Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Waves of Destruction

by VillainsTridecagon

Getting turned into a Pokémon and sent to a new world is one thing. Your brother being sent there too is an entirely different matter. But if Agatha has to search every corner of this new world for Jack, she's going to do it. Even if it means having to team up with a shady gang of mercenaries who are bent on making the organizations of this new world look as bad as possible.

13. Gather Your Party

/|—| Pokémon Mystery Dungeon |—|\

Waves Of Destruction

— — —

|— Chapter Thirteen: Gather Your Party —|

—[The Depth-Strider]—

"Look, I dunno all the details, but Mal made it sound mighty important. You get up there and have a chat with him and I'll handle the solo applicants for the day. No reason why I can't fill out paper work and knock heads together at the same time!"

When Excadrill had knocked on Agatha's door that morning and delivered this news, she had cracked a smile. She'd been expecting another day of fighting mons who wanted to join the Waves, while the room around her whispered about 'peril ferals' and whether or not even being in the same room as her was safe.

She'd admit, the glares she'd given the particularly loud whisperers, as well as the snappish-ness in her tone, certainly hadn't helped matters. But Agatha was fine with that. She didn't need them to warm up to her, she just needed them to shut up.

Still, to have the whispers end a day earlier then she'd been expecting was fantastic. Whatever Malamar wanted she was fine with it, so long as it didn't involve having to deal with the menagerie of Pokémon that now filled the Depth-Strider. However, in a split second, that prospect didn't seem so bad when she saw who was waiting outside Malamar's office.

"Yo, Pinky!" The small Nidoran called out upon seeing her approach.

"You." Agatha spat.

"Me." The illusion agreed. "Man, I dunno what's got the boss worried enough that he wants to see me, but to put US in the same room? Either the Ultra Beasts are back or he's decided its finally time for us to shake and make up. Put 'er there, pal!"

Agatha barely glanced at the illusion's outstretched claw, instead walking right through it. She scanned the hallway for any sign of distortion that would indicate where Zoroark was hiding. "Why are you bothering with the disguise? There's no one else here."

"Cuz someone could just walk up here any second, duh. Honestly, the security on this thing is terrible. An outlaw could just walk right in!"

Annoyingly, as far as Agatha could tell, the smug, punchable voice was indeed coming from the little Nidoran, or at least very close to it. "And it doesn't take up much energy?"

"Nah. Sometimes doing different voices can get annoying though. One time I had to play a Snorlax for, like, a week. Throat was killing me after that," Nidoran said proudly, before his smirk got sharper. "Why you asking?"

Agatha settled for leaning on the wall opposite of the little monster, deciding she'd try and ignore him for the time being.

"Looking for weaknesses? They're Fighting, bug and fairy! Someone doesn't know their types."

Agatha let her eyes wander. She'd never been to this part of the Depth-Strider before, only knowing how to reach it thanks to Excadrill's instructions. Compared to her own room in the crew's quarters, even the hallway seemed quieter, the sounds of applicants sounding far, far away. If it was that quiet, would Malamar's room be completely soundproof?

"Whatcha thinking about? Your own weaknesses? Cause you have more than me."

What Agatha wouldn't give for that. She'd awoken at an uncomfortably early hour to discover some Pokémon had begun to call dibs on the beds in the sleeping area, which her own room looked over. The chattering of swapping stories and negotiating bunk-swaps so that 'squads' could sleep near each other had made it impossible to fall back asleep.

"That's not me being annoying by the way, it's a literal fact. Fire, poison, bug, flying and ice typing. If you're fighting a Butterfree who lights himself on fire, run."

Still, she was happy to have her own room, even if it felt a little undeserved. She was just a visitor to this world, and yet she was being made-out to be some high ranking member of Malamar's scheme. Agatha bitterly wondered how long it would take for the façade to slip and for the Depth-Striders new crew to find out she was newer to this then any of them.

"I guess he'd only be hurting himself though. Alright, if you fight a Butterfree who lights other Pokémon on fire, start running. Oh, and gimme a heads up while your at it. Sounds terrifying."

Then again, maybe they'd just chalk any mistake up to her being a peril feral or whatever, to Malamar or Excadrill not training her right. She was curious about meeting an actual feral now. To find out how they dealt with everyone around them gossiping. Not that she needed to deal with it. It was just-

"I guess blast seeds kinda let anyone-"

Agatha couldn't take it any more. "Oh my- what's your problem?"

