I would like to thank everyone who has read the first chapter, and especially those who have followed this story. I'd also like to thank the members of the PMD Writer's Union Discord server for helping keep me motivated. Make no mistake: I'm having a great time writing this tale.

Potential TW: Bullying. It's in this chapter. Consider yourself warned.

Current music: Decode - Paramore

Before we begin, it's imperative that I get one thing out of the way.

March might be spring to you, but it isn't spring to me. Not when it's as cold as ever and the snowbanks are piled several feet high along the edge of the path. Lennox and I had to plant our paws carefully to avoid falling on our faces

"It's almost like an ice rink here!" I remarked, trying not to laugh.

Lennox glanced at me fiercely. "Careful not to break your neck on this stuff!"

However, my brother had put just a little too much power into his stride. He slipped and fell on his ass right then and there, grimacing as his ponytail got crushed.

I swiveled around to face him. My brother was clearly in pain, but I hadn't heard anything break. In turning on a dime, I also fell to the ground, though I didn't have as far to fall as Lennox did.

Still, the wind was knocked out of me, and I could barely muster the breath to ask my brother if he was okay.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Lennox panted. "It's just…we shouldn't be going so fast. The mountain will still be there after we're done with our shopping. I've got the wallet here."

Indeed, Lennox carried a knapsack with him. And no, it wasn't a purse; it was a knapsack. There's a difference.

As I tried to get back to my feet, I heard a mocking fit of laughter from a nearby source. My heart sank as I realized that it could only be coming from one 'mon.

"Hah! It's no wonder you can't evolve if you keep tripping over your own shoelaces!"

I rolled my eyes as I came face to face with my old bully, Wendell Weavile. Even though he wasn't much taller than me, he thought that his small height advantage gave him carte blanche to laugh at me for every little thing.

"I don't wear shoes, Wendell!" I snapped, hoping this was a good enough comeback. But he didn't seem to think so.

"That doesn't matter, you little joke! Because that's what you are, a joke! Aren't Zorua supposed to be tough here?"

When I didn't respond, having been taught that it was best not to give the bully what he wanted, Wendell continued.

"Quite frankly, if you can't fit in with the tough Spruce Village attitude, you should go back to where you came from! You're pathetic!"

Lennox had regained his breath by this time, and he came to my defense. "What do you mean, go back to where he came from? Bladen's always lived in Spruce Village, just like me! And inflicting torment doesn't make you tough; quite the opposite!"

The Weavile drew his claws, and for a moment I thought for sure that there would be a fight. This wasn't something I could afford, not when my number one goal was to get ready for my trek.

But then Lennox opened his mouth, revealing two rows of very sharp fangs. And that's what ended up saving me from certain humiliation.

Wendell turned tail and ran off in the other direction, but running was very inadvisable for him. Because it wasn't long before he slipped and fell, sliding like a curling stone over the icy path.

I took Lennox's paw and stood up. "Thanks" I told him, and I really meant it.

"It's no problem," my brother responded. "That's what brothers do for each other. Besides, he's all bark and no bite anyway. The instant anyone tougher than him shows up, he flees. That's what I call pathetic."

I grimaced at the implication that Lennox was tougher than Wendell. Not because it wasn't true, but because my brother made it sound like I was weaker than he was. And let me tell you, that hurts.

"Let's keep going" I mouthed, eager to get my mind off that thought. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."

We made our way down the slippery road. Not only did the ice and slush make it slick, but the gentle downward slope didn't help matters in the least. Eager to avoid another embarrassing situation, we high-stepped slowly until we got closer to town.

Spruce Village was so named due to the number of trees of that type found around town. The homes were all single-family; there were no apartments to be found here. It was a perfect place to live if you didn't like social interaction.

For the rest of us, there was a business district in the middle of town. A small line of shops and other establishments led up to a much larger building; the village bazaar. And just on the edge of the village, there was the local diocese of the Church of Arceus, along with its graveyard.

