Things begin to wrap up, and tensions ease...
Well, okay, it's not that simple. Have fun with the lore! It won't bite.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Altered Bonds
Chapter 16 — Second Contact
Foliage blocked the sun, but not its rays. Eira the false Vulpix stared onward as their light bathed the dawn sky, a blur of orange transitioning to blue. Clouds quietly drifted above, the birdsong of a small Pidgey flock heard far in the distance. Peace.
It didn't make sense to her. How was she still standing?
From the moment she woke up, it'd been on her mind. She'd gone through a shipwreck, a hateful Ariados, Weavile, Aerodactyl, Lugia, Team Heavendust — she shouldn't have escaped, yet she came out in the end. Would that last, she wondered?
She was still a threat, even if the others no longer saw her as one, thanks to the prophecy. And it wouldn't take much for trouble to start all over again. Someone else was bound to find her.
But there was no pressure for now. Team Heavendust was on her side, despite the odds, and she had time to wind down. To actually not worry for her life.
To think. To think too much.
I should've been a goner too.
She felt deflated. Empty inside, like her soul had already departed, leaving only a husk to live the rest of its numbered days. Alive or not, she still lost Mother. And Father had been gone long ago.
The breaking of spacetime some years ago, even that must've been a sign, Ariados had said.
She had blotted out the memories then. Not this time.
For once, she didn't see the immediate threat of Haven Archipelago, but the symbolism behind it. This was a place of minor distortion, an encore of her suffering from Father's disappearance given flesh and blood. Not content with mere despair, she faced physical harm too. She got to feel what it must've been like for Father.
Father was taken away and made to suffer, and left her and Mother grieving. Now her Mother was taken away, and she suffered, with little room left for grieving.
Her ears swiveled, Eira — even transformed, calling herself Vulpix didn't feel right anymore — catching wind of Lucario and Gabite's conversation. She was on the hillside atop the burrow, and they were below, her jackal muttering something about trainers, the land overseas, and that yes, he was a Pokemon from the human lands.
One could've mistaken their talk for a quarrel, if not for the hollowness in Gabite's tone. Lucario was explaining things about humanity to him, and he was firing back with questions. About trainers, their tech, what Pokemon civilization was like there, Pokeballs—
Pokeballs. Weird that an isolated place like the archipelago knew that was a thing. Kecleon had apparently known — he told Lucario back before she had the wristband — and Gabite too, but how?
Ariados mentioned spacetime breaking, and so did Mismagius with Lucario. Eira again considered what happened to Father, before remembering Porygon-Z. The oddity.
She had a hunch that something was off about his presence, but yesterday's madness kept her from pursuing the matter. Fossil Pokemon like Aerodactyl and Kabutops weren't too outlandish — she learned in her travels a few of them had survived up until the present in hidden caverns and islands — but Porygon-Z was an artificial Pokemon, created by humans. Where did he come from? Was he some bizarre local? The archipelago's attempt to imitate the man-made versions?
Or is he what I think he is?
Sky Forme Shaymin was now present too, listening in on Lucario and Gabite as if she was a mediator between them. Completely unnecessary, but an appreciable gesture. Why was Shaymin smirking at her?
Oh yeah. Appreciation was close enough to gratitude.
Eevee was long gone, having left behind a note promising to meet later. Eira began to wonder where Togetic was, before catching how Shaymin's eyes briefly slid to the side—
"Vulpix?"
Eira was not proud of how high she jumped at Togetic's voice, the angelic throwing herself back in tandem. Both shied away, estranged.
Then Togetic psyched herself, pushing herself to reforge the connection. "No, sorry, it's Eira, right?" she said. "You're alone."
She was. Lucario did not substitute for Mother.
"Things bothering you? Your face says a lot."
It probably did, and yet it said so little. Nobody could read every detail of a person's life—
"This isn't a first for you, is it?"
But they could glean enough. "I—" said Eira, caught off-guard. "Well—"
Bitter grief filled Togetic's frown. "I feel like I can sense it, your inner tragedy. It's that strong," she said. "I heard everything you told Shaymin, you know."
Father.
Eira couldn't stop herself. "There were—"
So Togetic stopped her instead. She shot over, gently covering her mouth before she could mention her oldest wound.
The angelic dropped to the ground, right by her side. "This is wrong," she said with sudden vigor. "As if losing your loved ones isn't enough, you're trapped in a place where everyone vil*f*es you for existing, and there's a prophecy that justifies their reasoning? You're beating yourself up over that, I can see it. Forget fearing for your life, a young girl shouldn't have to go through any of this."
She tilted her head. "But you're not quite a young girl, are you? Young, but of age."
Eira gave a non-answer to that. Twelve was more than old enough to make her a legal adult, and if forced to, she could live on her ownsome. Pokemon Trainers did it, and Mother had prepared her for that eventuality.
"And to think I've only made things worse." Here Togetic's voice began to waver, emotion leaking out. "It's not even the human part, it's that you lied to me for your own protection. I thought after everything I promised, we had absolute trust in each other, but you didn't. A-and you were right to, seeing how I reacted."
Togetic had latched onto her as her precious little girl, and recoiled when she didn't meet expectations. An unhealthy relationship. A tiny bit like the one Eira had with Mother— It took too long for them to stop clinging so tight to each other.
"It's terrible to say, but if not for Gabite attacking you, I don't know if anything would've changed." Togetic swatted a lone tear off her face. "But now I know how deep your woes are, and I'm going to fulfill whatever remains of my empty promises. You're broken, and I'm going to put you back together."
Touching words, shot straight into the holes in her bleeding heart to patch them up. Why? Why was Togetic so good at breaking down her stoic walls?
Togetic must've noticed what she was doing too. "You're right, honeyed words mean nothing," she said with a scowl. "Not after everything I've done. I'm sorry, it's just — let me help you, Eira. Please. Let me apologize in the only way I should."
Eira's tails hugged her flank. "I don't deserve this," she whispered.
A scoff. Togetic grabbed her paw and pulled her into an embrace.
"Doesn't matter, sweetie."
Togetic did not substitute for Mother either, but she knew how to try. Eira choked and let herself feel loved.
She also made a quiet apology to Lucario. He was still a good guardian, if rash and also clingy to a fault. Not that it excused her act of Spite toward him — why had she done that? It was entirely unlike her.
Lucario and Gabite's discussion was growing strained. Once out of Togetic's hug, Eira scampered down the hill, listening in.
