Twas a cold, dark, and stormy night upon the airship. It rocked back and forth as the sky's steep winds pushed it around like it was nothing more than a child's plaything. Maxim's hammock could hardly be differentiated from a clock's pendulum. The Rowlet's eyes spun as the world turned around him, his pupils having transformed into cartoonish spirals.
The grumbles and growls of his crewmates echoed throughout the long chamber. How am I supposed to get any sleep like this? Suddenly, he felt a gentle poke on the top of his head. Turning it a full one-hundred-eighty degrees, Maxim was met with the familiar face of the ship's captain.
"Hello Maxim~!" Drake exclaimed with vigor, despite the hour. "I have a very special job for you. Come with me now, will you?"
The Rowlet shook his head back and forth. Returning his vision back to normal. "Oh! Yes, captain!"
He hopped down to the floor and cautiously followed Drake, ignoring the whispers of the other mons around him. They quickly entered a narrow corridor Maxim had no recollection of. It had white plastered walls and dim lighting. Eventually, the modernity broke, with Drake stopping by two metal doors with circular windows. He pushed one open and allowed Maxim to enter.
Inside he was met with the view of an area which he did find familiar. A large hole in the center of the room opened into the mess hall. Rain pattered against its many windows, creating a soft beat. The room itself was decked with shiny marble counters. Stone ovens sat in a corner, as well as metal openings filled with water. Wooden cabinets lay beneath the countertops.
"We have all the latest amenities in our ship's kitchen. How else do you think we make our food so good?" Drake grinned, looking down over Maxim.
He took a step back. "It's certainly interesting to see this, but why did you bring me here?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Drake pointed to a set of cabinets below the opening to the mess hall. "You see those? Inside are all the ingredients you need to bake a cake."
"Bake a cake?"
The Quaquaval's grin became large, unnaturally so. His entire beak contorted into a smile. Maxim couldn't help but shudder. "It's a very important job. I'm sure you won't have any problem with it. Right?"
"No, there won't be a problem. Do you have any instructions?" Maxim questioned.
A paper materialized in Drake's hand. "This should do it! Make sure to follow the instructions exactly as I wrote them. We wouldn't want a repeat of the incident." Thunder boomed as the words left his beak. "That's all! Good luck Maxim!"
Drake tossed the paper to him before disappearing behind the metal swinging doors. That was… odd. The countertops were just above his eye level. Glaring at the paper, the instructions seemed simple enough.
2 Eggs.
2 Cups of Flour
1 Cup of Sugar
½ of Chocolate Powder
½ Stick of Butter
3 Cups of your blood, sweat, and tears. Especially blood.
Ignite the oven and bake for forty-five minutes.
Maxim tilted his head. Something feels off about that last ingredient. Suddenly, a loud boom enveloped the kitchen as the doors were blasted back open.
"I almost forgot! It wouldn't be very fun to do this all alone. Would it, Maxim?" Drake asked with widened eyes.
"N-No?"
"Just as I thought." He pushed a familiar Mienfoo through the metal doors. She landed flat on her face. "Ta-ta!" Drake sang, before exiting again.
Maxim approached Rene. The Meinfoo murmured something, before shaking her head and standing up. "You also here to make a cake?" She asked.
Maxim narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, he randomly brought me here. Also gave me a list of ingredients."
"Lemme see it."
He handed the paper to Rene, who quickly scanned it. Eyes darting from line to line. "Okay, seems simple enough. Wait, what's this about blood?"
Maxim laughed nervously. "That instruction confused me a bit too."
"Well, if it's what the captain wants. I guess we better do it?" Rene hopped over to a cabinet. "See any bowls?"
He opened up a drawer to find a large metal bowl and a wooden spoon. "Yeah, I got something here!"
Trying to retrieve it, Maxim curled his wings around the bowl and pulled. Unfortunately, the object was far heavier than he expected. A force gripped his wings and pulled Maxim's whole body downward. Ringing shot through Maxim's ears as he collided with the ground.
"You okay?" Rene ran over, lifting the bowl which had fallen over Maxim's head.
He got up, seeing two Renes staring at him. What the…?
"Maxim?"
"Maxim!"
He continued staring dumbfounded at the dual Minefoos. Suddenly, they snapped into one. "Oh! I'm fine, should we continue?"
"Yeah, I wanna get back to bed." She opened up some more cabinets, pulling out two green eggs and cracking them over the bowl. They landed with a satisfying plunk. A small bit of yellow splashed onto the counter as her paws gracefully tossed the eggshells into a nearby trash bin.
Maxim stood beside her, not doing much of anything. This is boring, why am I even doing this?
"Get me some flour, will ya?"
Maxim flung open the door of another cabinet. Inside sat two brown sacks, one of which was marked Flour. The other was in the shape of an upside-down triangle and unmarked.
