Chapter 16

Discipline (Choice)

Ciecro sighed heavily as he saw nothing but hills. Is dis eveh gonna end? He whined in his mind. Shaking his head, the Charmander turned to watch Seliph climbing up after him, carrying Jaron on his back.

"Anything?" The Frogadier wheezed.

Ciecro shook his head, grumbling in disappointment.

"Goddamn it!" Seliph exclaimed as he joined Ciecro at the top. After a second of verifying, Seliph shook his head. "How fucking far is this damn river‽"

"Do yah tink we took a wrong turn?" Ciecro suggested, starting to do another browse of the horizon but froze in surprise as Seliph started stomping his foot.

"Fuck these stupid hills!" Seliph uttered, finally coming to a stop on his stomping a few minutes later.

"Seliph?"

Seliph took a second to look back at Jaron, the anger in his eyes shifting to uncertainty as he began to shake his head. "I don't know." He shut his eyes and let his head droop.

The Charmander's gaze lowered to the side as he readjusted the backpack. I'll jus' make 'im maddeh. Without a word, Ciecro marched in front with Seliph trailing behind. Their travel was as quiet as their steps were saggy.

Ciecro's claws clamped on the straps of the backpack, tightening in as he focused on the tense silence. Just like this morning, everyone had barely said a thing unless it was some outburst or to just be informative. Not even Jaron was speaking and the Totodile was feeling much better, which probably bothered Ciecro the most.

He readjusted the backpack for what felt like the millionth time as he stewed in his thoughts. Why does it feel so... He glanced forwards at the upcoming hill, a small scowl forming. Nohmal. His eyes widened as if he had just heard something that disgusted him. He briskly shook his head and stared forwards with a self-aimed growl following, Shuddup. Getcha mind off of dat shit.

His legs started running, reaching the top of the next hill before Seliph and Jaron even reached the halfway up the first one. To his annoyance, all that met his gaze was more hills of grass. Tck, dah riveh's gotta be around 'ere somewhere. He shifted the backpack for the million and oneth time and was just about to rush down the hill, when Seliph called out to him.

"Ciecro, wait!"

The boy spun around and gasped at seeing Seliph drop on his knees, panting heavily. He jogged down the hill as Jaron slid out of Seliph's grip so the Frogadier could rest.

"Thanks, but I'm okay Jaron," Seliph said as Ciecro reached them. "I just need a rest, that's all."

"Seliph." Jaron looked unconvinced, staring at the eldest worried.

Seeing this, Ciecro walked over and put an encouraging hand on the Totodile's shoulders. However, Jaron just started shaking his head, stepping up to Seliph, and grabbing his arm with his claws.

"You don't have to carry me anymore," he said, his ruby eyes brimming with confidence, probably the most Ciecro had seen in a while. "I'm better now. I can walk on my own."

"Jaron, you're still sick. Even if you feel good, straining yourself will just make you even worse."

"But you're already in bad shape," Jaron protested, presenting Seliph's arm to the Frogadier as evidence. "You're drying up."

"I'll be okay Jaron. I can handle some dumb sunshine. Besides, you're dry too."

"But you've been carrying me." Jaron raised his hands to his snout and closed his eyes. "You've been taking care of me and I've just been-"

"Jaron, that's enough," Seliph ordered, albeit calmly. Lifting Jaron's chin so their gazes met again, Seliph gave the Totodile an assuring nod. "It's not your fault you got a fever." Jaron sniffled as Seliph pulled the boy in close.

As he watched Seliph comfort Jaron with a gentle brush up the back of the Totodile's head, Ciecro mulled over Jaron's words. Seliph's been carryin' 'im, yeah, bu' it ain' 'is fault. Not like me. Ciecro's gaze lowered. Yestehday…he had tah take me down an'- He slowly raised a hand to his left cheek, closing his eyes with tense shame. An' he was wight. I… His muscles tensed as he remembered the scene of Seliph slapping him. A second later, he slid the backpack off his shoulders and started searching inside.

"Ciecro? What are you doing?"

He ignored Seliph's inquiry and focused on finding their berry supply. Pulling out their three last berries, Ciecro looked at the two and said, "We should eat sometin." Offering the Sitrus Berry to Jaron, Ciecro said, "'Ere, dis one is yahrs."

Jaron stared at it for a second before finally accepting. "Thanks," he muttered as he started nibbling on it.

Ciecro then held out the other two for Seliph. "'Ere yah go."

Seliph nodded and reached for the Oran Berry. "Thanks. Huh?" He stared at Ciecro's hand, which was still holding out the last berry to him, an Occa Berry. "I picked the Oran one because you like Occa-"

Ciecro shook his head. "Yah need it moh dan me."

