This chapter actually has a bit of flashback content to it.
The assembled guild stood in quiet awkwardness. No one had gotten a perfect night of sleep as at some point in the night as the Mute Orb's effects faded and the distant sound of yelling had encroached into the sleeping quarters. It was still going on as well.
Now the guild was stood in line, waiting awkwardly for some direction to be given. No Wigglytuff, no Armaldo. Just yelling.
The yelling stopped suddenly, and a few pokémon breathed sighs of relief. The doors to the Guildmaster's Chambers slammed open, and Armaldo poked his head out.
His eyes were bloodshot, his feathers were nearly wilting, but he growled at them, nonetheless. "What are you all just standing around for? You know what jobs you need to do. MOVE IT!"
A near-deflated Wigglytuff could be seen through the gaps in Armaldo's stance, looking exhausted before Armaldo slammed the doors shut and went back to yelling.
The apprentices wisely chose to scatter.
Not being sure what else to do, Team Ion fell back on their standard code of action. The job boards.
"Is it okay for me to be just jumping back into this?" Scout asked as they looked over the regular job notice board.
"Do you feel like you're going to murder us?" Mane asked far too casually. Team Glee glanced over in concern.
"Mmm… no."
"Then let's find this hidden chamber," Rai said, selecting a mission to Mt Bristle. They'd be escorting Pawniard up through the dungeon, looking for a room locked with a keyhole.
The pokémon was all over them when they arrived to meet her.
"T-Team Ion is taking… me?" Pawniard said after Rai had introduced her. She started to hyperventilate, and Scout handed her an apple to calm her down.
It did not help.
"I will plant this apple and grow and ORCHID IN YOUR NAMES!"
An hour later, after Scout managed to find a bag for Pawniard to breathe into, they were off.
She was friendly, very friendly if a little chatty.
"I'm so happy for you that you got your partner back, why is he blue now?"
"I once cut down a tree on this road for Machoke. He thanked me, and I was so happy."
"Did you really fight Groudon?"
"I bet you absolutely whooped Dialga!"
"Can I get your pawprints! All my friends won't believe me unless I have them!"
"You three are so cute together. Aww."
Rai and Mane, who were somewhat accustomed to this by now, took it in polite stride. Scout, however, was increasingly flustered.
"Oh my god," he thought panicked. "Fangirls exist!"
Still, he couldn't be too annoyed. It felt good just to be talked to again, even if she was really just talking TO him.
"You know I tried to go to Mt Bristle by myself, but the machop here just wailed on me. Like wham bam no thank you, ma'am. Machoke is nice, but they are NOT!"
"I found this key four weeks ago when on a walk. It has these scriptures on it, see." She shook her key around a great deal when talking. "Mt. Bristle. Ledyba said it's My Bristle, but there's no dungeon called that!"
She was, fortunately, able to fend for herself. She shrieked VERY loudly when any machop appeared, but all other ferals were dealt with sanely.
"SAVE ME!" she cried when a machop got within ten meters of her. A shock from Rai sent it fleeing. "Thank you! You are so strong and brave and wonderful and-"
It took most of the day, but they found the door the key reacted too. "Okay," Pawniard breathed quietly for once. "Okay." She stepped forward and slotting the key through the ancient keyhole. Bumpy stone and orange rust were all the door showed.
She turned the key.
Something clicked. It almost sounded like a snap, and the key was drawn into the keyhole like a frog snapping up a juicy fly. They stepped back as the door rumbled and groaned before simply vanishing from sight.
Pawniard raced in and cheered. "TREASURE!" Her voice echoed greatly in the room, raising her already loud voice to a clangourous rave.
The room was fairly nondescript. But there was a ruby chest in the middle of the room. Pawniard made short work of the lock, slicing through it with her deadly hands, and pulling it open. "Oooh," she gasped, pulling out something made of cloth. "This feels great!"
Team Ion took a look at it as Pawniard passed it around. A cloth similar to the colour of the night sky, almost silvery in parts mimicking stars. It felt wonderful as Scout ran it through his paws. As soft as silk.
"This looks like a good one," he said, passing it back to Pawniard carefully.
"Thank you so much for bringing me here!" she said, beaming at the three. She carefully laid the cloth around her neck like a scarf or a shawl. "Okay! Let's get back to Treasure Town, and I can give you your reward, eee, I hope you like it!"
The night would begin to fall by the time they returned. But for the first job after Scout's revival, it was a good one.
In bed that night, all cuddled up together, the felines had a short conversation.
"Things were a bit quiet today," Scout said.
"Were they?" Mane asked. "Were they really?"
Scout gave a short laugh. "She did talk a lot. But I mean."
"I know what you mean," Mane replied. Rai shifted, pressing against them both. "I'm still thinking about everything you had to say."
"Do you want to talk?"
"Not yet."
Scout accepted that, so the three of them drifted off.
Armaldo did, eventually, stop yelling at Wigglytuff. He needed a day to recover his voice, but once he could actually make words again, he went to Azumarill to talk.
"I've got another one that needs your help," he coughed. He needed several days for his voice, but he did not believe in laying about.
That was Wigglytuff's job, apparently.
And with that, Scout was expected to meet with Azumarill after completing their work for the day. Jobs that took them more than a day away were disallowed for now.
"This is ridiculous, he's not dangerous," Mane snapped. "Scout isn't going to hurt anyone."
"What makes you think I'm sending him for your safety? He spent how long in some post-death state? He needs to talk to someone professional about it," Armaldo replied. In the battle of glares, the powerful former outlaw tended to win over the strong former almost-outlaw. And Mane backed down as soon as he realised Armaldo was just looking out for Scout.
And so that was that. Scout began to meet with Azumarill.
The first week of meetings went okay. But as he grew more comfortable, more things began to get unveiled.
"I'm just… so angry at myself," Scout said, eying the ground. "Everything I did. Everything I thought I knew. I'm an idiot who put everyone at risk, and I keep doing it! Why do I keep doing it?"
