Have you ever seen someone you cared for broken? Seen someone you'd watched grow from mewling hatchling to a proud, independent explorer shattered? Have you ever had to fight for the life of someone who'd trusted you to protect them?

I have.

My name is Terra, or Torterra if we're being proper. I am master of Shimmerlake's Explorer's Guild, veteran of countless of adventures, and have been called a hero far more often than I deserve.

I'm a failure.

I plodded wearily out of the infirmary, my bones aching with exhaustion as I climbed slowly towards my chambers. I'd spent most of the night struggling alongside Muse the audino to save my apprentices' lives, and I still wasn't sure if I'd succeeded.

Arriving at my private chambers, I started towards the door that led to my sleeping quarters, paused, and instead turned towards the door opposite it. A clean, flickering light shone out from underneath, and I could hear the busy rustling of papers from within. I rapped gently on the door with a single vine, and a moment later Rue, my assistant, opened it.

"Terra," he greeted quietly. "I… did it go well?"

"They're all alive." I reassured him. "For the time being, at least."

"Oh." He sighed, then gently held the door open. I entered without a word

I've known Rue since I was an awkward little turtwig, barely able to walk without getting tangled in the grass. The clever psychic has always had a fondness for organization and information, and his private study reflected that - its many shelves were filled to the brim with books and scrolls of all kinds. The moon had sunk low enough that little of its light shone through the nearby window, but the room was brightly lit with candles and the tree's colorless torches - Rue was restless too, it seemed.

My gaze settled on the nearby desk, atop which rested a stack of thin, leather-bound books, their covers worn from years of loving use. They were also the only thing in the room that came close to being disorganized, and one sat open, its pages covered in neat, flowing script.

These were Rue's private journals, a meticulous record of his thoughts going back almost as long as he'd known me. I'd had the privilege of reading parts of them - though rarely with his permission - and they'd shown me more about him in a few paragraphs than I'd learned from years of working alongside him. Rue was of the opinion that he should keep his inner feelings private, and let others worry more about their own affairs. It was an attitude that had caused more than a few misunderstandings, but Rue was there for others when it counted.

That's why, despite his calm appearance, I knew he was just as concerned about the apprentices as I was.

"Terra?"

"Hm?" I turned to find the diminutive psychic eyeing me worriedly.

"It not your fault they got hurt."

Did I mention Rue knows me just as well?

I shook my head. "I know. That doesn't change the fact that four pokémon who put their trust in me are injured. I'm not sure they'll even survive the night, let alone recover-"

Rue drifted over and touched my shoulder. "You've done everything you can. If anyone can help them now, it's Audino. They'll be okay."

I smiled softly. "Thank you, Rue. I hope you're right."

"It's my job to be right," he chuckled, then grew serious once more. "And it's your job to lead these apprentices to be the best they can be. That doesn't mean protecting them from everything that could possibly hurt them, and it certainly doesn't mean fighting every last threat in their place."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about fighting?"

"Terra, I've known you for how many decades now?" he asked flatly. "I know you'd go chasing after that zoroark yourself if you thought it'd help. Don't tell me you aren't considering it."

"Oh really now?" I asked, amused. "And when have I shown myself to be so reckless, hm?"

"Funny you should ask," he remarked, floating towards the open journal and turning back several pages. "Recognize this?"

A date was written at the top of the page in small, neat letters.

"May third, three years after the Falling Star..." I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Well. You may have a point."

Hillside Cave Entrance, Many Years Ago

"Lucario's gonna kill us," Rue muttered, fearfully eyeing the darkened cave ahead.

"Yeah right," I scoffed. "He probably just wants to save the treasure for himself."

"Grotle-" he began.

"Terra." I interrupted. "You know I hate it when you call me that."

"Fine, Terra. I don't think Lucario's trying to keep anything to himself. I think he's just worried about the bandit." The solosis drifted closer, brushing the thick clump of leaves on my shell. "I mean, he's already attacked several rescue teams in the area. If I were an outlaw, this is where I'd hide."

I snorted. "Like you could ever be an outlaw."

"With all the trouble you get us into, it'd probably be safer!" he snapped. "What if that bandit's hiding in there, just waiting for his next victims?" He started shaking.

