Apologies for the delay, kinda rewrote most of my other story.
Fair warning for this one, it gets dark toward the end. This whole chapter is kind of a 12 hour writing session binge where I stayed up until 4am and finished 90% of it in one day. Brain went brrr and this is the result.
Hope you enjoy!
It had been late in the afternoon by the time Silvally had managed to make it to Treeshroud Forest, the Chimera Pokémon stumbling his way through the shimmering barrier between reality and the seemingly magic landscape of the dungeons. The first thing he had done was attempt to find food, staggering through the trees as his empty stomach gnawed at his insides. Despite his condition, he had managed to take down several Pokémon. He had eyed their unconscious forms for a moment, debating with himself.
Should he eat them?
No, that would be immoral. Eating them raw would likely make him sick, and he didn't have nearly enough energy remaining to use Flamethrower to cook them properly. Besides, they were people too… Maybe. It felt wrong to consume what might be a sentient being.
So on he went, luckily stumbling upon a couple of apples in a clearing, and no Pokémon in sight. They were gone in an instant, eating so fast that his stomach ached from the feeling. He fought through it. No stopping yet. He had to get further. Once he cleared this, it was a straight shot to the more dangerous jungle further east. He knew he would be able to lose them there.
Silvally huffed as he made his way through several layers of the forest, making sure to collect anything he came across. Seeds, berries, a gummi, a couple of orbs, and some of those annoying rocks that explorers loved to throw at him.
It had been a couple of hours at this point, and the Chimera was exhausted. Luckily, it was working well into the evening by now. The sun was touching the horizon and the world was lit up in a beautiful display of oranges, reds, pinks, and purples. Silvally looked up at the sky through the odd shimmering layer of reality that separated the Mystery Dungeon from the rest of the world, admiring the colours.
As awful as this world was sometimes, it was little moments like these that felt like everything was worth it for a little while. He seated himself on the ground in an empty clearing, pulling out an Oran Berry to snack on as he watched the light fade from the sky. He sighed softly in relief as he felt the aches and pains in his mish-mash of a body recede briefly, able to properly enjoy this moment.
Soon enough the light faded from the sky, leaving Silvally in a dungeon growing slowly darker. He had made his way through a good number of 'floors' at this point, more than halfway through the dungeon. He managed to find another apple to eat, luckily filling him just enough to avoid the aching in his stomach from not eating for a while.
The outlaw yawned sharply, grimacing lightly as the wide opening of his haw made the hinges ache. He shook his head and blinked hard several times, trying to wake himself up. His lack of sleep was catching up with him. He raised one of his front talons, looking down at the shaky limb with an annoyed sigh. Maybe he would take an hour or two to sleep before continuing on.
It's not like the explorers came after him in the night anyways. They never had before, why would they now?
Silvally staggered forward, his vision darkening for a brief moment mid-step before he woke up once more. Clenching his jaw, the Chimera Pokémon made his way to the closest barrier of the clearing, shoving his way into the bushes, legs trembling and giving out for a moment. He fell into the bushes and huffed, the wood and leaves feeling so much softer than they had any right to.
Maybe… Just a few minutes.
He would be able to get away with a few minutes of sleep. Then, He would keep going. He just had to get to the more dangerous forest before dawn. That would be easy.
His breathing started to even out, eyes slipping closed as he felt his mind being dragged into the deep clutches of sleep. The comforting warmth and darkness were a luxury he hadn't been able to appreciate for a few days now, aside from the short nap.
Silvally gave into the natural urge to sleep, settling in for the night.
"OUTLAW! YOU'D BETTER RUN!"
That was, until an explosive shout ripped through the forest, the volume pushing the barriers between reality and the dungeon. The ground rattled from the volume of the shout, leaves falling from the trees and sending Pokémon scattering. The sound itself carried a wave of energy that immediately had the Chimera Pokémon wide awake. Beyond the volume of the sound, the bellow carried with it the power of Uproar, forcing Pokémon awake against their will.
Silvally bolted upright and fought through the bushes as quickly as his form would allow him, staggering back out into the clearing. He looked around, seeing nothing nearby in the forest for the moment. That didn't matter though.
They were coming for him. He needed to run.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
The plan was simple. Exploud, Bibarel, and Dugtrio would go in first. Exploud would use a move like Uproar in combination with a Roar at the entrance to the dungeon. This move would send all Pokémon running if they were smart.
Dugtrio would come into play next, burrowing through the dungeon, he would feel for vibrations of the retreating Pokémon. He had been chasing the Outlaw with everyone enough times to figure out where he was based on how his steps travelled through the ground. Funny thing about dungeons, when a Pokémon stepped through to the next area of the dungeon, they vanish from the current area. Dugtrio would find where the Pokémon fleeing had vanished, the disappearance of vibrations alerting him, and then relay the information to Bibarel and Exploud. Then the trio would run to the next section far faster than any normal Pokémon would be able to find.
Bibarel for his part was acting as the defence of the group, if any Pokémon decided to head toward the earth-rattling voice instead of fleeing. The Pokémon was quite tough, soaking up damage and carrying the power to send Pokémon flying with a single hit of his tail.
The three would use their technique to rush through the Mystery Dungeon in an attempt to push the Outlaw out of hiding and force him out into the open.
Going in behind them would be Artemis. She was the backup. The heavy hitter designed to take out the Outlaw once and for all. She would hang back and follow behind the first three, covering their rears and ensuring that the Outlaw didn't attempt to take them out from behind. If they did manage to get to the Outlaw, the Rollcall Orb each member of the team had would teleport the Ninetales directly to their location.