"It is often ourselves who know the answer," Azumarill replied gently. "But need a push to determine it."
"I just don't know what is so wrong with me in the past. How did I think anything I did was smart or... or…? I don't know!"
"What was his problem?" Azumarill asked.
"He wasn't good enough," Scout said, not thinking his words through at all. He blinked and recoiled slightly.
He blinked a few times, stunned at his own declaration.
"He wasn't good enough because of someone else's expectations," Azumarill said.
Scout shook his head. "No… I wasn't good enough because of my own expectations." He fell silent, just trying to mentally work through what he had just said.
They'd need to continue on this point later, Azumarill decided, as Scout had closed up again. She knew she'd get nothing more today.
Things continued to be relatively stable until Saniya came to talk to Scout again.
"May we go for a walk on the beach?" Saniya asked. In the beach had become a euphemism for traversing the Beach Cave dungeon to question Scout about things they couldn't really discuss elsewhere. "Just the two of us."
"Keep him safe," Rai asked, and Saniya nodded.
"Always do."
Saniya tested out some short distance teleportation to warp them right to the beach, they appeared above the water and Scout fell in, before entering the dungeon.
"I'm going to stink like salt tonight," Scout complained as they entered. "And I can't even go to the Hot Springs. It's too far and too late."
"I said, sorry." Saniya pouted. "Forgive me?"
"Yeah, alright."
"You're the best!" Saniya cheered and celebrated by blasting a shellos into the puddle it oozed out from.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Scout asked as they walked. Saniya didn't seem keen on stopping, so he couldn't imagine this was a long conversation or else they would have stopped by now.
"You know how we're all forgetting stuff about the future? Even me even though I'm a super-awesome legend and even have time powers?"
"Indeed, I do."
Saniya frowned. "I remember more than my sweet Striker or Guardian or Sean, of course, but I still am losing stuff. For example, I don't really recall what was binding me when Guardian tried to possess Striker. I know it was something, probably a Ghost-type but…"
"A spiritomb," Scout replied, knowing the answer.
She gave him a brief surprised look before nodding happily. "Thanks. But that's the thing. I remember more, but I'm STILL losing recent stuff. Uh, mentally speaking."
Scout nodded, he was following but wasn't sure where Saniya was going with this and why they had to speak about it privately.
"I still remember Soothe," she said, wearing an expression of confusion and the furrowed brows of concern. "And it's been… uh… carry the one." She counted on some fingers. "Over 18 years since I last saw her. I still remember her name, her species, even her colour. Although that was pretty and shiny, like me!"
Scout nodded again. "Wigglytuff definitely still remembered her as well," he reminded. He had told everyone in the know by now what had gone down when he spoke to the leaders of the guild. "It'd be nearly as much for him since he's seen her."
"You'd think she'd be one of the first things I'd forget," Saniya said. "Maybe not. She was my first real friend. She was the first person I trusted enough to save the world. But… but even then… all logic dictates that I should at least have trouble remembering what she was or sounded like. Nope." She tapped her head. "It's all still here."
"You think she's still around, don't you?" he asked. Saniya nodded. "I think… you should talk to Wigglytuff about this. If Soothe still IS around, she could be dangerous."
Saniya nodded again. "Yeah, that's… what I was thinking. But it doesn't… it doesn't make any sense. You and me, Striker and Guardian. Even Primal Dialga. Everyone disappeared when the time changed. Everyone but Sean and that's easily explained. Hmm."
Scout wished he had answers for Saniya. He really did. The mystery twinged at his head as well. This audino, not a part of the story, but acting so far before it really began that he couldn't really claim that she couldn't be possible.
Mane wasn't in the 'story' after all, and he was around.
"Okay, that's all I wanted to talk about," Saniya said. She didn't look happy exactly, the prospect of Soothe being dangerous simply did not sit right with her.
As they continued through the dungeon, she found it impossible to simply keep in her head. "Do you mind if I… tell you about her?" Saniya asked, almost shyly. "I never really talked about Soothe before, even with you guys. I didn't want to make you feel like I was comparing or anything. And I'm totally not!"
"Go ahead," Scout said, smiling. "I'd like to hear about her."
Smiling gratefully, Saniya began. "Soothe was so weird. She was often grumpy but was really funny at the same time. She had the driest comments to make about stuff. Like the time-frozen water. She even taught me what a pun was! She said they were awful but would laugh when I said one, and we'd get into a 'punny war'."
Giggling at the memory, Saniya sighed. "And she loved knock-knock jokes! The worst ones you could imagine! Hahaha, you know when Bidoof first told me one I nearly cried."
After they returned to the guild, Saniya did go to Wigglytuff to inform him of her suspicions.
"I didn't say HE could be here," she said, glaring splinters at Armaldo.
"And he didn't say I couldn't be here," Armaldo replied. She stuck her tongue out at him but quickly shrugged it off.
"I'm going to cut to the chase," she began, giving Armaldo one more look as if it was his fault she wasn't going to ramble on about beans for thirty minutes. "I think Soothe is still around. By this point, the two of us should have forgotten her existence, it's been so long since we've both seen her. But I still remember, and you do too. Don't you?"
At dinner, Wigglytuff didn't attend, and Saniya chose to go to bed early. Leaving Armaldo to make an announcement to the guild.
"If any of you get any word or view, an audino with lavender fur, do not approach. Do not make any indication of noticing her. Leave as soon as you can and alert someone here. She is potentially highly dangerous but determining IF this is the right audino is essential."
"How many lavender audino's are there?" Bidoof asked.
"Likely not many but being careful is essential. Do you all understand? Do not engage. Do not go looking either, just keep an eye out. Say it back to me."
He got a vague return, and Armaldo made them repeat it again. This time it came out clearly. "Good. You may eat now."
There were a few known gluttons in the guild. Loudred, Paras surprisingly, Dugtrio. None could pack away food like Bidoof could, however.
Yet, tonight, he was only picking at his food, a concerned frown on his face.
