to walk backwards. Kuri grumbled and folded his arms. "If there was ever a safer place on this planet to reveal the truth, here it is. Not one from the modern world has set foot on this island in over a decade. Besides yourselves, of course."

"Oh wow. Pokémon really don't come here?" Esther quizzed. "Wait, didn't Fluffy Cheeks say that criminals like to escape here?"

"And do you ever hear from them again?" Azu commented. There was quiet. "This island is full of mystery dungeons. Those who get lost here either perish or become feral. It is truly an island untouched by the modern Pokémon of Aseria, and we are the remaining Ancients who'd like to keep it this way."

"That sounds terrible. But it keeps you all safe," Infia said. "I'm a little confused. How are you all Ancients?"

"I mean it's fairly obvious they're Ancients. So then what's the big truth about it? You clearly wanna tell us something," Sophitia said. She had to stop, surprised to find that the path had begun to wind around the mountain. The grove still surrounded them, but the road and the lamps were no longer on a straight path.

"Are you all aware of what the Mega Stone is?" Azu began. Lute had to look up to recall it.

"Naivie told us about it once. That's where the Ancient Flowers draw their energy from, right? And the flowers were split across the planet to spread V-Waves evenly," he recalled. "Do you know where the stone is?"

"Grk. Just so you know, if we keep talking about this, I'm putting you kids on a contract," Kuri warned, still arms folded. He looked a little distressed and serious, however. "If you don't keep quiet, I'll kill you."

"Calm down. Seems a bit much, doesn't it?" Esther said.

"That's correct, the Mega Stone is the source of all V-Waves, and effectively, the source of Aseria's ecosystem as a result. The only Pokémon who knew where the Mega Stone is were the guardians of the flowers and the royalty of the Ancient civilizations. So it's very important we keep the only remaining king and queen as well taken care of as possible," Azu explained.

"But Kuri? Him of all people?" Sophitia snickered.

"I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a comment I've heard commoners make a lot back in the day. But he married into the family. A lot of Pokémon questioned her highness's decision to marry a ruffian fighter, but they're the only ones still alive today, so you've got to hand it to their survival skills. She knew what she was getting into." Azu shrugged.

"Married into the- wait, that means Gen's an Ancient. An Ancient queen?" Lute gasped. Kuri started growling.

"Gen? Is that a nickname she offered?" Azu said.

"An alias she invented to protect herself. But that's right. She's Princess Genesis, the only one left in the world who knows where the Mega Stone is," Kuri stated. He unfolded his arms.

"But that means you're both Ancients. H-hold on a second. There's no way you're that important. How old are you?" Sophitia gasped.

"Well I can't go answer that if you won't tell me your age now, can I?" He snickered. "I'll give you a hint, though. My biggest aim right now is to drive you all crazy before I reach age forty."

"Good luck, old man," Esther teased.

"It's kind of obvious when you think about it, though. Gen chooses to live in Angard and somehow protects the entire country on her own. I don't mean to brag about us Ancients, but we're freaking gods when it comes to power," Kuri said.

"That's what I don't get. You're less than forty, Mister Kuri," Infia asked. "Why are they called Ancients if they aren't actually ancient? Exactly how long ago did the world start changing?"

Kuri suddenly went dead quiet, and faced the floor as he folded his arms and shut his eyes. It brought everyone to a stop, and Naivie almost screamed at him.

"A little under twenty years ago. The same time as Aseria's 'meteorite event'," he said. His tone took Lute by surprise. For some reason, those words felt like they physically hurt him to say.

He knew what the meteorite event was. It was an important part of Aseria's history, and something he learnt a lot about in school. Giant comets fell from outer space and caused colossal damage to civilization, where if not for the Pokémon uniting together, Aseria would have been destroyed. It was thought to be the lowest point in Aserian history due to the fact that the Ancients and their limited technology couldn't prepare for the comets.

What he didn't know was that that event took place so recently, let alone had been resolved so well that he was able to grow up in the world that he knew. The conclusion to the event was thought to be Lassic's breakthrough and leadership abilities, which tied greatly into his technological discoveries and led him to be who he is today.

"Impossible!" Sophitia gasped, making Lute jump out of his thoughts. She'd gone stiff, and shuddered with a pale gaze.

"Sophitia?" he said, worried about her. She took one look at him and gulped.

"Never mind. Sorry about that. We're getting distracted. Let's hurry up before Naivie blows a fuse at us," she said.

"Excuse me?" Naivie squeaked.

"Don't complain if I'm hurrying us up," Sophitia said. She shoved Azu a bit to get her moving. "Don't you worry about a thing, Kuri. Gen's secret is safe with us. That's an order from me as your superior, all of you. Once we leave this island, Gen is the Gen we always knew, and no one is to even drop a hint, understand?"

