Ties of Fate

by Fusion Phoenix

Follow behind Rio and his group of friends as they prepare themselves to save the world! From what, or how, they don't know, but by god will they try anyway! They might be under qualified, and mostly inexperienced, but it can't be that hard to save a world, right? Right?

36. A Big Day for Sunrise

Life was… more or less similar to how it was before, minus two usually-present presences being kept to rest in the guild's infirmary. Were it not for Kai and Mia, and the recently welcomed Mew, everything would have been far quieter than anyone was used to. That was partially why they all readjusted to "normal" life on Sunset.

Diana and Kane frequently trained together with Eva usually watching, Nate and Zeke went back to being slackers, Nari and her trio were more out and about, Paras and Jirachi were rarely seen and never together, and Rio and Minerva spent most of their time checking in on Kora and Zen. They twitched at times, groaned every now and then… but slowly, oh so very slowly, they started doing more than that. Kora would stir in his sleep, Zen would mutter something quietly.

Then, before anyone knew it, three whole days had passed.

---

The hot springs, oddly enough, didn't feel as hot as Rio remembered. They were certainly warm and steamy, but he could have sworn they had burned him before. That didn't matter, really, scalding or not they did their job of relaxing and rejuvenating him, and Minerva as well.

"You have noooooo idea how much I missed this," Rio said with a blissful sigh, sinking until his chin rested on the water's surface.

Minerva, floating aimlessly on her back near the middle of the spring, scoffed. "Oh yea? I know ya ain't miss it more than me," she said, holding up a lum berry and dropping it in her mouth. She actually managed to eat the whole thing in one bite. "Lemme tell ya, I love Nize and her family to bits, but electric gems and spider hugs ain't got shit on lums and springs."

Rio blinked, then chuckled. "You actually got hugged by them? Were they as fluffy as they look?"

"Hell yea they are!" Minerva laughed, turning her head to Rio and grinning smugly. "Best damn hugs I got from someone who ain't Kora or Pops! Nize herself is cuddly as hell, dude!" She then flipped all the way over and paddled to Rio's side, nudging him with her elbow. "Once we dive back in there to get her out, I'm sure she'd be happy to show ya!"

Rio admitted that the idea was certainly a nice one, but going back into that hell hole of a dungeon gave him shivers. "W-Well, yeah. But that probably won't be for a while. At least for me, I'd like to forget most of that dungeon for the time being. Luckily enough, I did!"

With a shake of her head, Minerva lightly punched Rio's shoulder. It was enough to submerge him fully underwater for a few seconds. "Don't be a damn pansy, it ain't all that bad! Out of all of us I know ya had the best time. How long'd ya say ya were down for? Barely a day?"

Rio surfaced, coughing up some water before pouting at Minerva. "Y-Yeah, but it felt like years! And it sucked!" he said, then poked Minerva in the head. "And also ow!"

Minerva bopped him again, snickering. "Ow yaself, Blue! That hurt!" she huffed back.

"That's a lie and you know it!" Rio barked as he shoved Minerva.

The two went off in a shouting, shoving, punching fight for several minutes, which devolved into just splashing each other and laughing before they both got tired and floated on the water's surface. Every now and then they'd bump into each other and snicker, even claiming certain bumps as their own point. They stopped thirty-one. Total, not for each.

Minerva swam to the water's edge and heaved herself out, throwing a fist in the air in triumph. "Haha! I win!" she declared, sitting up and shaking the water from her body.

Rio reached the edge just as Minerva was shaking herself off, getting a ton of water splashed on his face. He returned the favor as soon as he was out of the water, making sure to shake as much water as possible in her general direction. "No, I won. That last bump was totally my point!" he protested with a sure nod.

"Bullshit, I hit you! Ya ain't hit jack shit!" Minerva threw back. Rio's splash-back basically drenched the Meowth again, but instead of shaking the water off, she wiped as much of it off as she could. Worked just as well. "I know ya punch like an old man, but don't ya start gettin' senile on me."

"I ain't the one whose mind is playin' tricks on them, Minerva," Rio said in a mocking tone, his paws on his hips and a smug grin on his face. "Looks like someone forgot to bring nana to the old folks' home. Don't worry, I can drop you off myself."

Minerva grinned herself as she jumped up on Rio's shoulders and flicked his ear. "Alright, that was a decent comeback. Decent, not good," she said with weak applause. "I almost didn't feel any second hand embarrassment from ya. Wonder when ya picked up snark so quick?"

"I blame the dungeon. I've never been so done with something in my life, I guess that like doubled my sarcasm or whatever," Rio shrugged. He then stretched his legs a bit and started towards the woods. "Anyway, whaddya wanna do now? Check up on Kora and Zen? Spar?"

Before Minerva could reply, a fluffy pink blur whizzed by that almost knocked them both over, and landed in the springs behind them. Said blur was followed by a Zorua and an Eevee, Kai and Mia, both with excited looks on their faces.

"Rio! Minerva!" Kai cheered, him and Mia running around the Lucario's feet. "We got big news! Big big news!"

The pink blur quickly reappeared, running around Rio with the two kits. It was… Mew, if that wasn't obvious already. Honestly, some parts of Rio hoped it wasn't. Most of him did, actually.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Mew chirped, then her, Kai, and Mia zipped in front of Rio and sat in a line, each one wearing a big grin.

Rio and Minerva looked at each other, sharing an eye roll, then turned back to the hyper trio. "Alright, what's up?" Rio asked, raising a brow. "Is it something about Kora? Is he up yet?"

Kai flinched slightly, then shook his head, his grin unchanging. "No, it's something else super important!" he replied. Out of nowhere, the three stared directly at Minerva, their grins growing wider. It was enough to make her flinch. "It's important for you, mostly!"

"Yeah!" Mew cheered, pumping a fist in the air. "You'll never be able to guess! I almost didn't! It totally got me off guard! It practically blew my mind!" She threw her arms up like an explosion, and Kai and Mia pretended to be several smaller explosions around her. Rio thought it was kinda cute, but Minerva didn't seem as receptive to it.

"If it's so important, why not just spill it an' quit the fancy jazz hands?" Minerva asked, crossing her arms and huffing. "...And what the heck is more important than Kora wakin' up?" Mew, Kai, and Mia grinned again, then the feline grabbed both kits and flew up to Minerva's face. Uncomfortably close to her as well. "Wh-What the hell're y'all doin'?!" Minerva sputtered. She tried to shove their faces away, but they weren't backing up.

"Your dad's coming back!" Kai and Mew cheered, with Mia silently throwing her arms out in cheer as well.

There was a pause, then Minerva blinked and shook her head. "Wait, wait really?" she asked, a slight smile on her muzzle.

"Tia just told us that the ship's gonna be here in, like, really really really really soon!" Kai chirped excitedly, his tail wagging behind him. "Uncle was on that one, right? Doesn't he like, own it?"

"I dunno what a ship is!" Mew snickered. "I wonder if it tastes good! Maybe I could get one for me and Rio to share!"

Minerva chuckled, then threw her head back in laughter, nearly falling off of Rio's shoulder. "Oh man! I totally lost track of time, and I damn near forgot!" she laughed, then hopped off of Rio's shoulder and ran off to the wood, calling back to him saying, "I oughta do some stuff, see ya when they port, Blue!"

"But I don't know where they'd–" Rio began, but Minerva was already out of earshot. "...port. Hm, alright. I can figure that out," he hummed to himself, a paw on his chin as he tried to ignore Mew and the two kits as best he could. They were all just grinning at him. Not menacingly… but still.

"Hey Rio?" Mew asked, batting her eyes. "You seem a bit lonely, you know?"

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Rio replied, taking a step back.

"Aw, c'mon Rio! Everyone needs a buddy! And your buddy just ran off!" Kai snickered as Mew floated them closer.

Rio took another step back, turning away from them more. "And I'll go meet up with her wherever this ship ports."

"But what are ya gonna do until then, huh? Huh?" Mew pressed, now floating right on top of Rio. "We can be your extra buddies! Wouldn't that be fun? It'd be awesome!"

"Totally awesome!" Kai chirped. Mia excitedly nodded her head, stars in her eyes. "Even Mia thinks it'll be a good idea! Oh, plus, we know where the ship ports! So you gotta take us with you now!"

Rio pouted, backpedaling as Mew stayed close. "Well that sounds nice and all that but I don't need any buddies right now s–" Rio was focusing so much on the three pestering to join him that he forgot about the springs and slipped right into it with a loud splash.

Mew, Kai, and Mia all laughed, floating down to the water's surface to be face to face… to face to face? with Rio. "Sooooooooo?" Mew asked, smiling brightly.

"If I don't say yes, you're gonna keep buggin' me about it, right?" Rio asked, deadpanned as he spit out some water.

"I thought that was obvious!" Mew snickered.

"Oh yeah, totally!" Kai grinned. Mia nodded as well.

With a heavy sigh and a roll of his eyes, Rio relented. "Then I never had a choice. Fine, let's g–"

As soon as Rio said they could join him, Mew, Kai, and Mia tackled him into a four-person hug, dragging him into the water. They cheered and laughed, but Rio couldn't hear them over the sounds of him almost drowning and the water in his ears.

---

It seemed the news of the guild ship returning had everyone doing something around the island. Nari and the trio were running themselves to exhaustion, which Rio heard had something to do with "last minute exercises." Kane and Eva were sparring, getting in some last-minute training. Even Nate and Zeke were keeping themselves busy, going in and out of the guild rambling about some last-minute paperwork. They didn't even stop to chat with Rio and the others, so it had to have been important.

Suddenly Rio himself was worried about missing something important… Then he remembered that he basically doesn't do much other than train. Maybe he should work in some last minute training?

Rio was about to go find… something to do, but his extra buddies decided against it. Kai wanted to see the ship port first, and Mew wanted to see the ship period. She didn't say whether she wanted to see how it tasted this time, but somehow, Rio knew she wanted to. With Kai and Mia on his shoulders, and Mew firmly on his head, Rio followed Kai's instructions to the port.

It went… about as well as one would expect.

"...What do you mean it's back this way, we just came from this way!" Rio groaned, turning around on the shoreline, practically retracing his steps.

"I know, I know! But I was remembering upside down!" Kai puffed. He was, in fact, laying upside down on Rio's shoulder. The Lucario had to hold him in place to keep the kit from falling.