Don't look at it, I told myself flatly. It'll only make you feel worse.

Instead I focused on the sunrise over the snow-covered buildings. The orange mixed with the white was a real thing of beauty, and I couldn't help but smile as we entered the main business district.

Although it was fairly early still, there were a number of Pokémon out and about. Fortunately, most of them were friendlier than Wendell had been.

There had been a period, starting in the immediate aftermath of our parents' demise, when our neighbors, even those we rarely spoke to, had treated us with great affection. They'd sent us soups, pies, casseroles - anything they thought we'd like. It could never replace what we'd lost, and they acknowledged that, but it was at least something.

Now, though, that time was long gone. Everybody has to die some day, after all, whether it be with a thunderous avalanche or with the drip, drip, drip of an IV. And the neighbors swiftly forgot about us until we saw them again.

"Here we are," Lennox said eventually. "Blaziken's Sporting Goods."

"What do we need here?" I asked, having been thoroughly distracted by my own grief.

My brother gave me a quizzical look. "You want to be prepared for your hike, don't you?"

"Of course."

"Well, you need to get fitted for a backpack. This is the best place for that."

We entered the store, where Tom the Blaziken, the shop's owner, was busy negotiating with a Hitmonlee over the cost of a pair of hiking boots. It was clearly quite heated, with Tom's eyes lighting up at several points.

"That's the way it is here" Lennox muttered. "If at first you don't like the price, haggle, haggle, and haggle."

"Indeed."

By the end of the negotiations, the Hitmonlee had placed the boots back on the counter, evidently deciding they weren't worth the cost. And then he stormed out of the shop, right by us.

Once the coast was clear, my brother and I headed up to the desk, where Tom was breathing heavily.

"That guy was intense," Tom panted. "I'm glad it didn't come to a fight, because I don't know if I could have taken him. Anyway, how are you two?"

Tom had been a close friend of our parents, so it didn't take long for him to recognize us and give off a sad smile.

"Oh…I'm so sorry that happened. A terrible thing, terrible. They were too young…it's awful."

Does he have to bring it up now?

Tom shook his head after that spiel. "That's not important. Well, it is, but what do you two need?"

Lennox took charge of the conversation there. "Bladen needs to be fitted for a backpack."

"Oh, are you going back to school?" the Blaziken asked. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Not exactly" I piped up. Then, eager to get the hard part out of the way: "I'm going to climb Mount Coronet."

To his credit, Tom didn't question it, nor did he bring up my deceased parents. Instead, he smiled.

"I see you've got a goal in your mind. You've got that look in your eyes - I've known it for some time."

"You have?"

"Why, of course," the Blaziken replied. "When you look at someone that way, it's clear that you will stop at nothing to achieve your goal. That's one thing you inherited. In any case, come into the fitting room - one of my brothers will help you."

I followed Tom into the fitting room, where his near-identical brother Roland stood with a tape measure in hand. He gave me a toothy grin.

"Okay, are you ready to do the measurements?" he asked me, sounding almost like a robot.

I nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Over the next fifteen minutes or so, I was poked and prodded almost as much as a hospital patient. Roland did his best to measure every dimension of my body, though I squirmed at a few points.

"Stand still," Roland commanded. "That's the only way it'll work."

"I'm trying," I insisted. "It's not always easy, though."

"I get that it's not easy, but it's necessary. I'm almost done."

I did as I was told, and after a quarter of an hour, the task was complete to the Blaziken's satisfaction. Roland stepped back and smiled.

"Okay. I know the right size for you. I'll be back in a minute."

During my brief wait, I scratched my front right paw against the floor. That's just the way I was; I tended to fidget if I didn't have anything else to do, especially if I felt nervous or excited. Hopefully no water entered the room.

After a minute or two, Roland re-entered the fitting room carrying a small crimson backpack, a color fairly close to that of my brother's ponytail. "This is yours - try it on," the Blaziken said.

