Ch.22: The Guilt of a Thief! Tony's Lament and Rage!

Three hours. Three long, slow, agonizing hours. In those hours, within that timeframe, there was nothing but silence. No talking between the five Pokémon waiting downstairs. Four of the five were merely giving the Dewott pacing back and forth his space, as he had tons of thoughts flowing in his mind, each one of them worse than the last.

Tony was completely restless. He tried everything to relax his fidgeting body. When he sat, he would continuously switch position to get into optimal comfort, but the seats felt like painful spikes burrowing into his skin and clawing at his muscle and tissue, tingling his body unnervingly. He attempted to sleep to ease the tension building in his mind, but that only resulted in horrible reminders of the events taking place upstairs in the form of haunting nightmares.

Each of these attempts to calm himself down had an increasingly dangerous effect on his mental state and appearance. His fur was messed up, his eyes were red and dry from all the crying he did, and his face would make slight twitches that expressed the troubled storm brewing deep within his worried brain.

Everything that happened…it was too much to take in. You would never expect losing those close to you until it was too late. The stressed Dewott had just witnessed the near-death experience of his two-favorite people in the entire world. Now he was forced to wait for who knows how much longer to get the results on their survival.

Meanwhile, Team Ravenfield were stuck looking at each other, waiting for the other to perhaps say something that would ease the Dewott's nerves. It was evident in their eyes that neither individual wanted to touch that mess of nerves, especially with the lightning shooting thief already on edge. His mind was unstable. Setting him off with the wrong words would likely result in setting the pharmacy on fire, which would most certainly intensify his stress filled mind.

Normally Wes, who was a self-proclaimed optimist, would attempt to see the better side of the situation rather than what would happen. Though, he wasn't sure what he could say. The only experience of misery he felt was his father's death. The news hit him like a mountain of bricks, yes, but his depression wasn't the same with Tony's. Rather than being hit with the sudden news of death, his mind was stressing with a series of what ifs that are may or may not come.

Flint, Ella, and Gwyn didn't have much to say either. Offering kind and hopeful words wasn't going to get Tony to calm down about his sister and mother. They're only hope was that Morgan came back with uplifting news that'll pull the thief out of his hole of misery.

Ella tapped her digits against her chair, her face scrunching up in annoyance. Even though she had nothing to say herself, the silence was killing her. She didn't mind peace and quiet, but the air wasn't particularly pleasant, obviously. Her frustration would only continue to build up as she listened to the sound of the Dewott's fidgeting. It was driving her nuts.

Flint looked at her and saw the frustration forming on her face. He reached out and touched her shoulder blade. He finally broke the silence in the form of whisper, saying, "Ella, calm down. We need to give Tony is space."

She sighed exasperatedly, then whispered back, "I've worked at a noisy bar for a while, Flint. I've had to put up with some noisy customers who either start fights with other patrons or drowning themselves in alcohol for who knows why. If I see something in a state of conflict, I'm usually the one who puts an end to it."

"I get you, but this isn't a customer we're talking about. Tony might lose his family." He made sure to keep that part exceedingly quiet, as to further Tony's storming mind. "The best we can do is be here for him."

Ella deadpanned. "Be there for him, you say? All I see is an awkward peanut gallery who have been given the unspoken job of babysitting a trauma patient."

Flint shrugged. "Well…if you're so worked up about it, why aren't you saying anything?"

"My fur has been through enough today, thank you very much. I'm not matting down anymore static charged hairs."

Wes tilted his head at them, inserting himself into the conversation. "I mean…we could leave."

"Wes, he still has our key," Flint reminded.

"Maybe we could ask for it back without setting him off?"

"I'm not taking my chances with that. Besides, weren't you the one who said we should come here and offer moral support?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I mean, yes, but I don't know what to say."

Ella held her face in her paws. Dear Arceus, I'm going to die of boredom and awkwardness. She huffed before glancing at Gwyn. "Yo Gwyn, how about you and I swing by one of the shops and pick up food for everyone? Bet you're starving after that little tussle." She waited a moment for a reply, but none was given. She cocked a brow as she examined the green Mew's expression. She appeared to be in deep thought. "Uh, Gwyn? You still with us?"

The two brothers took note of her expression as well. "Gwyn? You sleeping with your eyes open?" Wes asked. "If you are, I'm impressed. I've actually trained myself to do that for some of my classes."

Flint rolled his eyes, then scratched his head. "Odd, she's been in that same position ever since we got here." He grabbed her shoulder and lightly shook her. "Gwyn, wake up."

The Mew's eyes blinked twice before she shook herself back to reality. "Huh?"

"You all right? You look out of it," the Flareon asked in concern.

Gwyn smiled sheepishly. "Heh, sorry if I worried you." She sighed, then placed her head on her hands, with her elbows resting on her legs. "Actually, I was thinking about Tony's sister and mother."

"We're all worried about them, Gwyn," Wes stated. "We just need to wait for Morgan's diagnosis and we'll have the answers we need."

"But that's the thing that worries me." She straightened up and looked at them with concerned eyes. "I think I might know what's wrong with them."

The group's eyes widened. "You do?"

"YOU DO?!"

They jumped as Tony jumped off the ground and grabbed Gwyn by the collar, lifting her out of her seat with fearful eyes. "What's wrong with them?! Tell me!"

Gwyn shivered frightfully. "W-W-Well, it's j-j-just a hunch, but…"

Wes grabbed Tony from behind and pried him off Gwyn, with Flint pushing the two apart. "Tony, get a hold of yourself!" Wes scolded.