"Oh yeah, that happens to me all the time!" Mew snickered, herself also upside down, the top of her head resting on Rio's snout. "By the way, you're heading into the water again."

Rio scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No I'm–" A rather big wave came into shore, splashing up Rio's legs and making him shiver. "...I'm well aware that I was going into the water. I did that on purpose. Wanted to make sure I wasn't too close to the forest," he said with a nod.

"Sure, Blue. And I'm purple," Mew snorted and giggled.

"Maybe it'd be easier to see without a big pink head in front of my face!" Rio barked, stomping his foot in the water. Another wave came in, almost knocking him over.

His buddies snickered, followed by Kai speaking up. "Ok ok, once you're back on the sand and not in the water, just keep going… uh… straight!" he chirped.

"You don't sound all that confident," Rio hummed, skeptical. "Are you sure it's straight forward, or straight behind us?"

Kai paused for a moment, then tittered. "Which one is the one where we go back again? Or are they the same when I'm upside down?"

Rio threw his head back and groaned, and yet Mew didn't fall. "Kai…" Although silent, Mia seemed to share the same sentiment.

"I'm just asking a question! I've never been this upside down before!" Kai puffed, crossing his little arms. "I've never been this upside down before! My brain's all cajumbled!"

"I've been walking in circles, my legs are gonna get tired! Probably!" Rio huffed, crossing his arms as well. Which allowed Kai to fall.

"Wah! Water!" Kai cried out, just before Rio snatched him outta the air.

"Yeah? It's water. What're you crying about?" Rio asked with a brow raised as he lifted the Zorua up.

Kai put on a sly grin and winked. "I think you mean, water you crying about?" he said with as sauve a voice he could muster. Rio responded with a dead stare, and Mia as well. Kai blinked, then looked up at Mew. "Did I do it right? He doesn't look happy? Or… Mia."

"You did fantastic! Don't let Rio's gloomy face trick you, he loves this kinda stuff!" Mew snickered, flipping around and pulling up the edges of Rio's mouth. "Trust me, I'm basically his best friend, hehe!"

Rio shook his head, glaring at Mew. Which was easy, she was basically blinding him. "Don't act like you know me! We basically just met!" he barked at her. "Don't start gettin' Kai in on your stunts either!"

Mew snickered again, a smug look on her face as she floated off of Rio and booped him on the nose. "I'm just helping a friend help a friend! Aren't we fwiends?" she asked, batting her eyes.

"I am starting to consider that we aren't," Rio growled, narrowing his glare on her.

"S-So you didn't like my joke?" Kai sniffled, getting teary-eyed.

The Lucario's ear twitched, and he shook his head and tittered. "N-No! I mean, yes! I mean, I liked it, yeah! You don't gotta cry!" Rio sputtered. "I-It just caught me off guard because it was so funny! I a-actually forgot to laugh!"

"Really?!" Kai instantly lit up, tail wagging. He turned to Mew with the brightest smile he could muster. "You hear that! You were right! It worked!"

"See? I told ya so!" Mew said, puffing out her chest and nodding. "Me and Rio just know each other like that, hehe!"

Rio's eye twitched, and Mia rolled hers. "Fine, sure," Rio said through his teeth, holding Kai to his chest and wanting to move on. "Alright, now, where is the ship gonna port?" he asked the kit.

Kai paused again, looking up and down the shoreline, before staring out to sea. He didn't say anything for a bit, then suddenly lit up. "In front of the guild! Head to the front of the guild!" Kai said with a hastey tone. "It's almost here! I can see it!"

"W-Wait what?!" Rio sputtered, staring out to sea himself. He couldn't tell if his eyes weren't as strong as Kai's or if the kit was playing another trick on him. "Where is it?"

"There's no time! Just go go go!" Kai said, urgency apparent in his voice. "I wanna be the first! Uncle always gives the best gifts to whoever's first!"

"Gifts?" Rio asked, but had his face grabbed and shaken by Mew.

"He just said there's no time!" Mew said, then suddenly grabbed Mia and grinned at Rio and Kai, much to all three of their surprise. "Which means that we're gonna get there first and get the best gifts! I bet he'll let me eat the ship, hehe~!" she laughed. Mia didn't know what was going on at first, but she was quick to figure it out. She gave a grin and waved a smug goodbye as Mew took off.

"Ah! No fair!" Kai yipped, then looked up at Rio with a determined stare. "We gotta hurry! Full speed ahead!" he ordered, throwing a paw out forwards. Rio nodded, then sprinted down the shore as fast as he could. Which was a lot faster than he was expecting, considering the sand.

---

Chasing after Mew and Mia was also easier than Rio was expecting, not that he was gonna complain about it. Them not being that far from the guild also helped, but of course, he didn't get there first. Mew and Mia both wore smug grins, taunting the two boys for being so late, which Rio and Kai barked back that they were flying and that it wasn't fair. Kai insisted on a rematch, which Mew and Mia happily agreed to, but Rio sat this one out. He watched them all run and fly back down the shore, then turned to the horizon and just… relaxed. The sun was warm, the breeze was cool, the sand was as soft as ever.. It was pretty much perfect

After a few minutes, Rio saw it. A ship, off in the distance but rapidly approaching. Before long he could make out the wood of the hull, then the huge, white sails. Rio looked down to the shore, but Kai and the others were nowhere to be seen. No one else was, actually. Rio turned back to the ship and it looked way too close for the few seconds he had turned away. W-Was it getting faster? Shouldn't it be slowing down?

As soon as Rio thought that, it actually got faster! Rio could see the water parting in its wake! He got up in a panic, looking back down to shore to see Mew, Kai, and Mia running back. Rio shouted for them to stop, pointing at the ship but they wouldn't stop. The ship wasn't stopping, it was close enough that Rio could tell the colors of the wood and the long pointy thing on the front of the boat. It… It looked like someone was on top of it? Someone short, who Rio could only make out because they seemed to be mostly black, clashing with the white of the sails.

The ship was possibly only a minute from crashing into the shore. Rio didn't know if he could get far enough if he ran, and what would he do if the two kits and Mew got hurt? What if the mountain broke? The only thing that could stop his mind from racing was the sudden, intense cold that washed over him. He couldn't tell what the source was, up until he noticed the ocean near the ship start to sparkle.

Suddenly, waves of ice formed under the ship, shooting towards the island. In the blink of an eye, a large pathway of blue, transparent ice trailed overhead, curving around the mountain and looping back to the water. It happened so suddenly that Rio was knocked on his backside. He looked up just in time to see the ship speeding along the ice, coming in so fast that a powerful wind nearly flipped Rio over, spraying him with chilled saltwater. Watching it travel along the ice, wrapping so gracefully around the mountain, the light of the sun giving it a golden glow, made the ship look like it was flying overhead. Mew and the other two made it just in time to see the ship crash back into the water. At the same time, the ice completely shattered into sparkling snow, fluttering over them.

"Whoa…" Rio muttered, sitting in the sand. His heart was racing, his head spinning, and his body shaking from what just happened. It was amazingly terrifying, and he felt that was putting it gently. "Wh-What the hell just ha–"

Mew then crashed into Rio's chest, stars in her eyes as tried to catch as much snow as she could. "Wow wow WOW! It's actually snowing?! But it's still sunny! But it's so pretty!" she cheered.

Before Rio could do anything about Mew, Kai did the same thing, then Mia immediately after. Rio wheezed and fell back into the now-wet sand. "Aw man! We missed the first part!" Kai cried out, still delighted as he then grinned and threw his arms up into the air. "But this is still amazing! That was so cool!"

Rio let out a pained groan, which the other three didn't seem to care for. The Lucario didn' bother moving, not that he could. He was still tired from running all the way here, and these three didn't even try to slow down before colliding with him. "I thought… I was… steel…" he croaked, then fell limp in the sand.

Another rush of cold air came from over the water, and the sound of water snap-freezing crawled up to shore. Which was quickly followed by Kai cheering loudly. "Uncle! Uncle!" the kit cried out as he and Mia ran off of Rio towards the shore. "Uncle you're back!"

Rio propped himself up on his elbows to get an actual good look at this "uncle." What he saw, skating over the ice, was… a Zangoose, actually, who Kai and Mia ran right past. A tall one, with powerful crimson streaks instead of Eva's pink. Actually, thinking about Eva… this Zangoose looked remarkably like her. To the point where, when they got on shore, Rio tilted his head and asked, "Eva..? When did you… get on a boat?"

Zangoose blinked, staring back at Rio, then at Mew, then back at Rio. They tilted their head and crossed their arms, confusion on their face. "...Who are you? And why do you know that name?"

Correction, that was indeed a lady. A mother, it seemed. Rio sat up, his face bright red as he bowed an apology. "O-Oh, uh, I'm… I'm a friend!" he sputtered.

"A friend, huh? Must be that new Outlander the Guildmaster told us about. What's his name again? River? No… Ain't it somethin' more like Leo?" Before Rio could be curious about who "uncle" was, another voice spoke up from behind Zangoose. It was definitely a guy's voice, gruff and tough, and oh so familiar to Minerva's. Hearing it, Rio went silent and stood up, a feeling of longing growing in his chest.

From behind Zangoose came a short, black Pokemon, with powerful white claws, and a red collar, a big red fan on his head, and two red feather-like ears. The Pokemon carried Kai and Mia in his arms, a bright, toothy grin on his muzzle as the two nuzzled into him. Both kits seemed to be almost too big for him. Either Kai and Mia were a lot bigger than Rio realized, or whoever this guy was… was incredibly short "Hey, hey! I missed the both of ya too, but what'd I tell ya about gettin' all huggy, huh?" he chuckled.

"You said, you said uh…" Kai hummed, then shook his head. "You said to get as huggy as we wanted!" he snickered.

"Oh so now we're lyin' huh?" "Uncle" grinned, bopping Kai on the head with his chin. "Well ain't that a pity, 'cuz liars ain't gettin' any gifts!"

Kai and Mia's eyes went wide, and they frantically shook their heads. "B-But that's what you said! I swear!" Kai whined, he and Mia shoving their paws into their uncle's face. "C'mon! Don't be a meanie!"

"Oooo! Oooo! I wanna get a gift too!" Mew cooed, about to fly into the shorter 'mon's arms when Zangoose caught her tail.

"How old are you?" Zangoose asked, confused. "And I doubt we have anything for you, either."