"—can't tell me Pokemon would willingly let themselves be captured, or help fight others and get them captured in Pokeballs—"
"Gabite, there is nothing stopping us from escaping a human if we wanted to—"
"How would they? Magic or no magic, a Trainer's mind-bogglingly loyal Pokemon could just beat up the rebel. Which again, why the loyalty? You cannot tell me you're all so depraved that you'd put yourself in fighting arenas and act like beasts in exchange for food and conveniences."
Lucario had a startlingly good grip on himself, his voice remaining even. "It is how things are," he said. "Few Pokemon back home care for advanced, complex societies, and are absolutely fine with humans handling that nonsense. They take us in and ask for requests or to pursue goals of interest, and we follow along and benefit from the exchange. Do some humans abuse their privileges? Sure, but you're acting as if that's the norm. What say you, Eira?"
Eira froze up. Gabite's eyes dilated and shifted away from her, while Shaymin, quietly listening as she was, turned to her with curiosity. How would she answer that? Outside of traveling and seeing their homes, she never interacted with Pokemon. She just thought of them as spirits to be respected, magic creatures that cared for you if you cared for them. Haven Archipelago had startled her with how capable they were of being just like humans—
"What do you mean, just like humans?" asked Shaymin.
Eira went red-faced, realizing she had spoken aloud her exact thoughts. "I-In lifestyle?" she stammered. "A lot of Pokemon in my world, t-they're more like—"
Like Corvisquire. But she didn't say that.
"Like me," Gabite finished instead, still refusing to look anywhere near her. "Wild creatures that scav*nge nature's gifts."
"W-well—"
"No, I get it." Gabite tapped Lucario's shoulder. "It's funny. We both started wild, ended up civilized to some degree, but you're from outside. I— well, I already mentioned Tumbledust Island isn't the nicest place. Especially for a Gible ditched from birth to survive its deserts alone."
Togetic put an arm over her mouth, Lucario scowling. "Gabite, I assure you wild Pokemon in the human world aren't barbarians."
"I wasn't implying anything." Gabite's eyes lost their luster, a void enveloping them. "I still can't come to terms with the idea of good humans. Maybe your kid isn't guilty, but others—"
"Their tech only does so much against us. Besides Eira, humans don't have magic, remember?"
"Mine did."
It took a moment for Eira to properly process Gabite's words, another for its implications to set in, and one more for frostbite to numb her spine. Two words, casual sounding, and yet their weight left the entire group stunned.
Sorry? Other humans? That Gabite served?
If Gabite had seen their faces, he might've been amused, but he didn't. His eyes were blinded to the realm they belonged in, keenly observing another set in a mutilated past. "Though it depends if you want to call them humans. Porygon-Z didn't."
A migraine bloomed in Eira's head. Porygon-Z.
Spacetime distortions.
"Their dungeon in Tumbledust Island was easily the worst one I ever entered," Gabite rambled. "Don't recall its name or location, it's too deep into the uncharted wastelands. The humans, they looked ancient, in the gruesome, undying way. They— the entire place's under their mind control, both Pokespawn and real Pokemon. Nearly got me too.
"It took, I can't remember, days to escape? Weeks? A month? They wouldn't bleed, wouldn't relent. Wanted me to serve as their monster minion. They tormented me, kept me from being kicked out of the dungeon, tried to make me snap. Maybe they succeeded. I thought I got the voices out, but they still taunt me—"
"Are you fine?" blurted Togetic.
"You faced literal humans?" yelled Shaymin.
Gabite let out a shaky breath. "No and maybe," he said. "They can't leave the dungeon, not sure why. I wouldn't have escaped otherwise."
Lucario stared on, his discolored expression speaking for itself. Eira couldn't blame him. Evil sorcerer humans hiding in Haven Archipelago?
"How?" she said. "The spacetime distortions?"
Gabite clutched his face, almost as if threatening to rip it off. "What? No, I doubt they emerged from the Ruptures," he said. "Well, Porygon-Z doubts it. He said they can't be Fallers too—"
"F-Fallers?"
Lucario furrowed his brows. "Could've sworn I heard that word before," he said. "Something about people getting warped places? Sinnohian term?"
Togetic and Shaymin held themselves from having another outburst. "Alolan," Eira said, frowning. "But it recently got popular in other regions. E-especially Sinnoh."
Fallers were people who traveled through spacetime to other places or dimensions, even universes. It was originally coined for those who ended up in Ultra Wormholes.
Father.
Spacetime distortions.
Gabite's eyes suddenly regained clarity, the void melting off as they sharpened with an intelligence a mindless, bestial Pokemon wouldn't have. "Fallers, a human term?" he said. "Porygon-Z never told me that. He's one of those elusive Pokemon from outside, transported into Haven Archipelago by the Ruptures. He's a man-made machine, you know that?"
That was the tipping point for Togetic and Shaymin. The former grew agitated, mumbling to herself about how she knew Porygon-Z was too irregular for a Pokemon, while Shaymin stared at Gabite like she wanted to spontaneously learn aurasense. Lucario seemed out of it, as if he'd only now understood what Porygon-Z was, as if trying to process everything. Trying to understand.
Eira unfortunately did understand. "The Ruptures?" she said.
Gabite's gaze sharpened further still. "Shaymin said Ariados and Mismagius hinted to you about spacetime distortions," he said, happy to turn the discussion away from his sorcerer captors. "You think the dungeons nowadays are out of whack? You should've been there during the Ruptures, it was mayhem. I was rather young then, but I faintly remember staying clear of dungeons around then."
Shaymin grumbled. "My village was a mess for a long while. Freaked little me out."
"I heard of rifts appearing, causing the Fallers to appear," said Togetic. "Ultra Wormholes, portals to the Distortion World and even the Unown World, it was awful."
Eira caught Lucario unconsciously shuddering at the mention of the Distortion and Unown World, moreso for the latter. "It was six years ago, wasn't it?" she asked.
Togetic and Shaymin's eyes widened with horror, but Gabite's held a glint of satisfied expectation instead. A mirthless smile uglified his face.
"Porygon-Z mentioned a phrase once," he said. "'The Spacetime Pandemic', correct?"
And Eira let herself slump. That confirmed it. Porygon-Z had been gobbled up by one distortion and spat out of another.
Pokemon here called it the Ruptures. That wasn't what people back in her world called it.
"Do you remember?" she asked Lucario.
Her guardian grew flustered, goosebumps on his arms. "Sounds uncomfortably familiar," he said. "I knew something bothered me when Mismagius and Ariados touched upon spacetime distortions."