"But I need to know! Is there a cure?! Where is it?! Distance doesn't matter! I'd race to the center of the planet if I have to!" He furiously thrashed in Wes' hold.

"I said calm down!" He pinned him to the ground, forcing his arm behind his back. "You can't get this worked up! You need to take a moment and breathe!"

"I'm not freakin' calming down until someone tells me what's wrong with them!"

Gwyn bit her nails with a dreadful, panicked expression. She regretted bring this up. She would have kept it to herself if she knew it was going to get him this upset.

"Let me go! I need to know if they're all right!" Tony shouted.

"You need to relax! You're going to pop of blood vessel or something if you get any angrier!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Ella groaned. "Will both of you shut up? Or would you like to alert the entire town of this?"

Tony glared up at Wes before grabbed his tail with his feet and throwing him off. He flipped back up and armed himself with his scalchops. "I'm not putting up with any of this crap! If someone doesn't give me an answer right now, I'll-"

His eyes widened as Ella lunged at him and gently jabbed her index claw in between where his arm and chest meet. He panted heavily before relaxing his arms, letting them drop to his sides. He could feel the tension in his body loosening. He even felt his pent up aggressive diminishing.

Ella pulled her paw back, sheathing her claw. "Better?" Wordlessly, he gave a slightly hesitant nod.

Gwyn leaned towards Flint, asking, "Uh…what was that?"

"Pressure points. She must have hit one that released the stress in his body."

Ella sighed and stepped away from Tony. "Now that you've calmed down, just listen to Gwyn and try not to overreact. As she said, nothing is concrete."

Tony gulped, then turned to Gwyn. "A-All right…"

Gwyn fumbled her hands together, a little nervous. "I, uh…well, I'm no expert on sicknesses or anything, so…I can't say I'm positive about what's wrong with them. What I do know, though, is that I've seen something similar to this before."

"You have?" Wes asked.

"Sort of. Something like this happened to me when I was younger. An Ariados gave me something to eat and, a few days later, I ended up getting sick. Then I started to…form these vein markings over my body."

Flint's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"

She nodded meekly, then looked at Tony. "Tony, please don't get upset, but…I think they're infected with the Curse of Disease."

Tony's heart nearly stopped on the spot. A cold, chilling wave came over him as he shook in his place. "You're…You're kidding, right?" His teeth chattered, reflecting his terrified mood. "If this is some sort of sick joke, then it's not funny!"

Gwyn flinched, but continued, "I was infected with the Curse of Disease when I was merely five years old. I can…still remember the pain I was in."

The Dewott faltered backwards, landing in a chair. His eyes shook fearfully as he stared at the ground. "This can't be happening…" He held his face in his hands. "This can't actually be happening!"

Wes gulped. "T-Tony…it's going to be all right-"

"All right? ALL RIGHT?!" He stood up out the chair and pointed furiously at him. "This isn't the flu we're talking about! It's a freakin' curse!"

"Maybe we can remove it," Ella suggested. "Curses can be removed…right?"

Gwyn bit her lip. "I'm…afraid it isn't that simple. The Curse of Disease can only disappear if it claims a life. It can be transferred, but…there's really no way of saving anyone once it has been placed."

Tears brimmed from the corner of Tony's eyes. "So that's it, then…they're pretty much dead…" He pressed his hands against his eyes. Hot tears streamed down the side of his cheeks.

Wes frowned. "Tony…" He clenched his teeth before turning back to Gwyn. "Gwyn, are you sure there isn't a way we can safely remove the curse?!"

"I'm not even confidently sure that is the Curse of Disease," she admitted.

"What do you mean?" Ella asked.

"I remember the veins being black when I was infected. I don't ever remember white veins. My mother never saw them as any other color but black."

"So…maybe it's an upgraded version?"

"Perhaps, but I'm not sure." Gwyn held her cheek. "I'm just having a hard time believing any of this."

"You and me both," Flint muttered. "I can't believe someone would go out of their way to target Tony's family. That's just cruel and heartless."

"What I really don't get is how they even acquired a curse, unless whoever did it has a witch on their side. But who would do such a horrible thing?"

"I know who would." They looked back at Tony, who lowered his hands to revealed his reddened eyes. "It was those jerks, the Anguis Organization!"

"Anguis Organization?" Wes mumbled. He then asked, "Wait, are you talking about those weird biker idiots from yesterday?"

"Yes, them," he growled. The gang could practically taste the venom that was dripping from his aggressive tone. "They've had it out for me ever since their clown of a leader heard about me! Every other freakin' day, they find me and ask me to join their little 'Anarchists Unite' club like it was some big deal, promising me luxury and comfort for me and my family."

"You were promised all of that and yet you willing live in this dump?" Ella asked.

Tony glared at her. "This 'dump' is my home. At least, the only one I have left. I may be a thief, but I have my moral principles. One of them being 'Do not join crazy maniacs who kill people for the hell of it'! I've warned them time and time again to back off. When they didn't listen, I started messing with their plans, ruining their operations and scams on poor, naïve travelers. Apparently this only furthered their boss' interest in me, but I still refused."

"Not that I don't agree with your choice, but why would you turn down an opportunity like that? I mean, aren't you desperate to find safety for your sister and mother?"

Tony crossed his arms and scoffed. "There's a fine line between protecting your family from the world and protecting your family from moral confliction. I didn't want my little sister being raised under the assumption that everything was beneath her. I wanted her to live an honest life, happily married and having kids of her own to pass those benevolent morals down to their own kids to live by! I want my mother to live the rest of her life without worrying about the safety of her two dear children! I wasn't going to make that risky jump that could cost me my future."