Wigglytuff was excited, humming as he stood at the entrance of the dungeon, on the slight chance the Outlaw would use an Escape Orb or managed to backtrack past the team. He was having fun! It had been a while since he had been able to go on an adventure with his friends!
Artemis for her part was mildly annoyed that it was taking this much effort to take down one Outlaw. She should have had him months ago, but the freak continued to slip away, using traps, tricks, and moves that would stun her long enough to escape. She would rather be in bed resting right now and was just slightly pissed.
Mew wasn't in the dungeon at all. She was waiting near the entrance to Mysterious Jungle, for the moment the Outlaw would be pushed from the Mystery Dungeon. If the others didn't capture him first, that is. Artemis had warned Mew that he was fast, cunning, and relentless.
The pink feline merely giggled and waved a paw at Artemis. She had a plan for that. The Outlaw wasn't going to be any trouble for her. No, if she ran into him, the legendary would flatten the Outlaw, she had no doubts about that.
So, plan in action, the four went into the dungeon. Artemis would scout around with her Agility-enhanced speed, while the trio would bolt for the next section as fast as possible, and then Artemis would follow. They worked through area after area, terrorizing the local Pokémon into finding the exit for them, and then running for the next one. It wouldn't be much time before they caught up to the Outlaw.
Sure enough, Dugtrio popped up in front of Exploud and Bibarel, startling the pair into stopping. He let them know that the Outlaw was just two rooms north, and that he was going to use his RollCall Orb in moments.
"WE FOUND HIM!" Exploud cried out, the sound echoing around the forest for Artemis's benefit, letting her prepare for the teleport.
They all vanished in a flash of light.
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
The booming shout that echoed around the forest had the Chimera's heart leaping into his throat. No, he had come so far! He was sure he was almost out of the forest now, just a few more sections and he would be free!
Silvally felt the ground under his feet shift, and he launched himself to the left to avoid the powerful Dig used by Dugtrio. Dirt shot into the air and covered his fur as he skipped to the side, coming to a halt and facing the tunneling Pokémon. He knew from experience that water and grass moves would be effective, and he began trying to string together moves around that.
His plan came to a screeching halt as a bright flash of light filled the area. Stunned, Silvally reared back to cover his eyes, his sleep-deprived mind slogging through information as fast as he possibly could. The light gradually died down, and with it, Silvally felt his heart sink. Dread filled his being as he looked upon the clearing, his whole body shaking with nervous adrenaline.
There was the tunnelling Pokémon near the middle. Off to his left was the extremely loud purple one. To his right was the short brown one with the buck teeth. And right behind him…
Silvally turned around slowly, trying not to set off the Pokémon surrounding him.
Behind him was none other than that hybrid fox, flames already flickering in the back of her maw.
Briefly, he entertained the idea of surrendering. He was exhausted. He didn't have the power to fight them all off at once even when fully recovered and rested. Now…
Silvally thought quickly, using a Double Team to make several fake copies of himself. He tensed his legs to move and—
"EARS!" The purple one said 'softly.'
The Pokémon surrounding Silvally immediately covered their ears or disappeared underground, leaving the Chimera just a moment too late to realize what was happening.
He was hit by an absolute wall of sound. The illusion copies he had made shattered in an instant. The unnatural Pokémon was sent sprawling back from the force of the hit, his ears ringing, completely deaf. He staggered to his feet as best he could, feeling hot fluid running down his head from his ears.
Silvally had no time to even attempt to move as a searing hot pain enveloped his entire side, the burning fires of none other than Artemis washing over his form relentlessly. He arched away from it as much as he could, his typing changing to Water in an attempt to reduce the pain and buy some time.
Bibarel took that moment to use Rollout and slam into the Chimera's legs, sending the massive Pokémon sprawling across the ground of the forest. He couldn't see straight, his head still spinning from that sound attack. He felt the heat melting his side come to a halt, only to have a burning cold wash over his body, a pure beam of ice-type energy impacting his currently water-type form.
Silvally screeched in agony, unable to even respond to an attack as he was assaulted from all sides, his vision flickering as pain filled his whole being. In desperation, he switched himself to an electric-type, trying to use his injured legs to get himself upright.
A powerful blow from underneath sent the Chimera airborne, the Dugtrio slamming into the middle of the Pokémon like a rampaging Rampardos. The poor Pokémon somersaulted through the air from the hit, ribs broken.
He hit the ground hard on his belly, the damaged ribs digging into his insides and filling the Silvally with nothing but blinding pain. He tried to do something, anything, and a brilliant flash of white filled the room.
He had used Flash, unintentionally, but the attack still went off. With his mere moments of time left, he forced a damaged limb into his bag and pulled out a Warp Seed. While the four Pokémon staggered, blinking the stars out of their vision, Silvally ate the Warp Seed, his heavily damaged form teleporting elsewhere in the dungeon.
He heard the enraged shout from just several sections down and scrambled. He knew he had only moments, that tunneling Pokémon would be after him absurdly fast. He kept his electric typing and forced himself to speed up, using Agility over and over again in an attempt to prepare. While digging through his bag, he formed more illusion copies of himself, the battered-looking Silvally surrounding him, all copying his movements.
Desperately, he pulled out two Oran Berries and swallowed them as fast as he could, feeling the healing energies washing through his form. His ribs ached slightly less, and he found he was able to push himself to all fours. His back left leg was too hurt to press much weight on it, and from the way it shifted when he moved, he really didn't want to look at it.