"Uh, Armaldo, sir?" Bidoof asked, finding his appetite to be lost. Bidoof talking during a meal was unheard of, and a few pokémon couldn't help but pause to look at him.
Armaldo finished chewing a bite and swallowed, staring at the small, plump, pokémon. "Yes?"
"I, uh… by golly. This might just be me plum misremembering, but I reckon uh've seen a lavender audino before."
Everyone paused now.
"You?"
"WHAT?"
"Hey-hey?"
"Shut up," Armaldo snapped, shooting glares at anyone else talking. "Explain."
Bidoof was, surprisingly, one of the only people who never so much as twitched when Armaldo glared at him. He began confidently, "It was when I first was on my way here, yup-yup. To Treasure Town to join the guild. I reckon I was lost, or I thought I was by golly."
He was frowning in thought. "I met a real perty audino with that light purple fur on my way, and she pointed me in the direction of the town. I remember it, I reckon, because." He began to blush. "She was awful pretty and being purple instead of pink was noticeable."
"And what did she say exactly?"
"Nothin, to tell the truth," Bidoof replied, frowning slightly. "I just asked her the way, and she pointed. I was too nervous to try and talk more by golly. I just thanked her and scuttled off."
"Hmm, this was when you joined the guild, correct?"
"Yup-yup."
"A couple years ago then… well, it was worth bringing up. Thank you, Bidoof." Armaldo went back to his food, the discussion over. Bidoof found his own hunger coming back now that he had said his part and the guild returned to raucous eating.
Armaldo eyed Bidoof a few more times, but the brown mouse didn't seem to have any other revelations to share.
A single lavender audino one time didn't mean much. Differently coloured pokémon certainly existed, a pink celebi existed with them right now while your normal celebi was green.
But still. It was something.
Beach Cave wasn't the only place they could talk. Just the most convenient. No one had been having nightmares, so the occasional comment was slipped by Sean or Rai, but nothing too big.
While on work at nearby dungeons, Scout was allowed to go a little farther now but still not more than a day away, the three of them talked.
It was often Mane who asked the harder questions.
"You ever use what you know about people to manipulate them in some way?" he had asked seriously. "And I don't mean just to get an advantage but, say, befriend them?"
It was a serious question, one Scout wanted to immediately reject but one he forced himself to think about. "Sometimes I worried I did," he admitted, giving Rai a guilty look. "But the story never really went into many lives up to this point. The only ones I sort of know are Bidoof and Wigglytuff and even then only a part."
"Well, did you ever try to befriend someone because you thought they were important?"
"Yeah… I think that's fair to say I did."
Rai's questions weren't as confronting to be heard, but he had a unique way of asking them that made Scout think all the same.
"Did you know I was from Amp Plains before?"
"I didn't, no. All I really knew about you was that you had the Relic Fragment and wanted to join the guild. Also, that you were really brave, you just weren't confident about it. That wasn't as true as I thought though, you were pretty confident even from the start!"
"Can I ask… why didn't you trust me enough to tell me the truth?"
Scratch that. Rai was excellent at asking difficult questions. "I… I don't know. Any answer I thought I had feels so stupid now."
"Well you ARE pretty dumb," Mane said, half-joking. "You're lucky you're cute."
"Come now Mane, people may think you only love me for my looks."
Mane smirked and gave him the up and down look. "That's part of it."
Scout turned away, ears going pink. "A-anyway. The only reasons I had were all because I was afraid. I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. Both about Dusknoir a-and if I told you how I knew."
Rai opened his mouth to object, but hesitated. "I… can see why you'd be worried, I guess it would have been hard to understand it. It still is hard to understand. It just hurts that you didn't trust me."
Scout looked down. "I'm so sorry."
Rai gave him a light bump. "It's okay. I forgive you, you're telling us now. Better late than never and all that."
Mane offered a smile, he may have been mad but he wasn't angry. They continued on the job, shifting to talk about Team Sunrise and what they were up to.
As the dungeon got a little safer, Rai offered a little more criticism.
"Hey," Mane said, bumping Rai. "Lay off him."
"Huh?" Rai asked, falling onto his side from the sudden bump.
"Huh?" Scout asked, thrown by Mane coming to his defence now.
"I thought you were the one being critical?" Rai said, cocking his head the other way, the other ear twitching.
"Well, YEAH!" Mane scoffed. "But if you're going to be all nit-picky, I'll need to be the unreasonably forgiving one."
Rai gave him an odd look. "I'm not unreasonable."
"Mmm."
Scout chuckled before sobering. "I get that you're mad."
Mane's tail flicked out sharply before he shook his head. "Look I'm not MAD-mad. I just think you're a bit stupid, but that's how you've always been. I'll get over it."
"You shouldn't have to get over it," Scout replied.
"Mmm. I still think it's stupid I wasn't in this 'story' of yours." Mane pouted. "That's just not fair."
Scout frowned at the reminder before he smirked. "Well, I like it a lot better with you in it," he said with an almost smug smile. Then, to Rai and especially Mane's shock, he leaned over and gave Mane a peck on the nose.
Mane spluttered at him, going violently red. "What was that for?" he demanded, fur popping with sparks..
"Because you're cute," Scout replied, grinning.
"ME?" Mane squawked. Rai looked like christmas had come early.
"Rai's cute as well," Scout said and gave him a kiss on the forehead, causing the shinx to nearly combust. "Both are so cute."
Rai growled without any heat to it, but he didn't know who to tackle at the moment.
Mane laughed, and the others soon followed. "Nah," Mane said, shaking his head. "If you've ever seen your reflection, you'd know YOU'RE the cute one of the team. I'm the handsome one and Rai… well, he's the fluffy one."
"Cute and cute," Scout said. He received a double tackle from Rai and Mane.
Mane pinned him and Scout booped his nose with a paw, causing him to growl.
"You look good under me," Mane growled, and Scout became aware of their position.
"I, uh."
"Off!" Rai said and tackled Mane off Scout, the two rolling and scrabbling for a moment before Rai had Mane pinned. "I'm the top cat," he said proudly.