Wes smiled. "Guess you're not all that bad, then." He then frowned. "Still, you're saying they would actually poison your own family? With a curse, no less?"

"After meeting their leader…I'm not that surprised." He pressed his hands against his face, angrily seething through his teeth. "They must have poisoned them before and after the fire started. During my delivery run…" He glared up at them. "And when I ran into you four…"

Ella immediately sharpened her eyes into an annoyed glare. "Oh, hang on a Arceus damn minute!" She walked up to him and grabbed him by the vest. "If you're going to go around and blame us for what happened to them, you're earning yourself a knuckle sandwich!"

"Ella, calm down!" Flint pleaded. "Escalating all of this with violence won't solve anything!"

Tony stared down at Ella, then clenched his teeth. "Blame you? Blame you four?" He shoved the Espeon off his person. She was about to call him out on his rudeness, but saw his tightened fists shaking angrily. "I really, really wish I could put this entire mess on someone else! Nothing would make me happier in knowing this wasn't my problem!" He seethed heavily. "But no…the only one to blame…IS ME!" He slammed his fist through the front counter, making them jump.

"Those idiots threatened my family so many times that I took everything they said as bluffs. Every time they tried something to harm my family, I would always be there to kick their butts. They tried to set my hut on fire? I appeared in the nick of time and kicked the Molotov back into the Pinsir's face. They tried robbing my family at gunpoint? I blast those fools in the back. Tried to lure my sister out by acting like salesman? The tiniest spark of electricity is heard and they go running for the hills.

"After some time, even with the tiniest hint of me being around the corner, they'd end their little revenge schemes and go on with their day. Each and every day, I took their threats, schemes, and plans against Cheri and my mother as stupid bluffs. That's all they end up as at the end of the day: bluffs. They haven't pulled an actual revenge scheme against me in months. I just accepted it as the way it was, without thinking of them as actual threats."

Magical electricity coursed down his arms as his anger flared up. "Then I met their leader, Count Aeternus. That guy…that freakin' guy…he oozed with pride. He had an air of discomfort that could be felt by anyone close by. Just being in the same room as him, even through a magic mirror, is unnerving." He growled to himself. "As expected, he made threats against my family. Only…this time…well…" He gripped his arms uncomfortably. "There was something off about the way he said it. I didn't take it seriously, but…well, I tried get my deliveries done and over with before heading home, just to be safe."

Flint stared at him with his jaw dropped, perplexed and appalled by his unwise decision making. "Let me get this straight. Some crazy guy threatens to do something horrible to your family, yet you went out of your way to fight us just to keep our key?!"

The Dewott looked down sadly. "I can't say I'm proud of what I did…but yes, it's true."

"Why would you do that?!" Gwyn cried. "You were their only hope of saving them!"

Wes jabbed her side, making her yelp. He whispered, "Might want to lay off on that major detail."

Tony sighed. "Believe me, I wanted to be there to make sure nothing bad happened. Bluff or not, I needed to be sure. That should have been the only thing on my mind, but then you all showed up and…" He clenched his eyes shut, trying to prevent more tears from escaping. "I…you all don't know what I've been through ever since I made it my sole duty to support Cheri and my mother."

Ella gently grabbed him and sat him on the floor. She sat down as well and motioned the others to join in. They nodded and sat down, forming a ring. Ella gestured to the thief, saying, "Continue."

This made him smile for only a moment, only to resume his state of misery. "Listen…what I did was stupid and poorly thought out. I can assure you I feel horrible for putting my own feelings before theirs, but…you don't know the stress I've put up with, taking care of them twenty-four seven. It was…taxing on my mind and body.

"Every day, I have to make sure my mom's health is reasonable before I can ever think of leaving for the day. I have to make sure Cheri stays healthy, too, as she's the only one who would be with her for the entire day." Tony sighed. "Every day, I work, scam travelers…anything I can do to get some extra bits. Sometimes I rake in quite the haul and have us stocked on food for weeks. But then there are those times where food was scarce. Whenever that happens…I give all the rations to Cheri and my mom, leaving me to starve for the night."

Wes' eyes widened. "You can't be serious! You purposely leave yourself starving just for them?!"

"There were times I've nearly passed out, but I just kept going. Honestly, Morgan is the only reason I haven't keeled over yet." The thief lowered his head. "I do everything to keep them happy. Every year, when Cheri's birthday comes around, I triple my work total to get her a new toy. Those days leave me exhausted for weeks on end, so I always make sure to buy lots of food some I can get some rest.

"I've learned as I've gone. I've learned to sew clothing, cook food, clean…anything to keep my family life stable. I taught Cheri how to read and taught her the things I knew to keep Mom safe." He sighed. "I was the only one capable of supporting and protecting them. I put all of their needs ahead of my own. It may have only been a year, but…it was the most stressful experience of my entire life."

"Do they even know what you've been putting yourself through?!" Flint shouted, concerned that the thief has been practically hurting himself.

"Of course I haven't! I barely managed to convince my mother that stealing money off strangers was justifiable! There's no way she would approve of me doing everything on my own and seeing the negative effects it was having on my mind and body! If she knew how much it was affecting me, she would have been doing the work herself, and she is in NO condition to be moving!"

"You shouldn't be hurting yourself like that!" Gwyn yelled. "What if you really did keel over?! They would have been heartbroken, maybe even guilty if something horrible happened to you over their sake!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Tony clutched his head tightly. "I just wanted to protect them!"

"Then why did you stop to fight us if you knew there was a chance of them being in danger?!" Ella shouted.