Then they were upon him again. With his enhanced speed, he avoided the explosion of dirt from underneath him, the Pokémon missing him by mere inches. He didn't stick around as another bright flash of light filled the clearing, already taking off at his enhanced run as well as he could, limping the whole way.
He glanced behind himself, only to find the furious red eyes of Artemis baring down upon him, the fox rocketing down the pathway toward him. Fire was already spilling out of her jaws, her teeth glowing with fire-type energy. Furious wisps of steam were rolling off her back and her paws were leaving hot glowing marks in the grass with every powerful step.
Silvally grit his teeth and pushed himself as hard as he was able, paws and talons digging up the ground beneath him as he struggled. Just a little further to another clearing, away from the death trap of the tight space between the trees.
The Chimera shoved off the ground and changed his typing to Flying, becoming weightless for a moment as he soared across the clearing. He looked down in desperation for anything to help him and—
There! A trap! Hidden in the grass. He had no idea what it would do, but he needed anything to help him. He twisted himself midair and grabbed a rock from his bag. He aimed and hurled the rock at the trap he was currently flying over, his momentum carrying him past the trap and onto the other side of the clearing.
Artemis was over the trap at this moment, looking down as she watched the stone Silvally threw hit the hidden panel on the ground.
Click!
An explosion ripped through the clearing, hitting the hybrid fox full force, sending Artemis sailing across the room, trailing smoke and fur as she hit one of the upper branches of a tree with a wet crunch. Silvally was sent hurtling backward as well, his form tossed end over end as he fell into another pathway, his body kicking up dirt and grass as he skidded to a stop.
The Chimera Pokémon groaned and spat out a glob of blood onto the grass, gritting his teeth as he tried to push himself to all fours once more. Silvally collapsed onto his front, his shattered ribs shoving painfully into his middle, causing him to gasp and clench his body. He forced himself to all fours, keeping weight off his back leg entirely now as he limped forward, picking up speed as he used Agility once again.
Running through the maze, he stumbled upon the shimmering tear in reality and hurled himself through it, hitting the ground running on the next section. He staggered to the left and slid a little, running down a narrow hall and leaping over a wild Pokémon, his vision too tunnelled to see what it was.
He needed to escape. They were going to kill him.
The Chimera ground to a halt and slid his way around a corner, limping toward an Oran Berry on the forest floor. Not a moment was wasted as he consumed the fruit, the aching pain in his ribs dying just slightly, his burns cooling the smallest amount. He felt the ground shake and rattle again, exactly the same as when that purple explorer had shouted before.
But, he couldn't hear any of it.
Silvally raised a talon up to his ears for a brief moment, bringing it back down and finding his claws stained red with blood. Anxiety filled his form for a moment, but he steeled himself and shook it off. He could panic once he was safe.
Another Agility had the Chimera racing through the woods as fast as he was able on three legs. He was this far ahead, and if the fox was still recovering, then that meant—
A quick switch of his typing to water allowed the Pokémon to intercept the Dig the tunneling Pokémon tried to use on him, leaping over the assault and returning fire with a powerful blast of water. The super-effective move sent the Pokémon rocketing out of the ground and skipping across the forest floor. Silvally didn't wait to see what became of it as he landed and continued running.
Silvally hobbled forward into another clearing as his Agility wore off. He was running on fumes, and he coughed, spitting yet more blood to the ground. He grit his teeth and pushed onward at normal speed, taking a brief respite to recover the slightest amount of energy as he loped along the forest.
In the next clearing, he saw it! The tear in reality! He would make it to the next section. He couldn't have that many more left, he was sure of it. One or two at the most! He raced forward, hopping on three legs as he reached out to the spot at—
He was swept off his feet by a powerful force, the attack sending him skipping across the ground and impacting his burned side into a tree. He saw white for a moment, blinded by the pain, feeling the shaking of something approaching but unable to hear it.
In an act of desperation, he threw himself to the right, landing on his shattered ribs and frozen side. He quivered on the ground, forcing himself upright to see the massive boulder that had whizzed by him. The tree he had been against shattered into pieces, the heavy object toppling down while the round brown Pokémon brushed the rocks off his fur, already charging up another assault.
Silvally pushed himself to his feet, looking behind himself at the approaching purple sound Pokémon. It was opening its jaws again, likely in another attack. He glanced forward and saw the incoming form of the Bibarel rolling toward him, covered in rocks.
Silvally strained himself once more, forcing his type to shift. Now a Fighting-Type, the Pokémon forced through the agony and planted his back legs into the dirt, claws digging in firmly as he braced himself, raising his talons before himself. He coated his claws in energy and risked the Counter.
He shoved himself forward to catch the incoming Bibarel, the spinning boulder digging into his talons and shoving the massive Chimera back, his claws digging grooves into the earth. The boulder spun faster and faster, pushing the Pokémon back further. The rocks from the move were digging in and chipping at his talons, causing sparks to fly from the points of contact. Silvally strained and let out a scream of agony as he shifted himself to the side and threw the Bibarel in the middle of a Rollout straight at the Exploud! The rolling form of Bibarel caught Exploud the moment he was attempting to use another voice move, sending the duo rolling across the dirt. The purple one was bleeding from its mouth, while the round one was staggering around, trying to regain its bearings.
Silvally took the chance to heave himself toward the tear in reality. One more. He could do this.