"Yeah, yeah," Mane said, dismissively but he was getting flustered. "Now off."
"Nah."
"Oi! Off!"
"Nah. I'm going to take a nap." Rai then curled up on Mane and closed his eyes, smiling at the offending noises Mane was making.
"I am NOT your personal bed."
"You're warm and comfy," Rai hummed, nuzzling Mane for a moment.
"Well, YEAH, I AM the best. But still, OFF!" Mane's voice rose to a squeak several times as he spoke, with Rai still not getting off him.
"I'll make you get off," he warned.
"If you were serious, you'd have done that already," Rai replied. Mane closed his mouth, he had him there.
Scout smiled as he watched the display. It certainly wasn't the first time he'd seen something like that between the two. Mane caught him and said. "Stop your smirking," he demanded.
"And come over," Rai added.
"Oi!"
"Like you don't want that," Rai whispered.
Scout chuckled awkwardly. "I'm… I'm good."
"He'll make you," Mane said, giving in.
"He's right," Rai replied lazily.
Scout stood up. "Like you could catch me," he said and ran off. There wasn't much space to run in the dungeon ending, as soon as they left they'd end up at the start of the dungeon.
Rai leapt off Mane, knocking the wind of out the litleo, to give chase. Scout WAS quite fast and more agile than Rai, especially when he dropped to all fours.
But Rai could use Quick Attack.
Scout dodged him once, twice, thrice.
Then Mane got him.
Mane was the heaviest of the three and completely took Scout out. Rai crashed into the pile of cats and laughed.
"Your prey, my fair leader," Mane said, putting on an approximation of Scout's manner of speaking.
"Thank you, good sir," Rai replied, doing the same.
"You two are BOTH heavier than me," Scout complained from somewhere below, muffled by fur. "This isn't fair."
"Chimes has got you on her special diet," Mane retorted, poking Scout in the ribs. "Those shouldn't be showing."
"She's just trying to fatten me up to eat me," Scout whined.
"Because she's evil?" Rai giggled.
"Exactly. Someone's on my side for once."
Mane snorted and gave Scout some room to breathe, without actually letting him out. Scout took overdramatic gulps of air, and then nearly choked when Mane gave him a lick on the cheek.
"I don't need you to get hairballs as well," Scout said on default, voice going high and squeaky.
Rai glared at him then grinned and licked the other cheek.
"Stoooop," Scout pleaded, covering his face with his paws.
"He's so embarrassed," Mane laughed and leaned in close. "I wonder why. We're all friends here."
"The best of friends," Rai said, laying across Mane and giving a matching smirk down at Scout.
"Y-Yeah?"
"Cause that's ALL there is."
Scout shifted in embarrassment. "I… I thought… you two… were…"
Rai cocked his head just slightly. "Were what?"
Scout was very red. "You know I was… always there the past months?"
Rai blinked innocently and Mane went. "Ooooh. See something interesting did you."
"Mane, please get off me." Seeing Scout was flowing into discomfort, Mane did do as asked and released him, knocking Rai off in the process.
The two sat down on their haunches, watching Scout as he brushed himself off, not meeting their eyes.
"It's kinda funny," Rai was the one to start speaking. "We talked a lot about how we would like to talk to you about… it all, but I guess you saw it all already?"
"I… it's hard to really remember clearly," Scout admitted, picking at his fur at imaginary dirt. "Dunno if it's because of some physical limitation or I just don't want to remember what it was like. But… I do remember a lot of that stuff."
"Does it bother you?" Rai asked, Mane remained silent. "Can you look at us?"
Scout rose his head, flicking his eyes up and held for a moment before glancing down again.
"...do you both?"
Rai nodded. Mane's tail flicked. They shared a look.
"I felt… I did feel stuff I didn't really want to think about," Scout admitted. "Even… even though I know I'm a pokemon, my mind is… I still think of myself as human and who knows what really is going on with that. Where I came from… humans don't… they don't be with things that aren't human."
"You're not human now though," Rai pointed out.
"I know." Scout swallowed, looked up again. Rai was gentle, Mane was unreadable. "Don't the two of you… I mean… just each other?"
Mane slowly let out a long breath. "I think I know what you're saying there. Two-person couples are the norm, sure, but it's not… uncommon for more than that, especially with feline pokemon." His and Rai's tails had entwined, a single show of their anxiety as this conversation began.
"I guess."
Rai gave a slight smile. "You know, I imagined a lot of stuff over the last couple of months. Things I'd like to say, big gestures and all that. I can't seem to remember them now."
Mane nudged him. "What about that Fogbound Lake idea?"
Rai's ears flicked up. "Oh! Oh yeah!"
"The what?"
Then, Rai began to blush really, really, hard. "O-O-Oh, u-u-uhh. W-Well, I actually. When we. The-that, you know? Time. Um."
"Come on, Rai!" Mane cheered him on. "You know what you wanted to say that day."
"It's not that easy!" Rai retorted.
"Wait… what, Striker interrupted us at the lake," Scout said, remembering.
Rai's blush deepened but he also scowled. "He sure did," he muttered.
Scout was blushing as well too. "Back then?"
"Y-Yeah."
"Oh."
Scout glanced between the two of them. He was surrounded again, how did this happen?
Rai breathed out a hard sigh. "Alright. I can do it. Scout, I had a really big crush on you for months. I wanted to tell you that at Fogbound Lake but… I lost my chance. I realised I felt a lot more when I lost both of you to the portal to the future. It was way more than a crush. You made me feel brave, like I could do anything, that I could have a friend, a partner, and someone I could help as they helped me."
Scout looked almost ready to faint from it all.
"I wish you had felt safe enough with me to tell me all… all that stuff, but I guess I can't really be mad at you because I couldn't quite find the right moment after Fogbound Lake to talk about all this either. But now that you have told me? I'm glad. I'm happy. It doesn't change anything, I just know you a little better and that means you should know me a little better. I… I wasn't. I realised I wasn't completely sure until you got stuck in the Dark Future."
