To call the Forlorn Mines "sweltering" would be an understatement; Trevor felt as if he would melt from the mine's agonizing heat as he slogged through it's narrow stone corridors. Small waterfalls of molten lava lined the walls alongside strands of bright ore, providing meager illumination to the dark and dismal atmosphere. Although Trevor felt as if he would faint from the sweltering temperature, repeatedly tugging on his scarf and panting feverously, both Aiden and Sidney remained completely unfazed as they continued to walk forwards in silence.

"Hey Sid," Aiden remarked after deciding that she could take the silence no longer, "Remember when we'd explore this place as kids? Once this place turned into a dungeon, we'd go in to play explorer every other day, didn't we? Even though crawlers rarely showed up, we'd clutch each other in terror the whole time anyways! Wasn't that a blast?"

Sidney remained silent, stubbornly looking onwards.

"You remember when we encountered a crawler here one time? I think it was a Chimchar. We'd take turns inching towards it, daring each other to get closer and give it a poke. And when it finally turned its head towards us, we screamed and ran out of here as fast as our legs could take us! That was the best, wasn't it?"

Sidney continued to walk onwards without saying a word, his nose pointed high in the air.

"Would you please stop doing that?!" Aiden snapped. "I've always hated when you do that, givin' me the stupid silent treatment whenever you're mad! Just tell me what you want already!"

"You're not gonna listen," Sidney stated flatly.

"I'm listening!"

"You ready to drop this whole explorer business and rejoin our family, then?"

Aiden stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes widening in sheer exasperation. "What?! No way!"

"There we go. It's like you never left. Except you did, and no amount of reminiscing can change that." Sidney turned towards Aiden, his yellow eyes blazing with emotion. "Why'd you even come back, huh? You could've just ignored the request and moved on with your life. You didn't need to come back here. Why'd you even bother returning if you're this unhappy to see your family again? Did you think you were just gonna somehow dodge us for your entire mission? Or did you think that we would just act as if nothing happened?!"

"I'm...not unhappy..."

"Oh please. Look at yourself, you clearly don't wanna be here! Stop pretending you care."

"I do care! I really am sorry! I've been sending an apology letter back home every day, haven't I?!"

Sidney gave a bemused laugh. "You really thought letters were gonna compensate what happened that night?! That saying sorry over and over would patch up the horrible things you screamed that night at the docks? You never change, Sis. When'll you learn that you can't just do the same thing over and over and expect things to change? That blind optimism isn't gonna nullify the money you took, the things you said that night at the docks! When'll you learn that you can't just dismiss the consequences of your reckless decisions?"

Aiden stood motionlessly.

"How you told me that you'd never visit us in a million years once you've made it big..."

Aiden gritted her teeth, balling her paws into tight fists.

"How family means nothing to you..."

Aiden began trembling violently.

"How I'm a terrible brother..."

"And what about you, huh?!" Aiden's eyes welled with angry tears. "You wanna know why I said those things?! Cause from the minute I decided that I would become an explorer, you've always tried to discourage me! You've never had my back, not you nor Mum or Dad! You've all repeated how being a miner's my only option over and over for years! Even when I tried sneaking away, you tried stopping me cause you're so damn clingy! If I hadn't said what I said, you would've just dragged me back home and denied me my future!"

"Denied you your future?! Being a miner's more financially stable, and not to mention, far more safe than being in some stupid explorer team! I only want what's best for you!"

"Arceus, there it is again. You don't know a damn thing about what's best for me, you've proven that time and time again! How many times do I have to say that I wanna be an explorer before it gets through your thick skull?! You really expect me to stay cooped up in dreary Ore Point, friendless and alone, for my entire life?!"

"We were happy back in Ore Point, when our hearts beat as one, unified family!" Sidney's eyes became glossy, his voice lowering into a somber whisper. "It hurt when you left, sis. Things were never the same. All of our adventures, all of our heartfelt moments, did they mean nothing to you?!"

Aiden shut her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Why can't you just leave me be? Why can't you just let me pursue a life that makes me feel fulfilled?! I wanna explore the world, have exciting adventures, make new friends! Why can't you just let me do what I want for once?!"

"I'm your big brother, aren't I?! It's my duty to protect you! I'm not gonna watch you throw your life away fighting those blank-eyed monsters! I'm not gonna entrust your life to this...pathetic specimen who looks as if he'll shatter when tipped over," he ranted while pointing at Trevor, who looked down ashamedly.

"Leave him alone!" Aiden shouted ferociously, "Leave me alone! Just get out of my life!"

"No! I'm not losing you again! I'm not gonna-"

Sidney was interrupted by a booming roar which echoed from behind him. He turned around to find a blank-eyed Monferno rushing towards him, murderous intent emanating from it's wrathful snarl. Before he could move, the crawler was already upon him, raising its powerful arms in preparation to strike.

"Sidney, no!" Aiden shrieked as the crawler brought its arm down to deliver a fatal blow upon the vulnerable Raboot. As much as she ran, she was too far away from the Monferno to do anything but watch helplessly as her brother was about to be slaughtered.