Before he was even fully through the shimmering barrier, he was hit full force from behind by Artemis, the fox hybrid fully healed and looking more furious than ever. She sank her teeth into his shoulder and let out a furious flamethrower, the point-blank move causing the fire to burn past any defences and straight into his skin. He wailed, the powerful sound causing the Ninetales to grimace, but she didn't stop.
Desperately, Silvally slammed his metallic head into the Ninetales skull, the sickening crack causing Artemis to reel back and release the heavily injured Pokémon. His front leg wouldn't cooperate, the limb damaged extensively and burned from the fire-type move. On his side, Silvally struggled to even think. He blindly reached forward in an attempt to crawl away, only to get a good look ahead of himself.
Oh. That wasn't good. Pokémon were filtering into the room. He glanced around, noticing the number of items on the ground around them.
A trap room. Also known as a Monster House by explorers. Houndoom, Alakazam, Vespiqueen, Kirlia, even a wild Ninetales all blurred into reality, having been waiting for their next victims to appear.
Silvally reached into his bag, talons grabbing one of the orbs he had managed to pickup before he started running. He looked up to see the incoming form of a Houndoom barreling toward him, dark energy coating its jaws.
He crushed the orb in his grip.
The room came to a stop.
The Foe-Hold orb activated, freezing every Pokémon in place. The entire section of the dungeon stopped. Silvally took a moment, shaking in his place on the floor. He was alive by pure chance. The Chimera clenched his jaw and forced himself upright, staggering as his vision went black for a moment. He was almost there. He could do it.
He hobbled forward on two legs, barely staying upright as he limped into a pathway through the thick trees. He glanced behind himself, looking at the tear in reality, only to see that purple Pokémon jump through, hateful eyes locked on Silvally's retreating form. He didn't appear to see the room around him properly, as the moment he let out a shout, the entire area spurred into action once again.
Silvally staggered as the shout shook the floor, but it didn't seem to affect him. He couldn't hear what was said regardless, so if it was supposed to intimidate him, nothing happened. The Chimera looked over his shoulder as he hobbled away, just catching a glimpse of the Houndoom barreling into the purple sound Pokémon. A moment later, the form of Artemis was sent careening past his field of view, surrounded in a pink glow, followed shortly after by an Alakazam.
Silvally staggered, trying not to fall as he worked his way forward. His front leg was unresponsive and his back one hurt too much to set down. He didn't want to look and see how bad the damage was just yet. He willed himself on, using Agility again to speed up his progress. He hobbled forward, step after step, and used Agility again, working faster, almost at running speed if he weren't enhanced or injured.
Turning a corner, he saw it! The exit! His throat felt tight as he worked toward it, hope soaring a little as he pushed his way through and back into the normal world. Silvally staggered as the world shifted a little, barely keeping himself upright.
He had made it out.
He looked up at the sky. It was well into the night now. He just had to keep going east. It wouldn't be long before he was at the more dangerous and dark section. Traps and pitfalls and hidden rooms would serve him well there. He could find them easily, he always did, and hide until he recovered.
Silvally took shallow breaths as he hopped forward one step at a time, trying not to breathe too deeply to keep his ribs from aggravating his insides. They had been ruthless this time. They were going to kill him, he had no doubt. He pushed down the wave of fear that rolled through him. Run. Panic later.
"I dunno, I'd panic a little right now if I were you~" a voice spoke in his head. He jumped in surprise. It was the first thing he had been able to hear since that initial attack.
Silvally looked around in surprise, wobbling a little as he attempted to keep going. He gingerly set his back leg on the ground, hissing through his teeth as he hobbled forward, the sharp pain lancing up his back leg. His front one was still useless right now.
A little pink form darted in front of him, coming to a stop right in front of his face. Silvally reared back, his back leg crumpling under the additional weight being thrust upon it, causing him to collapse to the ground.
"Ouch, that looks like it hurts!" The voice was far too cheerful for the scenario. He glared up at the pink feline as it hovered closer, its eyes looking over his form. "I've never seen something like you before! You're a little creepy…"
Silvally had the good graces to roll his eyes. Despite the situation, she still had time to insult him. Wonderful. At least she wasn't attacking him, that much was a saving grace.
"Oh no, we're going to fight! I want you to get ready first though, so it'll be fair~" The pink Pokémon twirled in the air, her tail snaking to and fro as she floated around him. She was far too energetic and excited for what was about to come.
Silvally groaned and pushed his good front leg underneath him, and then shuffled to push up with his back leg, getting upright once more. Well, if she was going to fight and would make the mistake of letting him get ready, he would do so.
He glanced into his bag. He didn't have anything he could readily use without losing the use of his front leg and falling over. He saw a seed rattling around in the bottom, a Stun Seed, he believed.
Without much else going for him, Silvally did his best. He changed his typing to electric, much to the interest of the pink Pokémon. He ignored her floating around him, leaning in and looking at the changed colour of his crest and tail. He used Agility on himself once, twice, thrice, four times, until he staggered a little, the use of his abilities causing black to creep in around the edges of his vision.
"Hey, that's really cool! Can you teach me how to do that?" The Pokémon asked cheerfully, bobbing up and down in front of him, floating there.
Silvally merely looked at her in disbelief. He really didn't want to fight her. She seemed too innocent and nice, and on top of that, he didn't think he'd be able to do much. He was on his last legs, literally and figuratively. Wait, maybe he could just get around her. Leave her behind and go to the next forest as fast as he could. Then he could find a spot to rest and recover and hide from the exploration teams. Why wouldn't they just leave him alone?
"Ready?" Silvally asked softly. Well, he thought he did. He had no idea what he said, unable to hear what was happening. The pink Pokémon in front of him merely bobbed in response, floating in the air, her tail giving a little twirl.