The Nidoran looked at her as if she was crazy. "The pyromaniac Butterfree, weren't you paying-"

"You know what I mean." Agatha hissed, advancing towards the illusion. "Every time you open your mouth its like your BEGGING me to hit you. What, are you banking on Malamar hearing us from in there and stopping me? Again?"

At first, the Nidroan opened its mouth casually, and Agatha could tell that some nonsense lie was going to come yammering out, some words that held no meaning. But then, it shut its mouth, thinking for a second as it looked up and down the hall. Seeming to decide it was safe, the illusion shattered, revealing Zoroark to be sitting, legs crossed, beside Malamar's door.

His grin was all teeth. "I'm sure there's folks who are into that kinda thing, but me? I just like seeing you mad."

"You haven't figured out that that's what leads to you getting a beating yet?"

Zoroark shrugged. "Pokémon get beat up all the time, heck, some of them making a living out of it. Plus its worth it. WAY better then having to deal with you…" he searched for the right words, before shrugging again. "How you usually are."

"Elaborate." Agatha demanded, scythes twitching.

"Weeeeell, if I have to…" Zoroark's voice sharp, like he was close to catching something. "See, Pinky, its like your immune to the energy that we've got going on. Folks around here are buzzing with it. There's a new gang in town and its led by two legendary heroes? Even before making the association head look like a total has-been, that woulda drawn in a crowd, but now? LOOK at this place!"

He jumped up from where he was sitting with such speed that Agatha had to force herself to stand her ground. She slowly turned her head to watch Zoroark as he sauntered around the hall, gesturing wildly. At the first sign of trouble, she was ready to start swinging.

"We've got Pokémon pouring in, BEGGING to be a part of this thing, even if it means having to go through a FERAL to get in. Oh and I BET you haven't even SEEN the amount of squads that are forming up to beat Excadrill's little test. This is gonna be a place of work and coin, yet right now its got the energy of a festival! And its no wonder! Guilds, associations, heck, even outlaw gangs; they all draw mons who are thirsting for adventure and with this baby?" He slammed a fist into the metal wall, the noise reverberating. "They're gonna travel the world while getting the usual stuff that comes with signing on to something like this. It's the first big thing that's happened since the Ultra Event, who wouldn't wanna be a part of it?"

"That wasn't rhetorical, by the way," he snickered. "I can tell you who wouldn't. You."

She scoffed, crossing her scythes. "I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yeah…but not really. You've still got that vibe I felt back when we met on the cart. Like you've got something better to be doing."

There was silence for a few seconds as Agatha waited for him to continue, but instead he just stood there, smiling like an idiot. "What? That's it?"

"Almost. I mean, if you were a moody-mon, I could deal with that. But you're not just a moody-mon, are you? Oh, no, no, no, nooooooo. You're still here. There's something keeping you here, something that's making you put up with all this," he sounded hungry. "That's what I wanna know about. Soon as I got it? I'll quit bugging you so much. How's that sound?"

There was no way THAT was happening.

The two stared each other down, unblinkingly. Zoroark was the one to give up, giggling as he sat down, opposite of where he'd been a moment ago. "Well, all that and its fun, obviously."

He was right in front of her, no longer hiding behind an illusion. The flame that whispered to Agatha was making a compelling case to hurt. It even crept into her voice as she whispered, leaning down towards him "Maybe you should mind your own business."

Zoroark's excitement grew. "Nah. Other's business is the best thing about them. Take that away and what have they got?"

Before she could decide to give into the flame's demands however, the door behind her opened, and Malamar's voice called, "The two of you. Enter."

Agatha turned and stormed into the room. Her mood didn't improve when she saw what was waiting for her inside.

The room itself was smaller then she'd been expecting, and more bare. Cabinets and drawers lined the walls, only being broken up by two doors on the left and right walls. To the far back was a massive window that was displaying a misty image, like the ones she'd seen in the Depth-Strider's control-room. It was showing the beach outside the ship, plenty of Pokémon lining up to board the vessel.

Malamar himself was shadowed against the image, standing at a metal desk which was lined with neatly organized papers, maps and folders. He looked up at she entered and nodded to the array of differently sized cushions before him.

It was there that the subject of Agatha's…confliction; the demure Sandslash who'd gotten her thrown in prison, the only applicant who'd managed to beat her. He had clearly been looking towards the door, turning away just as she'd entered. But Agatha wasn't going to be fooled again by his meek act.