With a well-timed throw, Trevor hurled three iron thorns straight into the Monferno's arm and caused it to recoil backwards in agony mere seconds before it could split open Sidney's skull. With a scream of desperate rage, Aiden delivered a swift spinning kick towards the crawler's chin, sending it flying upwards with a brilliant wheel of fire. Roaring flames flew in all directions which drowned out the Monferno's screams, and the crawler was reduced to dust before it even managed to land.

The siblings stood silently for a while, Aiden panting heavily as Sidney stared at her in stunned awe. Trevor, having remained complacent throughout the siblings' entire fight out of hesitation, couldn't resist the urge to speak any longer. "Would you two please stop this pointless fighting?! Whatever happened between you isn't gonna change by going at each other's throats! You're family, aren't you?! I've been separate from my family for months now, I don't know where they are or even if I'll ever see them again. You can't take a caring family for granted. In the end, they're all you have!"

Trevor paused for a brief moment after finishing before abruptly collapsing to his knees. Blood trickled from his nostrils as the world around him began to spin and blur into a collage of unrecognizable shapes.

"Treph, hang on!" Aiden shouted as she rushed to Trevor's side, Sidney following shortly thereafter. Placing Trevor's arms on their shoulders, the siblings worked together in escorting him out of the mine's unbearable heat.

-

Trevor awoke to the feeling of wind caressing his body and opened his eyes to the darkening sky overhead. "Ugh. What...happened," he groaned, rubbing his head while looking around. It didn't take long for him to notice the entrance to the Forlorn Mines with its caution signs and ancient, wooden boarding. He swiveled his head in the opposite direction to find Sidney and Aiden sitting together and watching him from nearby.

"You're awake," Sidney remarked as Trevor slowly sat up, "Took a while, didn't it, sis?"

Aiden gave a resigned smile. "Yep. He sure loves his sleep, all right. But for real, though, you okay Treph? Here, have some water." Aiden gave Trevor a canteen filled with icy cold water, which he greedily gulped down. "You know, Sid, you really oughta-"

"I know, I know," Sidney interrupted, turning to face Trevor once he had finished drinking. "Trevor, thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably be dead right now. I'm...sorry for being such a jerk to you, calling you pathetic and all. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me."

"Oh, of course! No problem at all! Water under the bridge!" Trevor blathered, his flustered face quickly turning a bright shade of red. Aiden and Sidney chuckled lightly before the latter stood up.

"Hey, isn't it about time that you two get home? Your mission's done, isn't it?"

"You're...not gonna try and stop me?"

"Nah, I'm not feeling it anymore. You can just throw your lives in danger to your heart's content, I know I'm never gonna be able to stop you. But something tells me that you'll be fine. After all, two two've shown me that you're made of sterner stuff than I could've ever imagined." Sidney crossed his arms, his face glowing with admiration.

-

"By the way, guess what I found," Aiden remarked with a sly smile as the trio began walking towards the docks. Unclasping her paw, Aiden revealed a purple stone which shimmered under the night sky. "Nabbed it on our way back."

Sidney let out an amused scoff as Aiden handed him the Dreamstone. "Real clever. Alright, I guess you got me." From his jacket pocket, he took out a lumpy bag which jangled when handled. Upon bringing it close to Aiden, however, she quickly pushed it away.

"Eh, forget about it," she insisted, "Keep the money. It's the least I could do for what I took back then." Sidney chuckled slightly as he placed the bag back into his pocket. "So corny," he muttered, returning Aiden's sly smile, "But thanks anyways."

As the three Pokémon neared the docks, they quickly caught sight of Lily waving happily from a distance. Before hopping onto her shell, Aiden turned to face her brother for the final time before leaving.

"Hey Sid, sorry...for saying what I said earlier. I'm sorry for running away without a word and stealing from my own family, for calling you a terrible brother when all you were doing was trying to protect me! I've felt the weight of what I did every day ever since I left." Aiden's eyes turned glossy, "And it was silly to think that I could just act as if it never happened, as if I hadn't said the things I did-"

Sidney shook his head, visibly struggling to fight back tears. "Don't be sorry. I should've been a more responsible brother by trying to understand you better. Although I still don't fully get why exploring is so appealing, I know that you love it, and that's all that matters. I'm sure Mum and Dad'll think the same way with some convincing."

With puffy eyes and trembling limbs, the siblings shared a hug which lasted for minutes. Neither Pokémon wanted to let go, taking comfort in each other's company.

As Trevor began walking towards Aiden, who was busy speaking with Lily, he was abruptly stopped by Sidney's paw on his shoulder. "Hey," the Raboot said in a kind, yet firm voice, "Take care of her for me, okay? Make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble." Trevor nodded, meeting his yellow eyes with a determined expression before walking away and hopping onto Lily's shell.

"Looks like you left on a high note," Lily mused happily as she began swimming away from the docks, Sidney's waving silhouette steadily growing smaller with each passing second. "He seemed like a nice guy. Is he a friend?"

"Naw," Aiden responded, "He's my brother. And I'm real grateful for having seen him again." She gave Trevor a playful nudge as they sailed off into the horizon, making their way back home.

END OF CHAPTER 4