Silvally bunched his muscles and launched forward with a Quick Attack infused with electrical-type energy, racing past the pink Pokémon and into the forest. He ran as best he could, hopping over rocks, and balancing as well as he could on the two legs. He was starting to feel his other front leg and gingerly set it down, aiding in his balance a little.
As he ran, he looked ahead through blurry vision. There! Maybe! That familiar shimmering in the forest, leading into that weird maze. He had made it! Just a little farther!
Silvally felt energy returning to him, if just a little bit, working forward just slightly faster. Almost there, he was just feet away and—
The Chimera bounced off of a bright pink wall that just appeared in front of him. He collapsed to the ground from the rebound, falling onto his side, his ribs digging into his middle. The Pokémon wheezed out, quivering as he tried to get off his side. Pain rolled through him, limbs clenching in agony as he blinked the stars out of his eyes.
"You wasted your turn! Silly, I can't let you run away!" The little pink Pokémon popped into existence in front of him. Silvally pushed himself upright once again, limbs shaking with the effort. He started to move forward, trying to get around the barrier. "Nuh uh, it's my turn~"
Silvally felt reality shift, and he felt the power enhancing his speed slip away. A bright whirl of pink radiated out from the small Pokémon, and she let out a little giggle. Silvally's eyes widened as the little pink Pokémon became a blur, the small being zipping to and fro, giggling all the while.
"Hehe~ Trick Room! You should have been more careful~ Now all your speed swapped to me!" The Pokémon sounded far too excited and happy for the situation they were in.
Silvally grit his teeth and shifted slightly, leaning himself against the barrier as he desperately sank his working forelimb into his bag, attempting to pull out the Stun Seed to use on the pink menace. Unfortunately his hopes were dashed as the psychic Pokémon blurred in front of him, her small form darting by and snagging his Treasure Bag.
His heart sank. His helmet was still in there! He needed it!
As Silvally took a step toward the pink Pokémon, she whirled around and shot toward him. She spun in a tight circle, her tail whipping out and catching his back leg. His hind leg was ripped out from under him and Silvally was sent to the ground again, his front leg collapsing trying to support his entire weight in his condition.
The Chimera gave a pained wheeze, gritting his teeth, eyes rolling back as he struggled to stay awake. He just… needed to get up… He could still do this…
"Shhh, go to sleep~" The voice spoke softly in his head. Silvally managed to focus his eyes for all of one moment, getting a good look at those bright blue eyes staring into his own. With a flash of pink, the world faded to black. "Sweet dreams~"
~{O}~{O}~{O}~
Mew giggled as she gently set the rather heavy head of the Outlaw down on the ground, giving him a little pat on the noggin for good luck. She floated back a little and looked at the odd form of the Pokémon before her. She hadn't seen anything like him! He looked weird, all things considered, as if someone had taken several types of Pokémon and just mashed them together.
She hissed lightly through her teeth at the rather awful burns along one of his sides, and the other that charred his shoulder and upper leg. On his other side, extreme frostbite, ice still clinging to his form and the cold obviously impacting him still. His back leg was bent in the wrong direction in two places, and his ears had blood leaking down from them.
He was a tough piece of work if it took that much to make him stop. Why didn't he give up before it got this bad? Maybe he stole something important? Curiously, Mew grabbed the treasure bag and hefted it up, dumping it out onto the ground as she shook it a little. Let's see… a Pecha Berry, a Stun Seed, a Warp Orb…
Thunk!
…and whatever that was. It looked heavy! A metal helmet of some kind, or at least that's what it seemed like to her. Mew tossed the empty bag to the side and pawed at the helmet a little, looking it over as she hefted it up with her psychic powers. She floated forward and ducked her head into the helmet, floating while she looked around in it.
There wasn't a lot of room in there! There was a small little slot for what seemed like food, and a space for eyes, but that was it. It was heavy. It weighed more than Mew several times over again, and she inspected it closely.
Finding nothing else interesting inside, she pulled back and set it down on the ground, working her little paws over it as she examined it. This was fun! Like a little treasure hunt while she waited for her friends to arrive!
Working her tiny paws over the metal object, she found it was fairly rigid. There were large arches and green gems at the base that reminded her of something, she just couldn't put her paw on it. Working her way up, she glanced around the area where the neck would sit and found a little engraving. It was an old language, one she hadn't seen in some time.
"Hmm… Silvally? Is that your name? Or is that what you are? Maybe a secret code!" The joyful Pokémon floated away from the helmet, humming to herself. Well, if the helmet wouldn't give her answers, she would have to look a little deeper!
Mew floated over toward the Pokémon sleeping on the ground, frowning a little as she listened to the pained, desperate wheezes the Pokémon was making as it tried to breathe in its sleep. She might have to heal him if he didn't recover naturally soon. For now though, she needed him weakened and asleep, at least until everyone else arrived.
Mew purred softly as she floated down to settle on the grass beside the odd-looking Pokémon. He had been oddly reluctant to attack her. Maybe he was a gentleman Outlaw? Oh, how exciting!~ Might be fun, the crime-causing villain, and the dashing heroine! Unable to force themselves to fight because of mutual respect and feelings. Oh, that sounded like it would be a wonderful little romance!
Giggling to herself, Mew settled on the grass and shifted forward a little, planting her little paws on his head. Her eyes glowed, purring softly as she pressed her focus into the mind of the Outlaw before her.