He looked to Mane. "And when you tried to apologise for not being Scout." Scout gasped slightly, turning to Mane as well who glanced away. "I think that's where it started for me too." Back to Scout. "When you were gone and I thought I might never see you again? Realise I might never be able to tell you that I… love you. That's when I really knew it. I love you, Scout."
He did fall over when Mane gave him a gentle brush. "Funny thing is, so do I." Scout caught himself on the ground and looked up at Mane, trying to hold a tough and cool expression even as a blush crawled over his face too.
"We didn't have the same bond as you and Rai, or heck even Rai and I. I was jealous of you, jealous you got to be with him while I was hated. I saw what you did for him though and I was even more jealous but I tried to be happy especially after I joined the team. When we were going through the Dark Future I realised why. I think we bonded pretty good there."
He flashed an almost-dorky smile then back to cool. "I've definitely been… into you but also when we lost you… it took me a while to really, really, realise how much we really did lose. Rai and I got together and I guess saw why but it became more." He swallowed. "I didn't really realise how much you meant to me until just the other day. When you told us all everything. I know I've been distant, I've been mad at you, but it also made me realise that… it doesn't matter that I'm mad at you."
He sighed. "I get why you did it and I know I'll get over it. Realising that, that it really doesn't change the way I feel. Heh, I guess you could call that love."
Rai put a paw on Mane's own and they smiled at each other before facing him.
"You don't need to say anything," Rai assured him. "...it's gotta be a lot to take in. We're friends first, even Mane and I. It won't change anything."
Scout was trembling just a little bit. Part of him had known all of this, the rest of him was just not prepared for how it made him feel.
"I… I-I do," he managed weakly. "I think I need… time. To… understand it all. Understand myself. I know… that I do." He looked to Mane specifically. "Both of you. You mean more to me than anything. I couldn't have lasted trapped like that if it wasn't for both of you. I just…"
He couldn't find the words exactly. He had to get used to the idea? That didn't seem like it meant anything. He had to get over himself? That just sounded wrong.
Mane nodded. "You need time. That's okay. I needed time."
"Heh, you sure did." Rai licked Mane's cheek and the litleo blushed.
"We can keep the lovey-dovey stuff on the down low for a bit," Mane suggested, no matter how hard that would be for him.
Scout chuckled at him. "Nah, don't. I think… you've already been doing that, I think I just need to get used to the idea. Can't do that if you're running on eggshells."
"Ooh?"
"Yeah. But, you know, try and hold yourself in check a little, don't want to scare me."
"We wouldn't want that," Rai agreed.
Mane nodded. "Allllright, we'll be cute and handsome and sexy, but only a little."
Only a little.
Some time ago.
Sean soaked his feet in the hot springs, sitting on a warm stone ringing the heated pond. He sat alone although the springs had several pokemon floating about.
It was the teams day off and Sean politely excused himself from Rai and Mane's company. He got the feeling they'd enjoy having some time to themselves.
With nothing really to do, he decided to wander out to relax here. Torkoal sometimes told stories he had heard and thought that might be interesting to listen to.
The old town leader was resting on the largest stone overheading the hot springs, a contented smile on his face as he watched and listened to young pokemon enjoying the water.
Sean felt a little shy. He was common enough around the town now that no one stared but he still felt somewhat of an outsider. Rai always put himself forwards to draw eyes off Mane and Sean, he was a good friend the shinx was.
He edged his way along the rim, getting closer to Torkoal. He wanted to talk but had nothing to say, leaving him feeling flat-footed.
He missed Striker. He missed everyone. He didn't feel as confident as he used to, despite the task in front of them he never gave up hope.
Now, now he just felt lost.
"You look troubled." Sean startled as Torkoal spoke, the elderly pokemon still had strength to his voice. "What brings you here today, Riolu?"
Sean glanced down, he hadn't noted how close he'd gotten nor realised how obvious it was on his face. "Um, nothing really."
"I do not see Shinx or Litleo around?"
"They're doing their own thing," Sean answered, rubbing an arm. "Figured I'd just… relax out here."
"Aye, fair enough, the springs are a good place to wash off the troubles of yesterday."
Sean smiled at the warmth in Torkoal's voice and sat a little more comfortably.
"...so, you must have travelled the future time quite extensively?" Torkoal began.
Surprised, Sean replied, "Oh! Well, yes, the world was pretty… different to what it is here though." A flash of a memory, a frozen Treasure Town went through his mind. The memory was blurry, the features vague, but he could still remember it.
"I suppose there would be. I have lived a long time and witnessed how the world has changed just in my time." He smiled, reflecting on pleasant memories. "Did you ever encounter the Circh dungeon, Riolu?"
"Circh?" He thought for a moment. "Haven't heard of it. A lot of places were named differently though."
"Ahh, yes. Well, Circh is something of an enigma in our time," he said. Sean thought of Guardian, how he researched as much as he could. He wondered if Guardian would have liked to share stories with Torkoal?
"How come?"
"Well, it is a strange place to be sure," Torkoal explained. "You are familiar with the difficulties of dungeon exploration. Feral pokemon as the most consistent danger. And yet, within Circh's walls there exists not a pokemon to be seen. It is empty. Entirely empty."
Sean blinked a few times, that didn't compute for a moment. An empty dungeon? "That sounds… kinda creepy."
Torkoal gave a raspy laugh. "Haah. Yes, quite apt way to describe it. Not only is it empty of pokemon but also of tangible treasures. Theories state that dungeons are alive and seek to draw people inside with treasures, if true it certainly works." Sean felt a wave of goosebumps. "And yet Circh has none of this."
He turned his head, looking away from the springs into the woods. "What it does have is a ruin. Pieces of pottery, lumber and brick make up the dirt walls. Eventually, if you are to persist through the unsettling place, you will find a dungeon zone that is expansive and wide. There is a ruined village with nothing in it. No one knows where it came from, but there are theories of course."