"He's not."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because the outlaw's supposed to be a water-type," I replied, perhaps a bit smugly. "This cave's dry as a rock."

The solosis glanced into the cave once again. "Oh." Sure enough, there wasn't so much as a puddle near the cave entrance. "Well I still think this is a bad idea."

I chuckled. "Come on. This dungeon's only a few floors deep, and the treasure's supposed to be hidden at the bottom. Once we bring it back to Relic Town, there's no way Lucario can be mad at us."

Rue sighed. "I know I'm going to regret this."

Torterra's Guild, Present Day

"Oh really now?" I asked, amused. "You knew what we were going to find in there? You never told me."

"I didn't say I knew what the treasure was," Rue replied. "Just that I knew I was going to regret following you into that cave."

"And how is that?"

He folded his arms."Terra, please. Time was we couldn't go three days without you coming up with some hairbrained scheme and getting us in over our heads."

"That's hardly fair. There's no way I could've known things would turn out like they did."

"That doesn't change the fact that I was right."

"Alright," I chuckled, "I'll give you that."

Hillside Cave, Floor Four, Many Years Ago

I lashed out at the feral gigalith, my vines cracking through its thick, stony hide with ease. It let out a savage cry, and I felt the air thicken around me. Several large stones rose off the ground, launched towards me by a wave of unseen force. They made it halfway across the room before being enveloped in a soft blue glow as Ruse's telekinetics dragged them to a halt.

I nodded to the little psychic, who, with a grunt, threw the stones back at our attacker. Focusing for a moment, I felt the leaves on my back quiver and detach, hurling across the room like a dozen tiny blades. They tore into the gigalith while Rue's attack sent it rolling backwards. It slammed into the cave wall and fell still.

"See?" I panted, "Nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to..." Rue trailed off, staring at the fallen gigalith. "Terra, one of these days, I'm going to-"

"...realize I know what I'm doing and quit worrying about everything?" I interrupted with a grin.

"I give up," he grumbled, his face the perfect image of resignation. With a laugh, I led the way around the corner into the next room.

Like I'd predicted, the Hillside Cave dungeon hadn't presented much of a challenge. Unlike many of the other rescue teams that operated in our area, Rue and I were never afraid to venture into the mysterious pockets of un-reality. Sure, he loved to complain and worry about every little danger they contained, but together the two of us had travelled through countless dungeons, faced down gigantic ferals bent on crushing us into paste, and emerged victorious from dungeons so deep that they were more a challenge of endurance than skill. We were dungeoneering veterans, and all of our experience did nothing to prepare us for what we saw in the next room.

The end of the dungeon was a wide cavern, its low ceiling hung with countless stalactites. An immense river ran through the chamber, vanishing into the darkness on either side of us. We stood on a narrow outcropping of rock over the river, and the stone beneath us was slick with moisture. At the center of the room was the Treasure.

It was beautiful. A statue, solid gold and easily twice times as tall as I was, carved into the likeness of some ancient, legendary beast. It was adorned with priceless gems and etched with such a degree of detail that I could count the hairs on the creature's hide. It was magnificent, breathtaking, and, most importantly, it was mine.

"Look at it, Rue…" I gasped, mesmerized. "Can you believe it?"

Rue drifted slowly forward, eyes locked on the statue. "I've never seen anything like it! Terra, you… I don't… how did it get here?"

"I don't know," I answered, "and I don't care. Its ours now! Can you imagine the look on Lucario's face when we bring this thing back with us?"

No sooner had the words left my mouth than a tremendous roar tore through the cavern, ringing off the walls and shaking the ground beneath us. The underground river began to roll and bubble, splashing over the sides of the stone platform as a dark shape rose from its depths.

Rue and I scrambled backwards, the rocks beneath us suddenly slick from the river's turbulence. It took me only a moment to identify the figure in front of us.

"T-Terra…" Rue began, his eyes wide with fear, "is that..?"

"Yeah," I gulped. "It's the outlaw."

Torterra's Guild, Present Day

"You know, I still think we could've won that fight."

Rue laughed. "Are you joking? Terra, he wiped the floor with us."

"He did not 'wipe the floor with us.' I was handling myself just fine, you know."

"Oh, really? I seem to remember it very differently."

