It has been days of travelling through snow and darkness with nothing but the badge in the Prinplup's flipper guiding them. The glow at the end of Leon's brush-like tail kept them on their path, and a steady supply of Leppa berries and elixirs bought from the folks in Halfway Rock made sure their light did not falter. Even Judeau, the least experienced of their inexperienced trio, managed to stick past their first stop. Maybe they do not feel the cold the same way as someone like Leon does? They seem like they are not made of the same bits. The psychic is an odd pokemon for sure.
The needle of Braviary's badge leads them through evergreen forests and eventually, to a small alcove in the woods where two sets of footsteps leave from. One set of footprints are considerably larger, while the smaller ones have three distinct claws protruding from their foot. Leon, flashing his light around the remains of the camp, speaks up.
"There was a fire here." Leon kicks some snow, revealing a dark ashy spot in the earth. He points to the footprints next to it. "Someone has kicked snow onto it. Did it snow yesterday, Prinn?"
"Yeah, it did." He chirps, looking Leon's way. "Why?"
"We're in the thick of the Dark Season now. Night is much longer than it usually is. I take it whoever we're tracking set up camp after snowfall, or else they wouldn't have to haphazardly cover their tracks." Leon's baggy eyes follow the feet around the camp further in the forest. Up ahead, far beyond the forest's snow-covered canopy, stands one of the Dusk Continent's northern mountains. "These are fresh Prinn, no less than a day old. Whoever Braviary's badge is tracking we're hot on their trail."
Prinn gives the footprints another glance. They are nothing like the bird Judeau described, which supposedly makes sense - why would a bird need to walk anyways?
"You think Xatu was here?" Prinn asks, looking at the psychic.
"I don't know." Judeau says. "But we can't stop, we have to keep going. He's probably close."
Prinn looks over to Leon, who nods back. The Trio collect themselves, and with the badge continuing to point their way, they continue on their search.
Masters saw two things: the glow of a snowy town reflecting off a lake of ice, and a pokemon clad in a blue scarf setting the gear on a glass pedestal. The Dimensional Scream could only be pointing to one place in particular and they, in their collective wisdom, did not even bother to check in with the exploration society they had passed through a day earlier. To be fair to both him and Lucario, Masters was preoccupied in keeping his friend from freezing to death. The feeling of having been so close haunts him, Masters can only imagine how Lucario feels.
Their trip from the hidden land to the docks north of Lapis Town was swift. Now walking side by side with their steed, Masters continues upstream until the warm lights of Lapis Town become visible in the distance. The large, lodge-like building overlooking the town is their target.
"So..." Lucario exhales. "You were a guildie, weren't ya?"
Some bitter old feelings immediately surface, the majority of which Masters manages to shake off.
"Was. Team Chaser stopped accepting new recruits when the last and only leader bit the dust and became a ghost." Masters laughs. "Were you hoping to join or something?"
"Never in a million years, kissing the boots of a guildmaster isn't my thing. Just thought it explains a lot - the get up, the knowledge. You seem like a guy who has been through a lot and it's not just you being a ghost." Lucario says. "Why Team Chaser? Did you come up with the name?"
"We had a temp name. It was a stupid name, the kind only a kid thinks of." He snorts. When did he think the name PokePals was ever a good idea? "After a couple jobs I took a liking to collecting bounties and hunting down criminals. I'd chase down baddies, hence Team Chaser. It's how I got so good at what I do."
"Team implies more than one, did you have a partner?"
The thoughts Masters managed to push aside come crashing down. Masters bites on his lip hard.
"Had."
The last he says about it, the better it is for the both of them. Lucario catches on, shifting the conversation to the object hidden under Masters' cowl. He nods at the gear.
"Sorry I had to make you give one of them to her."
"I would have thought to do the same thing eventually. Celebi is a good person; she's the right pokemon to trust with temporal tomfoolery." He assures Lucario. "I highly doubt anyone other than me, you, her and Lapras have the keys to the Hidden Land. Keeping one of those gears safe with her makes sense."
"I'll admit I didn't want to part with a Gear so soon, but I'd take any excuse to meet again with a friend of mine." The brim of Masters' hat hides a soft grin. "Let's hope she has good news when we come back."
"Yeah, and the one we're looking for? What did you see with the Scream of yours?"