"Don't stress about it, Heather. I'm sure I got somethin'... for…" "Uncle"'s voice trailed off as he spotted Rio, looking him up until their eyes met. Everything fell silent, then "Uncle" set the two kits down. "You… You're… Rio?" he asked with disbelief lining his voice.

Rio slowly nodded his head. "Uh… y-yeah..?"

The two stare at each other for a while, until a sudden cream-colored blur tackled the shorter 'mon to the ground. "Pops!" the blur cheered, being so obviously Minerva's voice but sounding almost childlike. "What the hell, ya couldn't wait a minute longer for me to show up Snowflake?" she snickered, lifting him up off the ground.

"It ain't my fault ya ain't got to shore, Powerhouse!" the short 'mon scoffed, wrapping Minerva up in a hug. Aside from the crest on the guy's head, they were exactly the same height. "I can't believe Rio got here before ya! Might as well adopt him since he's the only one who cares!"

"Ha!" Minerva snorted and rolled her eyes. "I ain't dealin' with 'im as a brother, he's already enough as a damn friend!"

Rio shook his head, then pouted and crossed his arms. "H-Hey! I… feel like that's an insult!" he huffed, glaring at the two.

"Yea yea," "Uncle" said as Minerva set him down. He then cleared his throat and offered a paw to Rio. "Then allow me to apologize an' greet ya proper. Name's Frost. An' just so ya know, bein' an Outlander an' all, I'm a Weavile."

Minerva scooted in close to Frost, grinning. "An' he's the average height of 'em too! Just like how I'm average height for a Meowth!" she added. "Just so we're clear, ya know."

'Frost…' Rio hummed to himself, the name fittingly sending chills through his body. He quickly shook them off, then crouched and reached for Frost's paw. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Frost," he said with a friendly smile. As soon as Rio grabbed Frost, a surge of coolness rushed through the Lucario's body and the two froze in place for a moment, then quickly pulled away from each other.

"...Huh," Frost blinked, holding his paw, then grinned. "How about that," he muttered quietly, then spun around to the others. While Frost and Rio were doing their thing, Mew, Kai, and Mia had pretty much attached themselves to Heather, and she seemed less than pleased. The Weavile snickered at the sight and crossed his arms. "Well, we oughta go on an' report, yea? C'mon Powerhouse, an' Blue too. We got a meetin' to attend."

"Meeting..?" Rio blinked, watching as Frost walked past him. He looked down at his paw, flexing it, feeling the chill still fading from it, then shook his head and asked, "Wait, meeting with who? For what?"

Heather, with her new buddies in her arms, walked by and replied, "Considering you and your friends are aiming to join the guild, who would you assume this meeting to be with and about?" she asked, a faint smile on her muzzle. "I'm surprised Evaline finally convinced that hard-headed Zen to commit to a team…" she muttered mostly to herself.

Heather's question hung in the air for a moment as it slowly dawned on Rio and Minerva. "We get to…" Rio began.

"Meet the guildmaster..?" Minerva finished. They pair looked at each other, then took on excited grins as they hurried behind Frost and the others.

"Yeah!" Kai cheered, he, Mia, and Mew throwing their paws in the air. "We're meeting with the guildmaster!"

"What's a guildmaster!" Mew said in a similar tone, then snickered after. "Sounds like fun!"

---

Walking through the guild, knowing they were going to meet with the 'mon in charge, had Rio and Minerva both excited and anxious about it. So much so that they forgot to see if Kora and Zen had woken up until they already arrived at the guildmaster's quarters. Frost put his paw on the door to the Guildmaster's Quarters, and the torches beside it burned an icy blue, then the door creaked open.

Frost and Heather led the others to a big room to the right, with a huge stone table in the middle, and an odd looking gem in the ceiling above it. They were told to take a seat, and did so without question, taking the time to chat and theorize among themselves. Not too long later, Nari and her trio entered, but Nari herself went to another room with Heather, then Kane and Eva arrived. A short while later, Nate and Zeke showed up with Diana behind them, who seemed curious about what was going on and was vaguely tense until she saw the others sitting around.

With everyone gathered, Frost stood on the table and cleared his throat. Despite his stature, he had a surprising air of authority to him, quieting everyone before he spoke. "Alright, I've got some big, big news for everyone," Frost said, loud and clear. "Firstly, let's start with the positive news. I wanted to come out and say congratulations for holdin' your own against Lee for so long. We heard about him offshore, and how much chaos he caused… The fact y'all pulled through with only two down for the count is beyond remarkable."

The air was tense at the mention of Lee, Rio could feel it. Perhaps everyone still had a sore spot regarding the wolf, but he couldn't blame them. He himself didn't want to think about that red nightmare any longer either.

"It's a shame he got off with a Time Gear, one we couldn't get a hold on ourselves, but it only matters that you're all still alive an' kickin'," Frost added with a proud grin, which helped ease the tension somewhat. Frost then turned his attention to Jay, Nina, and Lucas, his grin remaining proud and true. "Secondly, regardin' Team Nari, I'm more than happy to say that you three are officially members of the Sunrise Guild. Part of why Heather an' I were out was to pick up you're new equipment to celebrate."

Nina lit up, jumping out of her seat. "W-Wait, really?!"

Lucas did the same, leaning over the table. "We actually made it in?!"

Jay raised a brow and crossed his arms. "What of the exploration team exam? Is that… not a thing? I was certain it was…"

Frost nodded and chuckled. "Yea, it is. Notice how I said y'all are official members now, not an official team," he answered, chuckling again as Nina and Lucas deflated. "Don't worry, the team exam ain't gonna be half as difficult as what y'all've been through here. Which brings me onto my next point." Frost then looked at Minerva, Kane, Eva, and Rio. "You four were already considered being accepted into the guild, but what happened have cemented your place firmly…"

Frost paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. Rio and Minerva both leaned in, and Kane and Eva both looked at each other, proud, as if expecting what Frost was about to say. Up until he said it.

"...At the front of the line to be accepted!" Frost beamed. As silence fell, he gave a hearty laugh.

"W-Wait, what?" Eva blinked, confused. "But I thought we were already..?"

"Yeah, ain't we already, like, unofficially a part of the guild?" Kane finished, crossing his arms and gritting his teeth. He and Minerva certainly shared that sentiment.

Frost pointed at the Scrafty and nodded. "Emphasis on unofficial, Scales. The only one of any of you that officially applied was Zen, and then he denied himself his acceptance," he explained, then pointed at Nate and Zeke for them to continue. "Y'all got the floor, I ain't speakin' for this whole thing."

Zeke nodded, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "While we agreed to train Rio and Minerva, and while Minerva, Eva, and Kora are all children of some of our elite members, those factors alone can't bring any of you into the guild properly."

"B-But what about kickin' Lee's a– butt?" Minerva scoffed, her ear flicking irritably. "Ain't that worth somethin'?"

Nate shook his head. "At that point, what the six of you did was nothing more than guild-approved vigilante work. And even then… none of us ended up stopping him either," he said with a low growl. "Even if we did, that wouldn't change the fact that you need to follow the same channels and walk the same path as every other member of the guild. Favoritism will only go so far."

"Well… shoot," Rio blinked, falling back in his seat. "I mean, that makes sense, but like…"

"Yea, I get the disappointment, but rules are rules," Frost sucked his teeth and shook his head, then pepped right back up. "But, like I said, y'all's effort ain't goin' unnoticed. Not only did y'all confront what was basically a criminal, y'all also ventured into an unmapped dungeon and came out relatively unscathed. Y'all even saved some folks from it too."

At that, Mew happily flew up from her seat. "Yeah! Me and Rachi!" she purred. "I dunno where he is, but I know he's happy, hehe! I bet he found a nice place in the sun, maybe a bunch of sugar, oh! Oh oh oh! Maybe he's gonna get a big ol' cake to thank you all!"

"We appreciate the enthusiasm, Mew. But please, sit down and be quiet," Diana spoke, gentle, but firm. Mew gave a salute and did as she was told. It was faint, but… Rio could have sworn Diana was tense over something. There was this… uneasy look in her eye. No, unsettled? Unnerved? It was hard to tell…

"Yea, thanks Di. Love the haircut by the way, really sells the strong old lady look," Frost nodded and grinned at the Zoroark, then continued on. "By the end of the week, or perhaps even sooner, we're gonna set out for a place called Azure City. It's on the mainland continent, and from there Team Nari will begin their team exams, and the rest of you will be takin' a basic entry test. It is by the Guildmaster's request that we extend this offer to Mew and… Rachi, was it? As well as that Paras we heard you also recovered."

"What?" Minerva and Rio both gasped, deadpanned.

"Really?!" Mew exclaimed, utterly delighted. "Does that mean that Rio, Minerva and I will be the bestest buddies too? Can we be on the same team? Will we go on adventures together forever and ever?" Despite how excited she was, Mew stayed firmly in her seat.

Frost chuckled and smiled slightly. "That's up to y'all to decide. An' I'm sure they'd be more than happy to keep ya," he said with a wink. That was enough to set Mew off, as she dove into Rio and Minerva, tightly hugging them both. Minerva sent death glares to her father, who laughed them off.

"Can we please go on with this meeting?" Diana asked, crossing her arms and gripping her bicep. Zeke and Nate both took notice of this, glancing at each other before looking back to Frost.

"Right right," Frost nodded again, clearing his throat. He held his paws behind his back, then looked at Team Nari. "As for this part of the meetin', you three are dismissed. I look forward to seein' y'all graduate into proper explorers," he said with a genuine smile. "Although, when we're completely done here, Nari is gonna ask you three some questions, if you don't mind."

Jay, Nina, and Lucas looked surprised, then smiled and nodded back before taking their leave. After they were gone, Frost let out a sigh and cracked his neck. "Well, now onto the more important part of this meetin'," he sighed, turning to Diana specifically, then addressed everyone else. "All of you that went into the dungeon beyond the door… For as high of an accomplishment as that was, we are well aware that you lot were woefully under-equipped for such a venture. Not only that, but you all are our only witnesses that can tell us what is down there, and the… the Guildmaster himself asked you all to stay for the interrogation."

"Interrogation..?" Rio repeated, tensing slightly. "Wh-Why do you have to put it like that?"

"Because that's what it is. We also need your testimony on Lee. He's obviously a criminal, but we ain't ever heard about 'im. Absolutely nothin', and for someone in search of the Time Gears, that's an issue," Frost replied coldly, then faced Rio himself. "And… there's someone who actually needs to be interrogated. I'm sure you all are familiar with him. The Zoroark named Z."