"Lurantis and…Nidoran. My apologies for making you wait. I trust your already somewhat familiar with Sandslash here? Sandslash, these are the two I told you about." Malamar asked as he shoved a collection of papers aside.

Sandslash didn't bother to look up as 'Nidoran' entered. "Right. Hey."

As Agatha and the suddenly reappeared Nidoran took cushions for themselves, Malamar watched Sandslash for a few beats, before a smile appeared on his beak. "Your politeness knows no bounds, so I suppose I will do the honors. Zoroark, there's no need for your disguise. Dispel it"

"What?" The whine was followed by Nidoran shattering once again, revealing Zoroark. "You snitched on me? Not cool." Despite his brief pout, his expression shifted to one of interest as he waved to Sandslash. "Heeeey! You know me? Cause I know you. Seen you hanging around with-"

Sandslash was saved by Malamar holding up a tentacle, which wondrously silenced Zoroark. "There will be time for you three to become better acquainted later. The matter in which we've found ourselves is time sensitive, and thus must be dealt with swiftly."

His eyes flashed yellow and the image behind him shifted to a green badge with a yellow logo stamped on it. Agatha barely managed to recognize the yellow as following the pattern she'd seen on a Kecleon's head, like the one who'd yelled at Excadrill in Spiral-Town.

"For those of you unaware," Malamar began silkily. "The Merchants Alliance is an organization that was created during the Ultra Event, in order to keep convoys of goods safe from Ultra Beasts. Since the event ended, they've lost much of the guard they once had, just in time for outlaw groups like Broken-Call and Shadow-Squall to make their move."

"This has led to the Merchant Alliance requesting aid from the Knights of Divinity. Predictably, however, the Knights have found such a task to be below them, and they have instead decided to offload the job to none other then our own Adventurers Association," Malamar paused and looked to Sandslash. "Isn't that right?"

Clearly uncomfortable to be the center of attention, with a peeved Lurantis to one side of him, and a grinning Zoroark on the other, Sandslash barely managed a, "Y-Yeah, that's right…w-we got the first batch of escort-requests in the other day."

Malamar nodded. "However. An insider with the Knights has been kind enough to inform me that there is one escort request that a member of the Alliance has refused to budge on. When informed of the unique circumstances of the request…well, it seems the Knights deemed the matter worthy of their attention. This insider was kind enough to pass this information along to me."

"Larvitar, the Merchats-Alliance member, has found herself in possession of a journal, one who's writer was posted in our own Desert-Continent during the Ultra Event. Its writer describes life in an outpost to the north. Now, the merchants would usually sell such a record to a historian or researcher, but the writer also notes that their outpost had a number of mega-stones."

Mega-stones, Agatha noted the term. A memory drifted across her mind, one of Jack getting needlessly excited at some sort of new addition to one of the games…something about transformation?

"Now, unfortunately the outpost in question, Outpost Arid, fell to the assault of the Ultra Beasts during the event. But the writer of the journal managed to escape such a grisly fate, and makes note of an argument that almost cost some of the survivors their lives," there was a glint in Malamar's eye. "Their leader tried to argue, after fleeing the post, that they should risk returning to retrieve the stones. However, he was outvoted and then outed from the group. And so, there the stones sit to this day, collecting dust in storage."

With another flash of his eyes, the image behind Malamar shifted to a map of the desert continent, with a section to its north glowing yellow. A spark was nestled in the area. "The Knights of Divinity have agreed to assist Larvitar in retrieving these stones for an outrageous sum. We are going to do so for free."

"What?" Sandslash sounded perplexed. Beside him, Zoroark let out a low snicker. Agatha was trying to remember as much as she could from Jack's rambles about 'hype' mega-evolutions.

The image disappeared, returning to the view of the beach. "While we certainly have access to a number of suppliers, having the Merchants-Alliance recognize us will make dealings with them much easier. If we are able to retrieve the stones before Larvitar arrives to the temple with her escort, we shall save her a lot of time…as well as waste some of the Knights. It will, at the very least, open a dialogue in which the merchants owe the Waves of Destruction something; and they are quick to repay their debts."

Seeming to be quite pleased with his delivery of this information, Malamar casually asked, "Any questions?"

Sandslash muttered in wonder, "You have an insider with the Knights of Divinity? I thought they were…well…"

"There are cracks in every armor. The Ultra-Event left many indebted to me," Malamar answered casually.

"Who is it?" Zoroark interjected.

Malamar raised an eyebrow.

