Chapter 10 - The Tie That Binds

The first thing Jay noticed as Jirachi's magic dissipated was the darkness. Wherever he was now, it was nearly pitch black, and his eyes were having trouble making the adjustment. The floor underfoot also seemed strangely soft compared to the rocky cavern he had been warped out of, and the air was definitely less damp.

Of course, the bits of sensory information he could gather didn't quite reach the forefront of his mind, as he was too busy focusing on how unbelievably stupid his wish was. He had gotten stressed, acted impulsively, and now he was even more stressed because he wasted Zeal's wish and warped them all into the unknown. They may as well have just been teleported into an outlaw's den or the middle of a deadly dungeon for all he knew.

He felt so agitated: at the fact that his journey didn't end in the cavern like he had hoped it would, at the probable danger that he now found himself standing helplessly in, and most of all, at himself. He had been so–

"Jay, that was incredibly careless," Zeal's voice hissed quietly at his side. The noivern may as well have taken the words right out of Jay's own thoughts.

"Yeah, and it's also careless to be making noise when we have no clue where we are," Bliss shot back, equally quiet and annoyed as the noivern.

"You may be in the dark, but my primary sense is functioning perfectly. We are alone and safe for the time being, though the decor is quite odd."

Bliss scoffed. "Oh yeah, fancy sonar powers. In that case…" A spark flashed as the blaziken kindled a small flame in her hand. The makeshift torch lit up the area, painting the white furniture of the room with a flickering orange light.

Though, the furniture hardly registered to Jay; he was much more concerned with the now-illuminated scowls that the two pokemon directed towards him. He had assumed that they were rightfully upset with his wish, but as was often the case, reality somehow proved to be worse than his wildest expectations.

He took a deep breath. "I'm really, really sorry. I just got ahead of myself… I wasn't thinking." It was true; he was still a bit rattled after the curse and the disheartening news Jirachi had delivered. Moving forward as quickly as possible seemed like the best way to deal with it.

Bliss shook her head. "Look, Jay, I get it, but if you wanna have any chance of fixing this Anchor thing, you've gotta be smarter." She shot a glare over towards Zeal. "Both of you."

Zeal had been nodding in agreement with Bliss, but his eyes widened at her last comment. "My wish would have been more than adequate, had it not been unceremoniously interrupted by Jay's hasty actions."

"Your wish was just as stupid as his was, but at least he's self-aware enough to admit it." The fire in Bliss's hand grew. "You wished for knowledge when we could wish for knowledge and then some. For all your fancy words, you don't know how to exploit loopholes?"

The noivern frowned. "The knowledge would have been sufficient if Jay had–"

"Yeah, keep blaming him. He's done more than you ever have to help us out on this ragtag journey."

"You have no idea of the sacrifices–"

"Sacrifices? You never even thanked him for saving your life. Too caught up in saving your beloved or whatever."

"I hardly see the relevance–"

"Yeah, of course you'd try to change the subject. Too afraid of–"

"–Have you considered that I never asked to be saved?" Zeal's voice was getting dangerously close to a shout, and it was… cracking? "I sought assistance on my journey, not interference. Nor did I intend for pokemon to harm themselves for my own shortcomings."

"Then how about instead of crying about how he made a mistake, you thank him for fixing your mistake? Or you can just keep proving how much of a stuck up elitist you are by never owning up to anything." The flame in Bliss's hand was a full-on blaze now.

Somehow, Jay had preferred when they were directing all their rage towards him, instead of each other. At this point, he had grown resigned to the arguing, but he couldn't help but be bothered by it. He decided to focus on literally anything else, like his immediate surroundings.

As the light in the room grew with Bliss's rage, he found himself struck with an odd sense of deja-vu. The white, plush furniture… Something about the decorations seemed awfully familiar. Did it remind him of somewhere back home? No, it was more recent than that… As though he had been here during his few days in the pokemon world.

Zeal shot back another retort that Jay hardly heard, and Bliss's fire grew bright enough to fully illuminate a door on the other side of the room. A fancy door, with engravings etched into its wooden surface.

It all clicked. Jay had been here before.

"Guys, I know where we are!" he exclaimed as he spun back to face Bliss and Zeal.

Jay didn't get a chance to complete the full turn before something slammed into his side with the force of a truck, toppling him instantly. Before he even hit the ground, he heard Zeal yell out a warning then cry out in pain.

Bliss's flame went out, plunging Jay into darkness. For a moment he was totally disoriented; his ears rang with the sounds of shouting and scuffling, and his side stung from the attack. Getting his bearings was an impossibility given the simultaneous lack and overload of information assaulting him all at once.

After a moment, though, it all seemed to die down, and silence hung over the room. Jay managed to shakily rise back to his feet. He stared into the darkness, looking for any sign of what had happened.

Two crimson eyes glinted in the shadows, glaring directly at him. "What are you doing here." The question was flat, almost tired in tone.

"Hey, you can't–" Bliss's disembodied voice came from right beside the first, but was swiftly cut off by the sudden emergence of a set of purple claws.

"Wrong answer," responded their unknown attacker. His attack glowed dimly, illuminating a plume of white feathers; the claws were being held up against Bliss's throat.

Jay's blood ran cold.

The crimson eyes flicked over to a completely dark area of the room. "What are you doing here."

"We… were brought here by Jirachi." Zeal's voice was strained; he must've been hit just as hard as Jay was.

"Why."

There was a pause. "Perhaps if you would release her, we could–"

The claws glowed brighter, and the eyes moved back to Jay. "Why."

Jay took shallow breaths; between the stinging of whatever attack had hit him and the sheer panic the hostage situation instilled, he was close to hyperventilating. "W-we have to fix the Anchor. We just want to fix the Anchor. Please, just let her go."

The eyes narrowed. "How would that help you regain your memories?"