Rio, Minerva, and Eva all froze, shocked. "Z? Z's still… but he…" Rio sputtered, looking off to the side.

"That rat left with Lee! Just went an' took off when we had to deal with Kora an' Kai!" Minerva growled. "Damn near left us to die…"

"What is he… still doing on the island?" Eva muttered, shivering slightly. "Is… Is Lee..?"

Kane put his hand on Eva's arm in an attempt to reassure her. "He ain't. I bet that coward just ditched Z with his tail between his legs. That scumbag would have to be braindead to stay here."

Frost raised a paw, drawing everyone silent, then gestured to Zeke. The Blaziken leaned on the table, his chin resting on his claws, then spoke. "Nate and I detained Z not too long after we recovered from our own injuries." As Zeke went on, Nate got up from his chair and entered another room, which Zeke didn't acknowledge. "He didn't put up a fight, claimed that he was alone, and that he wanted to be arrested. We've kept him locked up in here, since the guild wasn't built with taking prisoners in mind."

"So we just kept a criminal, not only alive on the island, but in the guild, for, what, two days? Three?" Diana asked, her eyes narrowing on Zeke. This surprised almost everyone, especially Kai and Mia, who both huddled together on the same chair. Diana didn't notice, or perhaps didn't care, about anyone else at the moment, focusing entirely on Zeke still. "Did you do anything to actually detain him? Did any of you at least suppress him?"

"There wasn't a need to. Z didn't just not put up a fight, he… pretty much shut down as soon as we brought him in," Zeke explained, looking back at Diana uneasily. "He was cooperative, answered anything we asked, up until a certain point, and didn't move from his one spot this entire time. He… didn't eat either."

"So what? We're supposed to take pity on his sorry ass for sidin' with Lee? Should we turn the other cheek too since stabbin' us in the back just ain't cuttin' it?" Minera asked through gritted teeth, electricity crackling around her."

Frost eyed Minerva's sparks, then shook his head. "I ain't askin' ya to forgive 'im, and we ain't forgivin' 'im either. We might not take prisoners, but we have ways to handle criminals. In due time, I promise," he said, then sighed. "We got more important matters at hand anyway."

"Do we?" Diana asked with a growl.

"Yea," Frost replied, then pointed at Kai and Mia and nodded towards the door. "You two, step outside for a while, and don't enter until we say so. Guildmaster's orders."

Kai was about to protest, but took one glance at his mother and quietly agreed. He and Mia quickly left the room. As soon as they did, Diana slammed her paw on the table, blue electricity shooting off of her, startling everyone but Zeke and Frost. "And who is this Guildmaster to order my child around?" she growled, looking about ready to attack Frost.

"Di," Frost said coldly, a faint chill filling the room. "I need you to calm down."

"I don't think I will," Diana retorted. "I've sensed something vile ever since I stepped into this room. I had my doubts, my hopes that I was just imagining things, but it hasn't gone away. Knowing your protocol for criminal detainment has certainly not helped either, Frost."

Frost shook his head. "Diana, I'm being serious. Calm down. I won't ask again. I need you to trust me, ok?"

Diana suddenly tensed up, her breathing becoming rapid. Rio honestly thought she was about to attack Frost, he could practically see her leaping over the table to punch the Weavile senseless. But, fortunately, that attack never came. Eventually, Diana took a deep breath, or several, and sat back in her seat.

"Alright. Fine," Diana said, her motherly demeanor returning but it didn't seem genuine. "I'll be calm. You have my word."

Frost thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Diana, you're a terrible liar," he said, disappointed. "You and I will discuss this part later, but for now, you are dismissed." Diana was about to retort when Frost shot a cold glare at her, letting out a cloudy exhale. "You. Are. Dismissed."

Diana eyes widened, surprised at first, but then nodded her head and got up to leave. She and Frost shared a tense stare as she passed, but she left without a word. After a moment of silence, Frost turned back to the remaining five, and Zeke. "I ask that the rest of you also remain calm, although I doubt any of you will have as drastic a reaction as Diana would," he said with a soft smile, briefly locking eyes with Rio before exiting the room.

Not too long later, Frost returned, followed by Nate, Heather, James, and Nari. They stood at the front of the room, and Zeke went to join them. Afterwards, another Pokemon revealed itself. It was small and yellow, with a brown chest and shoulder pads, feline-like ears, a long tapered tail, and it floated casually above the ground with its eyes shut. As soon as Rio saw it, his body froze again, and that feeling of longing returned to him.

"Greetings, to you all," the small Pokemon, sounding about as young as it looked. Younger than everyone else in the room, actually. "I am the Guildmaster of the Sunrise Guild, but for the sake of being casual, you may call me–"

"M-Maxwell..?" Rio muttered, then blinked and covered his mouth. "Wait… What?" The rest of his friends looked at him, just as confused as he was.

The Guildmaster smiled, then nodded. "Yes, my name is Maxwell. How astute of you, Outlander Rio." Now everyone looked back at Maxwell, even more confused. The floating 'mon chuckled, going over to the table and waving slightly. "I take it you've all heard of me, yes?"

"Uh, yeah," Minerva said, trying to shake the confusion away. "Last I checked, you were the asshole that our parents nearly died tryin' to defeat." After saying that, Diana looked directly at Frost, gesturing between him and Maxwell.

"You know, super evil scientist? Worked with Giratina? Was an Alakazam and should be dead two decades over?" Eva added, glancing at Heather and James. She also set Kane back in his own seat. "Did we not get that story right?"

Rio rubbed his temple, his eyes not once leaving Maxwell. "H-How..? Why?" he muttered.

Maxwell raised a hand and shook his head. "Please, I know you all have a surplus of questions, but for now, the stories you have been told is all you need to know," he answered, then cleared his throat and stood in mid air. "As Guildmaster of the Sunrise Guild, I would like to personally thank you for your battle against Lee, in defense of the Time Gear," Maxwell said with a low, respectful bow.

No one else knew how to respond, so Maxwell continued. "Also, as Guildmaster, I ask that you all cooperate with me today. It's simply protocol to chart all we know about any given dungeon after an exploration, as well as the details of any criminal activity we may have tried to halt, be it a success or a failure," he said, turning a bit somber as he returned to that casual sitting position. "And I will not sugar coat that this was indeed a failure."

Minerva scoffed and crossed her arms. "No need to rub it in, asshole. We were there," she huffed.

"I am aware, yes. But it is important going forward since I am putting you all, as well as Kora and Zen as they awake, up to the task of retrieving that Time Gear," Maxwell replied. "That is, if you can pass the basic and team exam."

More confused faces fell over the five. Well, four, since Mew herself was still just staring at Maxwell.

"Why?" Kane eventually asked, tilting his head. "The hell's the point of throwin' us at 'im again? Why can't your posse of elites handle 'im?"

Maxwell chuckled and shook his head. "There are about a hundred reasons I cannot send all of my elites out to hunt a criminal like Lee. At best, I could only send three, and I know that wouldn't be enough to stop a being with a divine artifact."

Minerva rolled her eyes, growling lowly. "Ok, again, why the hell are ya sendin' us then?"

"If you let me finish, I would have answered that," Maxwell said, not sounding annoyed at all, actually. "The simple answer itself is obvious. You have the Outlander with you," he said, pointing at the Lucario in question.

Knowing the conversation shifted to him, Rio blinked and shook his head. "Uh, should I be… flattered?" he tittered, then winced, holding his head again.

"Not at all, it is why you were sent here in the first place, no?" Maxwell asked, tilting his head.

"Why I was..?" Rio groaned, rubbing both his temples. His confusion was even more apparent, and he looked borderline distressed. As if trying to remember something. "I don't… know what you mean..? I think?"

It was Maxwell's turn to be silent as he studied Rio, a hand on his chin. He hummed quietly, then shook his head. "I see. Regardless, you will certainly be integral to beating Lee. If not you, then the rest of you, as per the more complex answer. I need not remind you that you all are unique, correct? And Kora and Zen even more so?"

"Now… should we be flattered?" Eva asked with a weak titter. She seemed uneasy at that, for a moment.

"In that, I would say yes. You may have failed to stop Lee, but as Frost told you all, surviving against a wielder of a divine artifact is no small feat," Maxwell nodded. "All of you show great potential. Call it my bias, or perhaps wishful thinking, but I believe you all will do a great many things."

Silence filled the room again as Rio, Minerva, Kane, and Eva looked between each other. It didn't seem any of them knew what to say. Understandably so. James then stepped forward, and after clearing his throat, the Floatzel spoke, "We understand that this is a lot to take in, which is why we wanted to address this as soon as possible before we set off towards Azure," he said with a respectful bow.

Nari stepped forward, arms crossed. "However… Z, and your reports about the dungeon, are also matters we need to take care of as soon as possible. If you need time to gather your thoughts, you're free to go for the time being."

"We have plenty of time to gather each of your findings, so there's really no rush," Nate added. "Frankly, I'd say it'd be better to wait anyway."

All of the elites, and Maxwell, bowed their heads and stepped to the side. Silence came again, but it seemed like the others agreed to leave. Kane was the first to go, followed closely by Eva who gave Heather and James a quick hug as she passed. Minerva was next, arms crossed and with an uncertain look on her face. Mew flew out, giving everyone a wave and a smile.

But when Rio was about to leave, Frost grabbed his paw and stopped him. The both of them froze again, catching Maxwell's attention. "I know ya wanna go and process this, but… I oughta speak with ya. An' I'd rather do it sooner than later," Frost said, turning to Maxwell. "You in too, Max?"

"Certainly, if the Outlander would have me," Maxwell replied with a chuckle. He looked to each of the other elites, then nodded. "The rest of you are dismissed. Thank you for your time."

Without another word, the other elites cleared out, leaving Rio, Frost, and Maxwell alone. Frankly it felt like Rio was dragged into whatever this was without the chance to deny it… and yet he didn't think he would have anyway.

Rio took back his seat, breathed in deeply, then exhaled. He needed a moment to organize his thoughts, setting aside everything that was just dropped on him for what's been bothering him since Frost first showed up. "...What the hell is going on?" he asked Maxwell, lost and confused but containing it well. "Wh-Why did I know your name? Why do we freeze whenever Frost and I touch? What do you mean "why I was sent here?"'