For Eira, the memory wasn't buried deep enough. "There were Ultra Wormholes," she recalled, to Togetic's distress. "All over Alola. Where I'm from."
"And Sinnoh?"
"I-it was the epicenter, I heard. Rifts. Paranormal weirdness. S-swarms of maddened Unown."
Shaymin grimaced like she had uttered a curse. At once Lucario croaked out, ears folding from transcendent noises.
"Noisy reality warpers," he complained. "I shouldn't have asked."
Togetic and Gabite put on confused frowns, Shaymin scoffing at the latter. "What, is that something Porygon-Z never told you about? That Unown can bend reality in large groups?" she said, before spinning back to Eira. "It's like you're all trying to put me in an information coma. The Ruptures weren't just in the archipelago, huh?"
Eira nodded. Supernatural phenomena had in fact occurred in the vast majority of regions, now that she reluctantly recalled it. The Spacetime Pandemic was a global anomaly, and the Ruptures an extension of the worldwide distortions.
Rifts were the most notable of the problems it caused, and for her, the most impactful too. "Ultra Wormholes?" Togetic dared ask.
"They took my Father," whispered Eira.
Lucario and Togetic's eyes misted, and Shaymin and Gabite hissed in somber solace. Eira paid it all little heed, falling into her own personal distortion.
It'd been sudden. Gone to work in the morning, reported missing and likely in Ultra Space in the afternoon, like plenty of others. Father was amongst the majority who weren't recovered, presumed dead. Or hopelessly lost, which was close enough.
If six-year-old Eira hadn't already been one to keep to herself, she became a shut-in. Mother was no better, afraid of bonding with people only to suffer again. Inconsolable, they ended up glued to each other since, unable to bear losing each other too.
Yet Eira always expected it would happen, because that was life. People you became attached to left you. Mother's death was closure in that way.
It took too long to recover from losing Father, and she had told herself to not break down when it invariably repeated with Mother. Did she succeed? She wasn't sure. At least she wasn't a wailing, insufferable mess, though she couldn't blame her six-year-old self.
Lucario caressing her with empathic emotions barely registered. Same with Togetic gently touching her flank. "Anything you need?" she asked.
Relationships were out of her comfort zone, but all the same, she missed them. Eira shook her vulpine head.
"Of all the humans I could've encountered," said Gabite, before letting out a dispirited grumble. "I wish I could take it back — I shouldn't have struck. I should've realized you couldn't be the monster I feared, but it's hard to shake off old traumas—"
"It was just a mistake," said Eira.
"Darn it, you meek girl, would you let me apologize? Look, I still feel unwell and on edge around you, you're like an innocent caricature of my nightmares. And I don't like your kind, even with Lucario's attempts to portray you kindly. But I also know my enemies, and you? You're not one of them."
He turned to Togetic and Shaymin. "I never told you, but Porygon-Z and I have confided in each other," he said. "Braixen's doing, you see. Fallers dislike sharing their secret with anyone, but Braixen wrangled it out of him while doing research on humans, and he thought we'd mutually benefit. I'm guessing you didn't consider what he was, Lucario? Assumed you were the only foreigners around or something?"
Lucario slowly turned to Eira, the most self-annoyed expression possible stuck on his face. She pouted.
It brought a laugh out of Gabite. "No matter," he said. "If we're trying to get you back to your world, Porygon-Z's a good place to start. He struggles with distortion-induced amnesia, but he might know something valuable about spacetime distortions or dimensional travel, and I doubt he'll react poorly to your human."
A hum left Eira's lips. It would be ironic if a rift was how she returned to the human world. That Team Heavendust was helping at all, it was surreal. And it wouldn't be enough.
Still, she'd like to be wrong. Maybe she could escape fate.
"Porygon-Z, a human-made Pokemon," Togetic said to herself. "Honestly, that's what gets me. How?"
"Don't think I forgot your baggage by the way, Gabite," muttered Shaymin. "Dungeon humans, sheesh. Any chance Mismagius knows something about them?"
Gabite chewed upon the possibility, wondering aloud what such an enigmatic figure knew, before his eyes resharpened. They skirted around Eira, never fully locking onto her.
"It's funny," he said. "Porygon-Z also told me the Ruptures and Spacetime Pandemic started in Sinnoh, his home region, and I assume Lucario's too. But he never specified an exact cause."
The silent request behind his words made the icy cold in Eira's stomach burn up. Oh. The exact cause. That—
That was—
She took one look at Gabite, and forced the thoughts down. No. Not yet. Remembering Father's demise was enough for now.
She wasn't ready to tell Gabite about the humans who did the dirty deed.
Seeing her reluctance, Gabite mercifully restrained himself from pushing the matter. He moved to quietly discuss plans with Togetic and Shaymin, leaving Eira to scamper back to Lucario, the jackal unsettled at her ruffled state. "That bad?" he asked.
Eira mimed her mouth shut, unwilling to give even the slightest hint. "What about you?" she asked. "When the distortions—"
Lucario's fur stood on end. He gave her a dead stare.
"Not talking either, kid."
Eira shouldn't have said anything. Eira shouldn't have said anything.
The fear Lucario so subtly felt when Mismagius mentioned spacetime distortions was on full cacophonic volume. His ears heard the crunch of dirt and the gentle whistle of wind as Team Heavendust approached Berrypark Town, but his mind heard the yelling and screams.
Yells of his tribe, and screams of the Unown, heard through the ears of a scared little Riolu. Those who'd been allowed to leave the den had sometimes returned… strange, if not unwell. He must've done a brilliant job forgetting about the experience, or maybe it was just something he'd then paid little heed to, because nothing in the archipelago triggered the memory. Not the Unown-styled writing system, not the dungeons, not even the Abhorrents.
To be fair, that one experience of screeching Unown was all he had. Before Eira had shredded his blissful ignorance apart, it was all he knew of the Spacetime Pandemic, aside from little tidbits like rifts and Fallers that Adam's other Pokemon mentioned in conversations he stayed out of. Moreover, he'd been preoccupied with his human predicament.
Speaking of which, he thought, muting the din in his head and taking in the present. Gabite was taking point lead, arguably to avoid eye contact with his kid. Vulpix — no, the disguise wasn't that meaningful anymore, he may as well think of her as just Eira — walked beside Lucario with a nervous gait, whereas Togetic's anxiety was better masked. Shaymin alone had no flaws in her composure. Berrypark Town's walls waited in the distance, housing their main target Mismagius, and Kecleon. Plus Porygon-Z, the Faller.