The fox blew a raspberry. "Can't blame me for trying."

"Are there any questions pertaining to the mission itself?" Malamar corrected himself.

"I've got one," Agatha decided to speak up. "How dangerous is this Arid Outpost place? I get that the ultra beasts are gone now, but if this merchant needs an escort, it doesn't sound like she thinks its safe."

Pleased to be back on track, Malamar nodded. "Sandslash here has told me the Adventurers Association are aware of the outpost, but after a single failed-attempt to investigate it, have deemed the landmark too dangerous."

Wanting to shift everyone's attention away as fast as possible, Sandslash speedily explained. "Lots of feral ghost types, probably from the Ultra Beast attack. Seismitoad always said he was going to organize an expedition there at some point but it never happened."

"Ohhhhhh. So we gotta deal with some spooks while racing the Knights there?" Zoroark swayed back and forth in his seat at the prospect.

"Indeed. If you set off within the day, you should have a sizeable head start. After retrieving the stones, simply await for the Knights and Larvitar to arrive, and then bequeath the stones to her, wishing her well from the Waves of Destruction."

"So long as we're asking actual questions," Zoroark began, and Agatha immediately got a bad feeling. "You've used 'you' and 'we' a couple times now. Are we gonna have a babysitter with us orrrrr…?"

"Ah. Well, this brings us neatly to a side-matter," Malamar said, eyeing each of the three carefully. "As you are aware, there are Pokémon arriving to the Depth-Strider and signing onto our cause. Those who arrive in groups are being properly documented and inducted as 'squads'. However, those who arrive alone are being placed into said groups. As we receive requests from the denizens of the continent, we will assign missions to each of these squad…" his tone was different now, as if he was trying to talk his way around a bomb.

"…this is the first of many mission that I will be assigning you three's squad. Sandslash will be your leader."

This insane statement earned three different reactions.

First, was Agatha's outraged, shot up from her cushion. "WHAT?"

Second, was a bout of laughter from Zoroark, who hollered, baffled, "HA! HAHAHA! WH-WHAT?"

Third, was Sandslash, who took a deep, DEEP breath in an effort to calm himself.

Malamar looked as if they had just politely delivered him an orderly letter of complaint. "You three are our most powerful recruits. Where as other squadrons will be reporting to Excadrill, yours will report directly to me. While others will take requests from those who commission the Waves of Destruction, your tasks will- "

"You want me to be on a team with HIM?" Agatha was voice was almost a shout as she waved a scythe to Zoroark. "He's a-" she glanced to Sandslash.

"…a criminal?" Sandslash offered. "I, uh, sort of knew the second he came in. Team Flint-Feather always talked about their...'nemesis' using a Nidoran disguise."

Malamar gestured for Agatha to return to her seat, but she stared him down. "I have looked into Zoroark's past record myself. To be frank, most of his crimes only annoyed others, and were of little real consequence."

For the first time, Zoroark looked genuinely annoyed. "Excuse me?"

Ignoring him, Malamar addressed the other two mons. "I can understand if either of you feel uncomfortable to be working with one such as him. However, I assure you, he is under control and will not cause any trouble. I'm currently in the process of having the Officers Legion wipe his record clean."

Agatha was at a loss for words.

Zoroark, on the other hand, clicked his tongue and switched to a smile. "Nice. I'm gonna be a free-mon and all I had to do was commit a ton of very IMPORTANT crimes. Ya know, there's a lesson here, and it-"

"However," Malamar silenced him with a tentacle. "This process may come to a halt if Sandslash deems him too unruly to be of use."

Something in Zoroark died. "...what?"

Agatha cheered. "HA!"

"He will be your leader," Malamar explained, looking perturbed at her burst of triumph. "Both of you are expected to follow his orders."

Agatha fell back onto the cushion and considered, still riding the high of Zoroark's misery. She didn't feel stoked to have the Pokémon who'd beaten her up twice be calling the shots, but better him than Zoroark, or even Agatha herself. As wonderful as it'd be to have power over the two, if Sandslash was to turn to her for help in a heated moment, she doubted she'd be able to give much direction.

And so, Agatha shrugged. "So long as he doesn't get us killed."

"He seems like a reasonable and likeable fellow. I am sure we will be the best of friends," Zoroark answered, slathering his voice in ingenuity with a plastic smile, before shifting to a sneer. "I'll play fair."

The chosen leader didn't exactly looked thrilled about either of these responses. "I…I guess, so long as everyone is okay with it…a-and you're sure about this, Malamar."