"Slow down, Rio," Maxwell said calmly, floating in front of the Outlander. "Your confusion is warranted but you need to stay calm." Maxwell waited for Rio to take his advice, seeing the Lucario breath in and out, then continued. "Let's start with the last question. You, being an Outlander, came here with the sole purpose of something. As numerous as humans may be, they each were told a reason for their appearance," he explained, a more gentle look forming on his face. "I am… sorry, that I was unaware you had some sort of amnesia. It wasn't reported as such. Then again, I don't recall anyone asking you anything of the sort."

Rio flinched, then held his head again. "No, No I remember that… I was supposed to save… something. The world? No..? I don't…" he growled quietly, then sighed. "I don't know. I know that Zen kept mentioning it, and that Diana said she was sent to do something like that, but…" Rio looked to Maxwell, concerned. "I don't remember if I was told that. Was I supposed to?"

Maxwell and Frost glanced at each other, then focused back on Rio. "Ordinarily," Maxwell answered with a soft shake to his head. "Do you recall anything about who sent you here? Their shape, if possible? Their voice?"

Rio focused for a moment, but came up blank. "N-No… I don't. I feel like I should, right?"

"Again, ordinarily," Maxwell hummed. He floated closer to Rio, studying his face, then looked at the band on Rio's right arm. "But you are far from ordinary, aren't you?"

"I-I guess?" Rio tittered, wincing again. "I don't know what you mean, though."

"You will learn in due time," Maxwell shook his head, smiling. "Now then, onto your other questions. If I am correct, they're both connected by one cause."

Frost, out of nowhere, hopped onto Rio's lap and looked him dead in the eye. The Weavile's red eyes locked with the Lucario's green. "Yea, stand still for a sec, I gotta check somethin'," he said. Rio let out a peep, but nodded and stayed as calm as possible. It felt like an odd time to realize this, but Frost really was like Minerva, or was it the other way around? Even worse, his tail slowly started to wag.

Fortunately, Rio didn't have to focus on either of those for long, as Frost put both his paws on Rio's chest. They were so cold and weirdly strong, and tickled. All of Rio's fur stood on end. "H-Hey, what are you–?"

Frost held Rio's mouth shut with a paw as he parted Rio's fur with the other, revealing a rather large scar on his chest. Which Rio himself was surprised to see, and felt a painful tug on his chest as he saw it. Frost paused, wincing, then turned to Maxwell. "...Scar's here," he muttered, then suddenly leapt onto Rio's back. "Lean forward a bit." Rio, again, quietly obliged. Feeling Frost's paws on his back wasn't any better than on his chest, but the Weavile quickly stopped. Then… started to shudder. "An' it goes all the way through, too. Ain't no mistakin' it."

"N-No mistaking what?" Rio swallowed, getting out of his seat. He spun around, redness on his face and a claw pointed at Frost. "A-And why were you f-f-feeling me up like that?! What the hell?!"

Frost held up his paws, then leaned on the back of the chair. "How do ya expect me to part all that fur, huh? That, and I had to make sure the scars were there." He then looked into Rio's eyes again, frowning slightly. "Are you sure you're not Orion?"

At that, Rio froze, staring back at Frost. "You… know about Orion?" he muttered, then shook his head. "I mean, that makes sense, but… Why would I be..?"

"Orion… died from something piercing through his body, it left a hole exactly where those scars of yours are," Maxwell explained, sadness hanging on his voice. "And aside from your eyes, you're the spitting image of him." He sighed, then chuckled weakly. "It has only been a decade and I have already forgotten how short he was…"

"I'm not… that short," Rio pouted, turning away. Partially to hide the redness still on his face, but also because he didn't know what to do or say here. Or even what to think. Did that have something to do with Orion being in his head? Is… that how Outlanders worked? If they look like someone, they just gain that voice in their head?

…No, that made no sense. None of it did. And it's not like Rio could ask Orion, since the voice was quiet practically the entire day. Should he ask Maxwell and Frost about this? Was he really dead for ten years? Should Rio… tell them about Orion's voice in his head? Would Orion… want that?

Rio's thoughts were interrupted by chilly claws resting on his shoulder. "Hey kid, you alright?" Frost asked, tilting his head. "Ya've been starin' into nothin' for a while."

"Huh, oh, uh… No I'm fine," Rio said, tittering after. "It's just, you know, this is still a lot to take in. All of this is. It has been from the start, but I'll manage, just like I have been," he smiled and nodded. That didn't feel like the greatest promise, all things considered…

Frost gave a warm grin and patted Rio's shoulder. "That's what I like to hear. Ain't no friend of my lil powerhouse is gonna start crumblin' under pressure."

"Yes, that is certainly an admirable mentality to have," Maxwell added, floating up to Rio. Rio couldn't tell if his face was naturally gentle-looking, or if Maxwell was trying to look like that. "Is there anything else bothering you, however? It is my duty as Guildmaster to treat my underlings, whether they have just joined or will soon be, to the best of my ability."

Rio raised a brow. "Really? Even if they can't see you, like, ever?"

"I myself may have to be in hiding, but that is why I have close companions in Frost and the other elites. They are an extension of myself, for more than just that reason," Maxwell said, then started floating towards the exit of the room. "With that being said… I have but one last request of you. A simple request, and a short one, I hope."

"Hope?" Rio repeated, following Maxwell anyway. He was grateful the Guildmaster didn't try to press his question, but was himself wanting to ask what Maxwell was talking about. Both about this request, and whatever reasons he'd need the elites for.

"Yes, as it turns out, Z has requested for you specifically on numerous occasions. In fact, other than Kora, Z only asked for your attendance," Maxwell explained, putting his fist to his chin and swaying his tail from side to side. "I don't know why he thinks so highly of you two, but considering the natural aggression present in your companions…"

Frost crossed his arms and grinned up at Maxwell, tapping his foot on the ground. "That ain't includin' us elites, right? Or is it just his friends?" he scoffed.

"You already know the answer," Maxwell chuckled before facing Rio again. "But I digress, and I would rather not have you waste any more of your time, Outlander. Come. The sooner we conclude this meeting, the sooner all of us can let our minds clear."

Frost snickered, rolling his eyes and heading for the exit himself. "Right, then I'll get outta your hair, Baldie," he cooed to Maxwell, then waved a salute to Rio. "See ya, kid. I got my own to check up on."

Rio nodded and followed Maxwell, waving goodbye to Frost. It wasn't all that hard to believe that Z would want to speak with him out of everyone else, or Kora, even. But did the Zoroark really not eat anything for days? That… couldn't have been healthy. It definitely wasn't.

---

Maxwell led Rio down a hall right in front of the door to the quarters, with rooms lining up on either side, and stopped at a room at the far end of it. Each room had a door painted a specific color, and this one was a light blue, and heavy looking, door. To show off that it was indeed heavy, Maxwell actually strained himself pushing it open, letting a cool breeze flow out of the room behind it.

Inside was a mattress, a closed chest, and a black and red rug, and a desk with plates of un-touched food, some of which had gone stale. Food aside, this room was definitely nice. Spacious feeling, despite how small it actually was, probably barely big enough for all of Rio's friends to stand in comfortably.

On top of the mattress was a big bundle of red, rising and falling gently as quiet snores left it. "Hm, it seems Z is asleep," Maxwell whispered, but shook his head. "I would hate to wake him up, but this is a bit more important than rest." He floated over and poked the big red mane, and almost instantly it unfurled.

Z was… still out cold, but now sprawled out on a bed that was clearly too small for him. Rio snickered, then walked over himself. "Alright, let me try something," he whispered. Rio placed a paw on Z's chest, and almost immediately the Zoroark reached out and grabbed Rio in a hug. And was still asleep. "Well that was a mistake," Rio deadpanned, getting a laugh out of Maxwell. Luckily, Z's hold on him wasn't all that strong, so he slipped his arms out and grabbed Z's shoulders and shook the fox. "Hey! Z! Wake up!" he shouted.

In response, Z shouted and sat up, clutching onto Rio as if the Lucario was a stuffed animal. "I-I'm up! I'm up!" he sputtered, then blinked, looking down in his arms to see Rio there. Z's face lit up, and he hugged Rio more tightly, letting out happy purrs and rubbing his cheek against Rio's. "You're alright! I knew you'd be fine but I can't believe I was right! I was so worried!" he cried out.

Rio simply let it happen, tittering shyly. "H-Hey, it's fine! It's…" he paused, then shook his head. "No, no it wasn't fine, you left us with Kora and Kai! What's up with that?" he asked, although he didn't sound nearly as mad as he thought he should be.

"I-I know, I'm sorry, I really am," Z muttered, letting go of Rio and sighing. "It's… just, Lee was being precautious. But I knew I messed up and had to make it up to you guys so… I came back. Don't worry, Lee isn't here, I promise… it's just me," he smiled, briefly hugging Rio again. "I'm really, really sorry."

…Rio wanted to be mad longer, or at all, but that was damn near impossible here. He sighed and hugged Z back, then stood up and crossed his arms. "Alright just because I forgive you doesn't mean that I should have, or that the others will either."

"I know, I'm just glad you aren't tearing me apart," Z tittered anxiously, then looked at Maxwell with the brightest smile on his face. "Thank you so much, Max! I really owe you one!"

Maxwell smiled back and nodded. "And I will be using that favor immediately. Or rather, I'll just enforce the second part of our deal."

"Deal?" Rio asked, looking between the two.

"Y-Yeah, that's fine. But after this," Z said with a sure grin. He then stood and grabbed Rio's paws, a giddy look in his eye. "I wanna make it up to everyone, so I wanna help wake up Kora and Zen! And also get everyone food! And maybe also eat!" he blurted out, then quickly breathed in and out and continued, "Wait, hold on, I missed a part actually. But I can wake up Kora and Zen!"

"R-Really?" Rio asked, taken aback at first, then skeptical, then just excited at the idea. "Really?!"

"Yeah!" Z cheered, throwing his and Rio's paws in the air. "That'll probably get everyone to not wanna kill me, right?"

Maxwell laughed and shook his head. "So that was all you were asking to see Rio for? Your fear of the others lashing out at you?" he asked. "Not to say that the notion is absurd, but the exact opposite. You are far smarter than I initially gave you credit for."

Z grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Aw, thanks! Pays to know when your friends will probably wanna break you in half, right?" he snickered, then slapped his cheeks and refocused. "So! Like, uh, can I go do the thing now?"