It was a blessing that Team Heavendust was helping them, a blessing he couldn't fully process. With them as allies, he now had the chance to resolve matters with the witch and merchant. Maybe work with Porygon-Z too? Oh, did Lucario feel like a fool for ignoring the impossibility of his existence. Eira had warned him, but he'd let himself ignore her, assuming he couldn't be an outsider that reached the islands long before they did, that there had to be something else to him. And again, he'd been preoccupied with his human predicament.
Or maybe he just didn't think. If he had been one to think, he would've sussed out Porygon-Z right away. No, Eira wouldn't have suffered to begin with. It was tunnel vision that made him struggle for so little reason, going through the Distortion World and back.
"Trouble."
And although things were beginning to look up again for him and Eira, Gabite's warning reminded him that true safety was a luxury they wouldn't have for a long time still.
Gabite had taken a roundabout path to make it look like they were coming from the cottage as usual — without straying near the shore where Lugia could appear, of course. It was a precaution, and it was proving to be a smart choice. "Trouble?" asked Togetic. "What do you mean, Gabite?"
Shaymin squinted her eyes, checking the town gate. "Yeah, that's a bad sign," she muttered. "See her?"
It was hard to miss. Berrypark Town had a north and south entrance, usually with two Pokemon manning it. Today? The north entrance had three.
Granbull and Houndoom were familiar sights. The Toxicroak slouching against the town walls wasn't — she was a two-legged, blue frog with black lines marking her body, and a red vocal sac. The sinister smile that perpetually sat on her kind's face curled at the group's approach, much to Eira's unease.
"Officer Toxicroak," Gabite whispered. "Something's up. Keep calm."
Toxicroak signaled to the guards before striding forward. Gabite met her, Lucario and Eira hanging back as inconspicuously as they could, leaving the remaining three members of their group in between them.
"Morn, folks." Toxicroak spoke with a slight rasp, arms folded. "Sorry about the hassle. Team's doing well, yes? Recruits pulling their weight?"
Gabite glanced at his group of six. "Doing well," he intoned. "Is there a problem?"
Toxicroak's vocal sac bulged as she croaked in faux thought. "I'd hope not," she said, giving a nod of acknowledgement to Togetic and Shaymin. "Corvisquire's fine, if you two were wondering — we'll send her off soon. I again thank you for handling the situation with the Aerodactyl Abhorrent, and for foiling his plot with a Lugia." A forced chuckle. "You've been kept anonymous, of course, but people will figure it out. Town's never been this lively since your Mythical rolled in."
"Was it?" said Shaymin. "Like I'm used to the weird glances—"
"It was behind your back, hon, but you were the talk of the town. Now news is spreading about Aerodactyl and Lugia. Add in the tremors yesterday and that Rocky Shores transformed into an S-tier dungeon, and everyone's understandably riled up." Toxicroak eyed the group members one by one — Gabite, Togetic, Shaymin, not Mismagius, Lucario, Eira — until she landed upon the kid's wristband. "Hopefully we won't have even more talk spreading. Particular things are being said about you, little miss."
Eira the Vulpix made a timid noise. Now that she mentioned that, Lucario couldn't help but notice the Houndoom guard watching Eira with an odd level of scrutiny. His foot unconsciously shifted toward the disguised girl.
Toxicroak picked up on the gesture. "Your kiddo or something?" she said. "No, of course — I heard a report or two about a certain Ariados harassing a Lucario and Vulpix who were speaking with a Kecleon. Superstitious nonsense, dealt with it before. But here's the thing." She leaned forward. "Apparently people from Stringed Forest, and startlingly, not the Ariados, spread word that they encountered a disguised human, using a magic wristband to appear as a Vulpix. And that a Lucario and Abhorrent Eevee were protecting her."
Rumors. Lucario had prayed Berrypark Town would remain immune to those, but of course there were rumors, and people were listening to them. Fear enveloped him, only to be quashed, the jackal suppressing Eira's as well with his aura. Ariados isn't involved? a part of him thought.
"Which is the pettiest thing I've ever heard," finished Toxicroak, a sympathetic look on her face. "I'm ashamed this is even necessary, but people obey the law more than they obey good citizens trying to shush the nutcases spreading this about. You've nothing to hide, yeah?"
Oh, they had a lot to hide. Lucario's eyes darted to a resigned Eira, then to the other four members of their group. Gabite, Shaymin, and Togetic eyed each other too, silently devising an emergency plan. A futile gesture.
"If you would, Miss Vulpix," said Toxicroak, "I have to ask you to remove your wristband, just for a moment. Houndoom and Granbull will be witnesses and should clear your name. Can you manage that for me?"
Toxicroak and the guards were going to learn Eira's secret, and Lucario knew Team Heavendust couldn't deter them with excuses, nor was he sure if Mismagius could help. How would he stop this from escalating out of control? Anticipation flogged him as Eira stood there, frowning, considering.
"I, well," she said, before appearing confused for a moment. Her ears twisted, and she complied. "Sure."
She pulled the wristband off. Eira the Vulpix gave it to Toxicroak.
Nothing happened.
The what.
Instead of Eira's Vulpix body combusting, Lucario's mind combusted. He stared, just like back when he learned about her magic. Gabite stared. Togetic stared. Shaymin stared. Mismagius stared.
Eira stared. Houndoom and Granbull stared from afar, the former turning shamefaced as the latter chided him about silly rumors. "Hmph," Toxicroak said, inspecting the charred marks on the wristband. "What savagery."
"It was Aerodactyl," mumbled Eira.
"Ah, I see. Had it been anyone else—"
Rancor flashed in Toxicroak's eyes. "Sorry again, it's my job," she said as she handed back the wristband to Eira, who dutifully put it back on. "What scum, saying outlandish things about young Pokemon — I'd arrest them if I had the jurisdiction. You're free, folks. Keep your young lady safe, you hear?"
Toxicroak escorted them to the gate, then gestured to Houndoom. The horned demon dog joined her all too eagerly, leaving Granbull to watch the gate, before marching off into the chattering groups of Pokemon up at this time. A Watchog, a Sunflora, and a Gloom were already giving Eira the stink eye, only to be swiftly berated by the duo as they dismissed the human rumors, Houndoom doing so with vehement zeal.
Granbull chuckled. He gave Gabite a salute, and an apologetic grin to Lucario and Eira. Lucario barely registered it, moving along with the party as they went past the gates, then down a relatively secluded path. "Uh, how?" Eira asked Mismagius. "I-I mean, I know how, but—"
"I ought to be asking that question," snapped Gabite, unusually willing to stare down Eira. "Illusion magic? How do you have that if you just discovered magic yesterday?"