"M-my memories…?" Jay was caught completely off guard. How did…?

What other powerful pokemon do you know who hangs out in the arena offices?

Now that he thought about it, the voice did sound very familiar.

"You're the lucario…" He met the crimson eyes with his own. "Please, don't hurt her." He raised his paws in surrender, hoping the lucario could actually see the gesture in the unlit room.

A sigh sounded in the dark and the claw dissipated. There was a shuffling sound; it seemed like Bliss had been released.

If there was any doubt, a flash filled the room as Bliss's leg ignited and swung around, presumably aimed where the lucario had been a moment prior. The kick met nothing but empty air; the arena owner couldn't even be seen in the area around Bliss that had been briefly illuminated.

"Take a seat."

Jay spun around; somehow, the voice was behind him now. It was abundantly clear he was out of his depth, so he opted to comply and immediately sat down on the carpet.

"No, not– here." A stream of fire suddenly lit up the room, igniting a torch on the wall. At last, they had a consistent light source.

A quick survey revealed a perturbed but unharmed Bliss and a sore looking Zeal. He had been rubbing his side, but quickly stood back at attention as light filled the room. Finally, a glance over his shoulder revealed the arena's owner, gesturing to some plush pillows for the group to sit on. The lucario still had the red band around his arm from their previous meeting, confirming that he was the same pokemon.

Jay quickly relocated. Bliss and Zeal joined him, flanking him on either side. The lucario sat on a pillow opposite them.

"Some sonar," Bliss mumbled bitterly.

"Once again, companions creating interference is unideal," Zeal shot back. Despite the usual argumentativeness, the noivern looked a little deflated as he patted his side lightly.

She rolled her eyes and directed her glare to the lucario. "So why's Jay's estranged uncle trying to kill us?"

"We're not–" Jay and the lucario began in tandem. They both immediately froze, locking eyes.

"Sorry," Jay mumbled, looking away.

After an awkward stretch of silence, the arena owner continued. "We're not related." He inclined his head towards Bliss. "Start talking."

Bliss crossed her arms. "Look, I can already tell from your pricey decorations and fancy status that you think you can boss me around, but–"

"I'm your employer."

Confusion flashed in her eyes. "This is the arena?"

The lucario gave a nod. "Now talk."

She hesitated, caught between another retort and complying. After a moment, she sighed and uncrossed her arms. "Fine; so, Jay here has memory problems," she said as she lightly elbowed Jay's sore side, "But it sounds like you already got that much. Before we left for Jirachi, we helped stop someone from robbing the arena— you're welcome, by the way— and then we–"

"You two stopped the thieves?"

"Yeah, and again, you're welcome. Anyways, we started heading out to the ruins when we ran into some more thieves, and this flying syllable factory." Zeal's eyes narrowed as she pointed at him, but she didn't give him time to protest. "He wants to save someone who fell into a rift. We got to the ruins, Jay got hit with a curse, Jirachi healed him, then we–"

"Jay was cursed?"

Bliss gave the lucario a glare. "You have hearing problems or something? Yeah, Jay got cursed. Then Jirachi healed him. Then Jirachi said to fix both of their problems, we had to fix some Anchor thing. Then Jay wished for us to be teleported to it, so now we're here." She paused and glanced around the room. "So, where is it?"

Finally, the owner's neutral expression shifted into a frown. "I'm not just going to give it to you."

Jay's eyes widened. "So you have it?"

Another nod. "I'm trying to fix the artifact as well. But I can't pass it off to two novice fighters and an explorer from the guild; it's too important to let out of my sight."

As the words sunk in, Jay felt a weight lift from his shoulders. A real lucario was on the case. He wouldn't have to worry about tinkering with an all-powerful artifact; he could just stick to helping the arena owner fix the Anchor and then ask to be sent home. He let out a sigh of pure relief.

Zeal finally seemed to find his voice and leapt to his feet. "Then allow us to assist you! Surely we can fix it far faster by working in tandem."

The lucario shook his head. "You're out of your depth. All three of you."

Jay's momentary reprieve was cut short as a pang of fear went through his chest. "But you'll take us with you to the rift when the Anchor is fixed, right? Jirachi said we need to be at a strong enough rift to use the Anchor." He glanced between Bliss and Zeal, waiting for them to affirm his words.

Before they could speak up, the arena owner fixed Jay with a stern look. "I've seen both of you fight." He inclined his head towards Jay and Bliss. "And the noivern was distracted enough for me to sneak in here without him hearing a thing. Dungeons with powerful rifts are deadly, and I'm not about to let you get yourself killed."

Jay's eyes widened. This was his one chance; he couldn't let it slip through his fingers. Adrenaline filled him and he leapt to his feet. Bliss joined him. Together with Zeal, they all yelled out overlapping protests.

"You don't understand, I need this!"

"Oh yeah, you think you're tough because you can sneak up on people?"

"In fairness, I was being distracted at the time."

The lucario remained seated, seemingly unconcerned. His focus stayed on Jay as he spoke again. "Whether or not you believe you need to use the Anchor, it's clear that you're unprepared for the journey I've been planning on undertaking. You need more training before you're fit for something like this."

Jay's desperation mingled with his frustration. "You don't understand what I've– we've been through to get this far. You… you can't just tell us to keep waiting."

The lucario tilted his head slightly. "Why can't I?"

"Because…" The lucario had a point; he clearly had the power required to deny Jay's request, but… "Because it wouldn't be fair. After everything we've had to deal with." The words didn't have much punch to them, but Jay was speaking from the heart.

"If you want to prove yourselves, I can give you a fair opportunity." The lucario's eyes glinted mischievously.

Jay took a shaky breath, already knowing exactly what the opportunity entailed. "Is it another fight?"

The lucario nodded. "Your opponent will be…" He stood sluggishly, holding his arms out to his sides. "Me."