"Of course, but first, I need you to wear this," Maxwell nodded, then snapped his fingers. His body took on a pink glow all of a sudden, then a box appeared before him. He opened it, and inside was a token? It had a morning sun rising from behind a jet back mountain with a silver frame in the shape of rays of light from the sun. "This badge will keep you in check until you've proven yourself as a useful asset to Sunrise, as well as a capable guild member."

Rio and Z both stared at the apparent badge, in awe of how pretty it was, then both looked up at Maxwell. "Wait, what?" they both asked.

"Yes, this is your punishment, Z. For assisting a criminal against the guild, you are sentenced to reformation and will be under our watchful eye at all times," Maxwell explained with a grin, a faint pink glow in his eyes. "You will take the same basic entry exam as your peers, but you will not be able to join a team, nor will you be able to stray more than a mile from any of our elites or myself and you will have a myriad of restrictions set on yourself once we are off the island, until Lee is captured."

Z blinked, then smiled brightly. "S-So I'm not actually getting punished?" he asked.

"In a sense, no, but you are far from a free Pokemon now. You cannot return to Lee without us knowing, and if we sense even the faintest hint of betrayal from you, or hesitation when we have to confront Lee, you will be… dealt with," Maxwell answered with a grim tone, looking away. "I would prefer it didn't come to that, mind you."

"Y-Yeah, me neither," Z flinched and tittered, then took the badge and looked it over again. "So I just put it on, right? Is there a band or..?"

Maxwell shook his head. "Just hold it over where you'd like it to go, and send a miniscule amount of aura into it, and the badge itself will handle the rest. It's made of a rare metal that reacts to one's aura, stretching and shifting into any shape you would desire, within its own limits."

"Alright," Z said, then held the badge in front of his neck. For a split second, or perhaps even faster, a faint, light glow appeared around Z's clawtips. The badge lit up instantly, all of its colors turning bright and vibrant. Two of the rays on the side stretched all the way around Z's neck, and the badge fastened itself in place. "Cooooooool…" Z muttered, stars in his eyes.

"Really cool…" Rio nodded. He wanted one. He really wanted one. "Oh, and, uh… now we can just… go, right?" he asked Maxwell, his tail beginning to wag behind him.

The floating 'mon nodded, moving to the side and gesturing towards the door. "But of course. This has been a rather fulfilling chat, Outlander Rio. I hope you rest well, both of you," he said, looking directly at Z before shifting his gaze to Z. "And you, Z. I look forward to your cooperation, and your new future as a future Sunrise member."

With a bright smile, Z dove towards Maxwell with the intent to hug. "Thank you!" he cheered, as he crashed into the wall behind the Guildmaster. Maxwell quickly zipped to the side.

"I appreciate the notion, but I would rather not risk a hug like this," Maxwell chuckled. "Perhaps later, when you are properly reformed. But until then… I ask you to refrain from touching me."

"Aww…" Z whined, picking himself up off the ground and rubbing his snout. He pouted for a moment, but it quickly went away for a bright grin. "I'll just hold you to that then, hehe! But for now, I got friends to make up with!" The Zoroark grabbed Rio by the arm, grinning excitedly from ear to ear. "We got no time to waste!"

"H-Hey, wait a sec," Rio tittered, but Z was already dragging him out that door. Or… trying to. Really Rio was expecting something more, for how lean the Zoroark was, and tall… Z didn't seem all that strong. "Oh, uh… Hm," Rio hummed, putting his other paw to his chin, watching Z struggle to even move him. "I'm so used to being dragged around… This is definitely new to me." He wasn't… heavy, right? Rio shook the thought from his head and slipped his paw out of Z's grasp, and the fox rolled out into the hall.

"Fascinating…" Maxwell muttered, then cleared his throat and waved to Rio. "Regardless, you two take care. And, Rio, if it isn't too much to ask… Do watch over Z. As best you can. You know your friends about as well as I do, and forgiveness from them seems… like a stretch," the Guildmaster said with a sigh. "Do be careful, both of you."

Rio gave a sure nod and a grin. "You can count on me," he answered, then spun on his heel and made his exit.

Z popped right up off the ground and flashed a friendly, toothy grin. "See ya later, floating little Abra man!" he snickered, then ran off to follow Rio.

That sentence caught Maxwell off guard, leaving him stunned for a moment. "Floating little…" he repeated under his breath, then smiled and chuckled as he closed the door behind them. "How cute."

---

With Z's "encouragement," being a fancy way of saying that the Zoroark pushed Rio through the halls as hard as he could, the two made it to the infirmary relatively quickly. However, they stopped at the door. There were voices inside, several in fact. Tia, as expected, but Minerva and Eva as well.

"Uh, Rio…" Z muttered, holding onto Rio's shoulder. "I got a favor to ask really quick."

"I can only imagine why," Rio hummed, then nodded. "You want me to try and butter up Minerva and Eva for ya?"

"Y-Yeah, if that's alright," Z tittered, then swallowed and shuddered. "Just, like, you know… be careful."

Rio grinned. "Alright, but you know… I'm pretty sure they'd like you a lot if you were able to wake Kora and Zen up for real. Just, like, go in and say that. Or do it, you know?" he suggested, but Z shook his head and shrank. Rio sighed and shrugged. "Alright, alright. Wait out here. I'll try and give you a signal, then you come and do your thing." The two nodded at each other, then after a quick in-and-out, Rio entered the infirmary.

Inside were, as Rio heard outside, Tia, Minerva, and Eva. Tia sat in a chair, Minerva was on Kora's bed, and Eva stood in front of Zen's. Jax was asleep on his bed, but seemed pretty at ease, honestly. As soon as Rio stepped in, the three girls turned their attention to him and waved.

"Yo," Minerva said. "Was wonderin' what took y'all so long. What, did they have ya do paperwork or some shit?" she snickered.

"Fortunately, no. I just talked about boring… Outlander stuff," Rio said with a dismissive wave as his other paw drifted over his chest. Knowing there was a scar there felt… weird, as did thinking about all that Orion stuff he learned. Rio shook it off and took a seat. "I hope I'm not interrupting, right?"

Eva shook her head, smiling lightly. "Not really, we're just talking about boring girl stuff," she said, then her expression shifted to one of slight worry. "...What do you guys think about, well, everything?"

"Psh, it's whatever," Minerva scoffed. "I'm just not gonna think about most o' it. Most important part is that we're gettin' off this goddamn island!"

Eva snickered and rolled her eyes. "Of course you'd say that, Minerva. If not you then K–" she stopped, flinching slightly, then tittered and looked to Rio. "What about you, Rio?"

"Really? I dunno," Rio shrugged, choosing not to point that pause out. It seemed Tia and Minerva had the same idea. "I might be in the same boat as Minerva, though. Sunset is cool and all, but honestly I wanna as much as I can of this world. And there's the whole… Outlander saving the whatever stuff," he laughed, flinching ever so slightly. Just bringing that up made his head hurt.

"I can certainly say the same," Tia hummed, floating an oran from her desk to her lap. "Sunset is a paradise, but it can't really stay that way if you spend every single day there. That, and I'd say I'm long overdue for a vacation thanks to you all."

Rio and Minerva huffed and crossed their arms, glaring at Tia. "Oh come on, we barely did anything!" they both puffed, but hearing themselves mirror each other made them both start to snicker.

"Oh, and what if I told you that there was a way to at least get these two off your hands?" Rio added, gesturing to both Kora and Rio.

That got everyone else interested. It was honestly adorable and hilarious how quick the three girls' ears perked up. Tia put on a curious grin and leaned forward in her chair. "Well I would ask what that was. Because if you suggest just taking them out of the room so they aren't my problem… Well I'd have to pretend to be against that idea."

Rio grinned proudly and shook his head. "Actually no, I mean I found a way to wake them both up!" he explained, deciding against sliding a "probably" in there to better sell it. He had to put a good impression in for Z, after all.

This perhaps worked out too well, as Minerva suddenly leapt at Rio's chest and held his face in her paws. "Well don't just stand there leavin' us in suspense, Blue! Tell us! Or do it! I don't care!" she exclaimed, shaking the Lucario senseless.

"How did you even figure whatever this is out?" Eva asked, tilting her head. She was obviously not as immediately hooked on the idea as Rio thought, but she still sounded into it. "Did Ma– the Guildmaster tell you?"

Rio pried Minerva off of himself and exhaled, getting worn out from all that shaking. "I-In a sense. I just have one condition for it," he said, holding his head to help stop everything from spinning and turning.

"A condition..?" Tia asked, even more curious, but said nothing more.

"Yea, a condition? The hell do ya need that for?" Minerva asked, still attached to Rio's arm.

The Lucario gave a bright, innocent smile. "You gotta promise not to get mad at the solution," he answered, looking at Minerva first, then Eva. "And you too, but like, you're not as angry."

"Huh?" Minerva and Eva both blinked, the former letting go of Rio. They stared back at each other, then shrugged and agreed.

"Cool!" Rio said with a relieved chuckled, then turned to the door. He didn't want to waste time thinking of a signal and risk Minerva changing her mind, so he went for the first thing that came to him. "Z! You can do your thing now!"

Eva blinked in surprise again as her shoulders fell. "E-Excuse me?"

"Wait, what?!" Minerva choked. Whether on fury or surprise, or a mix of both, Rio didn't know but she definitely sounded furiously surprised. "Z is the solution?! Are ya kiddin' me?!"

Rio spun back at Minerva and pouted. "You said you wouldn't get angry!"

"Rio what the hell?! That was a terrible signal!" Z suddenly barked from outside.

"W-Well I had to think of one really quickly!" Rio barked back.

"He's here?!" Minerva growled, a snarl curling her lips as she marched towards the door. "That sneaky little–!"

Rio picked up Minerva and pouted. "Minerva you promised!"

"An' I take it back! What the hell're ya doin' lettin' that rat sneak around! An' ya were just gonna let 'im near Kora and Zen?!" Minerva snapped back, static crackling around her.

"Why is he down here in the first place? Isn't he supposed to be, like, locked up or something?" Eva asked. She looked as if she wanted to break up Rio and Minerva before things got ugly, but didn't stray from where she was.

Tia let out a frustrated groan and stood up, a powerful blue glow appearing around her. She grabbed Rio and Minerva, and sat them both down in a chair. "Alright I'm getting tired of this now. Any louder and you all will wake up Jax." She looked at Minerva specifically for that. "You can settle this like adults, later, but for now…" Tia looked up at the door. "You can come in. And if whatever you're planning doesn't work, I'm sending you back to the Guildmaster."