…
It was… Dark? No, it was empty. Mew giggled softly. It's not like criminals had a lot of brains going for them anyways!
The Mew hunted around in the dark a bit, and found relatively little. Was he resistant to her ability? It didn't feel like it. Curious, the pink feline worked her way back a little, looking over the events of the day. Lots of running, fighting, scrambling. She appreciated the Outlaw's situational awareness though, using traps and tricks to his advantage. He must have been raised by some cunning bandits then!
Pushing her way further, Mew followed that train of thought. She went aaaaaallll the way to the beginning, settling herself in for the long ride. It usually took a while to dig up memories that far back, and—
She was there already. Well, that didn't take long at all. Maybe she was right, he was just empty-headed! Typical Outlaw. The Mew giggled and hummed to herself, attempting to look at the earliest memory she could.
…
It was dark. Cold. She was floating? No, she was swimming? Something happened, she wasn't sure, but the world shook and the ceiling started collapsing. Suddenly, she was on the floor, sprawled out, and cold. Where was she? Who was she? She looked at her front legs. They were wrong. Something was wrong! She brought those horrifying talons up to her face and met metal. She felt around blindly, panicking. She was trapped!
She wrestled with the contraption around her head for a moment, struggling and straining. The metal was latched tight, digging painfully into her neck. It was too heavy, weighing her down.
She tried to regain her composure and looked around the room. She saw… Oh no... She saw the rotting, floating corpses of something that seemed like it had the same front legs and the same metal contraption on her head. She struggled to her feet, straining to lift that heavy metal helmet. On wobbly legs, she staggered forward, taking in the grizzly sight of that mess of parts floating in the fluid.
Glancing to her right, she saw a similar chamber. That's where she had come from. There was a rock at the base. It looks like it shattered the glass.
The world shook again, the roof caving in further, rocks bouncing off the helmet, and sections of the area caving in. What was happening?
…
Mew gasped as she pulled herself from that memory, her heart racing. Just what in the world was going on? Why was that the first memory? Surely there had to be more somewhere! She hunted forward a little. Maybe there was something a little further on that explained everything…
Mew hummed and worked forward a little bit, her psychic powers flaring. She pressed calm and sleep upon "Silvally", keeping his mind relaxed as she worked through the memories.
…
She was drowning. Sea water was filling the helmet and the heavy thing was trying its best to drag her down. Despite the large paws and the fish-like tail, the effort to swim was extraordinarily draining. Still, she fought on, every kick sapping her energy, every tail movement aching her spine.
She was almost there though! She thought she could see land! It was just a little bit away! She had made it this far, she would be damned if she gave up now. She focused and fought, and felt something shift. There was a pull inside her, and the energy flowing through her changed. She felt more relaxed, fluid, and able to move easily through the water.
She glanced back, some light colour changes occurring on her body. What was happening to her? She turned her focus forward again, reinvigorated, pushing forward hard. She was going to make it. She wasn't going back to that tiny cave. She needed to escape. Just a little further…
…
Mew pulled back, her mind reeling. This wasn't helping her at all. The psychic Pokémon furrowed her brow and her tail gave an irritated flick.
Hm… wait, irritation. Anger! She hunted around, trying to find something that had a strong emotion attached to it. What made the Outlaw angry? Her mind was flooded with memories as they came rushing forward.
…
She was angry at… herself? No, her situation? That she didn't know anything about herself? It was confusing, not knowing where she was, or who she was, wandering around this weird land. She glared at the odd creatures that roamed by, trying to keep herself away. She didn't know what they were, or what they might do.
Why was the place changing? She growled to herself in this frustrating area of beach that just never seemed to end. She should be able to find her way out, so why couldn't she? Steep sand walls blocked her way, keeping her from climbing out. Not that she could with that heavy helmet weighing her down.
Wait! Why was she being attacked? What did she do to them? Those three shouted something about "freak" and charged her! Why!? She cringed away from their claws and teeth, rearing back. She attempted to avoid them, but the helmet was weighing her down. She couldn't retreat fast enough and recoiled in pain at the searing claws raking down her side. She whipped her head around, feeling desperate, and slammed the heavy metal helmet into one of the creature's sides, which skipped across the ground from the impact.
The others renewed their attacks, and it hurt. She had to protect herself! She pushed forward and worked through the attacks, using one of her front talons to raise up and then slam one of the smaller creatures into the sand, its movements stopping instantly.
She charged forward to the last one, who was attempting to throw rocks at her, and reared back, stomping her talons onto the creature and pounding it several times into the sand. With the creatures no longer moving but still breathing, she gave a sigh and tried her best to glance at her side, her fur feeling wet and sticky.
…
Mew gasped, mind reeling… No… no! This couldn't be right! There had to be more. The feline desperately pulled at more memories. Words came to mind. Outlaw. Exploration Team. Arrest. Wigglytuff's Guild. Assault. Bad Pokémon. Artemis. Oran Berry. Mystery Dungeon. Arceus.
What was happening? He couldn't be blocking memories, he was still completely unconscious.
Mew searched for something, anything that would help. She looked at all the intense moments of anger or fear, and found the same thing. He was being attacked. Over and over again. He didn't know why. He had tried pleading once, and they kept hurting him! He offered to help them, and then they threw something at him and blinded him! These exploration teams… All attackers! Criminals!
Encounter after encounter. Everything was the same. They sought him out, looking for a fight. He learned. He grew. A heavy attack caught him in the side of the head, and in desperation, he managed to tear his helmet off. There was so much blood. Why did his face have metal on it? What was he? Who was he?
