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Chapter 12

"You bastard!"

Blue clung tightly onto Rapta's back as they rocketed upwards into the heavens. The two of them tore through the sky, slicing their way through the gusting wind. Layers and layers of white cloud were blown aside as the great crested bird plowed through unstoppably like a great, feathery bullet. Eventually, once the last wall of cloud was bested, Rapta halted their ascent by spreading out his wings wide.

They hovered within the vast blue sky, surrounded by tiny wisps of white cloud and backed by the shining golden sun. Feeling a little lightheaded, Blue crawled over to the side of Rapta's body and peered down at the land below. To his frustration, no matter which way he looked, all Blue could see was an endless sea of blindingly white cloud.

However, directly underneath them, Blue spotted the hole they made in the cloud layer. It pierced straight through the great wall of white, and from where he was sitting, he could just barely make out the outline of Treasure Town. From his height, the buildings inside the town looked like nothing more than toy blocks, while the crowds and crowds of Pokémon resembled multicolored dots wandering around the streets.

But as Blue tried to get a better look at the land surrounding the town, the cloud layer quickly reformed, plugging up the hole with another thick blanket of white. Blue growled in irritation and unintentionally plucked out a few feathers from Rapta's back.

"If you keep tugging like that, you'll lose your grip, Blue," Rapta remarked wryly, noticing the Riolu's tension.

Surprised, Blue quickly threw away the feathers in his paw and apologized.

Rapta clacked his beak and replied, "Don't fret. Feathers grow back, passengers don't," Rapta gave a humorous chuckle and soared around the top of the cloud layer in a circle.

"I'm surprised at how brave you are," Rapta remarked, "not many Pokémon can keep their wits about them when they're this high up in the sky."

"There's nothing to be afraid about," Blue replied as he glanced over the side of Rapta's body, down at the clouds below, "there's more important things on my mind than falling off."

"Heh," Rapta clacked his beak in approval, "I can see why Guildmaster likes you so much. You're exactly his type, Blue."

"Uhm..."

Rapta shook his head, "I didn't mean it like that," He clarified, "our guild prefers Pokémon of strong mind and body. You can be the toughest, roughest and strongest Pokémon around, but you're nothing if you lack an ounce of courage."

Blue mulled over Rapta's words while they made another loop around in the air.

"So then, that battle royale thing?"

Rapta snorted, "That? That's just to appease the Guildmaster's boredom," Blue tilted his head in confusion. Rapta seemed to notice his questioning gaze on the back of his head and continued, "Well, not just to appease his boredom."

"By hosting a combat event like that, we can easily see what kind of Pokémon you are through battle. When one is in the midst of combat, one tends to show their true self. Whether they like it or not. And that's what we're looking for. Strong, brave Pokémon that don't give up, even when backed into a corner."

"So...then there's really no point in winning it?"

"None."

"Huh," Blue gave a low whistle before replying, "I didn't think it was that deep. I just thought Pokémon joined it to beat each other up for fun."

"Well, I guess most see it that way," Rapta said in an exasperated voice, "we've already received several complaints from townspeople and Kadabra's Guild as well about how we were promoting brutality and violence on the streets."

Rapta sensed Blue's gaze again and quickly stated, "We aren't, of course! I've already told you our reasons for hosting such an event! Besides, it's all Guildmaster and Hariyama's idea anyway!"

Blue chuckled, amused by how flustered the bird was becoming. While he didn't fully understand, he could tell that the Machoke's Guild had good intentions for whatever they were planning. He reaffirmed his trust in their group and patted Rapta on the back.

"Alright, I get it," He said with a wide grin on his face, "now come on, let's get moving. We have to go find Drowzee and Azurill."

Rapta nodded and clacked his beak once more.

"You'd best hold on tight then," He said in a serious voice, "this might get a little rough."

Before Blue could ask for an explanation, Rapta's wings suddenly snapped back to his sides. Then, immediately afterward, the great crested bird began to spiral down at an incredible speed. Blue let a yelp escape his mouth as he quickly secured himself to the spinning bird's back.

White filled Blue's vision as they dove back into the cloud layer. However, instead of tearing straight through to the other side, Rapta extended his wings, catching the winds while within the white ocean and soared through the icy world. Blue shivered uncontrollably as the temperature around them suddenly dropped like a rock. Half frozen droplets of water splashed against Blue's face and shoulders, sending chills throughout his body.

"We're almost through, just hang in there," Rapta said, evidently unfazed by the freezing clouds, "Apologies for the rough treatment, but this is the fastest way!"

Blue opened his mouth to respond, but accidentally swallowed an icy chunk of white cloud instead. He settled on just trusting the bird and closing his eyes, hoping for the icy ride to end soon.

Eventually, the trip through the icy abyss ended as Rapta began to ascend once more at a high speed. Streams of white trailed behind them as they glided out of the white ocean and into the warm, sunny skies once more. Blue released a great sigh of relief as he let the wun slowly warm his body back up.

Blue glanced backward. While most of the skies was still covered in cloud, he could just barely make out the edge of the sparkling blue ocean in the distance. As for where Treasure Town was, he had no idea. It had become a tiny speck in the distance. Blue turned back forward and was greeted with an amazing sight.

"Is that Mount Bristle?" He whispered in awe.

A huge, gray monolith of rock and silt rose up above them, piercing the cloud layer. The great mass of stone was covered by age – worn crags and sheer cliffs. Hardy trees attempted to grow on the mountain bluffs while small bushes and grasses dotted its surface, painting its gray surface with splotches of green. The hills, forests, rivers, and lakes that surrounded its base couldn't even hope to match up to the gargantuan mass of rock and earth. As for Blue and Rapta, they were but tiny motes of dust in comparison to the mountain.

"Tallest mountain of the frontier," Rapta replied pridefully, staring at the mountainside, "can't imagine a better place to keep a lookout for escapees from town."