"The wildest legends state," Torkoal continued, "that there is an entity within the dungeon. Bipedal, strange, pale as a wraith. It is no pokemon that any have seen. These legends have inspired great curiosity and yet none have ever verified such a thing. It is only… there is a feeling to the place, I have gone just once many years ago. It feels… like something bad has happened."
Sean was fascinated, enraptured by the story. "Where is Circh?"
"It is a fair hike from town," Torkoal said. "But if one knows what dungeons to take, and is strong enough to pass through, the journey can be done in about half a day's walk for able bodied pokemon."
"What dungeons?"
Torkoal smiled at him. "Ah, my memory is somewhat short these days. I believe the Arrowroot Dungeon is one of them, but you may need to ask around to find the best path. If you do go, good luck. The dungeon has never been stated to be dangerous, just… unsettling and I do not believe a former human has ever walked within it."
The look in Torkoal's eye told him that he thought the same of the dungeon and Sean nodded. "Thank you, Torkoal! Elder Torkoal."
Torkoal chuckled at him. "Not a worry, Riolu."
Sean's feet dried on the run back to town.
It would be a time before he'd get the chance to feed his curiosity. Part of him wanted to experience it on his own, and so he didn't tell Rai and Mane what he'd learned and rather the three of them just enjoyed everyone being in a good mood for the first time in forever.
Sean did ask around. From Marowak he learned of Track Ridge and from Spinda that Mini Hill and Deep Forest were the last remaining spots he had to slip through. He built himself a strategy and armed himself with Striker's favourite things.
Orbs.
There were tricks to dungeon travels. One of the sneakiest tricks that he'd learned at the guild that even Striker hadn't known was that at a certain threshold in pathway dungeons, using an Escape Orb would skip the rest of the dungeon and place you on the side you were heading rather than back where you began.
It was hard to effectively judge that, Wigglytuff gave him some shakily-worded tips for how to mentally measure his way and then he was off.
He found a day to set aside and told Rai and Mane he was going to go to Circh.
"Really? Nothing's really there," Mane said.
"You've been there?"
"Once. Creepy place. You do you, though."
"You want to go alone?" Rai asked. Sean gave a nod. He returned it. "No worries, stay safe."
Circh looked different from the very beginning.
Most dungeon entrances appeared like a mirage, a ripple of gas in the air. Easy to miss, but once seen impossible to lose. The gate that entered into Circh was an old archway that sunk into darkness that seemed to stretch on forever without a hint of light.
And it was so silent. He noticed that next.
Regular dungeons held the drift of wind through corridors and the distant scuttling and shrieks of feral pokemon. There was nothing in Circh. Nothing but the sounds of his feet echoing through the corridors.
The walls were what Torkoal had said of them. Mostly plain dirt packed into the shape of the labyrinth, poking in sections were shards of what looked like pottery and the occasional chunk of petrified wood and more-formed lump of brick.
He could hear his breath in his ears. The tassels that hung around his head quivered. Sean always did his best to control that bizarre sixth sense, it hurt his head to feel something his mind had never been prepared to feel.
Yet, even holding that aura at bay he could still feel that something was wrong. Like a sighing breath as a heart slowly stopped, this place was as silent as a grave.
He kept walking.
Sean wasn't sure how long he walked for, tensed and ready for something to jump out at him. It felt like hours, it might have been hours, but nothing happened and eventually he stepped out into a vast area.
The walls of the dungeon melted away into reality again, reality that hung on inside the dungeon realm. Packed corridors became wide-open spaces and for a moment one could be forgiven for thinking they had stepped into a whole new world entirely.
Only the sky, red and roiling remained as a reminder that he was indeed still within a dungeon. He remembered what Torkoal said about dungeons possibly being alive but wondered if this dungeon was different to the others?
Said to be no treasure or feral to guard them. Was this the only place that tried to keep people away rather than draw them in?
If so, why?
He stepped forwards. A dirt trail, packed down under the weight of many feet over many years, led his way towards what was a town.
Seeing the town for himself made his chest hurt.
Low-roofed houses, built of brick, waterwheels and little fences with gardens of dust. His step stuttered a moment, his mouth was dry.
Sean was human in all but body. As a human he had gone to school. He had learned about history. He recognised this.
Not personally, no, it was nowhere that he had been. He recognised the mark of human hands all the same, however.
Saniya had once said that humans existed in their world a long, long, long time ago but she didn't know what happened to them.
Sean picked up something old and undeterminable. Whatever it was, someone had made it once. Someone human. He examined it for any idea, but it seemed like just a lump of something old and forgotten. He tossed it to the side, it tapped off a brick fence and fell inert in the grass.
He began to explore. He pushed open doors and took a look through houses. He found old chairs, beds that disintegrated to the touch, kitchens with fossilised wood once used to burn to cook food.
Chimneys and fireplaces, washrooms and places where clothes had been kept. No toilets, whatever this place was, it was older than toilets.
Wildflowers grew all over the place. Poking stubbornly through packed dirt and broken things. Strangely, the sight of the flowers slowly made the complex feelings he had begin to recede to calmness.
"There really is nothing here," he said to himself, looking left and right. It seemed to be a chunk of an old village, he couldn't tell how much of a village there was here nor if it'd be the same if he came back. Dungeons were strange after all.
"There is me."
He reacted immediately to the voice. Having just relaxed and lowered his guard, hearing something speak pulled a squeal out of him and he jumped, doing a roll, and spun around on whatever it was that snuck up on him, fists raised.
His defensive posture broke immediately when he saw what it was.
His mouth fell slack and his arms dropped, unable to believe what he was seeing. Sean blinked once, twice, three times.
The human in front of him offered a smile that was tinged with something sad. "I am sorry for startling you," she said.
She adorned herself with a smart, navy-blue, dress top that melded into a white dress of sorts that flowed around her waist. Her legs were further covered with stockings and she wore gloves along with a broach with a sapphire inside it. Her hair was a golden blond and tied into a ponytail behind her.
He just stared, not understanding how he was seeing what he was seeing.