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Lute tilted his head. She didn't say anything, but the serious glance she gave Kuri seemed to relax him, so he left it at that.

"Up ahead it gets dark. Make sure you keep close and follow me carefully, now," Azu warned.

"But it's still clear. And there aren't any trees," Infia said.

Rocky walls lined their right, while the jungle they had passed was a short jump below to their left. The path hadn't felt steep, so it was a surprise to see how high up they had climbed. The road they were on was level with the woodland from earlier. Looking up the mountainside, they didn't have long left to climb, either.

There haven't been any feral Pokémon yet. But this island was teeming with them, Lute realised. He was about to bring that up, but then everything went dark and everyone came to a stop.

"Hey what gives? What kind of move is this?" Sophitia cried.

"I do not know. Nobody move," Phoenix said.

"A bit late for that, whoever's hugging me. Mind my skirt!" Esther squeaked.

"S-sorry!" Infia squeaked.

"Oh, Infia. It's just you. You're okay," she said.

"Listen and follow carefully now, all of you," Azu said. They could hear her staff tap the floor a few times, and then the yellow star on the end gave off a dim glow. "You can see my staff, right? You must follow my directions exactly, and stay close. Don't even attempt to shortcut me or we'll loop back to the start."

It sounded easy, but it put Lute right on edge. This darkness clearly wasn't natural. It was so dark that he couldn't even see the floor. The only things around him that weren't totally black were Azu's glowing staff and the blue flames from the lamps. And even those were a distance away.

Then he quickly realised the true terror of this challenge. Everything hadn't just turned black – it had vanished from sight and left nothing but the black. Every single one of the streetlamps in the area was visible, even those behind where the wall to the right of him just was. With only those lights visible and not the actual terrain leading up to them, it meant he could walk right off the cliff and not realise until it was too late.

That drove him to focus harder than ever before. He breathed silently and traced the movements of Azu's staff closely. He waited until she looked to be a few paces away before repeating her path. He could still hear the scruffy scratches and shuffles of the group every time they moved, as well as the occasional prod when one of them bumped into him. It didn't annoy him in any way, but it did make him flinch every time.

A few minutes onwards and things seemed simple enough. Azu moved in straight lines, so everyone's silent focus almost felt unnecessary. A little later however, and things started to get unsettling. He could hear noises he couldn't hear before, and the lights got dimmer for some reason. Static buzzing and a low rumble through the air distracted him. He could've sworn he could hear unfamiliar voices too, although they were far off in the distance. When Azu started to go in more complex paths, he began to worry.

Two steps left. Then two forward. The three to the right. One backward. Four to the right again. She started to really wind around an area, and he felt that if he stopped watching her for even an instant, he'd make a mistake and they'd have to start again. No one had said anything since, so he wondered how they managed. Could they hear the bundled whispers he could hear, too?

Right when he least suspected it, something touched him and his body reacted with the harshest cringe he ever felt. He almost threw up from how hard his body shook, cuddled by uncomfortable sensations. He let out a dry screech as his breath became unsettled, and he froze to the spot.

"Wait, what? Sophitia? Infia? Phoenix, you guys, you there?" he cried.

All he got as a response was louder static buzzing, so much that it became irritating. He cried out, growled, and grabbed his head as it became headache inducing.

"Lute, Lute c'mon stop it! Wake up already, please," Sophitia cried. She cradled him in her paws and feelers. It took him a few blinks to realise where he was, and he settled down. "Lute?"

"Sophitia," he said blankly. She put him down, but she was right close to him.

"Are you alright? What happened?" she asked desperately.

He opened his mouth to reply, but even he wasn't sure. He snuck a look around to find he was at the top of the mountain and totally unharmed. Everyone else was behind Sophitia with concern written all over them, and behind them, a lonely stone temple lined with elaborate columns.

"I'm… fine. I'm okay. Sorry about that," he said just as blankly.

"Geez kid, you almost jumped off the mountain. You're gonna give someone a heart attack if you keep up this weird stuff," Kuri said.

"Anyway, we have arrived. I cannot enter the temple as I am not of authority to do so, but you shouldn't face any trouble. There should just be a Teleportal that leads right to the flower," Azu informed. "When you are done, you can walk straight through the darkness and let it loop you back to Obire."

"Before you go. That darkness back there… is that a V-Wave phenomenon?" Lute asked.

Azu shifted in interest. "You're nosy about this land, aren't you? And if that was a guess, it was a well educated one. There are a lot of mushrooms in this area, so certain parts of the mystery dungeons are rendered in total darkness, which they thrive on."

And technology, like King's Shield communicators, uses V-Waves, too. I wonder… if it's possible…