"I am indeed," the mon in question looked quite satisfied with the conversation. "Now, if there are more questions, your squad leader will be able to answer them. Zoroark, Sandslash, you are dismissed. Lurantis, I need to have a word with you."

"Someone's in trooooooooouble!" Zoroark rolled backwards off his cushion, into a standing position. "Cmon, fearless leader. I've got a ton of questions for you."

Sandslash found the time to both be worried about this statement and to give Agatha…some sort of look. The two exited the room.

As soon as the door shut, Agatha sighed. "You better know what you're doing."

"Placing Sandslash in such a position is something of a gamble, but one that I believe will pay off. I'd be lying if I said I have the same faith in him as I do you, but with time he may prove himself to be a valuable member of our band," Malamar floated a file over and flipped it open. "Even if he didn't bring his Ultra Beast friend with him, his resume is splendid. I appreciate your honesty in your review of his combat skills."

"Are you sure you can trust him? Maybe he's just here to get revenge for Seismitoad."

Malamar took a page from the file, squinting at it slightly. "I questioned him about his past in a more eloquent way. I'm pleased to say that, in order set out worries aside, he allowed me to perform a deep-dive upon him." He looked up from the page to see a confused Agatha. "Ah, apologies. He allowed me to read his mind quite thoroughly."

Agatha felt her skin crawl at the prospect. "He let you do that?"

"Indeed. I now know him quite well…" he looked up from the paper, thinking. "Perhaps better then he knows himself…regardless, we are off topic. I didn't ask you to stay back so we could discuss your team-mate. This concerns the Ducklett you asked me to look into. Through the process of having Zoroark's name cleared, I've been given the opportunity to take the outlaw into our own care."

Agatha blinked in surprise. Honestly, she had sort of forgotten about one of the only Pokémon to know of her humanity.

"The Officers Leigion was already less then thrilled to receive such a massive transport of outlaws on such short notice. It has put the Adventurers Association and them in a bit of a tiff. As such, they were happy to give up such a small-time fellow. Besides, apart from being present at the Path to Growth, there's no previous incidents to indicate that Ducklett is a criminal. And so, he passes into our care." Placing the page down, Malamar leaned forward. "What would you like to do with him?"

Again, Agatha blinked. "What?"

"When he is in our custody, what would you like to happen to him?" Malamar repeated. "If you so wish, I could attempt to wipe the memory of your true nature from his mind. Few can resist it, and it's a long process, but-"

"No!" The word came out with more force then she'd meant it to have. "…no. Sorry, but the whole…messing with minds stuff creeps me out. I dunno. Even if he was a prick, it wouldn't feel right to..." she trailed off. Of all the strange stuff she'd come across here, psychic powers were still one of the creepiest.

"Your willingness to forgo the option is admirable, but it still leaves us with a Ducklett who knows something he shouldn't."

"Can't you just…figure something out?"

Malamar stared her down for a solid five seconds, before saying, "Very well. I will, 'figure something out'."

"Don't kill him."

"The thought had only briefly crossed my mind," before she could speak up, he noted, "A joke. Now, be on your way. The Knights of Divinity aren't know for their dillydallying."

As Agatha left the office, she was met with the sight of Zoroark running his mouth to Sandslash in the lonely metal hallway. He was looming over the mouse-like-Pokémon, who Agatha was annoyed to see was actually partaking in the conversation. That annoyance only grew when they looked up to see her, and Sandslash was the one to take the lead. Fitting, Agatha guessed, but it was a stark contrast to how he'd acted in the office.

"Hey, Lurantis!" He called cheerfully. "We were just talking about what we should name our squadron thing."

She found it very hard to believe that's all they were talking about. Crossing her scythes, she glared at Zoroark, who's whole stance seemed less wild.

Zoroark just smiled at her.

She stared back.

His smile grew to a grin.

Sandslash coughed. "W-We were thinking that, uh, since we're gonna be marching through the desert, we could use the time to brainstorm names-"

"You were both thinking that, huh?" Agatha didn't take her eyes off of the fox. "What are you planning?"

"To use our time spent traveling wisely, and decide things that would otherwise be need to be settled elsewhere. Time is an important resource," Zoroark answered mechanically.

Alright, if Sandslash sudden cheer was because of this act, there was no point in trying with him. "Yeah, have fun with that. Is there anything I have to do before we leave?"