"You?" Bliss scoffed. "You're joking. I'd never even met anyone who's met you in all the time I've spent fighting here. Now you're just gonna waltz into the fighting pit in front of a crowd?"

"I'm not challenging you to a showmatch. I'm challenging you to a real fight, right now."

Jay tilted his head. "But where would we fight, if we can't use the pit?"

The lucario gestured to the room's balcony; curtains were currently drawn across the opening. "It's the middle of the night; the arena is closed and the pit is empty. No one will watch; this is for me to evaluate you. Is that fair?"

It sounded fair, but… "Why does it always come down to fighting?" Jay whimpered, rubbing the fur along his side where he had just been attacked.

"It seems to be a reasonable opportunity to prove our worth," Zeal mused, apparently ignoring Jay.

Bliss tapped a finger on her beak. "Yeah. Three on one with no sneaky tricks? We can take him."

"So you're all agreed, then?" The lucario's eyes almost seemed expectant as they bore into Jay.

Jay took a deep breath. He hadn't come as far as he had to quit now, and he wasn't about to let this pokemon snatch away his one ticket home. If he had to fight for it, he would. "I'll do it."

The arena owner's eyes glinted and a slight smile formed on his muzzle. "Then follow me; let's see what you've learned."

In a matter of minutes, Jay found himself standing back on the even sand of the arena's fighting pit. The crescent moon shone overhead, providing just enough light for him to be able to see properly. The stands were eerily empty, somehow making Jay just as nervous as when they were full.

The experiences of the prior day weighed on his mind as he stared at the lucario across from him. The curse may have been the most terrible thing that Jay had ever experienced, and that was saying a lot. It almost put him off from the idea of fighting entirely, but he knew that the arena owner meant well enough to not seriously hurt him. Hopefully.

Still, Jay was tired, and not just because it was the middle of the night. He had dealt with so much just to have the way home moved further and further away with each step. No more. They would win this fight, and then he'd have a clear path laid out.

"Tell me when you're ready," the lucario called over, his voice echoing around the ring.

Jay took a deep breath and turned to face his companions. "Alright, what's our plan?"

Bliss cocked her head. "Plan? It's three on one; we hit him with everything we have and he falls over, easy."

"No." Zeal's gaze remained fixed on the lucario. "He is extremely powerful."

"Yeah, we get it, he's a lucario; you can join his fanclub after we beat him."

"Have you already forgotten how he bested us in a matter of moments?"

Jay felt something twinge in his chest. Were they seriously fighting again? Right now? When everything was on the line?

"Just because he managed to sneak up on us while you weren't paying attention doesn't–"

"–I have had an immeasurably taxing day. The rising hope and ensuing feeling of debilitating loss is something that you could never hope to properly comprehend."

"Just like you couldn't ever properly comprehend humility. You'd rather blame everybody else than risk your little bubble of fragile self confidence bursting; you'd never admit your mistakes."

Jay reached his limit. "Well I understand both of those things."

Bliss and Zeal turned to face him, surprise evident on their faces.

"Zeal, I understand what it's like to get so close, and have it all taken away. To be right there, just to have to have the goal move further and further away. It's…" He trailed off, unable to even find a proper word to express the feeling.

Zeal simply bowed his head.

"And Bliss, you know that I understand humility. I know I'm not good enough, but I'm fighting anyway, because I need this. Please, just help me out here."

"I'm trying to help you out, but–"

"–You and Zeal keep fighting, and it's making things harder on all of us," he finished for her. "Please, I need both of you to put everything aside and show some teamwork. We have to win this fight."

Bliss opened her beak for a moment, then nodded. Zeal followed suit.

"Thank you." Jay took a deep breath. After a moment, he realized his fur was prickling, as though it were standing on end; did it do that? He shook his head, trying to push thoughts of his outburst away so he could focus on the task at hand. "We need a plan."

Zeal cleared his throat. "Based on my observations, he appears to have a staggering amount of combat experience. The ghostly claws he channeled betray a diverse skillset; he will likely use far more than aura alone, if he uses aura at all. Likewise, his capitalization on our confusion and ability to quickly isolate and incapacitate combatants is noteworthy."

Bliss crossed her arms. "Why would he not use aura at all? Isn't that like, lucario's thing?"

"He could very well be aware that some noivern have a natural ability to cancel weaker aura waves, and may deem it a waste of energy to counter with aura spheres and shields in lieu of other, more efficient techniques."

Jay's eyes snapped over to the lucario; he still stood far across the arena. He appeared to be looking up at the stars, but he was probably listening to every word they said. "We should keep our voices down."

Bliss's voice quieted as she continued. "Fine, let's just fry him up before he can start doing anything tricky, then. Fire melts steel, and with your sound waves immobilizing him, he won't stand a chance. We don't have to give him time to show off his fancy skills; sometimes the best way to win is to just change all the rules."

Zeal shook his head dismissively. "Your fire is limited. Likewise, lucario are capable of a wide range of distanced attacks. We would be expending the majority of our firepower and leaving ourselves open to a barrage."

"Fine, what do you suggest, then?"

"Allow me to take point. If I fly within melee range and evade attacks, I can keep his focus while you and Jay assault him from a distance."

Bliss scoffed. "Yeah, because that worked so well with the Cofagrigus."

"I would hardly consider that to be an apt comparison."

"Why not? You flew in and Jay ended up–"

"Bliss," Jay cut in, giving her a pleading look. That was one experience that he didn't want on his mind right now.

The edges of her beak curled into a frown, and her arms remained crossed. "Just saying, it didn't work out."

Jay looked between the two agitated pokemon. Bliss's fire was strong, but limited. Zeal's blasts were powerful and sustainable, but if he were downed, the fight may as well already be over.

Then there was Jay. No ranged attacks to speak of, and he wouldn't last more than a few seconds up close against such a formidable opponent. The only thing he could do was shield, but he wouldn't be much use as a decoy if the lucario knew to ignore him.