The helmet only held one word. Silvally.
Those ones from the first encounter came back. He was stronger this time. He took their possessions and left them with the bare minimum. He could shift energies within himself, he used it to his advantage. He got stronger still. More fighting, more running, more pain, more more more more more moremoremoremore—
Panic. Fear. Anger. White fur, red eyes. Ice and fire. She wouldn't leave him alone. He had learned he couldn't convince them, and talking hurt. Why did she keep chasing him? He had to run. He needed to sleep. He was starving. He hurt. Burning pain, freezing cold, broken legs, running, fear, escape—
…
Mew pulled away from Silvally with a gasp, her mind racing, chest heaving. She looked at him and found those silver eyes staring back at her, or maybe through her. The two just stared at one another, Mew reeling with the knowledge she had pulled from his mind. The other was too exhausted to move, taking short, shallow breaths, trying to focus on the pink being before him.
"You… You're lying! Tell me you're lying!" Mew spoke firmly, her emotions all out of sorts. This couldn't be true, could it? If it was…
Silvally merely gazed at Mew, blinking softly, barely conscious. He was quivering in place, body trembling, attempting to respond in some way to all the sensations crashing into his mind at once. He was too hot. Too cold. He couldn't hear anything right now and was barely able to see.
"You… I… Oh no…" Realization hit Mew, the bubbly Pokémon struggling to comprehend exactly how badly things had gone wrong. She flinched as Silvally gave a rattling cough in front of her, a little more blood flecking the grass as he clenched his eyes shut in agony for a moment.
Mew blinked back tears, and floated off the ground for a moment, backing away. She looked down at the broken form of the Chimera and brought her paws to her face, covering her mouth. She flitted back and forth with indecision for a moment, before floating back down. She couldn't help the clench in her chest as she reached out to hold Silvally's head, only to have the Pokémon try to pull away, eyes widening slightly in fear.
"W-wait! Hang on! Let me make this right!" Mew flitted away and looked over his form, trying to figure out what to do first. The short, soft breaths drew her attention, and she moved lower, holding her little paws above the broken ribs and using a Heal Pulse, pushing energy from herself into Silvally, trying to ease his injuries.
Mew wasn't sure if it would work. She still didn't know what he was. Yet, she kept at it, her concern relaxing slightly as she watched the ribs shift back into place, and his breathing deepened. Oh, Arceus, was he supposed to be that thin? She flitted back and forth and moved to his front leg first. She winced as his leg twitched away from her paws, and the Chimera writhed in pain.
"Shhh, I'm sorry. Let me help. Please…" Mew poured her energy into the wound, burned flesh knitting together, nerves becoming functional once more. She watched Silvally clench and relax his talons, his gaze growing a little more clear. "There, that's it. I'm not going to hurt you."
Those silver eyes glanced up at the floating pink Pokémon, who took a moment to float backward, giving Silvally room. The Pokémon groaned and shifted, taking deeper breaths, watching Mew closely. After a moment, he attempted to stand, pushing his front legs under himself, followed by the back one that wasn't broken. He staggered a little, and Mew reached out with her psychic powers, helping him upright. The upwards assistance made Silvally tense for a moment, worried she was going to attack him.
The pair looked at one another for a long while. Blue eyes gazed at silver. Blood continued to drip from Silvally's injuries, the poor Chimera unsteady on his feet, yet determined to meet her gaze.
"Will you let me help you?" Mew asked softly, floating a little closer. Her tail flicked nervously behind her, and she brought it forward to hold with both paws. She squeezed gently, watching the large Pokémon make a decision.
Mew was focused on Silvally, holding her breath. She started to smile as he took a step forward, ducking his head down in a nod, working closer toward the floating pink Pokémon.
With his hearing damaged, he didn't hear Artemis coming.
"Mew! Look out!"
A powerful, tight beam of fire and heat slammed into Silvally, sending the Pokémon off to the side and to the ground, searing the Pokémon's already frost-bitten torso. Silvally let out an agonized cry of pain, trying to escape from the powerful flames washing over him, lighting up the forest. The hybrid Ninetales was far too close and much too focused on the Outlaw. A Quick Attack powered Fire-Fang sent the fox and the Chimera tumbling across the ground, out of the clearing and into the dense forest.
Momentum carried the pair far, the duo skipping across the ground, crashing through bushes and bouncing off trees. Artemis managed to get the upper hand in their tumble against the larger Pokémon and angled herself to use him as a cushion as the two moved rapidly toward a tree. The sickening crunch from the ribs of the Pokémon beneath her didn't concern her in the slightest.
The fox hybrid growled, intent on putting down the outlaw that had nearly escaped again. She knew how fast and deadly the Outlaw approaching Mew was, and Mew didn't. She had to take matters into her own paws. Artemis raised a foreleg, claws glowing, intent on bringing it down hard on the dazed and weakened Outlaw. She was stopped as pink energy surrounded her limb, forcing her to a halt.
"No! Artemis, stop!" Mew shouted mentally. "Don't hurt him! You don't understand!"
The fox found herself being picked up in a psychic hold, the powerful explorer struggling in the tight grip. Artemis flailed, and paused, gritting her teeth as she looked down at the pink Pokémon and the injured form of the Outlaw behind her. She found Mew floating in front of him, her arms stretched out, a psychic barrier spanning over the duo.