Silence fell over the room, until Z stepped into the doorframe and waved sheepishly. "O-Ok," he said, keeping his eyes on the ground. "B-But I know it'll work, I promise." He brought his gaze up for a moment, accidentally locking eyes with Minerva and quickly shrinking away. Z shuffled between Kora and Zen's beds, apologizing quietly to Eva when his mane brushed against her, then exhaled.

Then he just… snapped his claws. The air in the room shifted entirely, becoming lighter, filling the space with this strange, yet pleasant sensation, and the Zoroark pulsed with an incredibly faint glow around him. It was almost difficult to make out the color of it, actually, both from how faint it was, and how quickly it dissipated.

Z then spun around and smiled brightly. "Done did!" he chirped, and bowed down on the floor so fast that he banged his head against it. "And also I want you both to know that I'm really really really really really sorry for how things turned out! I at least wanted to stay and help but Lee just… He was being himself! I swear I never wanted anyone to get hurt!" he cried, then rubbed his head. "Owwwwww…"

Eva held her head, let out a long sigh, then sat down. "Honestly I don't know what to say. I should probably be mad…" she hummed as she closed her eyes. Eva then nodded and went on. "No, no I still am, but I'm way more just confused."

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Minerva's angry enough for the rest of us," Rio snickered.

"Shut it," Minerva snapped at Rio, then focused back on Z. She stared the Zoroark up and down, which was hard to do with him basically curled up under his mane, then gave a bitter sigh. "I'll be honest, the second I'm free I'm gonna punch the shit outta someone. Probably you. Almost definitely you," she said with a flick of her tail. "But, if whatever you just did actually helped, I won't punch too hard."

"R-Really?" Z lit up. "Thank you thank you, thank you!" he cheered, hopping off of the floor and throwing his arms in the air.

Bewilderment present on her face, Minerva muttered under her breath, "Imma be honest… don't remember 'im bein' this hyper… Kinda off puttin'."

"I think it's charming," Rio attempted a shrug, but Tia still had her hold on the both of them. Speaking of… "Oh, uh, Tia? Could you let us go now?"

"Hm? Right, sure," Tia looked at Rio, then nodded. After that, only Rio was set free. "But I would like to ask Minerva that if she wants to resort to violence, that she does it outside."

Minerva rolled her eyes, about to say something, when a loud yawn filled the room. Then the creaking of metal, and shuffling of bedsheets followed. Then the room went totally silent.

Then Jax got up. He yawned again and stretched his arms, much to his and Tia's surprise. "Oh wow, I dunno what you did this time around Tia, but I feel great!" he laughed. The Machampt tried to flex his arms, but winced and sucked his teeth painfully and let them fall to his sides. "M-Maybe just good, but still great haha… Ouch." Jax turned to Z and waved. "Howdy Kor– wait, no… Kora?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "...That ain't you, right?"

Z was about to answer when another yawn filled the room. "Nyaaa…" it went, and directed everyone's gaze to Kora. The Zoroark stretched out on the bed, his arms and legs hanging off the sides, then he sat up and rubbed his face. "...Mmmmn, what just happened..?" he muttered, his voicing sounding strained and off. Perhaps he lost it from not using it for so long.

"I… do not recall," Zen voice spoke, and the Bisharp himself rose. Much like Kora, his voice seemed to have been lost. He took a deep breath, then exhaled. "What a strange…" he muttered, then noticed everyone else in the room, and the bed he was on. "...Dream?"

"Kora!" Rio and Minerva cheered, the sudden loudness being enough to startle Tia and weaken her hold on the Meowth. The cat and dog lunged into the Zoroark's chest, squeezing him in a suffocating hug. It was enough to fully wake the Zoroark, and force out a pained wheeze of air.

"You're back! Ya big, stupid twerp, you're back!" Minerva cried out. She then looked up to him and pouted. "Do ya got any idea how goddamn worried I've been?! Next time ya wanna blackout for a week, knock me out too, stone for brains!"

"I'm just glad this worked! I was really doubting Z but like, you're up! You're actually awake! Gods, it feels like it's been forever since I last saw you!" Rio laughed, his tail wagging happily behind him. "Zen too! It was like you two just wouldn't wake up!"

"I-I, uh, wh-what?!" Kora croaked, utterly confused, but he hugged his friends back regardless. "M-Minerva? Rio too?" He looked at everyone else's faces, and was most startled by Z's sheepish smile. "...W-Wait a sec, aren't you..?"

"Z, yeah. Howdy howdy!" the other Zoroark answered. "How ya feelin'? Both of you?"

Zen tore the blanket from his body and stood up, flexing his hands and rolling his shoulders. His armor was repaired at some point, and it seemed even shinier than before. The Bisharp looked himself over in silence, then turned to Z. "Hmph," he huffed, cold, then shifted his gaze to Eva. For a second, relief was present on him as he saw her. "I see you are doing well."

Eva lit up, hopping out of her seat. "Y-You too!" she said. She put her paws on her hips and puffed out her chest after. "I knew better than to be worried. Or, like, all that worried. It was only a matter of time and all that, you know?"

"And yet here you are, anxiously awaiting my return," Zen scoffed, a slight grin on his visage.

"I'm only here for Kora! You being here was a pleasant bonus!" Eva puffed, crossing her arms. She then snickered and flashed a warm smile. "Jokes aside, it's nice having you back."

"Likewise," Zen nodded.

"Uhg, get a room," Minerva groaned, having already placed herself in Kora's mane.

Kora shook his head, blinking again. "R-Room? Get a… huh?"

Eva pointed a claw at Minerva, her face now bright red. "Oh shut it! You're just as relieved to see Kora get up as I am to see Zen, but you don't hear me saying stuff like that!"

"Yeah, because we're basically cousins," Minerva scoffed, sinking into the mane until just her eyes were visible. Then decided to stick out her tongue at Eva. "Weirdo."

"I-I am not!" Eva barked, even more red in the face. She then grabbed Zen and dragged him out of the infirmary. "Alright, we're leaving! I gotta tell Kane that Zen woke up!"

Tia walked over to Jax's bedside, handing him a berry. "You chose to wake up at a wonderful time, didn't you?" she chuckled.

"Like tunin' into a soap opera," Jax whistled, happily taking the berry and placing the whole thing in his beak.

Kora blinked, still confused. He looked down at Rio still hugging him with a desperately lost look on his face. "What is happening? I am… so confused…" he tittered anxiously. "I have no idea what's going on and everyone keeps making sounds and… Jax mentioned soap? I don't wanna eat more soap! Where's everyone else? Why am I… normal?" he asked, looking down at his claws, then behind him as if he'd find something there. The fox was getting more and more confused the more he himself spoke, until Minerva put her paws on his head to calm him down.

"Hey, chill," Minerva said, softer than she'd ever spoken before. "It's alright. The stuff in the dungeon happened forever ago basically, we're all fine! You're fine," she reassured him, gently kneading his face. "And still unreasonably fluffy, holy shit."

"Dungeon? Wait… Dungeon?" Kora muttered, calm but still confused. "I thought I… but we, I mean, what about my other frieeee… F-Frennn… Frieeeeeeeendsssss…" he droned as Minerva rested her head on his and started to purr. The fox started swaying from side to side as his own purr rolled in his chest. Peaceful bliss washed over him as he fell back, and he held onto Rio more snuggly.

"Oh, ok, uh…" Rio blinked, tittering. It felt too late to back out now, honestly.

"There we go," Minerva snickered, letting go of Kora and sinking fully into his mane. "See y'all when he wakes up again! It's gonna be a while, hehe!"

"Heh… hehehe…" Kora giggled, curling around Rio. "Friend… Punchy friend… hehe…" Rio let out a surprised yip, but didn't resist. Well, it was more like he couldn't really. Besides, it was nice anyway.

"Aww, ain't that cute," Jax gushed, then hopped right off his bed. "Well, I got a workout to get back in the swing of. See ya when I see ya," he said, giving a salute-wave to Tia as he left.

"You're not even gonna try and rest more? You just…" Tia began, then sighed. Jax was already out the door. "Fine, whatever, big idiot." She shook her head and returned to her desk, writing away in a medical journal for a moment before realizing that something was… off. She looked around for a bit, then it clicked. "Wait… where did Z go?"

A good question, but not one anyone in the room could answer, it seemed. Kora had already drifted back into sleep, and Rio was too busy being smothered to be of much use. Any movement the Lucario made only strengthened Kora's hold, and frankly, with how oddly tiring the day had been, it was enough to lull Rio to sleep as well. Not that he minded at all.

---

Eva brought Zen outside, far outside, deep into the woods in fact. All the while, the Bisharp quietly looked around as if he hadn't been here in a while. Which was true, in a sense. Be asleep for at least three days, and in a dungeon for however more, and surely one would lose their sense of direction in the outdoors.

The pair soon arrived at a large, hollowed out tree, Kane's specifically. The Scrafty himself was sitting inside before the fire despite the sun still shining high above, watching it dance and flow in the peace of his abode, until Eva came crashing in.

"Kane!" Eva shouted.

"Ah!" Kane exclaimed, then glared at her. "What?!"

"Zen!" Eva, again, shouted.

Kane stared at her blankly, then shook his head. "Wh-What?"

Eva quickly pulled Zen in, tossing aside any sense of a dramatic reveal, and presented the Bisharp in full. "Zen!"

"Please, do not shout so much," Zen groaned, holding his head.

"Zen!?" Kane exclaimed and jumped to his feet, getting a sharp glare from the Bisharp. "Ah, uh, sorry…" he tittered. Kane then looked Zen over and chuckled. "H-Holy shit, you're just… back? And what's with your voice? Did ya just wake up or somethin'?"

Zen nodded, crossing his arms. "It would seem so," he said nonchalantly, taking his turn to look Kane over. The Scrafty looked nothing like Zen remembered, aside from his face being just as round, his mohawk scales remaining as annoyingly "loud" as before, and his short stature hardly changing at all. "And you seem… different. I do not recall your loose skin being so… form-fitting. Nor you being as toned as you are now," Zen muttered, nodding slowly.

"Ya noticed, huh?" Kane snickered, pounding his chest. "Spend a year in hell and it'll happen to the best of us, lemme tell ya. Diana was a rigorous teacher, but hell knows I needed the help." He then put on a smug grin and narrowed his eyes on Zen. "I'm ballsy enough to say that I could take you on one-on-one, now," he said, exuding excessive amounts of confidence.