They had a powerful but limited brawler, an overall skilled but overzealous flier, and a shield with nothing else. How could they structure a plan of attack that wouldn't end with a claw being held to one of their throats?

Jay looked across the arena at the lucario, still gazing at the sky. He seemed so far away, across the pit. An idea struck him.

Sometimes the only way to win is to change the rules.

He spun back to face Bliss and Zeal. "I think I might have a plan that could work."

"Yeah?" Bliss asked, uncrossing her arms, "Let's hear it."

"Alright. He knows that we know that he's a good fighter. He probably expects us to try to overwhelm him with numbers, so that he doesn't have a chance to start picking us off, right?"

Zeal nodded thoughtfully as Jay spoke. "Sound reasoning. What of it, though?"

"Well, if we rush in and attack, we're running the risk of actually losing our advantage pretty quickly. If one person makes a mistake, then we're down a fighter. But, if we do the opposite of what he expects and actually play to our strengths, then we might be able to win."

Bliss looked confused. "How'd you figure that?"

"If we rush him, we're trying to pressure him to make a mistake while risking ourselves; if he doesn't mess up immediately, we'll lose. If we play it safe and watch each other's backs, we can just make sure that we don't make any mistakes, while pressuring him until he finally breaks."

"…A battle of attrition, rather than a gambit," Zeal mumbled, his eyes widening. "It has potential, but it would have its own risks."

"I know, but I think it might be our best option. He's already proven he can take us all down quickly, but we don't know what he'll do if we don't give him the chance. He might give us an opening, if we're lucky." Jay left out the part where there was no way that he would ever actually be that lucky.

"So what exactly's the plan, then?" Bliss asked, glancing between Jay and Zeal skeptically.

"We stop him from getting close. Zeal can keep firing sonic waves at him, and I'll stand next to him to shield any ranged attacks. If he tries to run in close enough, you can throw out a fire wave to force him back."

The blaziken scoffed. "What, I'm supposed to just wait on the side while you two do all the work? Just to have the chance to fight, if he gets close?"

Zeal shook his head. "Your limitations make you of more use as–"

"–the most important part of the plan," Jay finished with a nod before the argument could reignite. He was not about to let this slip away from him. "Bliss, you're the last line of defense if he tries to rush us, and the best chance we'll have at capitalizing on any mistake he might make."

Bliss looked him up and down for a moment. "From any other mon? I'd say that you're just trying to flatter me so I do what you want. From you? It's still totally the case, but at least it's also genuine." She shrugged her shoulders. "Fine, I'll do it."

"Thanks." Jay turned to the noivern. "Zeal?"

Zeal nodded. "In the absence of a more viable strategy, it seems as though this is the best course of action. We should prepare." The noivern stepped away from the group and began stretching his wings.

Jay took a deep breath. They had a plan. Now they just had to make it work. He glanced at the lucario across the arena, who was still looking up at the sky.

Jay could've sworn the arena owner had the smallest of smiles on his muzzle.

Any confidence that Jay had built up was rapidly evaporating. How would this be any different than everything else? He had spent most of his fights hiding behind pillars or failing to injure opponents, and the one thing he was useful for nearly led to him getting himself killed. He had been helplessly whisked from one unfair, impossible situation to the next, failing to get any closer to his goal, until–

"Hey." Jay's head snapped to face Bliss as she spoke. "We're gonna win this."

Jay's eyes went wide. "How…?"

Bliss let out a short laugh. "Come on, it looked like you were going through the five stages of grief just looking at the guy." She gestured between Jay and the lucario.

That wasn't the question he had been asking. "How can you be so confident, after everything?"

"Let's see here…" She held up her fingers as she counted through the events. "We took down some thieves that had a reputation for getting away, and got a reviver seed. Then we beat up some thugs in a desert, and even when things looked bad, they worked out. Then we fought a mon on the guild's most wanted list, and got out without a scratch thanks to a legendary. And hey, that's all just in the past two days."

"…Has it really just been two days?"

Another laugh. "The point is, I think we've been doing a pretty good job so far. Why would this time be any different?"

Jay sighed. "But the goal keeps moving further and further away."

"So? We'll get there eventually, and it just means we have more time to take down criminals and egomaniacs on the way." She glanced over at Zeal. "Speaking of which, how do we know he's gonna stick to the plan?"

Jay followed her gaze, tilting his head. "I… I think he will."

Bliss scrutinized the noivern for a few more seconds before turning back to Jay, smirking slightly. "And you think I'm the optimist. Fine, I'll go tell my boss that we're ready to beat him up." She began crossing the arena towards the lucario.

For a minute Jay simply watched, feeling his nervousness rise with every step she took towards their opponent.

"I will."

Jay's head swiveled to see Zeal standing next to him. "What?"

"I will follow the plan to the letter," the noivern said as he watched the conversing pokemon across the arena. "We must win this fight. Our goals are within reach; we need only seize them."

Jay's heart rate continued to rise as Bliss flashed them a thumbs-up and began walking back towards them. "What if we end up tripping at the finish line?"

Zeal shook his head. "Failure is a future I refuse to entertain. I assured you we would reach our goals by the setting of the sun, and as belated as it may be…" He spared a glance up at the moon. "We will find what we seek, despite our shortcomings."

Despite himself, Jay managed a small smile. "Alright. I guess we'll just have to do our best and stick to the plan." Maybe things could work out. They had to work out. Otherwise Jay would've gone through everything he had for no reason, and wouldn't have any idea of what to do next.

He shuddered as he imagined the outcome.

"Okay," Bliss began as she reached the group again, "Hang behind Jay, shoot sonic waves, fire if he gets close. Easy."

The shudders didn't cease when Jay remembered that he was set to be the team's shield. The last time he tried to use an aura barrier, he nearly died. What if he couldn't use them anymore? Did he even want to try? What if he got hit again?