"Mmmmm!" A voice faintly cried.
Huh? Did I just hear something? Maxim wondered as he curled his wing around the sack, which was almost as large as him.
"Maxim, you gettin' that flower or what?"
"Coming!" He yelled. Finally getting a grip on the bag, the Rowlet was able to pull it out of the cabinet. Slamming the door shut behind him.
Maxim hoisted the bag up to Rene, who calmly took it and started scooping out the flour. "Do you feel kinda weird?" She asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I dunno, something just feels weird. Do ya think Drake has been acting a bit… strange?"
He scratched his head. "I haven't known him for that long. He always seemed a bit odd to me."
"Eh, maybe you're right. Who's to say it's not someone's birthday tomorrow?"
They continued baking in relative silence, Maxim fetching ingredients and Rene inserting them into the bowl. His three orange talons tapped lightly against the cool tiled floor as he ran back and forth. The Rowlet's heart beat quickly, but it was not just because of the exercise he was getting.
He swore he saw a shadow lurking right outside the space opening out to the mess hall. There for a split-second, gone the next. The room felt so quiet. The absence of any Pokemon other than himself and Rene left the room in near silence. A stark contrast from the usual energy of the chamber.
Quiet… Too quiet.
Maxim found himself looking over his shoulder every other moment. Is there somebody behind me? But when doing so, there was simply nothing. No, I'm just being paranoid. Eventually, all the necessary ingredients had found their way into the mixing bowl.
Rene reached for a large wooden spoon not far beside her and began to mix. Maybe a bit too hard. Splotches of sand-covered batter flew from the bowl in random directions. Maxim was quick to find a towel to wipe it up.
After cleaning up her mess, he approached the Mienfoo. "So, what now?"
"Ya see that oven over there?" She pointed to a large gray furnace nestled in a corner. It was shaped like a cube and had a large door with rectangular holes bulging out from the middle. "Just gotta turn that on and we'll practically be done."
They walked up toward the machine, inspecting it as closely as they could.
"This room's too dark. I can barely see a thing!" Rene complained, continuing to eye the oven.
Maxim ran his left wing along its side, feeling a bump in the otherwise smooth metal. "I think I got something." He pushed down, and a soft clicking noise echoed. The inside of the oven ignited to a bright red.
"Nice!" Rene grabbed the bowl and poured the batter into a pan. She began to carry it, wobbling a little. Before suddenly stopping in her tracks. "Wait a second!" She called.
Maxim scampered up to her, "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"Here, take this." Rene dropped the pan into Maxim's wings. He rocked from side to side, trying to balance it. The pan slammed to the floor, taking Maxim with it. A few more drops of batter splashed onto his face.
"Alright, says here that we need to put our blood and sweat into this. Whatever that means." Rene stated, holding the instructions.
Maxim tapped his claws against the floor. "I'm not sure how serious that is. Does Drake really want us to literally put tears into this cake?"
"Whadaya want me to say? He is a bit odd after all."
He took a step back, eyes darting from side to side. "Okay. So, how are we gonna do that exactly?"
Rene placed a paw on her chin. "Aha!" She announced. The Meinfoo reeled back her fist and swung it right into Maxim's face. He was tumbling across the hard floor before he even realized what happened.
"Hey! What was that for?"
Sitting up, he saw Rene skipping toward him. She kneeled down and brushed a paw against his face. Is she crazy?
She smiled. "This should do! Is this a tear, Maxim?"
"Uh, I don't know?" He yelled, staring bug-eyed at her.
Rene flung the droplet of the Rowlet's fluid into the pan. She placed it into the now burning-hot oven, shoving its heavy metal door closed with a loud bang. "Maxim, are you okay? Did I really hit that hard?"
"Yes!" He stumbled back up, doing a sort of hop back over to Rene. "A heads up would have been nice."
"The shock adds to it!" She humphed while crossing her arms.
Maxim rolled his eyes. "Now what do we do?"
"I dunno? Sit here and watch it bake?"
Suddenly, a crash came from down the hall. Their heads shot toward the kitchen's exit. Creeping over, Maxim carefully pushed the door open. A single plate rolled down the windowless hallway. It began circling, before falling to the floor with a quiet clang.
"Hello? Anyone there?" Rene called out.
But there was no response.
She began walking in the direction which the plate had rolled from. "What are you doing?" Maxim cried.
"Figuring out what just made that noise."
He shook his head. "But the cake! We can't let it get burnt!"
"Don't be such a scaredy-meowth. You comin' or not?" She continued walking, slowly getting smaller as she progressed down the hall.
The Rowlet groaned. "Fine! Wait up!" Before dashing over to Rene.