"But," Blue quickly turned back and glanced at Treasure Town in the distance, "we're so far away from town, I don't see how this will help us at all!"

To Blue's surprise, Rapta just chuckled at his incredulous reply.

"Don't worry, Blue," Rapta said in a confident voice, "being up here is our best choice for finding either Drowzee or Azurill, you'll see. Now hold on tight, we're going to land on a cliff."

Although he still felt uncertain, Blue decided to continue trusting the bird. He clung on tightly as they descended toward the craggy mountain.

"Sir, sir! A massive bird has been spotted in the skies!"

"What? Another visitor? This is becoming quite a surprising day!"

"Sir, what do we do? What do we do?"

"Perform Formation Omega! I will see this for myself!"

"Yes sir! Performing Formation Omega immediately!""

The small, squirrel – like Pokémon bounced off his thick, striped tail and curled up into a small ball. His companion, a brown chipmunk – esque Pokémon leapt on top of his balled up companion and held up his paws to his eyes. His red and yellow irises gleamed brightly as he scanned the skies, looking for the bird that his comrade discovered.

"I have spotted the bird! I repeat, I have spotted the bird!" The chipmunk announced in a loud, commanding voice, "Sentret, prepare to receive them!"

"Yes sir, Patrat! I will prepare to receive them immediately!" Sentret replied dutifully and began to roll toward the mountain, with Patrat still riding on him.

"Halt! Cease your rolling, Sentret!" Patrat shouted, startled, "We have not disengaged Formation Omega yet! Stop your movement!"

"Oh, whoops!" Sentret quickly halted his movement, but it was a bit too quick. Patrat wasn't ready for the sudden stop and was launched off the ball like a brown rocket. The little chipmunk Pokémon tumbled through the air before landing onto the rocky ground. He rolled forward in a small brown ball before he struck the side of the mountain cliff, halting his movement.

"My apologies sir!" Sentret stated, quickly putting up a salute with his right paw. Patrat groaned and grasped his head while the cliffside spun around him dizzily. He shook his head, refocusing himself before jumping back onto his feet.

"Sentret, I've warned you multiple times about forgetting to disengage Formation Omega!" He chided his squirrely companion, "I will make sure to mark this on your report by the end of the day! A demerit!"

"No! Not a demerit! Anything but that!" Sentret clasped the sides of his face, aghast, "Patrat, I'm greatly sorry about my mistake! Please, do not give me a demerit!"

Sentret dropped down to the ground in a pleading fashion, begging for for the Patrat to be lenient on him. Patrat, on the other hand, huffed and turned away from the bowing Sentret and folded his arms stubbornly.

"Um..."

Suddenly, the arrival of a new voice in their midst made the two rodent Pokémon spin around. Blue and Rapta had landed on their cliff, looking confused and amused at the same time.

"Egad! The guests have landed! And there's two of them!" Patrat ran up to Sentret and quickly pulled him back onto his feet. He leaned over and whispered into Sentret's ear, "I thought you said there was only the bird!"

"Sir, I didn't see if the bird had a rider or not!" Sentret argued back, "I could only see from a bottom to up perspective, sir! It was physically impossible for me to tell if there was a Pokémon riding him, sir!"

Patrat drubbed Sentret over the head with his paw, "Then you should've tried harder, Sentret!" He pointed to the skies and said in a loud, proud voice, "We are the watchers of Mount Bristle! Nothing will get by our eyes! Whether it be by sky, land or sea! Isn't that right, Sentret?"

"That is correct, sir!" Sentret bounced up and saluted to the skies, "We are the watchers of Mount Bristle! Sky, land or sea, nothing gets past our gaze! Even though we're land – locked and no ocean is around us for miles! Huzzah!"

"Don't ruin our motto!" Patrat chided as he hit Sentret over the head again.

Blue glanced questioningly over to Rapta, who just shook his head and shrugged. Rapta walked up to the two tiny rodents and extended a wing, which practically dwarfed the pair.

"Hello, Patrat, Sentret," Rapta said, making the two jump in surprise, "do you remember me?"

"Ah! If it isn't honorable Rapta from Treasure Town!" Patrat said cheerfully as he energetically shook Rapta's wing, "Your crest is looking incredibly threatening as usual, I see!"

"Yes, well," Rapta replied, glancing over to his crest self – consciously, "I'm here on some important business, Patrat."

"Important business?!" Patrat practically jumped for joy when he heard that, "Oh, please, do tell us what kind of business you're on!"

"Yes, yes! Do tell!" Sentret echoed, also leaping up and down giddily. Rapta shook his head and glanced exasperatedly back at Blue, who just shrugged in reply.

"Alright, you two," Rapta said, after a lengthy sigh, "calm down, I have an important mission for you two to complete for us."

"A mission!?" Sentret's eyes widened in response, "This business is that important?!"

"It's called important business for a reason!"

"I knew that! I'm just surprised, sir!"

"Well I was surprised too!"

"I was more surprised, sir!"

"You cannot be more surprised than me!"

Rapta covered his face in his wings in frustration as the two rodents began to argue with each other again. It was always like this. Once one of them begins to argue, the other one snaps right back, perpetuating a cycle of wasted time. Blue, having heard enough out of the two, walked up and placed a paw on both their heads. After getting a good grasp on the fur on their heads, he pulled.

"Ow, sir! Ow ow ow!"

"Unhand me Riolu! This is improper conduct! Ow!"

Blue ignored their cries of pain as he suspended them in midair by the fur on their heads. He rotated them so that their teary eyes were staring directly at his own.

"If you two don't stop arguing and interrupting him, I'll give you both demerits, understand?" Blue smiled kindly at the pair, but his voice was low and threatening. The two of them quickly swallowed their words and nodded at the Riolu.