I did as I was told, standing still as Roland secured it to my back. The weight of the backpack against my back took some getting used to, but I was able to walk around the small room in relative comfort.

"I think this will work" I told the Blaziken. "Thank you very much."

"No problem!" Roland replied, clapping his paws together. Then, on a more somber note, he sighed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's just…it must be very hard for you to live like this. I just wish there was something I could do to help."

Roland, bringing this up is just reopening old wounds. There's no need to talk about it - it'll only make me feel worse.

I tried to put a brave face on. My exact words were, "I'll make them proud. If they're up there somewhere, they'll probably be smiling down on me when they see that I conquered the summit."

The Blaziken nodded. "That sounds like something your father would say. A brave man, he was."

I ignored those words and left the fitting room still carrying the backpack. The main store was slightly more crowded than it had been a few minutes ago, but one Pokémon in particular was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?" I wondered aloud, albeit quietly.

Really, this wasn't like him. Most of the time, Lennox would wait for me in a situation like this, making sure I didn't get lost or lonely. That was one good thing about having an older brother - he saw it as his duty to look after me.

But my brother didn't appear. And he still didn't.

There's no way he ditched me. He wouldn't do that.

And yet, I stood in the middle of the store like a Torchic with its head cut off. Glancing down the aisles, I didn't see Lennox anywhere, and I started to wonder if maybe I'd been wrong about him from the very beginning.

Just when the confusion had reached a fever pitch, a Zoroark walked out of a different fitting room. His crimson ponytail seemingly made carrying his dark gray backpack (considerably larger than mine) an awkward task, but he was managing it!

"There you are," I muttered.

Lennox snorted. "Is that any way to speak to your brother? There's a reason I have a backpack on - you can guess what it is, can't you?"

My heart rose; I didn't have to think about it very long. There was one conclusion that made sense above any others.

"You're coming with me?"

My brother nodded. "Yes. I have to make sure you're okay - if you need a chaperone, I'll be that 'mon."

It was only after we had paid for our backpacks and left the store that Lennox could be heard sniffling. He had the unmistakable air of someone trying to hold back tears.

When I turned to face him right between the eyes, Lennox sighed. "Look, Bladen, I said you needed a chaperone, and that's true. But there's more to it than that."

"Oh?" I asked. Now that we were out of earshot of the other patrons at Blaziken's Sporting Goods, it seemed that Lennox had decided it was safe to give more details.

My brother nodded. "You see, I can't stand the thought of you there alone. Quite frankly, I can't stand the thought of being alone."

"But I'd make it back," I insisted. "I mean, I'm glad you're coming, but I think I'd be safe on my own."

"But what if you didn't?" Lennox replied. "Even professional mountaineers have to turn back all the time, and some of them don't make it back to the base. And…" he trailed off, sniffing more.

I had a sinking feeling I knew where this conversation was going. And my fears were confirmed about ten seconds later.

"If something should happen to you on the mountain, then I'd be alone for good. If we both go down together, at least we'll be together."

On that happy note, we kept making our way through town. Despite the cold air, the sun was incredibly bright, not least because it reflected off the abundant snow on the ground. I found myself shutting one eye every so often, determined not to strain them.

For better or worse, none of the other villagers commented on our backpacks. Even those who recognized us just waved, as residents of a small town tend to do. But they didn't know (or just didn't care) that for Lennox and I, things had changed greatly.

The village bazaar was located at the far end of the main thoroughfare. It was a giant wooden building; at least, giant by Spruce Village standards. Although the place looked incredibly rickety, the structure had remained sound for as long as anyone could remember.

"Do we have a shopping list?" Lennox asked me as we approached.

I frowned. "No?"

"That's a problem," my brother replied. "Whenever you go to the marketplace, it's always best to have an idea of what you want to buy. What do you think we'll need for the trek?"