Masters winces. Excruciating, and over in a flash, the Dimensional Scream is able to see the ripples through time and space not even the folks like Celebi could see. The Scream echoes outwards, then it shows him what he is searching for in the form of a foggy vision. This wondrous ability carries a heavy toll. It needs the touch of someone whom he trusts dearly for it to activate.
Should it activate he could see anything from his friend's embarrassing memory, a future financial blunder, or the final moments before their demise. His former partner Masters is not. He has no control over the Scream short of avoiding touch as if it were poison. It has honestly left him starved for attention. Just thinking about the Dimensional Scream opens some very bad floodgates.
" 'M?" Lucario snaps Masters out of it.
"I-I saw the big building in Lapis Town." The Typhlosion stutters. "The group of explorers who own the place have the Gear in their possession. It was in a display case."
"Fantastic." Lucario scowls. "Guess we'll be poking our noses into guild trash after all. Does this mean we're going to rob them or something? I can't wait to have an even bigger bounty on my head."
"Don't fret." Masters says. He looks at the Rapidash next to them, the badge in his mane glistens in the night. "Whiskey, you're not worried about getting your guild embroiled into conflict with another, are you?"
"If my lord is content with his actions, so must I." The horse answers, clacking along. "I don't remember much from my guild - the torchbearers, save for what I have already spoken to you. I doubt guilds of your word would want to embroil themselves in drama with one of a separate reality."
"And I'm no longer affiliated with a guild." Masters chuckles. "What about you, Luc?"
"I'm a criminal, 'M. I don't have much of a reputation to ruin, but our jobs will get a whole lot more difficult once we have a guild breathing down our necks." Lucario speaks. "I'd be more worried about you two. We're just a team of outlaws on the run whether we call ourselves that or not. Are you actually ready to give up your careers for this stupid search of ours?"
"I don't have much of a past I remember, Sire." The Rapidash bows his head. "If it's your wish that I give up everything, I would fork it over without qualms."
"Yeah, I figured." Lucario glances at Masters. "You?"
Everyone in the Wigglytuff Guild remembers the Cyndaquil and his partner who saved everyone in the Grass Continent from becoming victims to a monochromatic plague. His efforts in restoring Temporal Tower saved the Continent, nay the world. And when Masters awoke from having been slayed by Palkia, the world who once revered him had forgotten him. Masters is a ghost..
"I don't have much to look back to, Luc." Masters says after a pause. "I'm not going into Lapis Town's guild hall with the expectation of leaving a wanted man, but if I am left with no other choice, I'd rather leave with both the gear and a bounty than empty handed."
"So you're entirely okay with storming in there?"
"No, I'm not. You don't storm a place without knowing the inside and outside, Luc." The Typhlosion groans. "Mystery Dungeons are an exception, of course, otherwise you need to come up with some kind of plan before you do anything as absurd as busting down a guild."
Lucario squints at him.
"Do you even have a plan?"
Not until he enters the guild itself and sees if those visions of a museum hall are true he won't have a plan. Barging into the home of any adventurer is the dumbest idea in the world, but if they are able to see how the gear is being stowed, he could probably think of some kind of way to get it out of there. He is a ghost after all, if ghosts are known for anything it is them being slippery.
"I'll figure it out, I always do." Masters sighs, glancing towards Lucario. "You're a local here, native to this Continent, no? Do you know anything about the guild in Lapis Town?"
"I know they're not technically a guild." Lucario shrugs. "They call themselves the Anomalous Society - just a guild but less organized. For a guy like me they're the same thing, but if you wanna act like you're smarter than you look, don't call the guys in there guildies for Winter's sake."
"You know what you're doing, I don't need to tell you to act like a guildie. If we're gonna expect to do some talking in there then do it for me. I can barely keep my mouth shut around those guild-types."
"What, got a grudge?" Masters laughs.
"Only with one of them!" Lucario growls. "She's in a different guild, I doubt a lizard like her's sticking around frosty little Lapis Town. Do you expect a criminal like me to have friends all over guilds?"
"You sound like you don't have many friends to begin with." Masters holds back a heartfelt laugh. "I'm here for you Lucario."
"Whatever, 'M."
Soon a bridge emerges through the snow and ice, casting a warm welcoming glow onto the icy river. Next to which stands a manor built from wood and charred bricks. It looks certifiably ancient, and many gnarled chimneys worm out of its roof. A warm glow radiates from its windows, shining onto the nearby lake like a beacon of protection.