"O-Oh, w-well Zoroark's gonna be taking a look at our travel route and I'm gonna handle supplies…m-maybe you could, uh, find some more info on this Outpost Arid place? I-I know a bit about it but-"

"Yeah I can do that," Agatha spun on her heel and headed for the stairs. "I'll meet you at the Strider's exit."

She had barely begun her decent down the stairs to the Depth-Striders busy halls when Sandslash began trailing behind her, tone still too enthused.

"Lurantis! I, uh, was kind of hoping we could talk, actually."

"We are."

"Oh! H-haha, right. So, uh, I wanted to apologize for…well, for everything really."

Agatha didn't stop moving, imagining Zoroark had moved to the top of the stairs to watch her. "What do you mean?"

Yet more confidence seemed to be restored to the small mouse. Now with an opening, he took a deep breath before launching into a full explanation.

"F-For every time we've met each other, really. The worst was the time in the market, when I just jumped in to help team Flint-Feather without thinking. I've wanted to apologize for that whole…thing for ages. I thought I'd get a chance at the try-outs, but you…uh, didn't really seem in the mood to talk after Mudbray-" he shook his head. "Every time we meet, something seems to go wrong so, uh…m-maybe we could start over?"

"Start over?" Agatha said slowly, warily. Sandslash had been there at tryouts. Heck, he'd seen her in the market. For all his stuttering, he clearly wasn't worried about getting close to her. What was he after?

"Yeah," he was, again, thrilled to have her hearing him out. "Like, we could just pretend that the first time we saw each other was in Malamar's office?"

"Why?"

He blinked, confused at the question. "B-…because it would make everything way easier?"

"This isn't going to be easy. We've got to march through the desert to some outpost that's infested with ghosts," Agatha didn't even want to think about how that sort of thing worked here. "On top of that, we're racing the mons who are actually suppose to be going there."

Still, it seemed Sandslash wasn't done. He persisted, hurrying to be just barely in front of her. "Oh, no, no, I get that this mission isn't gonna be a cakewalk. I was talking about me, you and Zoroark being a…a squad."

She snorted. "If you think the mission is gonna be the harder of those, you're in for a surprise," She supposed she felt a little bad for him, if he really thought anything involving Zoroark could turn out well. "If you're smart, you better not listen to a word he says. Zoroark's bad enough usually, but now that he has a reason to suck-up to you…if you want my advice, tell Malamar that his record thing shouldn't be cleaned as soon as you can. Maybe then we won't have to deal with him."

"I'm…I'm not gonna do that…b-but that doesn't mean I'm listening to him!" He quickly corrected himself, having felt Agatha's mood darken. "He's not really…sucking up to me he's just being SUPER polite…but like…in an obviously fake way? Which sort of only worries me more. I know he's a good liar from Litten so I dunno what-" he shook his head. "Not the point. Look-"

He hopped down the last set of steps, landing right in Agatha's path. Again, he took a deep breath before speaking. "I-I'm giving Zoroark a chance because Malamar is. I know a lot better then the average mon about the stuff he's done, with how much Flintfeather went on about him. But its…its different with us, right? I mean, I don't have a reason not to trust you."

Agatha stopped, crossing her scythes. "And what, that means you do trust me?"

"…well…yeah," he squinted at her, as if she was the one who wasn't making sense.

Agatha sighed and shook her head, but took a moment to think. Sandslash was being ridiculous. Even if he'd heard that Zoroark was the one responsible for the mess in the market, he still should have been wary of her with everything he'd seen her do. But if he was willing to toss all care out the window regarding her, Agatha wasn't going to stop him. It didn't mean she had to really trust him.

Besides. Her mind darted back to the conversation outside the Path to Growth. Friends could lead to power. And the more power Zoroark had going against him, the better.

"…alright. We can start over," Agatha said. "If we're both going into the middle of the desert with a criminal, the least we can do is agree to watch each others backs. Just don't expect me to join in on this 'squad-name-brainstorming' thing. Unless its to veto a really dumb one."

"Great!" The little mon really looked like he meant it. "That's great. Alright, whoo, glad that's settled. I'll, uh, leave you to-to it! I'm gonna go and try and get somewhere with Zoroark," with a smile, he dashed past her, up the stairs. "I look forward to working with you!"

Agatha watched him go before continuing on. If anyone could tell her more about this outpost, it'd be Excadrill. Hopefully he'd be able to spare a few moments for her.

Sure, it meant she'd have to wade through a crowd whispering about her, but even they were better than Zoroark.