"That's good," Blue gave them another smile and dropped them onto the ground. Blue gestured to a stunned Rapta to continue before returning to his original spot behind the Staraptor.

"Um..." Rapta was secretly amazed by how quickly Blue managed to subdue the bickering pair. He quickly faked a cough to hide his surprise and recomposed himself. He faced the watcher pair, who were both sitting on the ground, rubbing their sore behinds.

"Patrat, Sentret," Rapta commanded, making the two quickly flinch and stand to attention, "we are in dire need of your expertise right now."

"Our expertise?" Patrat repeated, looking confused, "For what reason?"

Rapta gestured to Blue with his wing, "A young friend of this Pokémon has gone missing." Sentret gasped in surprise, making Patrat smack him for interrupting. Rapta ignored them and continued, "We believe that the Pokémon may have been kidnapped by another."

"Kidnapped?!" Sentret covered his mouth, looking horrified. Patrat mirrored Sentret's reaction as well, but quickly composed himself.

"We're not sure yet, but that's why we're here at your lookout." Rapta pointed at the large cliff they were standing on, "We need the use of your eyes to see out into the frontier and find them."

"That we can do, sir Rapta!" Sentret shouted, saluting the great crested bird respectfully, "Patrat and I form the greatest lookout in all of the frontier!"

"That is right, Sentret!" Patrat concluded, folding his arms and nodding, "Whatever goes on in the frontier, we are always the first to know!"

"Alright then," Rapta walked back and gestured for Blue to walk over. Blue nodded and stepped up toward the two scouts. They immediately flinched at the return of his presence, making Blue scratch the back of his head sheepishly.

"Blue, would you mind describing to these two the Pokémon we're looking for?" Rapta asked, shaking his head at the two trembling scouts.

Blue nodded and pointed a finger at the pair, startling them, "Listen up you two! And stop trembling!"

His commanding voice, coupled with the authoritative way he was acting made the two immediately stand up straight and grant him his full attention. Blue turned back and grinned at Rapta, who just shook his head in exasperation.

"Now, I need you two to tell me if you have seen either of these Pokémon," Blue quickly bent down and began to sketch a drawing on the rocky cliff floor. It turned out to be difficult, as the ground was composed mostly out of pure rock, making it nearly impossible for him to draw anything. Feeling embarrassed, Blue coughed and stood back up.

"Um, sir?" Sentret asked timidly, "If you just describe the Pokémon, we can easily figure it out ourselves without a drawing."

"Oh, alright then."

Blue coughed again into his paw, "I need you two to tell me if you have seen my friend, Azurill. She's young, small – probably your size –, mostly light blue and has a long black tail with a ball at the end. Have you seen her anywhere in the frontier?"

"Azurill?" Patrat narrowed his eyes and cupped his chin as he scoured his memory. Sadly, he shook his head after a moment of thought, "No, I haven't seen any Azurill wandering around in the forests around Treasure Town, and I doubt a young Azurill could wander all the way over to the highlands here."

"I haven't seen an Azurill either, sir!" Sentret added, "I haven't seen any Azurill in the lakes or the rivers, and definitely not in the sky!"

"I see..." Blue scratched his chin in frustration, "Okay, I have another question then."

Patrat and Sentret nodded in response, waiting patiently.

"Have you seen a large, yellow Pokémon? Kinda fat, has brown legs and a long, stretchy nose," Blue stretched out his eyes, "He's also got eyes like this, and talks really slowly as if he's always half asleep."

"Ah!" The two of them suddenly clapped their paws together and shared an excited glance.

"What?" Blue quickly said, surprised at their reaction, "Did you see someone like that?"

"Are you talking about Master Drowzee, sir?" Sentret replied gleefully, making Blue and Rapta widen their eyes in shock, "Because Master Drowzee's currently resting on this mountain, right now!"

"We're sorry, we haven't seen this Pokémon before."

I sighed and thanked the Dodrio as I rolled the posted back up. After the three – headed bird walked off, I shoved the poster back inside my torn – up bag and hoisted it onto my back. I turned around and walked back to Marill, who was looking at me expectantly.

"Sorry, no luck here either." I relayed to him sadly.

"I... I see, then let's move on..." He said in a weak, barely audible voice. He bent down to pick up a poster by his side, but his paws were quivering so hard that he accidentally dropped the rolled – up pieces of paper.

He gasped quietly and quickly tried to pick them back up, but the poster stubbornly rolled away from his grasping paws.

"Marill..." I took a step forward to go pick up the poster for him, but he suddenly sped up and scrambled after it. He snatched up the rolled up poster and, to my surprise, began to angrily crumple it up in his paws. Crackling noises exploded from the piece of paper as he furiously crushed the poster into a tiny wad of paper.

After he had sufficiently turned the poster into a tiny ball, he reared back and lobbed the wad into the air. I watched, a little afraid, as the paper ball sailed through the air before landing back onto the road, where it lied in the dirt, sad and pitiful looking.

"Fée... was it my fault? Was it?"

I jumped when I heard Marill's voice. It wasn't the same, sobbing voice that I became accustomed to. His voice sounded low and hollow, as if he had just given up on everything. I turned around and saw him staring at the paper ball, his face covered by a dark shadow.

Timidly, I took a step toward him and asked in a quiet voice, "What do you mean?"

Marill looked up and stared at the sky. A glistening stream of tears slipped down his cheeks as he spoke in a choked voice, "When I brought Azurill here to Treasure Town... I vowed to mother that I would take care of Azurill in her absence. I wanted to start a new life with my sister, to help her forget everything that we went through back in our old village."

He shook his head and closed his eyes, "At first, it was difficult. Every day, Azurill would refuse to talk or eat, no matter how much I begged her..."

"It was only after we met you that she finally broke out of her shell and became like how she was in the past... but even then, I still felt as though a part of her never returned."