Reaching the bridge, they cross it to reach a set of tall oak doors. The shadow of a pokemon inside its windows seems to notice the newcomers, and Masters can hear the sounds of someone fumbling with the locks. A mechanism snaps and screams as the doors to the ramshackle castle creak open. A limber frog pokemon with a cape of bubbles peeks outside.
"Are you from a guild?" The Frogadier asks in a cordial accented voice.
"My friends here aren't, I once was." Masters steps forwards, taking center stage. "They're looking at future career options, and I wanted to show them opportunities outside of guild drudgery. Are you open for tours?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact we always are." He answers, pushing the door open further. He beckons them inside with his little dress cuffed hands. "Come on inside, you'll freeze out there."
Coats, bags, and assorted adventuring stock line the inside. After stepping out of the cold, the frog pushes down a comically large lever by the door, and the doors fighting back the cold seal shut. The fine couches in this oyer stand in stark contrast to the cold brick walls and worn out wood. This place feels like it is about to fall apart yet the folks here seem to have made these walls work. It is surprisingly warm in these dingy halls.
"We have a dining hall if you need food or drink." The Frogadier walks to one of the boards. With a quill stowed in their bubbly gown, he writes their species on a list of guests. "There's the exhibit, the general branch and the investigative branch. I can show you all of them if you have the time."
Exhibit? Masters chuckles.
"An explorer's nothing without something to show for, we'd like to see your treasures first." Masters looks at the list. "Care to know our names too?"
"If you wanna see our treasures, yes." The frog glances between them. "You three don't mind, do you?"
"Aye, I do." Whiskey bows. "I have no interest in seeing these treasures for myself, I'm only with these two to see they make safe passage. Do you care if I simply rest my hooves here?"
"None at all, resting is what they are for." Frogadier nods at the two. "Your names?"
"Masters."
But unlike Masters, who has nothing to hide, Lucario takes a good second before he grunts the following:
"Reginald."
"Masters, Reginald." Frogadier writes their names next to the species, then makes his pen disappear into his bubbles. He waves. "Follow along, lemme show you right to what we've got."
Amazingly, they have not been asked any questions about who or what they are. It is as Lucario said, Masters really does look the part of those adventuring types. Lucario being a Lucario sorta helps - his species has a whole reputation of becoming adventurers when they are young and either burning out or getting put under after they evolve. Masters has even known one by name.
The hallway leads straight and makes a hard right turn through an archaic archway. The stone faces of prehistoric pokemon statues lord over them as they walk into a dining hall. A few of the stone tables inside are occupied by blue-donning explorer folk, various water-types by the looks of them. Moonlight peeks through stained windows in the back, shining down onto the hall with an icy blue glow.
The frog leads them to the nearest table. There is a bottle already here, and an unlit lamp. He fumbles with a piece of flint in his hand, to which Masters just pokes his hand through the glass, lighting the wick with the tip of his finger.
"Oh, thanks!" He nods his head. "Hopefully you two don't mind waiting a touch, I have to see with some fellows if it's okay for you to come on through. It's just for safety. You don't mind do you?"
"Of course I don't." Masters examines the one bottle on the desk. There is a small wooden cup right next to it. The fluid inside the bottle has both the texture and look of tar. "Are we free to borrow a drink?"
"It's not for drinking, 'M." Lucario pulls out one of the seats, letting their guide plod off with a motion while he snatches the bottle from the table. "Wanna give it a shot?"
"If you tell me what it is I may be inclined."
Masters takes the opposite seat as Lucario shows him the bottle. The dull ember of the oil lamp barely makes the label visible. Enigma Wine - Scholars' Select. It clicks straight away. It is apparently something all those would-be adventure folks want, it was the talk of the bar in Calico Town.
"Fancy stuff, it looks like." The Typhlosion huffs. "What makes it special?"
"Guildies use it for Aura Readings when they can't get a hold of a psychic or one of me to do the trick. You know how those types are, bunch of superstitious nerds." Lucario uncorks it, pouring a measly amount into the matching wooden cup. "Has a different flavor for everyone. I never tried one out before, and I wanna see what you get."
He slaps the cup down in front of Masters. The gelatinous fluid whirling inside could not look any less appealing. Masters brings it up his nose. It smells spicy.
"Do you just want me to drink this?" The Typhlosion says. "It does not look like it tastes good."