Tony nearly shouted out his response…then he bit back on his tongue. He could feel the stress building up in his mind already. He slowly tightened his fists and took a long, deep breath to relax himself. He was already scared enough as it was. No sense in popping a blood vessel over their concern for him.

"I…" He sighed. "The stress finally got to me, I suppose. I don't really get to do a lot of what I want to do these days. Like I said, it's them over me. That's just how I've done it. I never had time to do the things that interested me. I focused more on raising Cheri and supporting my mom. I didn't allow myself time to relax. Even if those rare moments came up, it's just to sleep.

"Then you all come along and, while already on edge at the time, I got this sudden impulse that a fight was going to break. In that moment, well…I guess catharsis finally kicked in."

Gwyn raised a brow. "Ca-what now?"

Flint raised a digit in a very scholarly matter and stated, "Catharsis is the process of releasing strong or repressed emotions. The word itself translates back into Greek, meaning 'purification' or 'cleansing'. The term was used in many Greek plays, as it allowed for-"

"NERD!" Ella shouted. Flint glared at her before grumbling to himself. Ella snickered to herself before gesturing Tony to continue.

The Dewott rolled his eyes before doing so. "Anyway…I guess I got carried away with the fighting. I just wanted to do something for once to get my mind off everything that has happened. So…I took out all my aggression on you guys and got carried away, completely ignoring the people I care about."

He rubbed his watery eyes. "I regret not being there for them when the fire broke out. I regret not stopping those goons from cursing them. I regret getting caught up in my own needs, not realizing my error in decision making." He pressed his hands against his eyes. "I don't think I can look at them after what I did."

Wes narrowed his eyes, then stretched his foreleg out. He patted the thief's shoulder, then said, "Tony…you shouldn't be beating yourself up like this. What happened could have happened to anybody. It's not your fault."

The Dewott shook his head. "That's a lie. You're only saying that…"

"But I mean it. You think they're going to hate you all because you wanted to take an actual break?"

"A crazed psycho told me he was going to have my family killed and I completely disregarded it without even thinking for a moment that something might go wrong. I instead took a small detour by fighting a group of travelers I pickpocketed. HOW does that make up for what I did?"

Gwyn frowned. "Tony, it isn't that bad."

"You JUST told me that my family might be infected with the Curse of Disease! Tell me what part of this ISN'T bad?!"

The Mew whimpered sadly. "I was only trying to…"

Tony clenched his teeth, then exhaled a frustrated sigh. "I'm…I'm sorry, all right? This is just all happening so fast. They're on their deathbeds and all I'm doing is weeping like a baby. After everything I've done to keep them safe, life kicks me in the back and reminds me about how horrible everything is." He tilted to his right and laid on his side. "I can't believe I'm actually going to lose them…" The tears came back and dripped down his face. "I…I don't want to lose them…they're the only bit of happiness I have left…"

The gang looked at each other sadly. They've tried everything they could to cheer him up, but…the morbid truth was blatant. All they could do now was give him their comfort before and after they pass on from this world. They bowed their heads in silence as the sounds of the thief's weeping permeated the lobby.

The sounds, however, were overshadowed by a pair of shoes stepping down from the creaky stairs. They looked up in curiosity, with Tony viciously wiping his eyes, as Morgan entered the room. They expected his face to match their own, to match the mood of this depressing atmosphere.

Instead, his face was neutral. No signs of good fortune or darkest times. He looked almost unsure about something. Did something happen to Cheri and Angel? Did it have anything to do with the curse they were afflicted with? Why was he so calm?

Tony scrambled to his feet and asked sharply, "Are they okay?! What's wrong?!"

Morgan didn't respond immediately. The next few words that come out of his mouth could lead Tony to make some reckless choices if he didn't phrase himself carefully. What he had to say wasn't uplifting, but it wasn't distressful.

He pressed his fingers against his eyes before sighing. "I…well, I have some good news and some bad news. I'll start with this bit of news to ease you up." He smiled lightly at Tony. "I've managed to keep them stabilized. They should be fine for the time being."

Even though they weren't cured yet, that was the best news he could get so far. He broke out into a smile as his watery eyes shimmered. "That's…That's great!"

Wes frowned. "How are they holding up, though?"

Morgan rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "You all might want to come and see this for yourselves." He gestured them to follow him upstairs.

They walked up the creaky stairs and peeked their heads through the banister. The entire upper room was filled with medical equipment and supplies. Cabinets lined with medicine, drawers filled with medical tools, and two gurneys in the center of the room, where Angel and Cheri laid.

Their eyes were closed, but it was hard to tell if they were sleeping or not. Their heavy breathing and facial twitches meant they were having surreal dreams or the pain inflicted onto their bodies was hurting them. However, what truly made the group unnerved, notably Tony and Gwyn, were the vein marks stretched across their bodies.

The white vein markings have spread to everywhere on their bodies, from the tips of their pointed ears to the soles of their feet. Sweat dripped down their soaked foreheads. Next to their beds were buckets for them to vomit into, as they were also being hit with waves of nausea, too. They looked absolutely miserable.

Tony's eyes were wide in horror. "Mom! Cheri! Are you-?!" He stopped himself as their faces scrunched up in pain.

Morgan bit his lip before saying, "Sorry, I forgot to mention that. They're a little sensitive to noises at the moment. I'd advise you keep your voices low."

"What's wrong with them?" Flint asked worriedly.

Morgan stepped fully into the medical room, which they followed behind, and explained, "From what I've observed, they're suffering from quite a number of symptoms and sicknesses." He raised his fingers. "Fever, nausea, migraines, stomach aches, sore throats, colds, body pains-"

Tony held his head. "Mom was already sick enough. Now this?!" he whispered loudly, remembering to keep his voice low.