Hillside Cavern, Many Years Ago

"You will not steal my treasure!" the outlaw roared before launching another blast of water my way. I dove to the side, wincing as the rough stone floor tore at my underside. We'd been fighting for what seemed like hours, and to say it wasn't going our way was an understatement. Rue had taken a direct hit from a hydro pump and was currently cowering behind a nearby rock outcropping, too dazed to put up much of a fight. I'd fared better, since I could absorb most of the attacks' energy, but the sheer force of the blows was wearing me down. The outlaw, meanwhile, had all but ignored the few bursts of razor leaves I'd thrown at him and showed no signs of tiring.

Jumping to my feet, I scrambled for cover behind the golden statue. I didn't like the idea of using something so magnificent as a shield, but it seemed solid enough. The outlaw probably wouldn't risk damaging it anyway, so I could use it to-

"Terra, no!"

I turned towards Rue and was about to ask what he was worried about when a wave of telekinetic force washed over me, sending me tumbling out from behind the statue and right in front of a very large and very angry outlaw.

"It is mine!"

I felt the blast of water slam into my side a moment later, throwing me across the room and into the ledge of rock that Rue hid behind. The painful crack my shell made as I slammed into the stone couldn't have been a good sound. I dragged myself around the stone, the action sending a lance of fire up my spine. Cringing, I glared at the tiny psychic that sat huddled nearby.

"Rue! What in Arceus' name were you thinking?" I demanded.

"I-I'm sorry!" he stammered. "I just… if he hit the scroll, it'd be ruined!"

"Scroll? What are you talking ab-"

The rest of my sentence was drowned out as another blast of water slammed into the rock behind ground seemed to shake beneath us, and once more the outlaw roared.

"I will not lose this! Not again, do you hear me? I will tear you limb from limb sooner than let you take it from me!"

Rue shuddered and looked up at me, eyes wide with fear. "How… how are we gonna get this thing out of here?

I looked down at the little psychic. "Right now, I'm just trying to figure out how to get us out of here."

"But…" he peeked over the boulder, only to dive back down as another torrent of water shot overhead, "we can't just leave it behind! Maybe if you went out and fought him, distracted him for a bit,I could carry it out of here."

"Are you crazy? There's no way you could carry that thing out of here. Maybe I could, but…"

The statue. There was no way I'd leave it behind. It was too beautiful, too precious, would mean too much if I brought it back. Maybe if I could lift it and run, I'd make it out through the dungeon's exit before the outlaw could follow me. Rue was hurt - I'd have to leave him behind, since he'd just slow me down. I could do it.

And all I'd have to do is leave my best friend to die.

And like that, I snapped out of it. What were we thinking? Rue had nearly killed me for this thing, and I had just been considering abandoning him for it! Something was wrong here, and as I realized it I couldn't help but wonder:

Why had the outlaw stopped attacking?

Cautiously, I leaned around the edge of the rock. The outlaw sat in the river, completely still. The enormous gyarados was staring at the statue, transfixed and muttering quietly to himself.

"It's mine. They won't steal it. It's mine. I was weak, but that was before. I am evolved now, I am stronger, and they will not steal it. Not this time. Not ever again…"

"Rue," I began, not taking my eyes of the outlaw, "what do you see at the center of the room?"

"What are you… you mean the scroll?"

"Describe it."

"It's… big," he stated simply, "and amazing. It's covered with writing… Unknown, I think. Imagine how many secrets it holds, all the lost lore it could contain! If we can just bring it back…" He drifted off.

"Thanks," I replied, no longer paying attention. "You told me everything I needed to know." With that, I took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the boulder, and hurled a blast of razor leaves directly at the base of the golden statue.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and for a second it felt as if an angry beedrill was stuck inside my skull. Despite the discomfort, I couldn't help but smile as my suspicions were proven right.

The statue was gone. In its place was a small square of carved stone set into the cavern floor, at the center of which sat a blue orb, sliced cleanly in half by my bladed leaves.

"There," I sighed. "Now can we please stop trying to kill each other?"

The silence in the cavern was deafening. Rue and the outlaw both sat staring at the shattered orb, their faces the picture of disbelief. It was the outlaw that broke the silence.

"What did you do?" he roared, whirling to face me.