"You'll catch flies with a mouth so open," she said politely.
Sean's brain rebooted, he blinked a couple dozen more times and yet the human in front of him didn't disappear. He went into detective mode and immediately said, "Are you a zoroark?"
She blinked back at him, a slight frown reaching her face. "Goodness no."
"A ditto?"
"A what?"
Sean gestured. "How…? How?"
She offered him a politely confused expression. "I am not sure what you are asking me, Riolu." She offered a gloved hand. "Perhaps we should begin with introductions. I am Violet."
Violet. Violet. Violet could be a pokemon name!
"Uh… I'm Sean?"
"You don't sound sure."
"No, that's Scout," he said on reflex, then his chest hurt again and his expression fell.
She seemed to see it all and her eyes softened significantly. "Are you… are you alright, Riolu?"
She spoke with such empathy in her voice he was nearly overwhelmed. He realised his aura senses were getting loose and realised he might be starting to hit them both. He forcefully quelled them, grabbing his tassels to lower them but it hurt and he grunted.
"Riolu, are you hurting yourself?" she asked, sounding alarmed.
"It's… fine," he grunted out, upper chest feeling tight before it finally gave in and he relaxed with a sigh.
Her eyes explored him for a moment, worry lighting the clear blue before she closed them with a nod. "Where did you come from?" she asked.
He felt like he should be the one asking that question, but he answered anyway, "Treasure Town?"
"You don't sound sure," she repeated, although a ghost of a smile flickered across her face at the tease.
"No. No. I am. I'm just… I wasn't expecting… well I guess I kinda was expecting but actually seeing is different from a vague believing, do you get me?"
"Not in the least."
"Sorry," he said, taking a breath to try and reorganise his thoughts. "I'm Sean. I am Sean. I'm from Treasure Town… sort of, it's where I'm from now. And, uh, I wasn't expecting to find a human here."
She smiled at him. "It is lovely to meet you, Sean. Violet." She looked to extend her hand to him politely but then just held her own hand, playing with her fingers a moment. "It's been some time since I've had another visitor here, forgive me if the place is a little…."
She looked around, embarrassment on her face. "Run down."
He winced as he looked around as well. "You live here?" he asked, trying to sound as polite as he could.
"Well." She shrugged. She gave him a meaningful look. He looked confused and her expression melted into another smile. "I must say it is nice to speak to someone who didn't immediately run away screaming. Or attack me. You looked very surprised to see me, more than others. May I ask why?"
"Oh, uh, well this'll sound pretty crazy but I am human too! Or, well, I used to be. Something about time travel turned me into a pokemon."
"Goodness, really?"
"Really. Oh, I guess that's why you can understand me, right? I'm still speaking human?"
Violet gave him a loopy smile. "It's difficult to tell, I was able to understand the language of pokemon nonetheless so I may not be the best way to test that."
"You believe me?"
"I see no reason why you would lie," she replied. "But if so, I prefer the company more than anything. It has been a lonely time here."
He swallowed, the more he looked at her the more tumultuous his stomach became.
"...how long have you been here?" he asked carefully.
"I don't know," she replied.
"Are you…?" he wasn't sure if he should ask, what if this was dangerous?
"A ghost?" she asked lightly. His ears flicked up in surprise. "I believe so. That would explain a lot of things. It's hard to remember." She tested her lips and spoke something Sean didn't understand.
"...what was that?"
"Just a prayer," she murmured. "Hm. What did you say your name was? I am sorry, I have already forgotten it."
"Oh, it's Sean."
"Violet, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"You as well."
They lapsed into a beat of silence. Violet wasn't looking at him, instead staring blankly at a row of bricks.
"...uh, Violet?"
She blinked. "Oh! Hello you a… oh, sorry Sean. Yes. I am being a terrible host, I don't even have tea." She stood up sharply. "I shall make some."
She began to walk so he quickly followed. He noted her feet did make sound on the ground, a slight crunch on dirt and grass was brushed by her dress.
He felt quite small behind her though. It had been years since he'd seen another human he'd almost forgotten what they looked like. Tall, lanky compared to many pokemon, with long arms and legs with a big head. He wondered how tall he would be if he wasn't a riolu.
Then wondered how tall he'd be as a lucario, like his… well, that wasn't something to think about right now.
She walked him to one of the destroyed huts and struggled to open the door. She managed it before he could offer help and ducked inside.
He loitered outside, unsure if he wanted to follow an apparent ghost into a building but then her smiling face returned with a pile of rubble on a plate.
"This is," she began proudly. "...this isn't," she said, frowning at the plate. She set it down with a sigh sounding a mite frustrated and rubbed her face. "Goodness, I am terrible sorry, Arrvast."
"Uh… pardon?"
"I called you the wrong name didn't I?" Violet asked. He gave an apologetic nod.
She appeared very sad for a moment. "Well, I must stop leading you in circles. Perhaps we should just forget the tea. Tell me about yourself? What is it like being a pokemon?"
That was a question no one had ever really asked him. Striker kinda had but didn't have the context of not being a pokemon.
Thus, with a simple question it suddenly spilled out of Sean. "It's so cool and weird! I always imagined being a pokemon as a kid, I used to draw and make up cool things that I liked to pretend to be, my favourite was even a lucario I called Orion after Cynthia's lucario! But no one ever told me about how weird it was to have these aura senses, they give me a headache and I can't control them when they're active so I'm always getting a headache trying to keep them in check and my gosh I just vented at you."
She looked surprised during the sudden rant before giggling when he apologised at the end. "Oh my," she said, a teasing bent to her voice. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting that."
"I sound like Saniya now," Sean said, blushing.
"Who?"
"Oh. She's a friend… I guess was a friend."
Violet's amusement faded into compassion and she said. "Would you mind telling me about her?"
He wasn't sure for a moment, but then remembered what Rai had to say on so many occasions. To never let the heroes who gave up everything be forgotten. He held onto their memory every day, as long as someone remembered they weren't entirely gone.