"It doesn't, it tastes like nothing. We just think it tastes l-" Lucario groans, shaking his head. "Drink it already, it's not like I could poison you if I tried."
With the worst reassurance imaginable from Lucario, Masters puts the wooden cup up to his mouth and kicks his head back. It floods down his throat like a wave of sludge. He almost choked on it, but when it's finally down inside his half-ghost body, it leaves him with a faintly sour taste. It is amazing he can taste it at all.
"I don't have much of a sense of taste, Luc."
"Just show me the bottom of the cup."
Masters peers into it. What he finds is not a pitch black stain, but this unusual, purple-ish smear lining the bottom. He shows Lucario and his eyes begin darting from him to the cup.
"It's purple after all." Lucario mutters in confusion. "Could have sworn that what I saw was your flames or whatever. I guess I can actually read auras."
The Typhlosion blinks. He thought he was simply despairing back at the Lake, does Lucario actually not know how? It would be odd, though not impossible. Supposedly he can or else Aura Sphere would never have worked at all.
"You can't?" Masters scoffs. "Come on, you're Lucario. Your whole gimmick is reading people's auras. I'm sure others can but Aura abilities are what you people do."
"I know how to throw an Aura Sphere after staring at someone for ten seconds too long. I am not an Aura master, nor do I ever wanna be. It isn't as useful as people say it is."
"You've clearly gotten better, haven't you? You wouldn't have nailed the big bird with that blind shot." Masters takes the bottle, pouring some into the cup in Lucario's hand. "If this wine is for aura reading, I think you could maybe get better if you understood what your aura was like."
"I doubt it." Lucario glares from across the table. The lamp reveals his snarling teeth. "Why do you care about Aura stuff? You want me to learn to predict your future? Too many idiots make the mistake of thinking it does something it can't."
"Do you train?"
"Everyone does, stupid. I had a girl who taught me tons." Lucario glances around the open space, as if anyone of the busy explorers could hear them quietly talking to themselves. "I don't train my aura, I don't need to."
"You clearly needed to when you had to shoot the bird out of the sky."
Lucario lets out a defeated rumble, puts the cup to his mouth and slams it down instantly. His expression does not change from his puffy bitter look. He turns the cup towards Masters. It is crimson red, somehow more ugly than the pitch black fluid it was. The hateful color fits him. He tries not to chuckle.
"Guess it can read auras. What was your fourth trick, again?"
"Dark Pulse…?" Lucario turns the cup around, and stares into it. Flabbergasted, it takes him a moment of awkward staring for him to speak again. "Explains why it came so naturally to me. Do you think this is a bad omen?"
"Good thing Aura can't see the future." Masters flashes him a brief smile as he hears a door in the distance swing open. Frogadier, probably. "If Dark Pulse is throwing bad aura at someone, you have plenty to spare."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Before he can explode and pout, Lucario looks behind Masters to see the frog coming their way. Masters gets out of his seat while Lucario soon follows, one pokemon throwing on a friendly facade while Masters smiles at the explorer in earnest. The dapper amphibian has an old-looking key in his hands.
"Come along now, sorry for the wait."
He beckons them, leading to the side opposite of the windows where the wall is made of huge, ancient bricks. Each one is about half the size of Lucario, and behind a set of conspicious curtains is a thick metal door. Some kind of crank is required to open it. The only way to get it to turn is with this big key he slides into the side of it. The frog rubs his hands together, takes a breath, then starts working it open.
Glancing at the wall ahead of them then at the hard wood below, they look about a century apart. Masters has yet to ask, so while Frogadier spends the next couple minutes working a sweat he speaks up.
"What's your name?" Masters asks.
"Frogadier, sir." He grunts, pushing down one of the giant spokes. "My sirs came to call me Glenn. I quite like the society's abode, so I started taking up groundskeeping and handling the guests. Lovely place this town and its folks are."
"What is special about here?" Masters inquires. "My home may not be much, but I hear explorers have all sorts of fancy homes."
"Well…" Glenn briefly stops cranking, catching his breath. "According to the people who founded Lapis Town, the Society was once the grounds of an ancient keep. Some of the walls, and this very door are holdovers from a time long ago. This place has withstood burning to the ground twice. It's really a miracle."
"Sure sounds like one." Masters chuckles. "Is your treasury in there?"