"I disarmed the trap," I replied calmly. "That thing we were all fighting over wasn't a statue, or a scroll, or whatever it is you thought it was. It was a wonder orb trap. They form in some dungeons, usually with a teleport or summoning orb in the middle. I'm guessing this one had a decoy orb instead. It created an illusion, something we'd all be obsessed with to the point of violence. It wasn't real."

The outlaw gyarados snarled, and the cavern shook in response. "This… this is a trick! You have hidden it somewhere!"

"The only trick was the thing we were all prepared to kill over," I answered flatly. "How long have you been here, Gyarados? How many rescue teams have you attacked because you thought they were after your treasure?"

The outlaw didn't answer.

I sighed quietly. "That's what I thought."

Torterra's Guild, Present Day

"I remember now," I said, smiling. "Turned out he'd swam in there as a magikarp, trying to hide from predators. He triggered the trap and stayed there until he evolved, just so he could keep it safe. His only crime was getting caught up in something beyond his control."

"That, and being ridiculously strong after he evolved," Rue added.

I laughed. "I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Tyranitar's face when we brought him into the council chambers. The old lizard nearly fell off her seat."

Rue shook his head. "And yet Lucario still managed to make us regret it."

Rescue Team Federation Headquarters, Many Years Ago

"This meeting of the Rescue Team Federation Council is hereby called to order."

The Council Chamber was an enormous circular room, big enough to impress even the largest pokémon. The domed ceiling above rose to a single rounded opening, the light from which shone on the Rescue Team Federation's symbol - the two-ringed Circle of Unity, surrounded by a pair of feathery wings - inlaid into the floor in gold and bronze. At one end was the pair of gigantic wooden doors we'd entered through, and at the other was an elevated platform.

There were only a handful of pokémon present. Rue and I stood near the back of the room, while the outlaw gyarados floated in the center, surrounded by a shimmering cloud of water and a group of four magnemite guards. The Council members - Tyranitar, Slowking, and the world-famous Lucario - were seated atop the platform, high enough to nearly be on level with the gyarados. Their cubone scribe sat nearby, already scribbling away at her notepad with a large bone quill.

Lucario gave the opening address. "The Council is convened to try and sentence the pokémon standing before us. Gyarados, will you give the Council your true name, or do you prefer to be addressed by species name?"

The outlaw remained silent. After it became obvious he wouldn't get a reply, Lucario continued.

"Species name it is then. Gyarados, you are charged with assaulting several rescue teams operating by official sanction of the Federation, evasion of arrest, theft of Federation property in the form of rescue team supplies and equipment, and causing general havoc in the lands surrounding Relic City. How do you respond to these charged?"

The outlaw looked back towards Rue and I. I nodded, and the outlaw spoke.

"I assert my innocence, on grounds of mental conflict. I was not in control of my actions at the time the crimes were committed."

"You do not deny that you were the one who committed these crimes?" Slowking asked, head tilted in curiosity. The outlaw nodded.

Tyranitar leaped to her feet.. "Then he has confessed his guilt," she began, eyes locked on the gyarados. "Gyarados, you attacked rescue teams and resident pokémon over the course of four months. Do you honestly expect us to believe you were under the control of a malevolent psychic for that entire time?"

"I do not," the outlaw stated flatly, "but I am innocent."

"Don't be ridiculous," Tyranitar scoffed. "You claim to have not been in control of your actions, yet you deny a psychic was responsible. What could possibly-"

Slowking cut her off. "Don't be so hasty, Tyranitar. I'm sure this pokémon is willing to explain his claim of innocence."

"Slowking is right," Lucario added. "We should give him a chance to speak before we condemn him, don't you think?"

Tyranitar growled, and the outlaw spoke.

"I do not deny the charges you have brought against me. I do deny responsibility, as I was under the influence of a mystery dungeon's decoy orb trap for the past few months. It drove me to paranoia and aggression against my will."

"The defendant claims innocence on the grounds of mental compromise," Lucario stated flatly, nodding towards the court scribe. "However, we have received no reports of decoy orbs appearing in dungeon traps prior to this incident. Do you have any evidence to support this claim, Gyarados?"

"You're wasting your time, Lucario," Tyranitar interrupted. "He's obviously just lying to excuse his crimes. Gyarados, this council has tried hundreds of outlaws such as yourself. Do not think that you are the first to attempt to claim a psychic influence-"

"I do not lie!"