"Maybe we should go between the stalls and see what they have?" I responded.

Lennox shrugged. "That sounds like as good a plan as any."

The interior of the bazaar was hectic, just like it always was during daylight hours. The building's roof had been retracted a few days ago under the expectation that spring would come, but instead more snow had fallen, meaning that part of the floor was dusted with the white stuff.

As for the other shoppers, they didn't pay us much attention. They were evidently too focused on their own circumstances, not that I blame them.

Still, it was plain to see that the memory of what had happened to Lennox and I had been cast aside. That's not to say that they'd forgotten about it, but rather that they no longer saw it as important. Three months ago, we'd have been recognized anywhere and received copious condolences.

Don't freeze the floor, I thought to myself as we walked across the slippery ground. Don't freeze the floor.

We wandered around the marketplace for a while, purchasing whatever stood out as potentially useful. For the most part, this consisted of a pair of tents (just in case we ever needed space from each other), sleeping bags, Oran berry leather (in case we had any injuries or just got really hungry), and fire in the form of a flint.

At one point, I saw a stand selling blue spherical objects about the size of baseballs. I don't know why, but something about these objects called to me somehow.

"Should we buy some of those?" I asked my brother.

"Escape Orbs? Those aren't going to help you on the mountain."

I frowned. "You are coming with me, right? If so, you'd say us rather than you."

"Eh, pronouns aren't important right now. Anyway -".

"That wasn't a yes."

"Yes, I'm coming! Anyway, I don't want to run out of space in our backpacks. If the Escape Orbs won't get us out of a bind on Mount Coronet, and they only make our packs heavier and keep us from carrying other things we need…yeah, I don't want to get them."

"Okay then" I said.

We were just about to leave the bazaar, having already paid for all our items, when we took a wrong turn and ended up in a part of the market that looked different.

The floor was covered in a brightly colored rug, orange and purple, and several lanterns hung from the ceiling. A faint scent of incense was in the air, along with a hissing noise.

"What the hell is this place?" I muttered. "I've never seen it before."

"Looks like some kind of shaman's house," Lennox said.

I frowned. "Shaman?"

"You know, like a fortune teller of some sort. Not that I think divination is a legitimate practice, but it's a thing people engage in. At least, they say they do."

"What are you calling illegitimate, young 'mon?"

"Huh?" Lennox all but spat, but he turned to face the voice anyway. I'll give my brother credit for this: He was far from being a coward.

I did the same, and I saw that the voice had come from a tall, skinny creature. And yes, there's a reason I say creature rather than naming an actual species.

That's because the creature was hidden behind a large purple shawl. I couldn't make out any facial features, nor anything on its body. The result was that I had no idea what sort of Pokémon it was.

"I don't like it when my profession is belittled" the creature snapped. The voice clearly belonged to a female, but other than the speaker's gender, I couldn't have told you anything about her.

"Well, sorry," Lennox muttered. "We didn't think you were here."

Could he be any more brazen than that?

"I'm sorry about that; I really am!" I insisted, trying to do some damage control. "We were just on a shopping trip to the bazaar, looking for items that might help us."

As stated above, I couldn't see the creature's face, but I had to imagine that she wore a scowl at this point. She seemed to weigh her next response carefully, considering the pros and cons of each word, because it was a while before she replied.

"What do you need items for? You're not planning a trip, are you?"

I gasped.

Does she know? Or maybe she just made an educated guess - it's probably not that far-fetched that we might be going somewhere.

"Well, I guess we are," I said, trying to get my breathing back under control.

"Give me a minute," the woman responded. "I'm the Shaman of this village - it's my job to divine the future."

I frowned. "So you're a fortune-teller, basically."

"Using the term fortune-teller diminishes my task to no small degree. It's considered highly disrespectful to boil it down to mere fortune-telling. There are many other aspects of divination."

"Fair enough" Lennox said. "But why do you need a minute?"