The arena owner broke him from his thoughts, standing tall across the pit. "We begin on the count of three. One–"

"Hold," Zeal called from Jay's side, "Do you intend to begin on the word 'three,' or the word 'go'?"

The lucario's stance faltered a bit. "What."

"Yeah," Bliss added, "We going on the count of three, or the count of go?"

Jay glanced back at the two. Zeal seemed legitimately concerned about the question, while Bliss was doing her best to suppress a laugh.

Somehow, that was all Jay needed to push his nerves aside. They'd been through so much in such a short amount of time; surely they could take one more fight. He took a deep breath and turned back to the lucario, moving into a defensive stance.

The arena owner simply shook his head. "Go on go. Go." The lucario's paws sparked with dark energy, and an inky projectile flew towards Jay before he could even register the words.

Jay raised a paw, summoning a barrier of brilliant blue light. The attack crashed over the shield harmlessly. He lowered his arm as quickly as he could, giving an opening for the counterattack.

Zeal followed suit, and Jay recoiled as a burst of sound screeched at his side. The wave rippled through the air as it traveled across the arena.

The lucario leapt, practically gliding over the sandy ground as he deftly avoided the attack and responded with another pulse of dark energy.

Once again, Jay deflected with a shield and Zeal countered with a blast of sound. The lucario leapt again, landing in his original position.

For a second, everything seemed to be working perfectly.

Then the lucario started charging at them.

The arena owner threw another pulse as he advanced, prompting another block and counterattack. As Zeal's sound wave neared the lucario, he leapt over the conical attack, sailing forward through the air.

The lucario was flying towards them at a staggering speed, but it provided the perfect opportunity; Jay sidestepped to make room for Bliss. A flash of heat and light flared at Jay's side as the blaziken's attack soared past him and towards their opponent.

The arena owner was locked into his current trajectory. Jay's heart skipped a beat; would the lucario throw up an aura barrier of his own to weather the flames? Even so, Zeal would be ready to shatter it. It seemed like their plan really was foolproof.

The one thing that Jay hadn't accounted for was the lucario teleporting as the flames reached him. In the blink of an eye, he had seemingly bypassed the fire blast entirely, traveling a few feet to end up in front of it.

Jay didn't have time to be surprised. The lucario soared forward and slammed into Jay's chest with a kick before he could summon another barrier, sending him sliding across the sand on his back.

Jay lay there for a moment, clutching his aching chest as he tried to get his bearings. He heard the sound of wings flapping and fire blasting, but all he could do was stare up at the stars.

You saw him do that. In your first meeting. He teleported, and you forgot all about it.

Frustration flared in Jay as he pulled himself to his feet. He wasn't about to lose this fight because of such a stupid mistake.

His gaze refocused on the battlefield in front of him as he started forward; Zeal had taken to the air, while Bliss was trying to melee their opponent.

Emphasis on trying.

The lucario weaved out of the way of a fire-coated punch, sweeping Bliss's legs out from under her. As Bliss fell to the ground, he charged a dark pulse that he levied towards her.

Zeal broke the lucario's concentration, firing a blade of razor-thin air that forced their opponent to roll to the side. Without missing a beat, the lucario redirected his attack towards Zeal. The noivern swerved desperately in the air to avoid the energy blast, throwing his flight off course.

Jay made it to Bliss's side just as she rose from the ground. "Got a backup plan?" she asked through labored breaths.

The lucario was already turning his attention towards them once more, his paws preparing another dark pulse.

In equal parts desperation and agitation, Jay charged in front of Bliss, throwing up an aura barrier as he closed the gap. The shield flickered as the pulse crashed into it, but it held.

Jay dropped the barrier and threw a fist forward, aiming for the lucario's head. The arena owner didn't even bother with a proper counter; he simply juked to the side and ran past Jay.

A smack rang out and Jay turned just in time to see Bliss sent flying back through the air. She crashed into the wall at the edge of the pit, slumping into the sand.

The lucario shook his head, slowly turning back to face Jay. After a moment, he sidestepped another air slash from Zeal, though his gaze didn't waver.

Jay's eyes flicked between his downed teammate and impassive opponent. He started forward a step reflexively to help her, but logic ensued; there was a lucario in the way. "Wait, she might be hurt!"

The arena owner's expression remained unreadable. "Of course she's hurt. I told you that you're all out of your depth."

Blue sparks flew from Jay's paws as he continued forward, this time towards the lucario. He'd forgotten the simplest of details, and now Bliss was hurt and they were losing and he was never going to see his sister again–

Jay's arm swung faster than he thought was possible, carving an arc of aura energy through the air. But the lucario had already leapt before Jay could even start his swing. Jay's head tilted upwards as he narrowly missed his target.

The lucario's jump propelled him high into the air and directly into Zeal's flight path. The noivern swerved to the side, but the lucario teleported once more, closing the short distance needed to land on Zeal's back.

Zeal began desperately rolling in the air as he tried to dislodge the lucario. The arena owner didn't budge, coating his claws in ghostly energy and slashing at the noivern's wings. A sickening tearing noise echoed through the empty arena.

Jay was helpless to do anything but watch as Zeal cried out and fell from the sky. The instant before collision, the lucario leapt from Zeal's back, rolling safely to the ground. The noivern hit the sand with a dull thud.

Zeal struggled to rise. The lucario strutted back towards the fallen noivern, delivering a swift kick to the skull. Zeal slumped to his side from the force of the blow, and laid unmoving.

The lucario turned his gaze back to Jay. "Again, you're out of your depth."

Jay stared back. He had nothing to say and nothing to do. He had made a stupid mistake, and everything was falling apart for the hundredth time.

But he hadn't come this far to give up.

