After a long and arduous period of walking, Aiden pointed towards the small dot on her map labelled "PASSAGE OF MIRAGES," then lowered her arms to reveal the faded remains of a gargantuan trapezoidal temple. Its faded stone walls were lined in a plethora of overgrown vines, plant life nestling in various cracks created by decades of erosion. Only the very top of the temple was even visible; Trevor shuddered slightly at imagining how deep underground he would have to traverse in order to reach the bottom, then noticed the peculiar lack of other Pokémon around the temple's gaping, rectangular entrance. The surrounding grassy terrain was instead littered with scattered half-eaten berries, crumpled fliers, as well as a myriad of fresh, dirt footprints of widely varying shapes and sizes.

"Nobody's here," Trevor noted, running his paw across his chin, "From the looks of these footprints, it looks like everybody rushed off in a hurry."

Aiden scowled. "Crap, everybody's already gone in ahead of us- we must've spent too much time back at Sunrise Town! C'mon, we don't have a moment to waste!"

The trio began hastily making their way towards the temple's gaping entrance before Trevor gave a sudden stop, having caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a convex manhole cover huddled to the side. Upon closer inspection, Trevor found that the peculiar object was, in fact, an Aegislash laying atop it's shield, his singular eye solemnly closed shut as he snored loudly. He noticed a red ribbon with a single, white stripe which he had never seen before tied around his golden, cone-shaped hilt, fluttering rhythmically with each exhale.

'Hey, what's the holdup, Treph?' Aiden asked before noticing the sleeping knight. "Oh. Huh."

'Should...we wake him up?' Trevor asked cautiously, "He's probably an explorer, just like us."

"Ugh, spare us the hassle," Rin grunted. Trevor nonetheless mustered the courage to tiptoe near the slumbering Aegislash and give him a quick poke near the hilt. He instantly began to stir, prompting Trevor to reflexively retract his arm and take a few steps backwards as if to avoid a potential explosion.

"Vile...prepare yourself..." the Aegislash muttered.

"Um, excuse me-"

"FOR THE SWIFT, UNRELENTING HAND OF JUSTICE!"

"AAAH!" With a startled shriek, Trevor instantly shot backwards into Aiden's arms as the Aegislash sprang into the air, brandishing his massive, circular shield wildly. With heaving breaths and wild, restless eye, he swiftly halted his movement upon seeing the trio's stunned, dumbstruck expressions. He cleared his throat, then gave an extravagant bow.

"Sirs. Madam. Apologies for startling you," the Aegislash declared in a haughty voice. "I was simply having the most delightful of daydreams. My name is Percival. I assume you've heard of me."

Trevor tilted his head slightly then turned to face Rin and Aiden, both of whom could only offer a slight shrug.

'...I suppose not.' Percival hung his head disappointedly. "Ah well," he sighed before looking around wildly. "That doesn't matter. Where did everyone go? What's going on?!"

"Well, you were kinda asleep," Aiden answered, "Trevor here decided to wake you up just now."

"What?! Asleep?! Impossible, how could I have possibly fallen asleep?! Ah, woe and misery, Master Jett will surely be disappointed in me-"

Aiden spontaneously recoiled, now staring at Percival with slack-jawed awe. "Wait, wait, wait. Jett? As in 'Iron Justice' Jett, the Legend Rank?!"

'That's right!' Percival declared pridefully, a stark contrast to his state of despair mere seconds prior, "Only our esteemed Chief of Police! I just so happen to be her most valued pupil! Please, feel free to shower me with admiration at your leisure!"

The Aegislash gave a dramatic pose, his eye glimmering expectantly, to which Aiden and Trevor lent awkward smiles of approval. The gesture only boosted his already inflated confidence. "Hahaa, that's right! Though I may be a 'One-Striped' novice now, I shall one day succeed my glorious master's position as the Chief of Police for the sake of one day fulfilling my dream! I was even sent here by Jett herself to gather some intel..." Percival abruptly hung his head once more," But it looks as if I've already failed her. How could I have possibly fallen asleep at such a pivotal mission?!"

'...Can you remember anything from before you fell asleep?' Trevor asked curiously.

"Let's see... I can only remember conversing with that fine fellow, Alpha, and him generously offering me a delectable-looking seed as a kind act of kinship! It was only after eating this most tasty treat that I reach the point of non-remembrance!"

"Ah... I don't really know how to say this," Trevor took a sharp intake of breath through his teeth, "...But I'm afraid Alpha may have...tricked you. It sounds like what he offered was a Sleep Seed, which puts anyone who ingests it into a deep slumber. Knowing him, he probably gave you that seedintentionally in order to get ahead of any potential competition."

Percival's eye widened. "Nonsense! Alpha is the son of the legendary Omega! Surely a Pokémon of such prestige wouldn't stoop to such backhanded tactics! He simply must have made an honest mistake!"

"I don't-"

"Never mind that! I can't just float around when time is of the utmost essence! Sincerest thanks for breaking me from the shackles of my most unfortunate slumber; I shall now eradicate my lost time like I would an enemy of the peace! CHARGE!" With a triumphant roar, Percival sprang upwards, then charged headfirst into the engulfing darkness of the submerged temple, leaving the members of Team Spirit to stare onwards, completely stupefied.