"Saniya was a celebi, a legendary pokemon that sent my friends and I through time to change the future and save the past. Even though she lived in the worst place possible, she never, ever, gave up her smile. She was bright when everything else wasn't and I know she would have loved the sunrises she brought back to the world."
Sean would go on to talk with Violet for hours, telling her all about his friends and family. From brave Striker to cheerful Saniya. He talked about Scout's heartfelt perseverance and everything Guardian had done because he loved him so much. He talked about the strength that Rai held every day to preserve their memory and the summits Mane had climbed to be better than what people had tried to say he was.
Violet listened, asked questions, and just let him vent emotions that he had trouble talking about with anyone. Even Azumarill hadn't heard as much of the things he told Violet that day.
He wasn't sure what it was exactly that caused him to bare it all to her. Maybe it was just the surprise of seeing her. Maybe it was the softness in her eyes. Maybe he just had to talk to someone and Violet was the lucky girl that day.
Afterwards he felt a little less heavy.
"I think I have to go," Sean said, looking up at the sky. It didn't change at all, but he'd been talking for hours and his throat was sore. "I only get one day off."
"Ah." She seemed sad for a moment but smiled swiftly. "Well, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you, Sean, and to hear so much of the world outside this little place. I am… I am very glad people still continue to live." The words were heavy for reasons he didn't have time to learn. "If you ever feel the need, do come back. It was a lovely day, despite the lack of tea."
Sean smiled. "It was. Maybe I'll try and bring some next time!"
She smiled back at him. "I won't keep you any longer Sean."
"And I'll try not to keep you waiting." He said. He considered a moment and then offered his paw out. She looked at it for a moment, his paw wavered.
"I'm not sure if I should," she said softly. He lowered his paw. "My apologies, such rudeness is unbecoming."
"No! No, it's fine. I guess it's better not to… risk something?" He wasn't sure why he couldn't touch her. He wasn't familiar with the notion of actual ghosts that weren't at least pokemon as well.
She gave him a grateful smile and walked him to the end of the dungeon.
"You're not able to leave?" he asked. She shook her head. "I understand. I'll be back."
"Take care," she said and then he was off.
He decided he would bring Rai and Mane next time.
Some time ago.
"Knock-knock." Timber said, smiling happily at the old door he knew each line by heart.
"Who's there?" Returned the lovely voice he held so dearly.
"Chew." Timber grinned, he'd been working on this one.
"Chew who?"
"Chew through that tree, and you get Timber!"
Bell giggled in return. There was no pause this time, he grinned proudly.
"What do I owe the pleasure today, Timber?" Bell asked, amusement in her voice still.
"I, uh, wanted to just come talk," Timber replied, scuffing the ground briefly. "I like talking to you, yup-yup." He blushed and was glad she couldn't see it. It was easy to talk to a door. He didn't have to worry about what he looked like or what he was doing.
"You're very sweet. I like talking to you too." Timber beamed at that. "What would you like to talk about?"
Timber immediately fell into some excited chatter about the recent town gossip. Sunflora shared her juiciest bits with him more often nowadays, and it gave him great material to share with Bell since he knew she didn't exactly go out often.
He'd known her since almost his entire time in Treasure Town, and not once had he ever seen her around. Of course, he didn't know what she was, so that hampered it slightly.
She knew what he was, however, and hoped that if she did see him in town, she'd come to talk to him.
But he doubted she left her house anyway. He wondered what it was that kept her locked in there, too shy to leave. But he was too polite to ask.
"Oh, that reminds me," Timber said. They had been discussing recent events in the guild, and he was reminded of the other night. "The guild's been put on watch for someone!"
"Oh?" Bell asked, voice dripping with interest. She always loved to hear about the guild's actions.
"Yup-yup. Armaldo was all stern about it, you know how he is. They want us to keep an eye out for a lavender audino, but not to approach or nothin. The one they are looking for could be dangerous, they say, but haven't really told us much more."
"A lavender audino?" Bell asked, curious. "I've only heard of pink ones."
"I've actually met one!" Timber said, proudly. "She, I think it was a she as she looked pretty, pointed me the way to Treasure Town! So, there's probably a couple around, I reckon."
"Possibly. Hey, Timber, knock-knock?"
Timber beamed. "Who's there?"
"Atch."
"Atch who?"
"Bless you." Bell giggled.
It took him a moment, it often did with hers, but he got it and laughed. "How are you so clever?" he asked.
"Oh… you know," Bell replied, all coy. "I have a lot of time to think them up."
Timber understood and shifted the topic to the recent dungeon he had managed to clear with Paras, Flaaffy, and Marill. The four of them made a surprisingly good team.
Eventually, however, he had to say his goodbyes. "Before you go?" Bell asked, slipping some paper under the door. "Would you be able to get me these things, soon?"
"Of course!" Timber replied, taking the paper up and stashing it safely in his saddlebags. "Anything for you, Bell."
"You are too good to me, Timber," Bell sighed, but there was a smile to it. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Bell."
Timber walked off, feeling light and happy as he always did after a good talk with Bell.
On the other side of the door, the lavender audino stood up from where she laid against the hardwood and stretched, popping her back.
"The Wigglytuff Guild is looking for me now, are they?" Soothe wondered, walking to her desk and beginning to comb through some of the many papers she had stored on and within it.
She found what she was looking for, near the bottom, yellowing with age and faded, but the sketch was still clear enough.
Her own copy of the map to Star Cave. She couldn't simply lay the other one out for Bidoof to find without copying it for herself.
She had never gone herself, but perhaps it was something she should consider.
"Interesting."
Oh, hey Soothe.
This chapter actually has received the most alternate work put into it from the original. In the original we didn't see what Rai and Mane had to say to Scout, I cut the scene off after they tackled him. And also, Sean's first meeting with Violet was vastly different.
But that's because in the original story he does disappear with the rest. This time around he didn't, so I figured he'd find her earlier.
This was a lot of fun.
AO3 version has two pictures in this chapter.