The hallway's exit appeared to be about thirty or so feet away. Their feet clunked against the hall's wooden floor. Creaking as the ship itself rocked back and forth ever so slightly.
After another few minutes of walking, the hallway's exit appeared to be roughly thirty feet away. Their feet stomped against the hall's wooden floor. Making high-pitched creaks as the ship swayed back and forth in the rain.
Succeeding another couple minutes of walking, the hallway's exit appeared to be just about thirty feet away. Their feet tapped against the hall's wooden floor. Groaning as the great airship trembled through the storm just beyond its walls.
Wait a second… Something feels a bit weird. "Hey Rene, is it just me? Or have we been walking for a while?"
"Yeah, I don't remember the hallway being this long. Maybe we should turn back? The cake is probably almost ready." They turned around to begin the trek back to the kitchen. But before they could begin walking, the end of the hallway went pitch black.
Maxim stumbled back. "What was that?"
The darkness crept forward, another section of the hallway's lights going dark.
"Hey, Maxim. I think we might want to run."
He was already dashing away when Rene made that suggestion. She joined him, grabbing Maxim's wing and pulling him forward at her faster speed. The walls blurred as the duo dashed as fast as they could. Unfortunately, the hallway's exit got no closer.
"Keep goin' ! We're almost there!" Rene shouted. But it was no use, the darkness soon caught up with them. Leaving the corridor in a state of true darkness.
Maxim's wing brushed up against a wall. "Who turned out the lights?"
"How should I know?" Rene snapped back.
Suddenly a loud noise sounding like a switch being flipped echoed from behind. They swung their heads around to see none other than… Drake!
The Quaquaval stood only a few feet in front of them. He was illuminated beneath a triangular beam of light, cutting through the otherwise solid darkness.
"Hello there! Do you have my cake?"
Maxim took a step back. "It's, uh, baking in the kitchen."
"I see. Why aren't you two in the kitchen?"
"Drake, this isn't funny." Rene stormed up to the nearly six-foot-tall Pokemon. "You can go get your stupid cake. Just let us go back to bed."
He leaned over, looking Rene in the eye. "Back to bed? Remember what I told you about leaving the kitchen?"
"You never told me anything about leaving the kitchen," Rene stated firmly.
Maxim crossed his wings. "Me neither."
Drake began to pace around them, his spotlight following. "Well then, I suppose you two should get back to the kitchen. Shall we?" He clapped twice.
Maxim and Rene eyed each other. The Quaquaval stomped his foot against the invisible ground, his beak curling into a frown.
"I said, shall we!" He clapped once more, and the two metal doors of the kitchen materialized in the black void.
Maxim took a step forward. The doors looked exactly like the ones he had entered only a mere hour ago. His eyes felt heavy, he couldn't help but bring up his wings to rub them. This is also crazy. What's even going on? Since when does Drake make doors appear?
Rene came beside him, looking with concern in her eyes. "Maxim, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Just exhausted."
She stretched her arms. "So, we gonna go in or what?"
"Yes! You should very much go in. I don't have all night." The Quaquaval slumped his head to the side, several pink Z's appearing above it.
Rene pushed open one of the doors. The kitchen looked exactly as it had when they had left. But before she could step through, Drake called out from behind.
"Stop it, Rene! Don't go in there!"
"Ignore that! Go back into the kitchen."
Maxim swung his head around to find two identical-looking Drakes. They were both illuminated by seemingly nothing and bore angered slanted eyes. "I'm gonna kill you!" Drake yelled.
Drake reeled back his wing, clenching his fingers into a fist. Before shooting it back out right into Drake's beak. Drake's head twisted to the side, a few feathers erupting from his skin. His eyes went red as he lunged back at Drake. He quickly clasped his hands around the Quaquavall's long neck and began squeezing it as tight as he could.
"Augh! You stupid mon!" Drake swung his head right into Drake's. Causing Drake to stumble back, release his grip, and fall to the floor. Smoke seemed to fume from his nostrils. The Quaquavall got right back up and… ran away.
"What in the name of Arecus is happening?" Rene shrieked, running over to the Drake still in sight.
He shook his head. "I know this seems nuts, but I'll explain everything once this is over. Help me defeat him!"
As soon as Drake said that, a blue blur flashed in front of Maxim's eyes. Drake tackled Drake to the ground. The two began rolling across the void, exchanging punches and remarks.
"You impostor! I'll show you what happens when you mess with my crew! Oof-"
"Impostor? Gah! That's a lot coming from an impostor!"
"Shut up! I'm the real Drake!"
"I'm the real Drake!"
Maxim couldn't stop shaking his head. The night's progression from strange to impossible was becoming ever harder to believe. But what was he supposed to do? There were two Drakes clobbering each other in front of his very eyes! The Rowlet's jaw hung agape as one of the Drakes thrust his beak into the other's temple.