"Every time I left home to work, I would always tell her to stay home and don't leave," He said in a guilty voice, "I know she hated being left alone in the house all the time... who wouldn't? She's just a kid, she just wanted to go out and play."

He slouched down and covered his face with his paws, but his voice rose ever louder, "But... I was afraid. I was afraid that if I let her out... that one day, when I got home, I wouldn't be able to see her face anymore. That I wouldn't be able to hear her say 'Welcome back, Marill!'"

"Fée... was I being selfish?" He uncovered his face and turned to me, his eyes pleading, begging me for an answer, "I never wanted her to be sad, to be angry like this... I've always worked hard so she would always be able to have something to eat, to have a home to stay in..."

"So why... why is she gone?!" I flinched as Marill suddenly shouted in a horrific tone. He clutched his eyes as his tears spilled onto the dirt, "What did I do wrong? Am I just a horrid brother? I... I just wanted her to be safe! I knew I could never replace mom in her heart, but I had to try! I had to...!"

"And now... she's gone..."

Suddenly, he slowly withdrew his paws from his eyes and stared blankly at them. A strange smile crossed his face as he sat there, unmoving. I took a nervous step forward, but suddenly, he said something that made me freeze.

"I... I understand now..." Marill closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm just... a coward."

A sudden pang of emotion struck me in the chest when I heard him say that. I bit my lip as painful memories of yesterday began to flood back inside my mind. Didn't I say the exact same thing? I closed my eyes and tried to dismiss those thoughts, but Marill's words kept resounding inside of me like a loud, ringing bell.

"I could never bring myself to fully talk to Azurill about her problems. I've always been... too afraid to face her issues. Maybe... I haven't fully gotten over mother as well, and that made me distance myself from Azurill..."

Marill clasped his paws over his face again, "If we had never met you, Fée, I don't think Azurill would've ever recovered... and probably, nor would I." He grimaced and stared at me, "I was just... too much of a coward to face her. She resembles mother a lot... maybe too much..."

"So... that's why I kept burying myself in my work..." He cracked a small smile, "So I could avoid my only sister... I made excuses, saying that I was doing this for her own good. For her safety. And yet, now I realize..."

"It was only because I was a coward."

A strange emotion began to bubble up inside of me. Marill slowly looked toward me, his eyes were hollow and glassy. The sight of him like that made me feel... angry. At first, I didn't understand why I was getting angrier and angrier. But then, as I remembered my soujourn in the beach cave yesterday, I realized.

He was reminding me of myself. His actions, his words were a mirror of my own.

"Don't...!"

I raised up my paw and shouted loudly,

"...call yourself a coward!"

...I struck him as hard as I could, slapping him across the face and leaving a large paw print on his cheek.

"Fée?!" He yelped in pain as I withdrew my paw. As I glared angrily at him, I noticed the sheen of his eyes had returned back to normal.

"You're wrong!" I shook my head angrily.

"F – Fée?" I saw his eyes flash with a mixture of surprise and fear as I glared down at him.

"You're wrong..." Tears, my own tears began to slowly spill from my eyes as I recalled Azurill's words to me, "It's not your fault! It never was!"

"But.. but she said that she hated me...!"

I glared at him, making flinch and falter. I advanced toward him until our faces were but inches apart and shouted, "She never hated you, Marill! Listen to me!"

"You know what she said to me before you arrived?" I closed my eyes and recounted Azurill's words, "She says she loved you! She said... she didn't want you to be so worried about her all the time! She said that she hated seeing you come home tired and exhausted for her sake. She just wanted you to be her brother!"

"She... she said that?" Marill stared at me, his eyes filled with surprise and astonishment. Nodding, I released my grasp on his paws and slowly crawled off his body. Still looking stunned, Marill rolled back onto his feet and stared at me.

"Azurill wanted to grow up quick, you know," I said as I wiped away my own tears, "she knew how much you sacrificed for her, so she wanted to grow up as fast as she could so she could shoulder some of your burden for you."

"Azurill just wanted you to spend more time with her, as her brother," I held Marill's paws and looked directly into his eyes, "not as her caretaker, not as her surrogate mother... but just, as Marill. Her only brother."

Marill choked as he tried to say something, but he just couldn't find the words. I tugged on his paws and pulled him into a hug. At first he seemed surprised, but soon he completely broke down crying. He sobbed softly into my ruff, much like how his sister did before. Gently, I patted his back, comforting him as he slowly released his bottled up emotions.

"I... I never knew..."

Blue and Rapta goggled at the scouting pair in disbelief. Patrat and Sentret both looked strangely gleeful and proud of what they just announced.

"What do you mean by that?" Blue recovered first and challenged the two, "Master Drowzee's resting here? Explain!"

Patrat and Sentret looked startled by Blue's sudden shout, their proud smiles slipping off their faces like mud. Patrat nervously wrung his paws together, glancing left and right.

"Erm... approximately twenty minutes ago, Sentret and I were sitting on the cliff, having our midday rations," Patrat explained, looking to Sentret for confirmation. After receiving his partner's nod, he continued, "Then, from out of the blue, a large yellow Pokémon carrying a dirty sack just appeared out of thin air!"

"Thin... air?" Blue echoed, looking confused.

Sentret nodded and jumped into the conversation, "It's true sir!" He opened his arms wide and stood on his thick tail, "Master Drowzee just poofed into existence, sir! Patrat and I were very, very surprised by his sudden appearance, sir! We even dropped our berries down the cliff, sir!"

Patrat struck Sentret over the head again, making him shrink back down onto the ground. He chided his partner, "Too much information! Get to the point!"

"Yes sir!" Sentret replied, saluting. He faced Blue again and said, "The Pokémon – Master Drowzee – looked weary and requested that we grant him shelter until his strength returned for another um..." Sentret turned to Patrat with a questioning gaze, "what was it he said again, sir?"