"No. We keep the wealth somewhere else, this is more the treasure part of our treasury." Glenn continues working away at the door. "I wasn't there when this building first went up in flames, although I was for the second. Some hot coals slipped out of the fire in the general branch. Thank Winter it was contained there or else we would have lost some mighty important papers."
"Books?" Lucario chuckles. "You guys read?"
"No, investigation papers. Paperwork. Mail."
A mechanism inside the seal cracks. Glenn pulls the door open to reveal a hallway lined with small little alcoves lit by luminous orbs hanging to the ceiling by dark chains. The brick walls are charred, but the treasures within seem pristine. At the far end, sitting for them like bait, was the familiar orange glow of a time gear sitting on a glass pedestal. Masters is not foolish enough to gun for it, and thankfully, neither is Lucario.
There are other pieces of history here, metalworks, armor which reminds Masters of the thing he let loose from Winters' prison. Are they connected? Probably. A glance at all the darkly clad and gold trimmed things in here are enough for him to connect two together. The only thing he cared about though was the gear in the back and how he can possibly get it out of here.
Glenn catches him staring at the vault's contents.
"Something wrong?" The explorer says, looking up the larger Typhlosion.
"Oh, none at all." Masters laughs it off. "You're not going to lock us in there, are you?"
"Why would I do such a thing?" The frog points to the back of the metal door. There is a rusty lever near its base. "You can open it from the inside. I believe the fighters who built this vault had intended to use it as a final holdout. If they had wanted to trap people, then well, there were prison cells here at some point."
"What happened to them?" Lucario asks.
"They got turned into guest rooms."
With a bow, Glenn offers the two to step inside, holding open the door with the weight of his lithe body. Masters glances at Lucario. Lucario is as weary as he is. His hat is nowhere as big as Masters' - everyone can see he is visibly perturbed.
There has to be some kind of hole in the door, it cannot be airtight if this was meant to be a final holdout. It is not likely his fiend would suffocate should this wiley guildie decide to turn tables on them. It is also entirely possible that this Glenn fellow was as sincere as he seems, that this hunt has simply rotted Masters' mind to the point he is willing to believe a humble explorer could be out for their skin.
If there is some kind of mechanism in this door, then there is a hole, and if there's an opening he can maybe slip his half-corporeal body through it. He may lose his hat for a minute or two, but knowing he has two ways out gives him the courage to bow to the little frog and step in. A second later, Lucario follows.
The air is dense within the vault. Not exactly dust, just old-smelling. Someone clearly comes through every one in a while to give these artifacts a spot shine. One of which begs for his attention, the collection of metallic plates he has spotted before. Stepping closer, he is able to see they are made for the armor of a creature much bigger than him, Lucario, or that thing he let loose.
Lucario walks past him. His eyes are on the prize while Masters puts up an intriguing act - a facade which lasts for all of a few seconds.
Masters looks back. Without a scream of its metal hinges, or anything, the door had closed on them. Their guide is missing, only leaving one of his cuffs behind. The vault is silent. Masters spits a flame into his hand without hesitation, stowing the ghostly fire in its lantern-holster.
"Luc!" Masters hisses. "He shut the door on us!"
"Yeah, I'm not blind!"
Lucario spins around to the fragile glass. He smashes it open with a quick elbow, swiping the precious Dark Gear from its pedestal. Much to their luck, there are no alarms or booby traps, just the unshakable sense of dread which comes with committing a crime deep in the heart of a guild-shaped group. Whoever is out there probably knows what they are up to already.
After a second of holding the gear tight, Lucario nods at him.
"It's a real deal." Lucario throws the metal to him, and Masters catches it. He quickly attaches the gear to the empty chain under his cloak. "I made you give up one, it's only fair. The next is mine."
"We can talk about that when it happens." Masters fills his other lantern, watching Lucario carefully step towards the door.
He is about to reach for the rusty old handle when a sound causes his bands to twitch. It sounds like calamity out there, pots, pans, tables being strewn about. As quickly as it starts it stops. Lucario looks back, fear in his red eyes. It is also at this very second he spots the water-type's dress cuff sitting on the floor.
"What's going on out there?" Masters whispers.
Lucario looks back at the iron seal. Was he trying to look through with Aura Sight? Seeing through the foot of metal seems impossible for anyone regardless of supernatural gifts as he quickly gives up. Instead Lucario reaches for the handle, his fingers quivering.
"One way to find out."