"Huh?" Eira blinked, before stuffing her face with her tails. She pointed to Mismagius.
Everyone looked at Mismagius.
Mismagius.
Lucario blinked, before his eyes popped out of his skull. "When did—"
The manipulative witch covered her mouth with a cloth-arm, cackling as the others registered and freaked out at her presence. "You?" Shaymin exclaimed. "Y-you were there! We saw you!"
Mismagius took full pleasure in her agitation. "You did, barely," she said. "Only the human was supposed to see and hear me, but the rest of you — well, I must be getting sloppy if you could get a peek past my illusionary cover-up. Looking for little ol' me?"
She flashed a knowing smile, cloth arms folded in wait. The others looked between themselves, before Gabite gritted his teeth.
"We never met."
"Not in person we haven't, Gabite."
"We need to talk."
"You want to talk."
"I'm not—"
"I'm pleased to see you well, dear Eira," Mismagius interrupted with excess cheer. "Your soul's recovered from the stress of your disguise, I see. Aerodactyl and Lugia didn't hurt you too much yesterday, did they? Or Ariados, or your teammates? You know, we haven't had a human here in forever, not since—"
She pretended to count on her arms, before dramatically throwing them in the air. "Oh, too long. A shame so few remember the old times. How rude that your Aerodactyl Abhorrent burned your lovely white wristband by the way, it made creating an illusionary copy ever so slightly harder, hee! I heard something about you having magic?"
An overwhelmed Eira could only stand there as a twinkle entered Mismagius's hungry eyes. The longer she talked, the more frustrated Gabite became, much to Lucario's dark amusement. He himself would have snapped at her flamboyance, but his mind was busy focusing on a few notable details.
Mismagius just protected Eira's identity through her hallucinations.
Mismagius called Eira by her name. I never mentioned it to her.
Mismagius recognizes the trouble Eira went through yesterday.
But most of all? Mismagius suggested there were humans here once. She talked about wizard humans before, noted Lucario, connecting it to Gabite's experience with his dungeon-bound humans. Just what kind of past does this archipelago have?
The witch closed in on Eira, and the false vixen backed away, Lucario, Togetic, and Shaymin simultaneously moving to guard her. To their mutual astonishment, it was Gabite who came to her defense first, claws at the ready. "You're the only part of this convoluted mess surrounding the human that I can't glean anything out of," he hissed. "I know nothing about you, only that you know strange things, and that you might be a problem. Tell me, are you a problem?"
Lucario heard his unspoken cue, and let the blue shine of aurasense flash in his eyes. This only made Mismagius relax more, and to his disgruntlement, he understood why. After all, in front of a truth detector—
"I intend not to be one."
—The honest had nothing to fear. And Lucario couldn't deny that Mismagius, for all her antics, had helped in her own mischievous way.
"We did not expect your team would overcome their prejudices, but this saves us time," Mismagius said. "You see, we have been expecting you. The moment the rumors began spreading, we knew something went wrong. Perhaps Lugia sensed the girl, and things devolved from there. Or perhaps you figured out what she was on your ownsome."
Again, Team Heavendust eyed each other. "We?" said Eira.
"As in, Kecleon?" added Togetic.
Nobody else could have told Mismagius about Eira's name. Kecleon's collaborating with her, Lucario thought. He trusts her that much?
Mismagius, of course, didn't confirm or deny. She only chuckled, then began to drift further down the path. Mystified and with burning questions in their heads, everyone else could only follow.
"I don't like her," said Shaymin.
"Join the club," Lucario deadpanned.
Even this early, there were throngs of Pokemon crowding the marketplace, which Mismagius made a point of completely avoiding. She led the group down quieter streets, in what looked like a residential area. Here and there Pokemon wandered around, a Politoed once passing by without ever noticing them, courtesy of Mismagius's hallucinatory powers.
Simple, cozy houses of painted brick and cobble lined up the roads, with rose bushes and wildflowers in front and large bushes in between, nature and civilization finding a way to complement one another. Once they passed by an empty park, dotted with adorable play structures, berry-laden trees, and discolored benches of various sizes.
And then one last turn took them to the one and only Dungeon Board and its large, indoor garden-like structure, and the trimmed shrubbery and elegant archways that dotted it. An odd location, all things considered, for Kecleon to be. Before Lucario could comment though, they were right outside the lobby, where Klinklang was busy whirling his gears in a farewell to—
Hattrem stared them down, Lucario instantly noticing the Treasure Bag hung around one of her bulbous ponytails. "Oh," said Feebas, rapidly blinking at them. "Fancy bumping into you guys yet again. How's everything? We heard the news about Lugia— say, who's your ghostly guest? Is it okay to talk about this around her, or—"
"You're all unwell," interrupted Hattrem, Feebas holding back a sigh. "Must've been bad."
Mismagius didn't veil herself from sight this time, giving a polite nod. Unwell, the empath says, remarked Lucario. If only she knew.
As Klinklang moved out of the way, Shaymin assured Feebas, saying it was fine to mention their role in stopping Aerodactyl — Klinklang knew as a worker in the Dungeon Board, of course, and they were about to speak with Mismagius about it. "We're getting some things cleared up with her," she said with a strained smile. "Lots of stuff came up that she could explain. You guys have a reason to be at the Dungeon Board?"
Feebas chose not to pry. "We've been thinking ever since you ran off for Lugia. Things seem to be getting a little wild, yeah? An Abhorrent trying to capture a Legendary is big trouble. And I'm a little ashamed I couldn't do something—"
"She finally formed an explorer team and I opted in," said Hattrem.
"Hey—"
"Pay's decent," she said, allowing the tiniest of smirks as Feebas grew exasperated with her. She opened her bag, and out came an Explorer Badge, the winged emblem a proof of their membership. "But more importantly, it's two more hands helping the community. Both of us want to be more capable in case another crisis happens."
There was a pleasant surprise if Lucario ever heard one. Gabite gave them an appraising nod while Shaymin congratulated them, Eira smiling at their decision. "That sounds wonderful," said Togetic. "So long as you don't push yourself. Dungeons can be dangerous, and you don't want to neglect your other responsibilities."
Feebas and Hattrem nodded, before stepping aside with a start as Porygon-Z literally flopped into the lobby. His eyes locked onto a startled Eira, then Mismagius. Inside the Dungeon Board garden hall, Lucario caught Kecleon wryly staring, an illusionary clone of Mismagius whispering into his ear before promptly vanishing.