"Only a year?" There was a sinister glint in Zen's eye, followed by a sharp glare. Then… Zen laughed, and that snatched that confidence away in a second. "If you wish to believe in such fairy tales, be my guest," he said with a low, menacing chuckle. "Even with Diana as your teacher, you would need a miracle to stand to me, my friend."

Kane took a step back, tittering anxiously. "G-Geez, man… Ya ain't gotta turn that scare factor up to eleven," he swallowed.

Eva backed away as well, now nodding in agreement with Kane. "Y-Yeah. And that tired voice is only making you sound worse."

"Really?" Zen asked, rubbing his throat. "I thought I shook that off already, but alas." The Bisharp then took a deep breath, and sighed after. "Regardless of the circumstances, I am… most pleased to be awake again," he said, and while he didn't smile, he was entirely genuine.

"Awww," Eva cooed, going over to Zen and carefully giving him a side-hug. "It's nice having you back too."

"Yeah," Kane chuckled, gently punching Zen in the shoulder and grinning. "Nice to have the team back together, ain't it?"

Zen closed his eyes, then shook his head. "It has dawned on me, through the events of the dungeon, just how outclassed the rest of you are, not just against Lee, but Kora as well. I feel I don't need to explain that I will assist you both in that regard."

Eva deadpanned and groaned. "And just as soon as the pleasantness came, it went."

"Like a flash in a pan. Can't have Zen be nice for more than a moment, of course," Kane sighed.

"Hmph, this is the kindest way I could put it, I should tell you," Zen huffed, crossing his arms. "However you two are feeling does not change the fact that I am correct, and you both know I am not one to sugarcoat the truth."

"Yeah, yeah," Eva nodded, patting Zen on the back. She winced and quickly reeled back and shook her paw. "J-Just sayin', you could ease up the edge a bit, ya know? You just woke up and all that, haha."

Zen, again, shook his head. "I refuse, plain and simple. Someone has to be the voice of reason, and what you call edge is simply that, reason." He then went over to a wall of the tree and sat down, letting out a sigh. "That being said, let us… talk. I do not know what happened while I was gone, if anything did at least. I ask you both fill me in, if possible," he said, looking away from Kane and Eva, pausing for a moment, then turning back up to them. "And it… has been a while since we last conversed, has it not?"

There was that genuine tone again, which Kane and Eva dove at with reckless abandon. They each took a seat and Zen's side, grinning from ear to ear.

"You just wanna talk with your friends, don'cha Zen?" Eva teased.

"Couldn't bear the thought of bein' away from us for so long, huh?" Kane cooed.

"I can and will incapacitate you both," Zen said, deadpanned, but it was too late to reverse what was already in motion.

Kane and Eva both laughed the threat off, scooting close to Zen and went on about what happened in his absence. Most about what happened today, but a few pokes from Zen on off-handed remarks and statements and the conversation quickly derailed to less important matters. Every now and then Zen would try and focus back on the important things that happened, but after a while he just let Kane and Eva speak. He might as well let them enjoy themselves, he thought, with the faintest of smiles on his face. Far too faint for Kane and Eva to notice.

---

Far, far from Sunset Valley, across the deep, vast, blue seas, right under a large hill, sat a port, Stretching along a foriegn coast as far as the eye could see. Not that it could see far, as luck would have it, it was quite cloudy today. A shame, but the swirls and puffs of white in the air turned it from a crisp blue field above, to an almost dreamlike image in the sky.

Pokemon of every size walked along the well-maintained wooden walkways, stretching far into the ocean like fingers hoping to grab hold of the water itself. Some Pokemon swam in the waters themselves, enjoying the salty blue for all it was worth. Ships docked and departed, cargo was loaded and unloaded, passengers and shipmates entered and exited the ships quickly and fluidly. It was an ever changing, ever moving river of activity.

Further down the port, where the signs of age were allowed to show on the wooden boards and the pegs in the water, where older ships with shadier individuals did their business, a rather quaint fishing boat came to dock. The captain, an elderly Torkoal whose smoke was as gray as their beard, made a gruff sound as he turned his vessel off. He went around, making sure his catches were in order and sealed, both feral basculin and magikarp, and salmon and hake, separated by different colored crates.

With another gruff sound and a nod, he turned to the port himself and sighed. "I'll tells ya, 'n'all my days, I ain't evuh met a castaway as big as ya, son. Or maybe not a 'mon like ya in general," the tortoise nodded to his one passenger. A tall fellow, wearing a tattered, white, blood-stained sail over his body and face like a cloak, which only barely reached his red and white furred legs.

"I can only assume that is a compliment, yes?" the cloaked Pokemon chuckled, sounding well into his years himself.

"Well I'd certainly say so," Torkoal replied. "It's a damn shame about that ship though, a real nice one it was," he said, slowly shaking his head. "Remember when it was built, I do. Was only a few years back, maybe ten or so. A fine vessel she was, sturdy, powerful. Coulda sailed clean through ice she could, winds an' tides willin'. Probably could've cut clean through the earth if those rascals evuh focused 'nough to sail her proper." He looked to his passenger, curious, then tended to his crates again. "Speakin' of, I oughta ask, when'd'ya board 'er?"

"Fairly recently. I was a last minute higher, a mercenary if you will. They needed someone strong to venture to an island-sized mystery dungeon, and I accepted the offer in a… I assume you could say a heartbeat," the cloaked Pokemon answered.

Torkoal hummed and nodded. "Another merc, ya say? Not to knock yer skill or nuthin', but if that damned crew evuh followed orders, they wouldn't've needed ya. All o' 'em were plenty capable if'n they got serious," he said with a gruff huff, opening a crate of feral Magikarp. There were only eleven or so of them there. Torkoal went silent for a moment. "...They did go out fightin', right?"

The cloaked Pokemon stood, towering above the fiery tortoise, and nodded. "To the bitter, tragic end," he answered, sounding somber.

Torkoal closed the case of magikarp and rested his head on it. "An'... were ya truly the only survivor, son?"

Another nod. "For better or for worse. You saw the wreckage yourself when you so graciously rescued me." The Pokemon turned to the sea, shaking his head. "There was hardly even driftwood left. I only managed to catch a glimpse of the monster that tore that ship asunder, and what I saw truly… truly traumatized me." He looked down at himself, slowly shaking his head. "It is… difficult to tell which stains are mine and which were the crew's."

"I-I see…" Torkoal muttered. His voice was shaky, but he did his best to keep it sturdy. "In that case, I'm mighty proud o' ya to make it out alive," he said firmly, his face turned to the sky. "I don't… I don't know if ya got close enough to the crew to know 'em, but… I reckon there was a… a farfetch'd among 'em?"

The cloaked Pokemon paused for a moment, then nodded. "I can recall one, yes. He carried a leek twice the size he was, and wore one of the fiercest glares I had ever seen."

"Th-That's..!" Torkoal turned to the Pokemon, then held his tongue. "That… That was my great grandson. A noble, dependable, but hard-headed fool. Stubborn like 'is ol' lady," he chuckled grimly, then walked to the other Pokemon's side to stare off into the distance. "...He fought good?"

"Yes, he fought well indeed," the Pokemon replied. "...His last words were an apology to his parents, and I believe he even mentioned an… old geezer at one point." He glanced down at Torkoal, the faint glow of pink eyes resting on the elderly tortoise. "It would not be wrong to assume that meant you?"

"Heh, not at all," Torkoal chuckled, although there was no humor in his voice. "That stubborn mule of a damn bird. If'n I see 'im again, I'll wring 'im up somethin' fierce. Leavin' on ahead o' me. Last thing I needed was anuthuh string o' bad news to break to my lil girl." Torkoal sighed, looking over the edge of his boat and to his reflection. "Poor thing ain't gonna have nuthin' left…"

The cloaked Pokemon kneeled down beside Torkoal, putting a paw to his shell. "I am… sorrowful to hear that," he muttered. "But at the very least, you and her will both know that he fought bravely, and that he is resting in a far better place than he left."

With a weak sigh and a nod, Torkoal turned towards his company. For a moment, he was surprised by the pink eyes staring back at him, but that quickly faded. "He truly is, ain't he?" Torkoal chuckled weakly, then walked back over to his grate of magikarp. "But lookey 'ere, a sad ol' man airin' 'is woes and worries on a stranger. A survivor, no less," he huffed. "I should just hurry an' let ya off."

"Oh no, I have all the time in the world," the cloaked Pokemon said with a chuckle. "What is one conversation going to hurt, right?"

"Right, right…" Torkoal nodded, then opened the crate and pulled out a large magikarp by the tail. It flopped and flailed weakly as the tortoise offered it to the other Pokemon. "'Ere, eat up. It ain't no fancy dinner, but it oughta be plenty."

"Your generosity in these times is admirable," the Pokemon said, happily accepting the fish. "Really, if anyone here is wasting the other's time, it would be me. You do have a business to run."

Torkoal gave a nod, and a smile. "It can wait, damn thing's been' goin' unduh for months. Just waitin' for it tuh' kick the bucket I say." Torkoal then turned to the sky, seeing the clouds swirl and grow, and frowned. "While all this 'ere chit-chattin' has been a nice change o' pace… I reckon ya oughta be headin' on ya way, son. It's gonna storm, an' I feel it's a mean one."

The cloaked Pokemon glanced up at the sky, humming. "Indeed. The last thing I need now is to be caught in the rain. I have rather important business to attend to, and I'm expecting some others to follow suit," he said, then started getting off the ship. He stopped just as he got off, turning to Torkoal and giving a small smile along his snout. "I will not forget your generosity."

Torkoal returned the smile and nodded, then started getting ready to tie down his belongings for the coming storm. The fiery tortoise looked up at the clouds again, shivering slightly as he noticed the clouds had quickly gotten larger. While he was getting his tarps and ropes, he noticed something near where that cloaked Pokemon was sitting. A… leek. A large one. The thing was so healthy, he could have sworn it was just picked. And he recognized it in an instant.

Assuming the Pokemon left it there on purpose, Torkoal turned to thank him… But he was already gone. Despite how few Pokemon were on the port, and how bright the whites of his sail was, Torkoal just… couldn't find him. Whoever that Pokemon was, just vanished in an instant, almost without a trace. Regardless, he nodded to no one in particular, and continued on.