He yelled as loudly as his aching chest would let him and sprinted forward. The arena owner just raised a paw and fired a dark pulse at Jay.

Jay threw an arm forward to summon another aura barrier, but his paw only produced weak blue sparks. The dark energy collided with his chest and rippled through his body; it felt akin to being burned and frozen at the same time, as well as some ethereal element that made it all too similar to the curse he had endured.

He fell to one knee, clutching his chest. Bolts of crimson flashed in his vision, running across his fur. It almost felt like summoning a barrier, but something about it was so foreign. The strange energy continued to arc across his aching body; what was happening?

A high-pitched sound drew him from his thoughts. His head snapped up just in time to see the lucario flash out of the way of a weak sonic blast.

Zeal lay in the sand, panting. Blood dripped from one of his ears, but a fire burned in his eyes. "I refuse… to fall… this close… to–"

The lucario threw another dark pulse into the noivern's head. Zeal let out one last feeble cry as his head collapsed to the ground once more.

"This isn't about what you want," the lucario mumbled, glaring down at the unconscious noivern.

Something snapped inside of Jay. The frustration, the unfairness, the pain; it all swelled. The crimson racing across his body pooled into his paws, mingling with the blue sparks into a sphere of pure energy.

Jay didn't care about winning. He just wanted this lucario, this personification of the world beating him into the ground, to be torn down. To feel the pain he'd endured. That Zeal had endured. That they'd all endured.

The aura sphere left Jay's paws instinctively, soaring towards its target in a blur of crimson and sapphire.

The lucario was just turning back around when the aura energy made contact; it crashed into his side and he stumbled back, eyes widened.

The air around the arena owner rippled for a moment, before another flash engulfed his form. This time, though, the lucario didn't reappear in a different spot; an entirely new pokemon appeared in the same spot.

Grey fur, an unkempt mane, and yet the same tired gaze and red armband.

A hint of surprise shone in the pokemon's now-blue eyes. "…You figured out aura sphere."

Jay balked. "A zoroark?" His brain was on the verge of short-circuiting.

"Yep." The zoroark halfheartedly gestured to himself.

"Why…?"

"I'm only going to tell the story once. You've proven yourself; let's tend to them, now."

Jay's gaze turned back to his fallen companions. He'd gotten so worked up that he'd nearly forgotten about them. Seeing that the zoroark was already walking over towards Zeal, Jay made his way to Bliss. Her injuries didn't look too severe, but she was still out cold.

Jay let out a sigh. Despite all the emotional turmoil during the fight and the painful throbbing in his chest, he felt… better, for some strange reason. He had a thousand questions, but they could wait until everyone was safe. So, he began the long process of silently dragging the blaziken over to the medical area.

After bringing Bliss and Zeal to the medical ward, the zoroark handed Jay some oran berries to feed to his unconscious companions and left. Jay was too confused and tired to question anything, but he was clueless when it came to feeding an unconscious pokemon. He settled for squeezing some of the juice into their mouths, but his fumbling paws made the task difficult.

A bit of time and a lot of spilled juice later, the zoroark returned with his meowstic secretary in tow. Jay recognized her from his first visit; she seemed unphased that her boss was secretly an entirely different species. In fact, she seemed annoyed by the lateness of the hour more than anything.

The zoroark explained that his secretary was here to help carry the unconscious pokemon with her psychic grip. Jay followed along as they relocated back to the owner's office. The meowstic had to make two trips, but eventually Bliss and Zeal were resting on plush cushions.

The zoroark and meowstic excused themselves to talk, leaving Jay alone with his unconscious teammates and a lot of questions. With nothing else to do but idly chew on an oran berry and wait, he couldn't help but get lost in his own thoughts.

First of all, what happened to him in the arena?

The red energy, the strange and ethereal feeling, but most of all the rage. It was unlike him. But as frightening as it was, it was also… cathartic.

A shiver ran down his spine. He needed to think of something else.

The arena owner's mysterious identity was an easy enough topic. Apparently, he had been a zoroark disguised as a lucario the entire time, and yet he treated the reveal with no drama. So if he didn't care that Jay knew his secret, then why keep it a secret?

A stirring to his side drew his attention. Bliss groaned, raising a hand to rub her head. After a few seconds, she sat up slowly.

"We won, right?" she mumbled, her unfocused eyes trailing over the room until they fell on Jay.

Jay blinked back at her. "Actually, we did. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, can't keep me down," she muttered, still rubbing her head. Her gaze flicked to Zeal's unconscious form. "Hah. Guess he's not as tough as he says he is."

"Bliss, are you sure you're alright?" Jay dug around in his satchel, producing another oran berry.

"Yeah, we won. How could I not be–" Her eyes seemed to finally focus, and she looked between Jay and Zeal. "Wait…"

Jay simply held out the berry. "Here, it'll help."

Bliss accepted the berry, taking a slow bite. "You beat him?"

"Well, kind of. It's–"

"When we were all down?"

"Zeal had just–"

"By finding the strength to do something you didn't even know you could do before?"

He started. "…yes?"

The blaziken shrugged her shoulders and took another bite of the berry. "Seems pretty on-brand to me. Good job."

Jay didn't have a proper response. Was that on-brand for him? There was his first fight in the arena, and the cave with the bandits, the battle they had just finished…

Wow, you really are making a habit of it.

He shook his head. "Oh, that's right, there's something important you need to know about the–"

Zeal let out a gasp as he awoke, his eyes fluttering open. "No, no, no," he mumbled, worriedly scanning around the room.

"Zeal…?" Jay was already reaching for another oran berry.

"We were on the precipice– Jay." His gaze was full of pure desperation. "Please, is he going to give us another chance, we cannot–"

"Save the panic for the next time you stumble into a contraction convention," Bliss cut in, still chewing her own berry. "Jay won. But I guess you wouldn't believe that we'd get by without you, huh?"