The real Mismagius smirked. "Business."
Feebas and Hattrem understood, letting the group pass onward with Klinklang silently observing the affair. An unprepared Team Heavendust let themselves be ushered through the hall, Kecleon narrowing his eyes at Gabite, Togetic, and Shaymin.
"Well, best case scenario," he said, over the noise of the fountain centerpiece. "Ashamed of yourselves?"
The trio radiated remorse. Lucario looked at him, then at Porygon-Z, who was hovering in circles around the entire party. "Uh, what's going on?" he asked.
Kecleon scoffed, his scales tinged a slight orange. "Somebody," he accused, "forgot to tell me Porygon-Z was a literal man-made creature. What do you think's going on?"
Considering the full-on grin Mismagius wore, Lucario had a hunch at what had happened. Porygon-Z too? he thought.
Porygon-Z had the group hole up in the Task Management room, zipping behind his desk and pulling out a small stand with a 'Service Temporarily Unavailable, Please Wait Outside' poster. Assembling it at the entrance, he then turned to regard the group. His antenna flashed, and a holographic green textbox appeared.
~Alert: human present. Confirmation Y/N?~
Lucario and Eira blinked at the simplified Unown text. Yes, Porygon-Z was communicating via text. Yes, each of his paragraphs were marked with squiggly lines.
Shaymin and Togetic eyed the textbox like it was some alien entity, apparently having never seen this before. Lucario gave the confirmation, and the text instantly changed, Porygon-Z beeping as it formed. ~Conflicting directives found. Human is prime suspect of a prophecy (source: Mismagius), associated with an Abhorrent, and officially a threat to Haven Archipelago. However, prophecy ironically asserts the human's innocence, and human has protected Haven Archipelago from 'Oblivion Matter' Aerodactyl. Kecleon states the human intends to leave the islands, Y/N?~
Eira slowly nodded. ~Honesty detected. Setting threat level of 'Eira' Vulpix, aka (also known as) the human to negligible. Greetings, dear human! My apologies, but I was required to ascertain you mean no harm. Your presence is a welcome surprise. ~
Porygon-Z flailed his arms around, an odd expression of his pleasure. "You knew what he was," Lucario said to Mismagius. "You told him?"
"We told him," Kecleon corrected. "Or rather, we confirmed his suspicions. I was telling Mismagius about your story in exchange for her knowledge about humans and prophecies, and that's when Porygon-Z showed up."
~Internal scanners detected soul-level pain from the human yesterday, akin to transformative stress. I had prior dialogues with Mismagius about her knowledge of humans ever since she deduced my unusual origins, and Kecleon was reported to have actively defended you against Ariados's initial accusations. Porygon-Z's arms began to blur, flailing at speeds that could conjure a miniature hurricane. I do not ignore rumors, you see. I naturally questioned the twosome, and since then, we have shared everything we could. Everything.~
The Faller tilted his head at Gabite, his arms freezing mid-flail. ~We feared your past would blind you against the human's innocence and unique plight,~ he added with a few concerned beeps.
A disquiet fell on the group, Gabite making a pained scowl and Togetic turning her face away. Shaymin moved her lips to apologize to Kecleon, but he put up an arm, shushing her.
"Tell us the story," he said. "After I left, what happened?"
Aerodactyl and Lugia was already a wild story to recount, and the aftermath only boosted the drama manyfold. Team Heavendust summarized it all, Lucario noting Ariados and her knowledge of the prophecy, and Eira recounting her experience at Stringed Forest Village and how she stumbled upon her magic. They brought up the incident in Eevee's lair, with Shaymin explaining how they realized their mistake.
It impressed Lucario that the insanity of it all hardly fazed Kecleon, Mismagius, or Porygon-Z, with only a few details being notable enough for commentary. It wasn't Lugia's desire to remove Eira that caught their attention, for example, but rather that he already did the same to several human survivors. Ariados's kidnapping ploy was expected, but not her tacit decision to let Eira escape. That it took a little bleeding to make Team Heavendust see their mistake, it made Kecleon snort, though Lucario didn't miss the side-glance he gave his disguised human. Nor did he miss Mismagius's, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"The matriarch knows of the prophecy too," she said at the end of their recount. "Amusing. And the Aerodactyl seeks the means to alter the dungeons."
"I'm a little more concerned about his role in the shipwreck, and that he could fight Lugia head-on," Kecleon stated, before coughing out a raspy laugh. "This Mew figure, however — how do you get into these situations, Lucario? How?"
Porygon-Z gave a distressed nod, his pupils spinning in crazed circles. ~Your recount of 'Primal Gear' Mew is of grievous concern. On behalf of the Explorer Board, I thank you for your contributions against the hostile Abhorrents, and will raise the alarm. He and 'Oblivion Matter' Aerodactyl will be flagged as high threat targets.~
Mismagius cleared her throat. "For now, however, we have other matters to attend to," she said, the weight of her gaze slamming down on Gabite. "Your team sought me for a reason. Porygon-Z tells me you faced dark wizards in Tumbledust Island?"
A frown was etching itself onto Mismagius's face, the expression unnatural for a Pokemon species whose smiles and wicked grins were second-nature to them. Her voice remained smooth and even, but Lucario could sense something simmering beneath it, as if Gabite's experience personally bothered her.
Gabite too frowned, although for him, it was a mask that hid the pain deeper within. "Do you know them?"
At first, a disappointing shake of her head was Mismagius's response. But then she followed up with words, and told them something far greater. "Old relics," she said. "I speak only in conjectures, but a foul force lies in that dungeon. A remnant of a dark past, I believe, or an abominable sorcery. It stems from when humans roamed these lands."
Kecleon flashed Lucario a queasy smile. The room held its breath.
"I seek history, young ones. And history is why I seek humans." Mismagius waved her cloth-arm, and blue Mystical Fire conjured at her command, shaping themselves into ships that bobbed and dipped as if in water. "I will share a story. Centuries ago, perhaps even before the Mystery Dungeons existed, humans came upon Haven Archipelago. They brought innovations we Pokemon never thought of, being the wild creatures we were then.
"They taught us the tenets of civilization and technology, and we prospered for it. We became organized, unified. In turn, we taught them about the power of the spirit. And they learned magic."