"Artemis, please," Mew begged. She looked over her shoulder at Silvally on the grass, curled in on himself, muscles tensed as he tried to not move. He was in rough shape. His body was still smoking, dangerous burns coating his form, having singed away fur and flesh alike. At his shoulder sat the most recent Fire-Fang attack, smoke rolling off his body, blood oozing from the gashes. "Look at him, he's down."
"Why are you defending him?" Artemis kicked in Mew's psychic grasp a little, unwilling to fully break out just yet.
"I'm protecting him!" Mew exclaimed, her mental voice angry, laced with emotion.
"Why? Did he do something to you? He—"
"He's innocent, Artemis! He's been hunted and attacked for two years!"
"What do you mean? He's been wanted for two years!" Artemis protested.
"They attacked him first! I looked in his memories. He's defending himself!" Mew snapped, frustrated, and feeling more than a little guilty. The Ninetales stopped moving, relaxing in the psychic hold. Gradually, she was lowered to the ground, set down a decent distance from the duo.
"You don't think it's possible he was attacked first? Look at him!" Mew turned slightly, forming a small barrier with herself and Silvally on one side, and anyone else on the other.
Artemis padded forward slowly, her tails giving a little flick. She watched Mew as she hovered over the downed Pokémon. They looked at one another for a moment, before Artemis finally sat down away from them, watching intently. Mew took the moment to turn around, focussing on the severely injured Silvally instead.
"Hey, are you still with me? I'm going to help, okay?" Mew turned away from the fox hybrid, floating down to the Outlaw. "Just breathe, I've got you. Let me help..."
The poor Pokémon was curled in on itself, one of his talons covering his face, covered in burns. He had tried to defend himself as well as he could, curling to protect the important parts from the inferno that Artemis had bathed him with. His other front leg was laying limp in front of him, blood pooling beneath the limb as the sharp burns and open wounds aggravated him. He was breathing shallowly once again, blood trickling from his mouth.
"This might hurt a bit. I'm not trying to harm you, I promise. You're safe." Mew hummed softly.
She couldn't help the guilt eating away at her, gnawing her insides as she very gently washed an Aqua Ring over the burned Pokémon. Silvally flinched away from the contact, body tensed, muscles quivering as he struggled, unsure whether he should run, or believe the Pokémon that was being kind to him.
"Can you look at me, please? Let me see your face, I need to make sure you're alright." Mew purred gently, having worked her powers over his sides softly, soothing the burns and injuries once more. She floated down, her little paws grabbing at the freshly healed talons, and gently pulling them away from his face.
Silvally was reluctant, but followed along, letting the tiny Pokémon get closer. He shut his eyes, bracing for an attack, unable to bring himself to swing first, completely drained of energy and will to keep going. Instead, soft paws gently moved to his ears, Mew using Heal Pulse on them both.
Sound returned to Silvally with a pop, disorienting the Pokémon further. He could hear the forest, and the small Pokémon above him sniffling a little bit. He could hear something else breathing behind the pink Pokémon, but couldn't see them.
His eyes flicked to the right in panic as more footsteps came out of the woods, that purple Pokémon, the round one, and then the tunneling one popped up. They stood at the edges of the forest and watched him with scowls. Silvally tensed, trying to push himself up, his energy failing him as he collapsed back to the ground, letting out a pained wheeze from the impact, his ears folding back.
"No no no, just relax. You're safe now. I promise. Just focus on me, the pretty pink one!" Mew attempted to use a little humour to defuse the situation, only to have it fall flat. "I'm not going to let them hurt you."
Regardless, those silver eyes flicked back up to meet her own. Mew hummed softly, her tail slowly swaying behind her as she worked Heal Pulse over Silvally repeatedly. Every push of energy left her feeling more drained, but that didn't matter.
The Chimera felt numb all over. He hurt. He just wanted it to stop. Please, make it stop. Mew heard every thought, biting her lip and trying to focus even with the whirlwind of emotions working through her. Minutes passed, the painful burning sensation gradually being soothed, and felt his injuries slowly knitting together. He was growing more tired though, every moment causing his vision to grow darker, his head drooping as he struggled desperately to keep awake. Maybe this wouldn't go away if he could keep his eyes open. He struggled, exhaustion washing over him, his body shutting down, regardless of how desperately he tried to avoid it.
"Hey, it's okay, you can sleep. I'll be here." Mew promised. "I'll keep you safe. You… You don't need to hurt anymore."
"Please…" It was only a whisper, the voice rough and unused. Silvally's consciousness gradually slipped from him, leaving his head limp in the Mew's tiny paws. Mew felt her heart break as she cradled his head for a moment, and very gently set it on the ground, brushing his cheek with a soft paw.
Artemis watched on in complete confusion. What was with the sudden change? Mew had been more than happy to beat down the Outlaw, and she was strong enough to back it up. Now the Outlaw was sleeping in her paws? Why was she defending him? Was she… crying? What was happening? Mew couldn't be right… could she?
The fox glanced over at the other three Pokémon that had been pursuing the Outlaw within the dungeon, meeting their eyes. She shook her head lightly when she noticed Exploud looking at her and tilting his head at the duo at the center of attention.
No, she would leave them be. She would trust Mew to know what she was doing. Even if she was wrong, Chief Metagross was more than capable of ripping through a criminal's memories and pinning them down for everything they were guilty of. If he was innocent (she scoffed at the thought) then all would be well. He would just have to move far away so no one would recognize him and she'd never have to see his ugly self again.
If he was guilty though… If he had been attacking teams for years, and then trying to wriggle out of punishment… If he was manipulating Mew into defending him…
She would throw his broken form into prison herself if she had to. Not even the pink legendary would stop her.