"I gave them some medication to help dull the pain, but it seems this sickness is stronger than I thought." He rubbed his chin. "This is honestly the best I could accomplish. They're not suffering anymore, so that's a plus." He sighed. "Unfortunately, what we're looking at is not an everyday sickness."

"We know," Ella brought up. "It's a curse."

Morgan looked at them, surprised. "How did you know?"

Gwyn stepped forward. "Sir, I was under the effects of the Curse of Disease myself, so I have first hand experience seeing these types of markings. Though, they look very different to what I've seen."

This made the Hypno's eyes widen. "W-Wait, you were suffering from the Curse of Disease…and survived?"

"I…not exactly. My mother sacrificed herself by transferring the curse out of me and into her. She died ten years ago from it."

Morgan's eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't say…"

Wes patted Tony's back. "We're really sorry this is happening to you."

He shook his head, trying to hold back his tears. "It's fine…none of this is your fault." He closed his eyes sadly. "Now we have no way of saving them."

Morgan leaned against the counter under his wall cabinets. "What makes you think it's all over?"

"Pops, with all due respect, I don't think we're going to find two willing Pokémon who will allow a curse like that running through their body." He growled under his breath. "Though, I can think of so unwilling volunteers I'll gladly drag here…"

Flint turned to him. "Tony, you can't just kidnap them and force them to undergo a ritual like that, even if they are responsible for this. Besides, we don't even KNOW how to perform the transfer ritual and I'm certainly not performing illegal magic."

"I'm willing to do so if it means saving them!" he argued back.

"No one has to perform any rituals," Morgan interrupted, gaining their attention, "because it's not the Curse of Disease."

Ella blinked. "…I'm sorry, one more time?"

"As Gwyn stated, when she was under the Curse of Disease, she had black veins running across her body. That still holds true, for these aren't from that curse, but rather its weaker variation: the Curse of Sickness."

"Curse of Sickness?" Tony repeated.

Morgan nodded. "That's right. The Curse of Sickness does cause much discomfort in the victim, but not to the same fatal magnitude as the Curse of Disease."

Tony looked down at the ground, smiling a bit. "So…they're going to be okay?"

Morgan narrowed his eyes. "That's…where the bad news comes in." The Dewott's eyes widened. "The Curse of Sickness would take much, much longer to kill its target. Heck, there have been recorded cases where the victim lived on the rest of their life until they died of old age." He crossed his arms. "The same, however, can't be said about Cheri or your mother.

"Living out here in Fuego Village makes it easier for Pokémon to get sick. You may have taken the extra precautions to keep that from happening in general, but this curse will slowly amplify the effects as time passes. Each day, it grows a little worse. It'll eventually reach a point where their immune system will completely give out on fighting back." He went over to the sink and soaked two rags in cold water. "Cheri's still young, so her immune system won't be able to fight back all that well. Angel's, on the other hand, isn't at top efficiency anymore."

"W-What are you saying?!" Tony asked fearfully.

After soaking them, Morgan wrung the extra water out of the rags. "I'll try and help them in any way I can, but I can't guarantee they'll survive. If it was anyone else, I'd be confident in their survival. This is why Fuego Village needs a doctor like me. Getting sick out here is life or death."

Tony bowed his head. "So…there's still no hope?"

"Well, not exactly. You see…"

He stopped talking as he heard murmuring coming from behind him. Everyone looked as Cheri shifted on her bed before wearily opening her eyes halfway. They looked so glassy and void of cheer, something that pierced the Dewott's heart in agony. His little sister had so much light in her eyes and now…dullness.

"B…Big brother?" she mumbled weakly.

Tony ran up to her side and clasped her hand in his. "Big brother's right here, Cheri, don't worry."

She looked up at him feebly before saying, "I…I don't feel so good…" She suddenly began coughing, very harshly.

Tony rubbed her side. "Take it easy. Don't work yourself up," he said softly.

She groaned and turned back onto her back. "I…I'm really hungry…"

The Dewott shook his head. "You shouldn't be eating right now. You need your rest."

She shifted close to him and nudged her head against him. "But I want…my Bluk berries…"

Tony smiled lightly and cradled her head in his arms. "Hey…just stay strong for me, okay? If you make it through this, I'll buy you a WHOLE basket of Bluk berries."

"P…Promise?"

"Promise."

She smiled weakly. "You're a…great big brother…" Her eyes fluttered softly before she drifted off to sleep.

Tony sighed and gently positioned her back on the bed. He stood up straight and looked to Morgan. "There has to be a way to help them. I don't want to lose them."

Morgan folded his arms behind his back. "Well, there is a way to counteract the curse. Like some weaker curses, this one can be treated with a potion. However, I don't have the recipe on hand, so I wouldn't know."

Wes looked at Gwyn. "Do you have a recipe for it?"

She shrugged. "Hey man, I just heard about this curse. I'm no witch expert."

Morgan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I could check out the bookstore, but I doubt they have that kind of knowledge in stock."

"Meaning we're back to square one," Flint grumbled.

Ella rubbed her chin in curiosity. "Kind of stupid move on those thugs' part, don't you think?"

Tony look at her oddly. "How so?"

She shrugged. "Hey, I'm just saying that if I was trying to get revenge on your family AND had access to a curse, I would have prioritized a much deadlier curse with no 'easy fix' guarantee of being cured. These guys went through the trouble of trying to kill them and all they accomplished is giving their health a roller coaster ride of doom. Almost like they want it to be curable or something…" She smirked. "Hint, hint."