Zeal froze. "You…"

Jay nodded, holding out the berry. "Yeah, he said we proved ourselves."

The noivern accepted the fruit, holding it gently in his claws. "Jay, I…"

In keeping with the string of interruptions, the zoroark decided to re-enter the room at that exact moment. Immediately, Bliss's eyes went wide and Zeal's gaze hardened.

"You're awake," the zoroark commented flatly as he took a seat.

"State your business." Zeal's tone sharpened drastically.

"He's, uh, the arena owner," Jay posited in an attempt to defuse the tension. "He was disguised, I think."

Zeal immediately forced himself to sit up, taking a defensive stance. "This entire time?"

The zoroark gave a tired nod. "Yep."

"Impersonating another pokemon, especially a lucario, constitutes as a crime." Zeal scowled. "Is this entire establishment founded on fraudulence?"

"More or less."

Bliss crossed her arms. "Wow. The only thing cooler than a mon with an undeserved reputation; a mon with a stolen undeserved reputation."

Jay's eyes darted between his companions. As battered as they were, they both looked like they were about to go for a second round against the arena owner. "Well, maybe he had a good reason?" Jay gave the zoroark a pleading look.

The zoroark's gaze slowly swept over the trio. "Of course I did. I'll tell you, if you stay quiet. First, you can call me Zoro. This–"

"Zoro?" Bliss scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm Blaze, and this is my buddy Luca."

Jay blinked. "Do pokemon not usually have names that sound like their species?"

"Only if they're fake. How can we trust anything this guy says?"

Zoro gave Bliss a flat look. "Blaze, you're fired."

The blaziken uncrossed her arms, fire flashing from her wrists. "Oh yeah? I was gonna quit anyways."

"Good, then you shouldn't be upset." The zoroark turned to address Jay. "This all started–"

"I'm not upset," Bliss seethed.

Zoro didn't spare her a glance this time. "Good. This all started a few decades back. The Anchor fell into the possession of the old guildmaster, Wezen. It was fracturing, and somebody needed to do something about it."

Zeal leaned forward, curiosity mingling with the skepticism on his face. "Do you mean to tell us that you are the zoroark who worked with Guildmaster Wezen?"

The zoroark gave a short nod. "Yes. He entrusted me with the Anchor shortly before he passed."

"Wait a second," Bliss cut in, "Are you guys part of some elitist secret-sharing club? Because I have no clue what you're talking about."

Zeal glanced between Bliss and Jay. "Right. I suppose I never mentioned this; my father is a high ranking official in the guild. He worked with Guildmaster Wezen shortly before his disappearance." The noivern shifted his gaze back to Zoro. "He mentioned a zoroark a few times, in passing. Apparently this pokemon was one of the guildmaster's closest allies, but he disappeared shortly after the war."

Bliss rolled her eyes. "So you were born to a high-status family. Figures."

Jay, for his part, was struggling to keep up. Zeal's explanation had just raised more questions about the guildmaster and Zoro and the apparent war that had happened; he decided to just keep his focus on his path home. "So what about the Anchor?"

"It's broken, and there's only one way to fix it." Zoro raised a claw, and a purple, amorphous substance generated above it. "The rift material: palkinium."

Zeal, upon seeing Jay and Bliss's confused expressions, took the liberty of explaining. "Palkinium is found only in the depths of the most fearsome dungeons; it can be forged into items to bestow or strengthen anomalous properties."

"And it's expensive," Zoro added, letting the illusion of the material disappear. "It's why I had the arena built; the profits are enough to corner the market."

Bliss's hostility didn't waver. "What's with the disguise, then? If you're running a totally legit business to save the world, why hide?"

Zoro gestured to himself in response. "Most normal pokemon wouldn't be able to get control and funding for an operation like this, and a zoroark wouldn't stand a chance. Business deals went faster as a lucario."

"So you are using the disguise as a front," Zeal said, scowling. "Propagating a lie to increase your profits."

"Yes." There was no hint of remorse in Zoro's voice. "I did what I had to do to fix the Anchor; prosecute me after it's repaired if you want."

"So, wait." Jay had to be very clear on one thing. "Is the Anchor broken? Can we still use it?"

"It's nearly fixed. Palkinium has been harder to find lately. I secured a shipment the other day, but it was stolen before it made it to the arena." The zoroark's gaze slowly shifted to Bliss. "Then the package containing the material was broken in an ensuing fight, ruining it."

Bliss blinked a few times. "Wait, y–"

Zoro cut her off. "Yep. Because the Anchor is so close to being repaired and palkinium is becoming so hard to buy, I was planning on going to a dungeon to get the rest myself."

Jay's gaze fell to the floor. "Sorry about the material. We were just trying to help out." Yet trying to help out had only made things worse, as it usually seemed to. Pushing the thought away, he forced himself to look at the zoroark again. "We just need to go to one dungeon to repair the Anchor, and then we're done?"

"One dungeon that produces palkinium and hasn't been raided for it recently. There's only a few, and none of them are easy." He glanced between the motley group. "Which is why I didn't want you tagging along if you couldn't hold your own."

"If I may inquire; which dungeon?" Zeal asked.

"The Old Mines."

The noivern frowned. "That would be a tall order for any party."

"We'll do it," Jay resolved. "We've made it this far. We can deal with one more dungeon, as long as we can use the Anchor after."

Zoro raised a claw. "It deteoritates from overuse. I'll let you both use it to get back what you've lost if I trust that Jay can handle it, but that's all. We'll have to bring it to a deep enough rift to use it to recover someone, though, and there's only one dungeon I know that fits: the Full Moon Hollow."

"Deal." Jay didn't care if it was the center of an active volcano, as long as he knew where to go. He finally had his goal laid out; get the material, fix the Anchor, bring it to the spot and use it. Assuming nothing else got in his way, as bold of an assumption as it was, he would be back to his sister in a matter of– "Wait, how long will that all take?"