The flames turned a plethora of colors, swirling into gales of sheer beauty that bedazzled the eye. Her narration cast its own spell, leaving its listeners silent and attentive. Togetic grew overwhelmed, Shaymin fell into bemused wonder, and Gabite took numerous mental notes. Porygon-Z leaned in with startling interest, and Eira, in particular, became awestruck at it all.
Lucario could hardly turn away himself. It sounded like a fairy tale, yet he'd seen and believed stranger things, hadn't he? Humans lived here, and they were taught magic.
Pokemon could teach humans to use the elements?
"But something must've happened. A disaster, enough for humankind to be vilified and chased out. Enough for them to be remembered for their wizardry, and for the towers to be built, ensuring they'd never return." Mismagius let her Mystical Fire be fire, a blaze that stretched over everything, leaving behind ash-like flames that reformed into formidable spires. "I know not what caused this purge, but your mind-enslaving wizards, Gabite, may be a clue. That they are living, breathing humans is questionable, but perhaps they are advanced dungeon constructs, doomed to reenact a blasphemous evil of their real counterparts."
Porygon-Z concurred with a nod. Gabite huffed, a little skeptical, but accepting her words regardless.
Of course," Mismagius said with an ominous tone, "the towers could not block everything. A prophecy was said — a garbled warning of unordinary timelines, converging to cause terrible events that shouldn't occur, yet they do. They dictated that a human would return, transformed, and unwittingly shatter our world."
Eira the Vulpix sighed. "Me."
"'It begins with a stranger poisoned by malady, the towers left useless in the wake of its landfall.'" Mismagius let her towers rot away, leaving behind a miasma of purple flames that she then extinguished. With a start, Lucario realized she had uttered a portion of the prophecy, his fist clenching.
Her show done, Mismagius knelt close to the sullen vixen, her cloak billowing over the floor. "I pity you, child," she said. "Lugia surely seeks to destroy you to prevent the prophecy. No other human could match so perfectly with the few verses I know."
Her eyes drifted to Lucario. "'The guardian serves the harbinger, ever fervent,'" she recited. "I did not consider Ariados's tall tale for little reason. Though I do not know the context of this verse, I suspect it refers to you both. You are linked."
Perfect. The prophecy even mentioned him. As if it wasn't painstakingly obvious that this wasn't some prank.
Lucario hated it. "Tell it to me straight," he said. "What does it mean that Eira has magic? And this prophecy—"
"Please tell us we can get around it," urged Togetic, arms clasping her heart. "It shouldn't have to happen."
"Besides that," Shaymin butted in, "what's your deal? You're not doing this just to be nice — you want something from Eira."
Took the words out of Lucario's mouth. He waited, Mismagius's lips curling into a guilty smile. Kecleon snorted in the background.
"She is human."
"And?"
"Do you remember them, dear Mythical? Only scant manuscripts, the oldest of Legendaries, and remote Mystery dungeons speak of humans. Fallers are treasure troves, but none can teach us the unspoken history of Haven Archipelago, and few have reasonably intact memories or even the willingness to admit their Faller status and speak of their world."
~Too problematic, Porygon stated, beeping with annoyance. Common Pokemon will pester you and spin tales out of your statements, or worse.~
Mismagius's smile widened, eyes alight with rapture. "But her, hee!" she said, pointing at Eira. "Your human changes everything. She knows what no Faller does, and she has magic, hee hee! Her experience as a Pokemon must have been a shortcut, showing her how to tap into her inner power as her untransformed self. Do you realize what we could learn from her? What she could learn from me, if I lent my tutelage to help her explore her talents? Her human magic?"
Eira's lips pursed with airy wonder. Even Lucario couldn't help but consider it, recognizing the benefit of such a transaction. Mismagius was high-Leveled and skilled, and her Mystical Fire display showed a glimpse of that.
Goodness, his head spun just thinking about it. If he understood correctly, Pokemon moves weren't that different from human magic. Learning them taught Eira how to do the latter on a base level, and Mismagius could awaken that skill further.
Mind-boggling. "And the prophecy?"
"Difficult, that. 'Parallel timelines seek to summon their aberration,' you see." Mismagius laid her head back. "It's like river rapids — you're fighting against a stream, pulling you towards the demands of the prophecy. Either the human breaks, or the world shatters. But veer off-course enough, and you may swim out yet."
A confirmation of what Eevee said. Returning to the human world should suffice then. It was the third option.
And much like Eevee, Mismagius saw Eira as a cosmic boon. Yet Lucario remained bothered, unable to accept her as another ally. "Why?"
"Hm?"
"Yesterday you made a big deal of Eira being a prophetic threat to the archipelago, and now you're all chummy and invested in helping us? What's changed?" Lucario's aura-tinted glare snapped toward a silent Togetic, a squinting Shaymin, and a contemplative Gabite, before homing onto a waiting Kecleon. "Why did you and Porygon-Z trust her?"
Eira fidgeted, looking to Kecleon and his sagely reasoning behind his decision. The merchant allowed his expression to turn sheepish.
"I never said I fully trusted her," he said.
"Wha- Teach?" Shaymin blurted out, Togetic restraining herself from doing the same. "That doesn't—"
"Nothing."
An impassiveness coated Mismagius's voice, quieting Shaymin. The red pupils in her eyes flickered like candles, haunted faces reflected in the jewels adorning her body. "Nothing has changed," she said. "Believe me, jackal, if you had not returned here today, I would track you down to the ends of the earth. If I wanted to take your girl for myself, I could do it. The prophecy concerns me, as it always has."
She lowered her head, partially obscuring her face with her witch hat. "But I know the girl desires no evil, and so I will bear no evil. I would rather help you, and benefit myself in the process. I told you the prophecy to warn you, aura guardian. I told you, so that you will understand why others seek you out, and why I kept and will continue to keep an eye on you. Had your mind been clearer yesterday, you would've learned this."
And Lucario knew she meant it. Aurasense saw no lies.
"I am prepared to take action should the prophecy force my hand, but I pray it won't come to that, and that you will succeed in preserving your girl's life. To that end, I will offer you my aid, and give Eira the ability to defend her human self if need be." Warmth returned to Mismagius's voice as she faced Kecleon. "Is that not what I told you?"
Kecleon smirked, his expression a silent note telling Lucario to decide himself how to deal with Mismagius. What choice was there, though? Of course Kecleon trusted her — the alternative was slighting a person of great power. What did he gain by rejecting her, and what would he lose by accepting her?
It was like Ariados all over again. Mismagius was eccentric and irritating, yes, but Lucario's aurasense knew she wished to help, and he needed help. Eira with human magic could be a godsend, he considered.