Tony blinked, trying to wrap his mind around the poorly executed plan, before gasping in realization. "They're not trying to kill them off…at least immediately. They did this as a sort of…bargaining chip against me?!"

Flint glared. "They must be doing this to get you to join their organization with less resistance."

"Meaning they have an antidote should you cooperate," Wes added.

"You mean to tell me…they're making my family suffer…with the chance of dying because of ME…all so they can get another freakin' member to their terrorist club?!" He grinded his teeth together, sharpened his eyes into a glare, and flexed his fingers out before clenching them into a tight fist. The top hairs of his head stood up as electricity surged through his body. "Those greedy, good for nothing, idiotic monsters have gone too far this time!"

Flint raised his paws calmly. "Tony, ease up for a moment. Yes, I can understand why you're angry and, believe me, nothing would make me happier than to give them a taste of karma in the worse way possible. But what exactly is your plan? We don't have a cure. We don't know how to MAKE the cure."

"Are you saying that I should just walk down there and fill out my APPLICATION for those guys?!" he shouted nearly above a whisper. Again, he was trying to let his mom and sister rest. However, it was a little hard to do when he was a hair away from snapping.

"That's not what I mean, but…what other choice do we have?" he asked. "I mean…what's more important? Their life…or your pride?"

Tony eased up his tense body and looked to the side. "I…" He gripped his arm. "I…want to protect them, but…" He looked at his feet, trying to come to a decision. "Should I really give up and just take their offer if it means keeping them safe?"

Flint rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not saying that's a good idea, but…is there anything you can do to prevent it?" Tony gripped his arm tighter, exhaling sadly.

Ella narrowed her eyes, then stepped forward, pushing Flint back. "Tony…how much do you care about your family?"

He looked her in the eyes with the most serious expression he could give. "How much do they mean to me? Heh…they're all I have left. I love them dearly. I'd gladly do whatever I can to protect them."

She nodded. "I see, I see. In that case…" She glared. "Stop acting like a pansy and go."

"Huh?!" he sounded in confusion, taking a step back.

"Let me say this as honestly as I can…everything that has happened today was the results of your poor thinking and stupid decisions. In short…you're one of the driving factors any of this happened. Your fault," she stated with a straight face.

Her friends stared at her with dropped jaws and wide eyes. What has gotten into Ella? Was this her way of cheering him up?! By being brutally honest with him?! How was THAT supposed to help?!

Tony groaned and looked away for her. "Why don't you just rub more salt on the wound while you're at it? Give me more reasons to hate myself."

"I'm not done yet." She sighed, then said, "Listen, even IF nothing happened beforehand, you still put your family at great risk. The end results were because you thought of yourself before them. You want to know the funny part, though? It's not your rash decision to stay behind and battle us that puts you at fault. If anything, I can understand why you needed a reason to release some stress. You've refused to give yourself a break ever since you started supporting those two. THAT, however, is the issue at hand."

She poked his chest. "You're too prideful to admit that the work load is getting to you. You wanted to show them that you can take care of them, out of love and out of self-satisfaction. Heck, I bet you haven't admitted half of this to Morgan over there, just so you can continue to be there for them. But why do you want to take care of them so badly? Why on your own?" She raised a brow. "Didn't you say your father left you when you were younger?"

Chuckling nervously, Gwyn got behind her and tugged on the Espeon's vest. "Hehe, Ella…you're pulling a wound open there…let's not upset the scary thief who was kicking our butts earlier…"

Ella shrugged with a scoff. "Why not? It's true." Gwyn's eyes widened with a blank stare and a nervous grin, sweat dripping down her face. She could see Tony's fists shaking. "Just say it, Tony. Swallow your pride for a moment and tell me what the problem is."

Tony glared at the Espeon, who continued to stare back with a straight face. He closed his eyes and let out a hefty sigh. "…swallow my pride, you say? Maybe that's why I'm so dedicated about protecting them." He opened his eyes and stared back softly.

"Fathers are supposed to be there for their family. They're the man of the house. The guy who makes sure everything runs smoothly. We used to have a nice house before moving out here. Now, suddenly, 'Father-of-the-Year' decides to leave without giving a reason why and leaves my confused, saddened mother to find extra work to raise her ten-year-old son and recently born daughter. As you can guess, my mother didn't have the best of luck finding suitable work at such short notice.

"We only BARELY kept our old house for eight months before moving out here to these crummy huts. Eventually, they became our new homes." He clenched his fist. "To Cheri, this is the only place she can call home. All her memories took place in this village." He sighed. "She could have had a better life growing up back in the city."

He rubbed his eyes. "I…may be trying so hard to…fight back against my father's leave. If he wasn't going to help support us, then someone had to. Just so happens I'm the best at what I do, whether my mother likes it or not."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and lowered his head. "I'm greedy…all I look forward to these days is the bright smiles of my two favorite girls and the shine of some beautiful bits. If I can get enough money, I can get them both out of this environment and take them somewhere that'll benefit all of us. We could live in a luxurious mansion…or, heck, a cramped apartment. We've lived in a small hut for eight years, so not that much different. Anything to make them happy."

"But not yourself," Ella added, stating more as a fact rather than a question.

Tony sighed. "…perhaps I have put more focus onto their needs than mine. Still doesn't make up for what I've done…"

He felt a paw on his shoulder and looked directly into the Espeon's eyes. She smiled. "Maybe not, but…letting out how you feel is a start. You can't take back what you did, but you can fix it."

"How? We don't have an antidote, much less a recipe, for the Curse of Sickness."

"WE don't, but someone else might."

Tony glared. "There is NO way I'm cooperating with those anarchists!"