Once again, the gyarados demonstrated his ability to shake an entire room with nothing but his voice. Tyranitar and Lucario took several steps back, while the squad of magnemite turned their magnetic limbs towards the furious outlaw. Several of them were quaking visibly.

"Accuse me of what you will," the gyarados continued, "accuse me of theft, of senseless violence, of whatever crimes you can dream up and I shall bear it. But by Arceus and all his legends, if you dare accuse me of lying again, I will tear this place down around your heads. I do not speak falsely. My word is one treasure I will never have taken from me."

For nearly a full minute, no one spoke. Eventually, Slowking broke the silence with a hearty laugh. "Well, I'm inclined to believe him. It's not often you hear that kind of fire in someone these days."

"Yes," Lucario began, "but I'm afraid we can't base a decision on claims alone. Team Steadfast, step forward please."

That was our signal. I strolled towards the dais, Rue floating closely behind. I had to strain my neck to make eye contact with the judges.

"Grotle of Team Steadfast, you and your partner are responsible for the capture of this pokémon. Please describe for the court what…" Lucario sighed. "I'm not doing this anymore. Grotle, you and Duosion went off into an uncharted and potentially very dangerous dungeon because you heard there might be treasure inside. You two not only nearly got yourselves killed at the hands of an outlaw because you ran off on yet another foolhardy escapade, but have also managed to provide us with an extraordinary headache with this gyarados' case. Would you please explain to us what, exactly, happened in there?"

To anyone else, Lucario would've seemed angry, and not without reason. What he said was true - we'd gotten ourselves into quite the mess, and now the whole situation was being dragged out before the Federation Council. This wasn't the first time Rue and I had pulled a stunt like this, and I knew from experience I'd be getting a lecture from Lucario once the hearing was over.

But I also knew Lucario. I knew he hadn't earned his reputation as a renowned rescue team leader by playing it safe and sticking to the beaten path. For all the grief he'd give me over this whole mess, I knew he was at least a little proud to see us following in his footsteps, even if it did mean extra paperwork for him. That's why, when one of the most famous and influential pokémon in the world called me a fool, I couldn't help but smile in return.

He'd probably caused someone else just as much trouble.

"Pretty much what's been said already," I answered cheerily. "Rue and I went into Hillside Cavern because we'd heard rumors of a great treasure hidden inside. We found an underground river that ran through the dungeon, and there was an active decoy orb right in the middle of it all. It's what everyone mistook for the treasure, made anyone who saw it obsessed with it. Gyarados, Rue, even me included. It wasn't until I smashed it that everyone calmed down and stopped trying to kill each other."

Lucario let out another sigh, this one longer and more drawn out. "Well, that makes things simpler in some ways. I'm willing to forgive the crimes due to mental compromise. Slowking, I'm going to assume you're siding with me, since you haven't stopped giggling like a maniac yet. Tyranitar?"

Tyranitar folded her arms. "I recognize the claim," she said begrudgingly, "but I still can't condone a full pardon. His crimes were too violent, too widespread to just let go."

"Of course," Lucario replied, a strange look in his eyes. "While your defense is valid, some form of remedial action must be taken. As such, I suggest that Gyarados be assigned to Team Steadfast for the foreseeable future, so that all three of them can learn a lesson or two.

"What?" Rue and I shouted in unison.

"Oh, I think that's an excellent idea, Lucario," Slowking said, ignoring our protests.

Even Tyranitar gave a fanged smile at the suggestion. "Well. It's a bit harsher than I'd have suggested, but if you think this outlaw deserves to handle Grotle, then by all means. I defer to you, Lucario."

"Then the court has reached its decision. Gyarados, you will serve as a member of rescue team Steadfast for the immediate future, until such a time as the court deems your debts repaid. Please give us your personal name so we may add you to the team roster."

"Well," the gyarados rumbled, "so long as I'm not the only one being sentenced here." He grinned broadly. "My name is Virgil."

Yes, I know that's the second time I've ended a chapter with "my name is _." It's my story, I do what I want.

Apologies on the delay, things didn't quiet down as expected. Look forward to another chapter as soon, though!

Probably.