Rene's reaction was not much different. The Meinfoo's eyes seemed to grow wider with each passing attack. She barely had enough time to dash out of the way when the Drakes suddenly changed course and began barreling toward her.
"Fiend! Fiend!" Drake screeched, slapping the other one repeatedly across the cheek.
Maxim turned to Rene, wing trembling. "Do you know which Drake is Drake?"
"Nope."
A Drake managed to push the other off him, ending their tumbling spiral. They each got up and darted their heads from side to side. What are they doing? What's the point of scouting an empty void?
Drake crouched down and sprung up like a frog. Heading right for the other Drake. The Quaquaval squinted his eyes, before making a sharp sprint to the right. The Drake that was still in midair continued to fall. But before he could hit the ground, a loud clang blasted through the emptiness.
Drake slowly skidded down what appeared to be some sort of invisible wall, a high-pitched squeaking noise emanating as he did so. He hit the ground with a thump. Time seemed to slow for Maxim, something had caught his eye. A crack in the endless white void. And not in a metaphorical sense, a literal crack had begun to form where Drake had collided with nothing.
"What have you done?" The other Drake squawked.
The crack began to grow. Thin white lines began branching and spreading, until there was nowhere Maxim could turn without seeing them. A piece of black fell and only barely missed his head. Wing still trembling, he picked it up.
Oh shit.
More chunks of the void began to fall to the ground, which was also coming apart to reveal the ship's familiar creaky wood. Every mon rushed to cover their heads as the strange pieces began crumbling around them.
Maxim instinctually squeezed his eyes shut, heart rushing within his small chest. A few seconds seemed to stretch into an eternity until the sound of rain returned. He opened his eyes to find the void replaced with what appeared to be some sort of balcony jutting off the side of the ship.
The Drakes narrowed their eyes and turned to Rene in Maxim.
"You have to believe I'm the real Drake!" The one on the left said.
The one on the right leaped forward. "No! It's me! Rene, you know me. You know I'm the real me!"
Maxim laid his eyes on the left Drake, then the right Drake. Then back to the left one. "What if we ask a question only the real Drake would know?"
"Yeah, that'd be good," Rene whispered. "Lemme think of something."
The Drakes shared an odd moment of peace, the only attacks being the fierce glares they exchanged. Maxim's heart was still racing. What happens if we get the wrong Drake?
Rene stuck her paw up. "Alright, got it. The real Drake would know the exact date I joined the crew. He'd never forget."
Wide smiles enveloped their beaks. "Don't worry! I know!" They both proclaimed excitedly.
Rene raised her brow. "Let's hear it."
"September twenty-first!" The Drakes said in unison.
She brought a paw to her temple. "No! You're both wrong!"
"W-What?" The Drake on the left asked. "But I'm the real Drake!"
Rene pulled her ears back and stared at the sky. Rain drenched her fur from head to toe. Maxim tapped his talon against the floor, eyeing the Drakes. Why aren't they fighting? They stood at the edge of the platform, with no barrier between them and the infinite sky below. One slip and…
"Alright." Rene clapped her paws. "I have a new question. One which only the real Drake would know. Why did I join the crew?"
"To find adventure!"
"To avenge your brother!"
Maxim and Rene turned to each other with deadpan expressions.
"Fine, guess we'll do this the other way." Rene sighed, ears drooping.
Maxim gulped. "W-What's the other way?"
"Eeny meany miny moe, catch a Pyroar by the toe. If he hollers let him go, out goes Y-O-U!" Her paw landed on the left Drake.
He pointed a wing to his beak. "Me? What is that supposed to mean?"
In an instant, Rene zoomed across the deck. Maxim's heart skipped a beat, the Drake let out a loud yell and disappeared from view. Maxim rushed over just in time to see the Drake leave an imprint in a cloud below, before disappearing into its white fluffiness. Maybe he'll be okay? Pretty sure Quaquaval are water types.
Rene slumped her head down. "There ya go! Drake, are you real?"
"Why of course!" He declared with vigor. "Thank you, Rene! I knew you'd choose correctly! Now, we should be off to bed. It's a big day tomorrow! See you all in the morning~!" He skipped past them and swung open a door Maxim had failed to notice previously.
"That was odd." He raised a wing, barely shielding himself from the assault of rain overhead.
Rene yawned. "Yeah. But that's just life as a privateer. I'll see ya in the morning."
He nodded, watching silently as Rene disappeared through the door.
What a night.
Making his way toward the exit, he felt the floor arch upward beneath his talons. A small bump sat in the middle of the ground.
Eh, I'll worry about it in the morning. Maxim lumbered toward the sweet embrace of the dry indoors, even as his small ears picked up a slight Drake-like noise from below…