Ella smirked with sly eyes. "Who said anything about cooperating? Come on, Tony, be smart. What happened to all that cool bravado and confidence from yesterday and earlier? Did you lose your backbone in that fire?"

"I-I…"

Ella narrowed her eyes seriously. "Look, we'll try and come up with our own solution to this mess. Our best bet so far is YOU getting Aeternus to give you that antidote by any means necessary. Use any trick or tactic you have up your sleeve if you need to. Do what you do best: trick and con."

The Dewott narrowed his eyes. "You really think that'll work?"

She shrugged. "Who's asking? I thought you had this whole life thing figured out. Do you want me to hold your hand and walk you through MY advice on how you should handle this? Or are you going to stop grieving over your family and take the actions you see fit to save them?"

They stared at each other intently, with Ella's judging gaze piercing into Tony's contemplative expression.

The Dewott went through hours of turmoil, worrying over the people in his world he loved and cherished rather than seeing the solution pass them. He was too focused on grieving over a possible passing without taking the steps needed to prevent them. He never faced a moment where they were in mortal danger, always taking the cautionary steps to prevent any and all tragedies.

Now, here they were in a medical room with those same people laying on gurneys with their life slowly ticking away. This was the second time he had to go through a sudden and drastic change in his life, the first being when his mother began to fall ill. It took him a while to come to terms with the new life he chose to take on, despite it hurting him inside.

He fell apart so quickly when focusing too hard on the picture without fully analyzing the details surrounding it. He only wanted to stay on task with helping Cheri and his mother, disregarding his own mind and, occasionally, his own health. How could he be so…ignorant?

He clenched his jaw. Ignorance…that word always left a bad taste in his mouth when used against him. He didn't like be called ignorant, yet he was displaying the correct behavior for it, both relating to his family and himself. He ignored his family's safety because he ignored keeping his mind stress free. A domino effect that collapsed into a huge mess.

Here he was asking for answers like he couldn't trust himself planning his next move. Ella, however, had a point. Crying and grieving over the matter won't solve anything. If there as a chance of saving Cheri and his mother, he was going to take it by his own terms. This time, he was going to show the Anguis Organization what happens when you cross the Sapienti family.

Tony tightened his fist and walked pass Ella. The Espeon looked over her shoulder with a smirk. "And where do you think you're going?"

He stopped at the stairs. Folding his arms behind his back, he looked at her and said, "Taking what's mine: that antidote." He walked down to the main floor. The sound of the door could be heard opening and closing behind him.

Ella grinned. "Nice." She felt a tap from her side and looked to Wes, who still looked boggled. "What?"

"Was berating him like that REALLY necessary? He was already on edge as it was. He could have blasted you or something!"

She chuckled haughtily. "Never underestimate my powers of persuasion. I just needed to give him a little motivation."

"By being brutally honest?" Gwyn asked with a raised brow.

"It's called tough love, look it up." The Espeon turned to Morgan. "Now then, on the matter of finding this recipe for ourselves…"

The Hypno shook his head. "Finding it will be tough. Recipes like that aren't exactly common day knowledge. You have had extensive study of potions to understand the complex makings that go into crafting a potion." He sighed. "Even so, the recipe itself is hard to come by without insider knowledge."

Gwyn rubbed her chin. "If we did have the recipe, I could make the potion myself. I have a ton of ingredients in my bag that should suffice."

Flint crossed his forelegs and put on his contemplative face. "Who do we know that could have that kind of knowledge on hand?" He sat on the floor for roughly a minute, searching his brain for possible leads. One clicked in his mind, making him gasp. There was only one other person he could think of that would have gathered information about witches.

"Hal!"

Wes turned to Flint. "Hal? How would he help?"

"Think about it, Wes! Hal was once a pirate, right? He has traveled all over Mysto! Who else could have gathered insider information like counter potions to witch curses?"

"Are you sure? Hal didn't even know the recipe to the potion soaked in our map. Why would he have information against witch curses?"

"Wes, it's Hal we're talking about. Finding a potion to counter the one that was in our map is something he wouldn't have. But something to fight against witches seems plausible."

The Umbreon rubbed his chin. "Well…it's better than anything. Let's contact him right now."

Flint looked to Morgan. "Do you have a crystal ball we can borrow?"

He nodded. "I shall retrieve it for you." He walked downstairs to get the crystal ball.

Hal sat in the back of his shop checking inventory on all the magical items lining his shelves. He reached behind a few items and pulled out a shrunken head. "Ah, the Head of a Thousand Screams." He narrowed his eye. "Why haven't I sold this, yet? Hmm…maybe I could put a sale on it. What scallywag wouldn't love a good ol' screaming head in their homes?" He set his clipboard down and grabbed the chin. "Does this still work?"

He opened the mouth and recoiled in pain as deathly wails slammed through his eardrums. He immediately shut its trap. Despite nearly going deaf, the former pirate smiled widely. "AHA! This young folk will love this beauty! Or it'd make a great knickknack." He heard the front door bell ring. He smiled. "Ah, customers."

He exited the back of the shop. "Welcome to Hal's Pawn Shop! How may I help ye today?" His eye widened. It wasn't a customer coming in, rather it be Jonathan.

The Scrafty didn't look so good. He had dark rings under his eyes, as if he hadn't had a decent sleep in weeks. His tie was slightly askew and barely tied around his neck. He carried a book with him. He let out a yawn, saying, "Hey Hal, how's business going?"

"Forget me, what about ye?! Shiver me timbers, ye look like you just got over a hangover! Believe me, I know firsthand what that feels like."

Jonathan's head tilted forward, nearly dozing off. "I know, I know, I look like a mess." He stretched his arms out. "I haven't been sleeping well ever since I began researching more on the Shadow King."