Zeal seemed troubled. "As the name suggests, the Full Moon Hollow is a unique dungeon; it is only accessible once every month, on the night of the full moon…"

There was always a catch. Jay braced himself for the blow as he asked the question: "…How long until the full moon?"

"Two weeks from tonight," Zoro answered plainly. "Getting the material should take less than a week, so we can make it on this cycle."

Jay's breath caught for a second. But where there was a catch, there was always an out, wasn't there? Always another step to take, always a way to get there faster. "But there's another way, right?"

The zoroark shook his head. "It's the only dungeon that'll work."

One step at a time. "But there's a way to get in faster, right?"

Zeal looked dejectedly towards the ground. "The dungeon has proven itself quite cyclic. The only known way to enter is by waiting for the full moon."

The anxiety was clawing at him now. "We… we can talk to Jirachi, can't we? He can teleport us in."

"Unless one of you has an unused wish, no." All heads turned to face Zoro; his tone was final. "There's no shortcut. You can use the Anchor in two weeks, if that."

"Two weeks."

All attention turned back to Jay as he said the words, almost robotically.

He'd already spent how many days? Five? He didn't even know anymore.

Now, at best, it was going to be another fourteen. Assuming nothing went wrong.

Something always went wrong.

Jay stood up. He was suddenly aware of how tired he was, but he couldn't keep sitting. "I…"

Bliss's concern was evident on her face. "You okay? I know it's a while, but…"

Zeal looked almost as tired as Jay felt. "If fate deigns us wait, then we must."

Zoro stood as well. "Jay's tired. He can stay in my room tonight; I'll make other arrangements for the rest of us."

Jay allowed the zoroark to lead him. Just like he allowed everything else to sweep him along an endless path since he had fallen into the pokemon world.

Even before he had fallen into the pokemon world.

When exactly he had made it into the plush bedroom, he wasn't sure. He barely even noticed that he was sitting on a bed, or that Zoro mumbled something and then exited.

All that really mattered was the number. Two weeks. An almost infinite chasm between him and Cassie.

What would happen to her in that amount of time?

What had already happened while he'd been gone?

Tears fell onto his fur.

He'd almost died so many times. The dread of the curse still rattled him, even now. How could he endure more?

He began to sniffle.

Why did his life have to keep getting harder? Why did he have to keep making it harder? Why couldn't he just fix it?

He fell back onto the bed, curling up.

Every time he saw a glint light, it moved further and further from him. Is this really what he deserved? To be pushed around, to fall, and to drag everything else down with him?

He let it all out.

"I-I'm sorry, Cassie."

Sobbing.

Jay was out of tears by the time he heard a knock at the door, but he didn't react. He kept his eyes closed, taking shaky breaths.

"Jay."

He forced an eye open; a zoroark knelt at the foot of the bed.

"Sit up. I… brought something."

He stayed tightly curled into a ball on the bed, unmoving.

Zoro extended a hand; a crimson cloth hung from the end of it. "Please, Jay. This could help."

Slowly, Jay forced himself to rise to the edge of the bed. His body still trembled.

The zoroark met Jay's eyes. "A curse is a heavy burden, even once it's healed. Not to mention everything else you've been through…" He sighed. "I can't change the way things are."

Jay gave a small nod, sniffling.

"But I can give you this." Zoro stood, offering the cloth to Jay. "It heals by absorbing positive aura. It's not much, but… think of it as a memory in its own right. Of what you've been through, and how you can heal from it."

He didn't know what to say. He placed a paw on the cloth; it was soft, and almost warm.

"May I?"

Jay nodded again.

Zoro stepped forward and carefully tied the bandanna around Jay's neck. "There. I… hope it helps." He stood back, waiting for Jay's response.

The bandanna felt… nice. It was comfortable against his fur, but there was something more to it. Something almost comforting, in a deeper sense. He could feel his aura sensors tingling lightly. "…thanks."

The zoroark nodded in turn. "We can begin planning the trip and training tomorrow. For now, rest." He lingered for a moment, then turned and made his way out of the room, closing the door softly.

Jay fell back onto the bed, running a paw across the cloth around his neck. Something told him he wasn't going to rest at all.

A memory…

Tied together, chance or fated

Thus they rest, journey unsated

Four pokemon to heal the scar

Thief, noble, warrior, and star

End of Act I

Oh look, it's an updated after-chapter message! I doubt many people are re-reading through Fallen Down, but if you are, I guess I owe yet another explanation.

I've had a very busy break from this story, to say the least. I graduated from college, I had a random onset of chronic pain that I still don't understand after nearly a year of looking into it, I'm about to start a full-time job between medical testing... and I wish I could say all of that even covers half of what I've been up to.

Essentially, I've been whisked around to other writing projects; writing projects that weren't solo, and therefore demanded more immediate attention and participation than my humble attempt at writing my own story. And for as much as I adore Fallen Down and am grateful for every reader, it's become increasingly clear to me that it's just... kind of become an artifact of the past for me.

I feel like I've improved my writing ability so much since I finished Chapter 10 (not to mention since I finished Chapter 1) that I would have to do a full rewrite pass over everything if I even wanted to pick it up again, just to keep the prose from feeling jarring from one Act to the next. Barring that and on a more personal note, I've lost touch with many of the people who initially inspired me to publish this story and push forward, making working on it a far more melancholy experience than it was a year ago.

Because of all of this, I hope you can understand that Fallen Down should be considered defunct. There's always a chance that I'll pick it up again someday, but I wouldn't count on it. I'm extremely sorry to any readers who enjoyed following these characters and wanted to see where they would go, but I have to face the music and be realistic. Everyone who expressed even a shred of support has my deepest thanks.

And hey, make sure to be kind to yourselves, y'all. Don't be afraid to walk away from something if it's not good for you.