Patrat folded his arms and said, "Master Drowzee wished for us to give him a private place of rest until he recuperated enough so he could use Teleport again, Sentret!"

"Oh yes, that's right!" Sentret clasped his paws together in admiration for Patrat, "Thank you sir!"

"Teleport... huh?" Rapta mused, contemplating the scouting pair's words. Blue turned and looked at Rapta questioningly.

"What's a teleport, Rapta?" He asked, looking confused.

Rapta looked a little surprised at Blue, but replied anyway, "Teleportation is an advanced technique that is mostly practiced by Pokémon that harbor psionic powers. Psychic Pokémon, for short." Rapta paused and rubbed his beak with his wing, "I suppose it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to assume that Drowzee would possess such an ability on top of his hypnosis."

"But, what is teleporting?" Blue pressed, still confused.

"Teleporting basically allows the user to instantly transport themselves from one location to another within a blink of an eye," Rapta explained patiently, "Imagine that you're standing here right now, and you wish to return to Treasure Town," Rapta pointed a wing at the town in the distance, "if you could teleport, then you could simply transport yourself back to the Main Plaza with that power."

"That's unbelievable!" He folded his arms and frowned, "Then there was no reason for him to go through the entrance at all! He could've just teleported away any time he wanted!"

"True, but there's one large limitation to teleportation," Rapta mused, pulling Blue's attention back, "if I remember correctly, most Pokémon that can teleport usually do it alone."

"Alone?"

Rapta nodded, "I remember Guildmaster Kadabra once stated that teleporting takes a large amount of concentration from the user's mind, and that transporting more than one Pokémon is insanely difficult, even for him."

Although Blue didn't know who this Kadabra was, he just nodded and allowed Rapta to continue.

"If this Drowzee was indeed exhausted upon reappearance..." Rapta suddenly trailed off. A light sparked inside his eyes. Rapta quickly turned his head toward Patrat and Sentret.

"You two, what did you say the Drowzee was carrying when he appeared?" He asked in a hurried voice. Patrat and Sentret quickly glanced at each other, startled.

Patrat answered first, "He was carrying a dirty sack on his person."

Sentret continued, "It looked heavy and difficult to carry, sir!" He nodded at Patrat, who returned the gesture, "When we attempted to assist him with his luggage, he suddenly became very angry toward us, sir!"

"Then it all fits!" Rapta exclaimed, surprising the other three Pokémon.

"What fits?" Blue quickly said, staring expectantly at the great crested bird.

Rapta shook his head and explained, "The sack that Drowzee is holding must be what he's using to keep your friend hidden while he moved through Treasure Town."

"I see..." Blue mumbled, "If anyone saw him carrying a sack, they would just think it contained his stuff."

Rapta nodded, "So once he got to a safe place in town, he could perform teleportation and escape outside."

"And no one would suspect him either," Blue growled angrily, "with all the Pokémon around in town, everyone would just disregard him as they walked past."

"Hold on sirs, what are you talking about?" Sentret asked, looking confused, "The way you're describing Master Drowzee makes him sound like a criminal!"

"That's right!" Patrat added, "When Drowzee arrived, he was polite and very honorable! We will not stand for the besmirching of a Pokémon that we so graciously provided shelter and hospitality for!"

Blue sent a glare at Patrat, making him flinch and shut his mouth.

"Patrat, I need you to tell me where Drowzee is," Rapta said in a grave voice, "I do not know what Drowzee may have said to you, but we believe that Drowzee may be the kidnapper we talked about earlier."

"Proof then! Show me the evidence!" Patrat retorted.

"The evidence is his exhaustion upon arriving to your lookout," Rapta replied, "teleportation is not a difficult task by any means... if one performs it alone."

"Within that sack he carried," Blue said, folding his arms, "must be another Pokémon." Blue gritted his teeth and added in a low voice, "...my friend."

"What?!" Both Patrat and Sentret looked astonished.

"He appeared on your cliff, holding a suspicious bag that he refuses to let you see or even touch, and demands that you give him a private place to rest..." Blue conjectured, "Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?"

"I – if you put it that way, sir..." Sentret replied uneasily, glancing nervously at Patrat.

"Baseless!" Patrat retorted as he pointed a finger at Blue, "Baseless conjecture! How do we know you're not lying?"

Blue growled angrily, making Patrat falter slightly. But the little chipmunk shook his head and retained his vigil.

"Patrat," Rapta said in a sharp tone, "this Pokémon has my confidence. Do you not trust me as well?"

With a graceful flourish, Rapta pulled out a tiny, gleaming object from within his feathers. He flashed the object at Patrat and Sentret proudly.

"I am Rapta, third – in – command of Machoke's Guild. This badge of mine proves my authority, and with that authority, I speak with full confidence that what this Riolu is saying is true."

"An explorer's badge!" Patrat and Sentret were awed by the shining badge on Rapta's wing. Then, the two of them quickly stood up straight and saluted the great crested bird.

"I – we understand your authority, honorable Rapta!" Patrat stated in a respectful voice, "Please forgive us for doubting you!"

"Very well," Rapta, looking pleased with himself, put his badge away and winked at Blue. "Such frivolities tend to be convenient, don't you think?" He whispered humorously to the Riolu, who nodded and smiled.

Clearing his throat, Rapta addressed the scouting pair again, "Now, we believe that this Master Drowzee may be a dangerous kidnapper. We are here to arrest this criminal, and we require your full cooperation, Patrat, Sentret."

Patrat and Sentret hurriedly saluted the bird again.

"Y – yes, of course sirs!" Sentret spoke in an enthusiastic voice, "We will gladly take you to the criminal!"

"If you are absolutely sure that Master Drowzee is a criminal," Patrat nodded, "then we have no reason to doubt you, honorable Rapta!"