The old Krokorok glared and swiped the book he was holding out of his arm. "That's it! I'm giving ye a direct order to get some bed rest! The last thing I want is for ye to keel over and be sent to Davy Jones' Locker!"

Jonathan's eyes fluttered. "I-I know, it's just…I…I…" His head fell forward. He dozed off almost instantly.

"Just what? Just WHAT?! Don't leave me hanging, bucko! I hate cliffhangers!" He glared for a moment before pulling out the shrunken head and opening it, blasting ear piercing screams at him.

Jonathan shot awake in a panic. "AAAHHH!" Hal shut the head and pocketed it. The professor glared at him. "Weren't you JUST saying that I needed sleep?!"

"This is a shop, not a motel! Besides, ye look like ye had something to say."

He shook his head, trying to get the gears in his mind running again. "R-Right, that. I actually managed to dig up some information about the Shadow King."

"Curious, I am." Hal leaned forward. "Enlighten me."

Before Jonathan could get his words out, the crystal ball sitting on Hal's counter began to glow. Curious, he tapped the orb and answered the call. The two men brightened up excitedly at the three faces appearing from within it.

"Wes! Flint! Ella!" He picked up the crystal ball excitedly and spun around on his heel. "Haha! I never thought I'd hear from ye three!"

Wes laughed. "Hal, it's great to see you, too!" He waved excitedly at Jonathan. "Hi, Professor Geno!"

Jonathan chuckled. "Hello, Wes."

"Oh, how exciting! I'm so happy to see ye three! How have ye been?! OH, hang on! I should get yer mother! She's been dying to see ye and Flint!"

Flint laughed with a sheepish grin. "T-That's actually not why we're-"

"Oh, how rude of me? Ella, would ye like me to get yer parents so ye can say hi to them, too?"

The Espeon, who was originally smiling at the former pirate, frowned, glaring to her right. "No thanks, I'm good…"

"Hal, seriously, we actually need to-" Flint tried to continue, but Hal kept cutting him off.

"Oh, who's the fella hiding behind ye?" he asked, catching sight of the tail wiggling from behind Flint. A voice behind him squeak. "Ah, a shy one, I see. This a new traveling companion of yers?"

Wes nodded proudly. "Yep!" He reached behind Flint and pulled Gwyn into view. "Gwyn, this is Hal, a friend of ours back in our home village. Hal, this is Gwyn Belladonna, a green Mew who is an expert potion maker."

Gwyn blushed meekly and looked away. "O-Oh, uh…nice to meet you, Mr. Hal…"

The pirate laughed loudly. "Oh lass, no need for formalities! Hal is just fine! Nice to meet ye-did ye just say she's a Mew?" he asked, registering that small, major detail.

Flint pulled the ball back to face him only. "Hal, we REALLY have no time to be talking about this! We can catch up later. Right now, we need your help. It's a matter of life or death."

The once chipper Krokorok suddenly dropped his joyful mood and narrowed his eye seriously. "How, exactly?"

He pointed the crystal ball at Angel and Cheri. "See those two right there? They've been inflicted with the Curse of Sickness."

Hal's eye widened. "Curse of Sickness?"

"Yes. They live out in Fuego Village, so the curse is hurting them a lot more than it should." He pointed the ball back to his face. "It can be countered with a potion but we don't have the recipe. We were hoping you would know since you've traveled for so long around Mysto."

The former pirate rubbed his chin. "Tall order ye're pinning on me, boy. However, I may have something in the back that'll quench yer worries. It'll take me a while, but I should have it in the back of the shop." He handed the crystal ball over to Jonathan. "Keep them company while I'm gone." He rushed to the back, quick as the wind.

The professor sighed, then looked to the group. "How are you kids doing?"

"We hit a bit of a snag recently, but we've acquired the Key of Earth," Wes informed, whispering the last bit as Morgan was still in the room. He was busy attending to Angel and Cheri, seemingly not paying attention.

Jonathan smiled. "That's incredible! You're already on the right path!"

"Yeah. Gwyn here was a big help in fixing the map," Flint praised, patting the Mew's back.

She blushed with embarrassment and hid her face in her sweater. "Aww, come on guys, quit embarrassing me~!" she pleaded, though her happy squeals muffled into her sweater gave away her actual feelings.

Jonathan chuckled. "I'm glad to see you've made a new ally and friend." He narrowed his eyes. "How have you been doing as of late? Any other encounters with the shadows?"

Ella nodded. "Yeah, back in Gwyn's home city, Marble Stone City. They possessed someone to attack us while sending waves of shadows for assistance."

"I see. And that was your only encounter with them?"

"Pretty much."

Jonathan scratched his chin. "They must realize you four are far stronger than they've perceived. They could be plotting for their next move."

Wes waved it off. "Eh, whatever they throw at us, we can take them."

"I wouldn't act so cocky, Ravenfield. The shadows and a possessed Pokémon may be manageable for you, but they're far from the real threat down the line."

Wes narrowed his eyes. "We know…the Shadow King is much stronger than all of them."

"That's true, but he isn't what I'm talking about."

Flint frowned worriedly. "What do you mean?"

"I made new ground on my research and came across horrifying information." He grabbed his book, which Hal left on the counter and flipped through the pages. "The Shadow King had much more than an army of shadows and his shadow general, Nightmare. No, he had something worse that put them all to shame. Something that made him a feared monster throughout the darker times of the Grand Imperium Age." He narrowed his eyes seriously, disturbing the traveling group.

"They are known simply as the Four Heralds of Darkness."