Eira already made her decision, eagerness creeping into her smile. "I'd like to learn," she said.
Mismagius let out a titter, a hallucinatory clone splitting out of her form. "You'll looooove to learn," she said, letting the clone orbit her before dissolving into scattered mist. "Imagine, dear, what if you could cast illusions? No need for a wristband when you can trick the senses yourself, hee!"
Human magic is a godsend. One look at Eira's bedazzled face and Lucario knew saying no was impossible.
Togetic and Shaymin still seemed uneasy with the witch, but an assuring look from Gabite made them reluctantly accept the situation. "Don't get carried away," Kecleon told Mismagius with a taut smile. "The human has to leave these islands before this prophecy hogwash gets out of hand. You've got limited time with her."
"I have enough time." Mismagius smiled back with half-lidded eyes. "I will say, I always anticipated a human would bypass the towers through rifts and such, not by literally going past them. And several other humans too? 'Reality shall crack as our magicks face a finality,' it is said — mayhaps the towers have lost their function."
Lucario shuffled his feet, wood panels creaking under his shifting weight. The prophecy verse was something to chew upon, yet something didn't feel right. "Didn't the tower at the beach compel you to look away and ignore it though?" he asked Eira.
The vixen's brows raised as she gave a swift nod, making Mismagius's smile turn a tad forced. "Regardless, Lugia's there," Kecleon brought up. "They need a way out that has nothing to do with the towers. And from what I've heard from Porygon-Z, nothing distortion-related either."
Porygon-Z aggressively nodded. ~Caution: do not seek rifts! My experience with the Spacetime Pandemic (locally known as the Ruptures) was most undesirable, leading to critical damage to long-range communication systems, audio speech, and persistent memory. In general, dimension travel is unsafe and will leave one stranded or in undesirable locations.~
Gabite threw Lucario a shrug, as if to say he'd tried. Really, getting Eira back was what mattered at the end of the day. The distortions, the past of Haven Archipelago, it was all a backdrop to Lucario's ultimate goal. Regardless of whether the towers keep Eira inside or not, Lugia makes the sea a no-go area, he thought, and dimension travel is just unreliable. What would it take to get out?
He didn't know. But he'd find the answer, somehow, some way.
~Worry not, we may be able to assist you yet. An upbeat chime sounded from Porygon-Z as he hovered close to Lucario. If I may make a request too, Y/N? You may have noticed, but I retain some of my memories — I spent years recovering them. With your help and your human's, that process can be accelerated! I am struggling to recall my original functions and how exactly the distortions sent me to Haven Archipelago, and sharing your memories may allow me to recall my own. In turn, I may be able to find methods for a return trip home, in case the Kabutops scientist you said your Eevee wished to bring you to cannot help.
Porygon-Z wanted them to share what they remembered from back home? Lucario didn't mind that, it sounded like a kind gesture to do for the Faller. He inclined his head, Eira doing the same.
"We could do that," she said. "Talk about the human world and all."
"Darn it all, who here doesn't want that?" Kecleon pulled himself to his full height, jabbing Lucario with a digit. "Same demand, jackal. All this worrying you've given me with Lugia and Ariados and your teammates, the planning we have to do to keep your human unknown and our necks safe — at least return the favor and sate my curiosity about your world too, would you?"
Lucario held his paws up, much to Mismagius's amusement. "I, of course, have my ooooown endless list of questions," she said. "Your cultures and interests, the Spacetime Pandemic you had, the surprising feebleness of humans in your world, I must know it all! All! Everything!"
Glee overcame her as she began sinking into the floor. "We will accomplish so much together, Eira. Kecleon and Porygon-Z, if there is anything else of importance, I am not far. Do let me know if Ariados or Lugia keep acting like pests, would you all?"
Her robe-like body phased through, then her head and hat, until nothing else was left. Togetic exhaled as if the room had become far less suffocating, the lights a little brighter than before.
"Still don't like her," muttered Shaymin.
Gabite wheezed, keeling over for a moment. "What a whimsical witch," he said. "You can't leash her, can you?"
"Better that she's with us, rather than against us." Kecleon shuffled over to the duo, shaking his head. "Speaking of Ariados and Lugia, do you mind, Gabite? We need to have a good talk about the situation you've thrust yourselves into."
He, Porygon-Z, Gabite, and Shaymin moved to the side, beginning their long discussion. Lucario gave them little heed, his feet rooted where he stood and his eyes rooted at where Mismagius once was. Eira did the same.
Togetic chose to linger a moment with them. "Mismagius, well, she's quite a character," she said. "You're fine with her, Lucario? Eira?"
Lucario shrugged. "She hasn't done anything to hurt me," said Eira, flicking her tails with spirited nervousness. "And learning magic's nice, I guess. I can work with that."
A little smile graced her face. Togetic smiled back, a slightly worried smile that nevertheless took some comfort in Eira's opinion. Eventually she broke off, joining Kecleon and the others, and Eira glanced once at Lucario before shyly joining her.
The jackal let her, absorbed in his thoughts. Pondering over the things he learned today. Wondering over it all meant for him and Eira. Every time he thought there wouldn't be something crazier for him to swallow, somehow there was. Dungeon humans, magic powers, human wizardry, it all sought to twist and bend his worldview.
And of course, the Spacetime Pandemic was a thing. The warbled cries of Unown filled Lucario's head, but he ignored them, pitying the orphan girl he guarded. Eira's Father disappeared due to distortions, her Mother died from the shipwreck, and she had the weight of a prophecy and a hateful archipelago pressing down on her. And yet she persists.
Tough young lady. Lucario wondered what it'd take to bring such a troubled person a normal life. And then, considering Eira's Vulpix speech and her magic, realized how silly that question was.
After what they had experienced? The girl would never know normalcy again.
I expected this chapter to be the last one, but things didn't pan that way. Nasty chapter it was — I think there's 11K words that were scrapped, painfully so in some cases. Porygon-Z threw such a comically large wrench in my plans and outlines, and it required some storyboard repairs.
Pretty sure I have to squeeze in more hints about him and the distortions in earlier chapters too, as I barely touched upon either beforehand, making this chapter feel like a sudden infodump. But maybe I'm wrong?
Our time grows brief. There'll be a short epilogue before we shall part ways, at least for now. I'll ask the opposite question this time: what exactly strikes you as a weakness in the story that could use some improvement? Do not hold back, it is beneficial to know what flaws exist in one's story for an writer like myself, so that one may learn from it.
Again, answer if you will, don't answer if you won't.