"Alright then," Rapta extended a wing and shoved Blue forward, "take him along with you to Drowzee, but do not reveal yourselves."

"Huh?" Blue quickly turned around and gazed at Rapta, "You're not coming?"

"No," Rapta shook his crested head, "I must return to Treasure Town and report our findings to the guild and to the Sheriff."

The bird pointed at the skies, "It's much faster for me to return on my own," Rapta noticed the look on Blue's face, "Do not worry, I will return with help. But for now, I require you to keep an eye on the criminal."

"If possible," Rapta rubbed his beak with his wing, "do not engage him in combat until I have returned with assistance. There is a possibility that he could escape on his own, without his captive. If that happens, it might be difficult to find him again." Rapta noticed the unhappy look on Blue's face and added, "If what Patrat and Sentret said is true, Drowzee is most likely exhausted and incapable of teleporting away with his captive for a while. It'll be simple for you to just watch him until I return."

"Alright Rapta," Blue nodded, but still looked unconvinced, "I'll keep an eye on him."

The great crested bird nodded in return and spread his wings. With a powerful flap, Rapta launched himself back into the air. After giving Blue one last glance, he turned around and soared back toward Treasure Town. Blue watched as the gray bird slowly shrunk into the distance. Once Rapta was out of sight, he turned around and faced the scouting pair.

"Patrat, Sentret," He commanded, "take me to Drowzee now, but don't alert him of our presence."

"Yes sir!" Sentret said, giving him a quick salute. Patrat followed suit, saluting respectfully at the Riolu. Blue nodded and the three proceeded deeper into the mountain.

Drowzee snorted as he roused himself from his sleep. He grumbled in annoyance as he pushed his rotund body off the floor. Slowly, he scanned his surroundings. He had slept inside of a small, rocky alcove. Tall, rocky walls surrounded him from all sides, providing him with perfect privacy. The only places in the alcove that were exposed was the small crack in the wall that he had used – with great difficulty – as an entrance, and the lack of a ceiling.

But it didn't matter to Drowzee, as all he needed was a little more rest and he can get back on the road. A dirty grin appeared on his face as his eyes fell upon the small, grimy sack in the corner of the room. Waddling over to the sack, he prodded the lump that protruded from the center. The lump wriggled and made a quiet, muffled noise.

"Heheh..." Drowzee couldn't help but snicker darkly as he watched the sack shudder futilely.

It wasn't exactly easy to escape from town with such a prize. At first, he thought that sneaking into Treasure Town was a complete waste of time. There were so many Pokémon wandering around, that it made it difficult for him to make a move. But, to his delight, a wonderful little gift managed to run directly into him without Drowzee even needing to lift a finger.

No wonder they called the place Treasure Town! Treasures just fall into your lap without any effort!

Drowzee picked up the sack and opened it up.

"Mmmph!" The little captive inside tried to scream, but the thick, yellow ropes binding her mouth and legs prevented her from making any noise louder than a muffled cry. Drowzee stared down at the terrified Pokémon with perverse glee.

It's been so long since he's been able to call any of his heists a success. At Post Town, his plans were foiled by a group of annoying brats. Unity City, he nearly found himself captured at the hands of the authorities. And Spring Town had no targets for him at all, just a buncha old, strong Pokémon lounging around.

Drowzee felt a wave of nausea rise inside of him as he thought about his past failures. He quickly dismissed the thought and looked back down at the bag. He didn't need to think about his past mistakes, as he now had proof that he did succeed. Right inside this bag.

Feeling eager, he held the bag upside down and shook the contents out as if it was a laundry bag. The poor little Pokémon tumbled out and bounced off the hard floor painfully. Drowzee quickly picked her up, afraid that she might've been damaged by the fall. Fortunately, all she had on her was another bruise. The first came from him, of course. He had to shut her up somehow.

"Eeheheh..." Another creepy, perverse laugh came flowing out of his mouth as he leered at his prize.

"Mmmph...!" She tried struggling against the ropes again, wriggling, shaking, but there was no point. Drowzee made those ropes himself with his psychic powers. It was a skill he had long thought was worthless, but now, he understood the sheer potential that a disabling wrap could have.

"Don't bother..." He said, making his captive freeze at the sound of his voice. Oh, such a reaction made Drowzee feel so gleeful inside. He quashed a desire to laugh and said, "these ropes will only break... when I want them to... so save your strength..."

"Mmmphhh!" Salty tears streamed down the little Pokémon's face as she struggled even more. Drowzee frowned. Didn't he just say that she should stop struggling? He hated it when others disobeyed his words. Such disobedience should be punished.

He raised up his other hand and balled it into a fist. His captive saw the fist and froze in fear.

"That's better..." Drowzee said, grinning cruelly as he revelled in the Pokémon's expression. A pleasurable tingle of excitement exploded inside of Drowzee's body. It was an amazing feeling, to finally be stronger than another! It was an intoxicating feeling that Drowzee wanted experience more and more.

His fist hovered over the captive's face. If he struck the girl, would she show him an even pleasurable expression? He just couldn't wait. He had to try!

"Mmmph!" The look in her eyes, the fear, the horror, he wanted more! He swung his fist forward!

"You bastaaaaaaard!"

Suddenly, he felt his weighty body become airborne. His vision of the room became strangely sideways. Then, a painful shock exploded from the left side of his head right before he hit the ground.

"Gaaah!" He let out a loud, pained scream as his head crashed into the rocky floor. His eyes were spinning, his mind felt scrambled and disjointed as he desperately tried to figure out what just happened. He was about to punch the girl, but why... why did it feel like he was the one punched instead?!

"It's alright, don't cry. I'm here now, don't worry."

That voice... he recognized that voice! It belonged to that blasted Riolu that got in his way earlier today! A searing anger raged around inside of him as he recalled that incident. He struggled to pull himself off the ground, but his balance was marred by that sudden blow.