The Shaman stepped back and tilted her head up at the ceiling. Then, she gave her answer.

"I think I know - you two are planning to climb Mount Coronet, aren't you?"

Lennox's teal eyes glowed to their brightest state I'd ever seen them in, his jaw hanging agape.

"You read our minds," I explained.

"Again, it's not just mind-reading," the Shaman told us. "Divination is, yet again, more complicated than that. But while we're on the topic of Mount Coronet, you should know that the slopes are incredibly dangerous for trekkers. Of course, you'll know that already anyway."

I gritted my teeth, wishing I could have stood to the Shaman's level and punched her in the face. The best I could do was to sweep her off her feet with a kick, but I resisted the urge to do so.

"In any case, if you are planning to summit the tallest mountain in Sinnoh, you should know that it has become a Mystery Dungeon."

"Mystery Dungeon?" I asked.

"It's a place where two or more ley lines intersect beneath the surface of Nexus" my brother explained. "They tend to have a random layout and any number of traps hidden within."

"Your brother is very knowledgeable, it seems," the Shaman said in an approving tone. "But knowledge is only half the battle, and you still have to win the war."

"Trust me", I told the Shaman, "we're going to win the war. But how do you know that it's a Mystery Dungeon?"

"I just know it."

On the one hand, in a field of scientific inquiry, the justification that one "just knows" something would never be accepted. Harder evidence is usually, if not universally, required. So I think I can be forgiven for my initial skepticism.

"I think she's telling the truth, Bladen," Lennox told me. "Or rather, she's correct. She certainly believes it."

"Oh, I don't just believe that the mountain is a Mystery Dungeon" the Shaman responded. "I know it better than I know the palm of my hand. One has to have faith in more than just hard science - this is science as far as I'm concerned."

I grimaced. "I don't see how divination can be considered hard science. I'm pretty sure it doesn't follow the scientific method. Doesn't mean it can't be true, of course."

The Shaman's shawl rose and fell as though she was nodding. And then she chuckled.

"You admit that there is some legitimacy to my profession. Indeed, there's quite a lot of it. But you should believe me when I say that I know what I'm doing."

"Really?" I replied, rolling my eyes. "Do you have a crystal ball somewhere?"

"Actually, I do. I have six of them - take your pick."

"We're not going to take a crystal ball," Lennox responded. "We wouldn't have any use for it. Just, please - tell us what we should know."

"But if you distrust my gift, what am I supposed to tell you? I've given all the information I think you two are likely to accept. In fact, your minds seem closed off - you have to open your souls for it."

"Souls? Sounds like some New Age woo to me" I mumbled.

After a few more exchanges that were somewhat similar to this, my brother and I decided that we had no more reason to stay in the Shaman's part of the bazaar. We bade her an amicable good-bye (at least, as amicable as could be expected under the circumstances), and then looked at one another.

"I think we should buy some Escape Orbs," Lennox told me. "Just in case there's something to it. It can't all be Tauros shit. And even if it is, better safe than sorry."

I sighed. "I guess you're right. Though I still don't know everything about these Mystery Dungeons or whatever."

Lennox proceeded to launch into a five-minute speech on the properties of Mystery Dungeons. I couldn't begin to tell you the precise details of what he said - quite frankly, they hardly matter, and besides, I wasn't paying much attention.

A few minutes later, our wallet was considerably lighter than it had been when we'd first left the house. We were about to leave the marketplace when I slid and fell right on my tail.

"Be more careful" Lennox instructed as I stood back up.

I rolled my eyes. "There you go, Lennox. Blame the victim."

"Hey, I was just giving you advice," my brother responded. "You have to keep your nerves in check, because if you don't, shit like that is going to happen."

"Thanks a lot, Captain Obvious. I knew that already."

"I'm just looking out for you, Bladen," Lennox replied, injecting some emotion into his voice. "If something bad should happen on our trek, I'm not going to forgive myself."