"Thank Arceus he's gone," Rin groaned minutes after the Aegislash's departure, "A few more seconds in his company and I legitimately might have hurled."

'He's an...interesting fellow, isn't he?' Aiden added, "I wonder what's the deal with that dream he mentioned. Do...you think he could get me Jett's autograph? For my collection?"

'...How was he able eat without a mouth?' Trevor suddenly mused. Both Aiden and Rin were left completely speechless.

"Don't think about it too hard," Aiden muttered, motioning towards the gaping entrance in which Percival had been consumed by moments prior, "Let's just...get going. It's like he said- we don't have a moment to lose."

-

The Passage of Time consisted of an endless sea of dull gray brick corridors. Like with the exterior, the dimly lit halls were adorned in overgrown vines and massive roots which burst through giant cracks in the walls. Everything from the dim torchlight to the monochrome coloring to the passage's narrow, box-shaped corridors seemed specifically designed to appear endless. Trevor felt his chest being slowly crushed as he continued to traverse this dank, dim temple; he wasn't completely sure as to whether it was due to the dungeon's gloomy, thick atmosphere or a lack of oxygen. Rin seemed comparatively less concerned, impressively twirling both of his scalchop-blades using only one finger from both his hands. The once gray walls began to rapidly flash a vivid shade of turquoise.

"...Rin? I don't think that's such a good idea," Trevor noted, "This is a Level Seven, so I would really prefer if we didn't get noticed..."

Rin continued to haphazardly twirl his swords, leaving Trevor feeling as if his words had been absorbed by the mass of stone walls around him.

'Oi, you heard the man.' Aiden said firmly. "Put those things away, would you?"

Rin cast Aiden an annoyed, sideways look before continuing anyways. Aiden's eye twitched involuntarily.

"Hey! Would it kill you to listen for once?!"

Rin only offered an annoyed sigh in response. "Would you just cool it? We'll be fine," he assured before instantly freezing up upon hearing an ear-splitting screech which bounced off the narrow walls of a nearby corridor. Aiden gave an apprehensive scowl.

"Does that sound fine to you, huh?!"

"Pipe down, your grating voice isn't exactly helping matters."

"My what voice?! Why, you-"

Aiden barely had a chance to devise a retort before a horde of ravenous Zubat crawlers emerged from the darkness, mouths drooling while emitting a cacophony of horrible screeching. The trio were suddenly engulfed by the swarm in a matter of seconds, desperately trying in vain to fend off their flesh-eating fangs. Cuts and scratches bombarded them from all sides as they swiftly became overwhelmed.

'This is all your fault!' Aiden screamed upon kicking an aggressive Zubat away, only for it to be instantly replaced by three others, "You just had to ignore Trevor's order, didn't you?!"

'My fault?' Rin retorted while attempting to shake off a Zubat gnawing on one of his blades, "It was your voice which led them here!"

"WHAT?! You...you're insufferable, you know that?!"

"How could I not? You've been saying that since the day you met me-"

'ENOUGH!' Trevor screamed suddenly as he snatched a Luminous Orb from his bag and shoved it into the air. Both Aiden and Rin instinctively snapped their heads away as the orb emitted a brilliant, white light which hungrily consumed everything around it, rendering the massive horde of Zubat were rendered completely immobile in an instant. Rin and Aiden used this period of vulnerability to unleash a barrage of attacks, Rin dancing and slicing through any crawler in his path as Aiden proceeded to kick anything which he missed. The walls served as a battlefield between waves of blue and orange before gradually returning to its natural gray coloring as the final few crawlers were quickly dispatched. By the end, Aiden and Rin were left panting heavily as mounds of dust lined the ground; Aiden's unfaltering glare directed towards Rin told Trevor that this brief bout of silence would not last for long.

'What's your deal?!' Aiden shouted upon catching her breath, "How could you possibly pin this whole thing on me when it was your-"

Rin winced while covering his ears. "Ugh, would you just calm down?"

"No! I'm sick and tired of your stupid attitude! You're always just sulking about, acting as if you're better than everyone else! You almost got us killed just now, don't you have anything to say?!"

"Sure, I have something to say: Get help."

"Screw you!"

"Ugh, get a load of this-"

'Would you two please just CUT IT OUT?!' Trevor suddenly screamed, instantly stunning the two Pokémon into silence. "What are you, children?! We're supposed to be a team, yet allyou two seem to do is bicker and argue! Trevor waved his arms into the air, his eyes welling with tears. "This means a lot to me, you know. Finding that Mythical could be my only shot at finding out the truth about who I am after a year of nothing upon nothing!" His voice began to tremble violently as he continued, "If you two are so eager to sabotage this chance, then I'd be more than happy to just go on on my own! Is that what you two want?!"

Before Aiden had an opportunity to respond, the three instantly shifted their glances upon hearing a distant sound of clapping which bounced across the corners of the stone corridor.

"What a merry team you turned out to be," rang a voice from the darkness.

"That voice..." Aiden murmured, "No...not now..."

From the blackened end of the stone hall emerged a pair piercing, yellow eyes followed by a massive set of white, glistening fangs. Alpha's imposing silhouette towered over the trio, his features contorted into a glowering, condescending grin.