How dare that Riolu interfere again! Drowzee raged as he slowly regained his sense of balance. He pulled his round body off the ground and turned around, his narrow eyes burning in anger.

"Sir! The criminal is back up!"

Drowzee's eyes snapped to the source of the voice. It was those two little Pokémon that provided him this sanctuary. They must have betrayed him! Drowzee's anger reached a boiling point as he glared at the sight in front of him.

That Riolu was glaring back at him while cracking his knuckles. Who does he think he is?

"You... Riolu..." His voice dripped with venom as he addressed the invader, "How dare you... once again..."

His words were disjointed, interrupted every so often by his own anger. Sparks exploded inside of his mind as he fumed at the blue – furred Pokémon.

"I'll make you pay... you will regret this...!"

Xatu wandered the streets of Treasure Town alone. His emotions felt drained, and his soul felt fragmented. He had just spent the better part of the last few minutes raging and despairing at himself, wallowing in his sorrow and guilt.

In his mind, he kept replaying the scene between him and the Riolu over and over again. He kept asking himself questions about what he could have done. He kept wondering what would've happened if he had just stopped and listened instead of trying to force his own ideas on the boy.

The look of betrayal on the Riolu's face, the shame he felt when he finally understood the boy's situation, and the subsequent realization of his selfishness and worthlessness completely drained any sense of self worth he had inside of him.

As he dragged his feet along the dusty roads of Treasure Town, he came across a wad of paper on the ground. The ball rolled forlornly in the dirt, too heavy to be carried away by the wind, yet too light to stay still. The indecisiveness of such an object made Xatu close his eyes despondently.

Who was he? He was a Xatu. A bird of prophecies and prediction. He was raised upon stories of his ancestors describing calamities and subsequently preventing them with their predictions. But what has he done? He was born without such a miraculous gift, yet he was placed on such a high pedestal.

Xatu opened his eyes again and saw the little paper wad. It had barely moved an inch, shunted aside by the winds, before rolling back to its original position.

Xatu always wanted to be like his ancestors. He wanted to be useful, wanted like they were. But, every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was black. He couldn't see the future, he couldn't see the past, and he couldn't even see the present. He was like the paper ball. He couldn't move forward or backward. All he could do was struggle in the same place, over and over again.

He bent down to pick up the paper ball. But, as he extended his wing, he noticed the patch of missing feathers on it.

That Riolu truly believed he had the power to see. The Riolu had hoped that such a power could help him with his problems.

Xatu wondered. What if he did have the power to see? What if he could've helped the boy?

"Ahh!" Suddenly, he was jarred out of his thoughts by a girl's cry. He quickly looked up and saw a young Eevee and a Marill standing in front of him. The Eevee quickly ran up and picked up the wadded paper ball with her mouth. She dropped in a small, worn looking pink bag and gave Xatu an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, that's ours," She said, bowing, "I'm sorry for littering!"

"No... no it's alright," Xatu quickly replied, nonplussed, "I don't mind."

The Eevee stared at him for a second, her head tilted to the side as if she was thinking about something. Xatu was beginning to feel uncomfortable as she continued to silently look at him.

"Um... can I help you?" He decided to finally break the silence and ask. The Eevee's eyes widened in surprise as he did so.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry for staring," She said quickly, realizing her tactlessness, "It's just, you're Xatu, right?"

"Y... yes, I am Xatu."

The Eevee looked over to her friend for a moment before turning back. She sighed and shook her head. Then, she stared directly at Xatu with a confident look on her face.

"Mr. Xatu, do you mind if I ask for a favor from you?" She said in a completely serious voice.

"A favor?"

The Eevee nodded and said, "I've... I've read in a book before that Xatu possess the ability to see many things with their eyes, whether it be something far, far away or even something in the future."

Xatu suddenly felt his insides turn ice cold. Of all times for a customer to appear, did it have to be now? He gulped nervously as the Eevee, evidently unaware of his internal dilemma, continued to speak.

"My friend... his sister went missing a while ago," She said, gesturing over to the Marill, "If it isn't any trouble, we'd like you to use your powers to find her for us."

"W... what?"

It all felt surreal to Xatu. Here, right in front of him, stood a Pokémon that was asking him to do the exact same thing that the Riolu had. At first, he didn't know what to think. His instincts told him to decline, to formulate some bogus excuse that he couldn't. Maybe he could just teleport away while the two of them were distracted, or perhaps he could instigate some sort of ridiculous monetary payment for his services.

But, the Riolu's face suddenly flashed inside his mind, and along with it, a renewed sense of guilt. He nearly retched at his own instincts telling him to scam the two in front of him. Why was that the first thought that came to his mind? Why did he have to think that way?

Why couldn't he just help?

"Sir...?"

The Eevee gazed imploringly at him. She needed his help, just like the Riolu did. Was he selfish enough to refuse the same thing twice? But... even if he did try to help, what can he do? He lacked the power of sight, the Eevee would've had better luck begging help from a rock!

But, as he looked back at the Eevee and the Marill, he could see the hope and expectation laden in their eyes. Could he betray them now like he did before?

He had to at least try. Even if still saw nothing. Even if he had to let them down, at least he had to try.

"Very... very well," Xatu said hesitantly, "I... I will try to find Azurill for you."

"Wow..." The Eevee sounded impressed as well as a little surprised, "I didn't even need to tell you that we were looking for an Azurill...!"

Xatu recoiled. He had accidentally let the name of the Pokémon slip out of his mouth, but it didn't seem to matter. Xatu nodded and closed his eyes.

Black. All he could see was black. Inwardly, he sighed. What was he expecting? For years now, he tried and tried to access the same powers that his ancestors possessed, and failed time and time again. No matter what he did, all he could see was the same black canvas. Black, murky and most of all, worthless.

Like him.

Xatu felt a sense of disappointment within him. Even now, all he could do was let other down. He imagined the looks on the Eevee and Marill's faces as he prepared to tell them that he couldn't see anything. Their looks of despair... of betrayal...

Subconsciously, he felt the bald spot on his wing again. Their looks of betrayal... just like that Riolu's. No, he didn't want to see those faces again. He didn't want to continue living this way, to keep disappointing others and having to continue living his life as a lie.

He began to plead, to beg his ancestors for help. If possible, grant him just a trickle of their powers. So he could at least help the Pokémon standing before him! He begged them, just for now, to grant him the power of a Xatu so he could help others! Not for himself, no, but for someone else!

Suddenly, an incredible spark of pain erupted inside of his skull. His beak opened wide as he squawked out in pain. He had never felt this sort of severe agony before. It was like somebody had taken a mallet and began to pound a massive drum inside of his head!

"Mr. Xatu!"

He could hear the concerned cries from the Pokémon in front of him. Xatu wanted to open his eyes and say something, but it was as if his eyes had been glued shut. He covered his face with his wings, trying desperately to release himself from the suffering.

Then... all of a sudden, the blackness vanished. A blinding light suddenly shone down from above him. Xatu was confused, his eyes were still closed, yet it felt like he was suddenly thrust into a brightened world. He stood in the center of some sort of rocky cavern, yet he could still see light streaming down from above. A small voice suddenly began to speak inside his mind. It sounded strange, yet familiar to him.

"Mount Bristle..."

Mount Bristle? Was this where he was? Suddenly, a small pebble whizzed past his face, just barely missing his beak. He quickly turned around and saw a horrifying sight. It was the Riolu, heavily injured and barely alive, suspended in the air by some kind of invisible force. Then, just beyond where the Riolu was, stood a wounded Drowzee.

It didn't take long for Xatu to realize what was going on. The Riolu had discovered the location of the Drowzee, and immediately charged in to fight. Unfortunately, he had somehow been overpowered and was now at the brink of being defeated.

Xatu opened his beak to say something, anything to try and protect the Riolu. But, another sudden pain inside of his head forced him down to the ground. The bright world around him shattered, returning him to the black void.

"...atu! Mr. Xatu!"

He could hear the Eevee's voice again. Had he returned to Treasure Town? His head was still pounding, but the pain had lessened enough for him to refocus himself. Tentatively, he opened his eyes and saw the Eevee and the Marill holding him. He must've fallen onto the ground during the vision.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright!" The Eevee cried out, relieved, "I was afraid that you might've fainted!"

Xatu groggily watched as she shook her head worriedly, "I promise to never ask someone for visions or anything like that ever again... it's too dangerous!"

Xatu couldn't understand what she meant by that. As he slowly pulled himself back onto his feet, his mind slowly came to the realization about what just happened. He had a vision. He saw something. Xatu glanced down at his wings in shock.

For the first time since he hatched from his egg, since he evolved from a young Natu, he had a vision.

He shook his head. Now wasn't the time to celebrate such things. The vision and the voice was still clear inside his mind. That Riolu was in danger, and now, he had the ability to prevent it.

"Eevee, are you acquainted with a Riolu?" Xatu said, his voice gravely serious. The Eevee looked stunned for a second, but she quickly composed herself and nodded.

"I'm afraid... that Riolu's life is currently in severe danger."

A horrified look appeared on the Eevee's face. She quickly ran up to the Xatu and grasped his wings and begged, "What do you mean? Please, tell me what happened to Blue!"

"He tried to rescue the Azurill on his own against a Drowzee," Xatu explained, gently letting the Eevee down, "but he was overwhelmed by the Drowzee's psychic powers."

"Then... where is he? Did you see where they were?!" The Eevee pleaded in a desperate voice, "Please, tell me!"

"They're currently fighting at Mount Bristle," Xatu replied, remembering the oddly familiar voice he heard. The Eevee's face fell when she heard that. It's no surprise, Mount Bristle's miles and miles away from Treasure Town, separated by acres of wood and hill.

"Is... is there any way I can go and help him?" The Eevee spoke in a quiet voice, "I... he's my friend... I need to go help him!"

The Eevee stared up at Xatu, desperately pleading to him, "Please, Xatu! Tell me, is there any way I can go and help Blue?"

Xatu closed his eyes and began to think about all the possible actions he could take. Out of the hundreds that filled his mind, one answer stood out from the rest. Although he had his reservations about such an option, he knew that he couldn't just back out.

"I have a way," Xatu spoke confidently. He bent down and grasped the Eevee's right paw with his wings and stared at her straight in the eyes.

"I can teleport one of you straight there, right in the midst of their battle. Are you alright with this?"

Fear flashed across the Eevee's face for a split second. But, she quickly shook her head and put on a confident, brave face. She turned around and looked at Marill, who was nervously fidgeting behind everyone.

"Marill, I'll be leaving to rescue Blue and Azurill," The Eevee said with a shaky voice, "Please, go to the sheriff's that Drowzee is at Mount Bristle."

"But, Fée...!" Marill said in a scared voice, "What if you get hurt?"

The Eevee – Fée – fell silent for a second as she mulled over his words. She shook her head and smiled at Marill.

"Don't worry," She said in a strong voice, "He's... Blue's already gotten hurt once for my sake, and now for Azurill's. I can't back off just because I'm... afraid of getting hurt!"

"Because..." Fée raised her head and shouted confidently, "I'm not a coward anymore!"

With that, Fée turned toward Xatu and nodded confidently. Xatu, a little surprised by her sudden outburst, nodded back and held out his wings around Fée's body. He closed his eyes and envisioned the same place he saw in his vision. The rocky cavern, the sunlight from the sky, the vines on the walls...

Then, within a bright flash of light, the two of them vanished.