"Huh?" Seliph tilted his head. "Ciecro, you need to eat too."

The Charmander shook his head. "I'll be fine. Yah both need dah berries' juice."

Seliph sighed, accepting the Occa Berry, but drawing a quick Cut and slicing it in half. "You need some food. At least eat half of it."

"Okay." The Charmander accepted it and then to the other two's surprise, stood up. "Rest up." He turned around and started heading back up the hill.

"Wait, where are you going?" Seliph asked, standing up as well.

"I'm gonna scout ahead. See how fah dah riveh is."

"Ciecro, I already told you-"

"I jus' wanna check a couple of hills oveh, dats all." Ciecro looked at Seliph with a pleading gaze. "I pwamise I won' go any furder."

Seliph walked over, towering over the Charmander with a displeased scowl. "Ciecro, we need to stay together."

"I know. Bu' if we've gotta long way tah go still, we can jus' rest mo'e. If I do find it, we should go, righ'?"

"Ciecro, stop pressin-"

"Seliph, jus'…" Ciecro took a deep sigh as he stared into his brother's eyes with resolve. "I know I screwed up, okay. I'm sorry fo' dat. Bu' I wanna stop makin' it hawdeh fo' yah if I can."

Seliph grumbled, pressing fingers to his shut eyes and saying, "Ciecryou you just gave me your portion of food and have been carrying the backpack this entire time too. You don't need to do more tha-"

"I do."

Seliph went silent as he looked at Ciecro with a surprised brow raised.

"I just…" Ciecro took a deep breath as his head lowered. "Please, Seliph." He felt his breath stop as his fists clenched with anxiety. It felt like hours before Seliph finally answered.

"Okay."

All the air in Ciecro's lungs was freed just like his tension at hearing that single word. "Tanks, Seliph. I won't letcha dow-" He flinched as Seliph leaned in close, their eyes no more than ten inches apart.

"Promise me you won't be gone for more than an hour."

Ciecro nodded as fast as he could. "I won'."

Despite his approval, Seliph didn't bother hiding his displeasure as he turned around and sat back near Jaron, splitting the half Occa Berry in half, and giving the last piece for Jaron to eat.

Tanks bro. Ciecro turned around and rushed up the hill, invigorated at this chance and because he didn't have the backpack pulling him down anymore.

Onwards and onwards he went, rushing over one hill after another until his fatigue started to slow him down. Glancing up, Ciecro noticed he was almost up this next random hill. His eyes trailed upwards, and to his dismay, the sun had moved a bit since he left.

Please let dere be sometin'. I don't wanna go back sayin' dere's notin'. He pushed onwards, puffing in heavy rhythm. If his body could sweat, he would be drenched.

This hill was the tallest one so far, thus was the best chance he had of finding the river without risking going over the time he promised. As he neared the summit, he stopped, almost afraid of finding out the answer. His head lowered as he pulled his hands together and shut his eyes. Arceus…please let me find dah riveh. His whole being tensed up. Please…I don' wan' 'em tah…yah know.

Having made his request, he rushed up the rest of the slope. His hopes and anxiety fought all inside, waiting for the answer be it hope or despair. As he touched the pinnacle of the hill his legs felt shaky as he stared in front, his mouth open and his eyes curling into a frown. No. All he could see was more of those damn hills. They stretched out endlessly, even to the left and right of his position.

"N-n-no." He dropped to his knees and fell on all fours, slamming his fists into the dirt over and over. "Fuck dis!" Hot tears formed and dropped to the spot he pounded. "Fuck all dis shit! Dahhhh!" He pulled back and buried his face into his claws, crying.

We don' got no mo'e food. Is it too fah? His hands fell from his head and laid at his feet, limp and still. I can't…I jus'. He glared at the hills in front, their mere presence insulting him. He pulled himself to his feet, ready to charge forwards, not stopping till he found that damn river. But he froze as his conscience reminded him of his promise.

Just standing there, Ciecro mumbled, "Wha' do I do?" His gaze turned back to where he came and then to the sun. "Wha' are we gonna do?" His arms slithered around his torso. "Wha' would yah do, Dad? I pwamised Seliph I wouldn' go fo' mo'e den an 'our. Bu'…" he brushed a tear from his cheek. "We've got no mo'e food. If we don' find dat riveh today den we…Jaron…"

A scowl formed as he looked back to the sky, judging where the sun currently was. "I tink it's close tah tree." He looked at the path in front, his eyes narrowing. If I hurry…den… It was risky. Seliph had been right about the river not being close yesterday, who's to say it wasn't still very far away.

Ciecro's hand rose back up to his left cheek as he thought about that scene again. His gaze trailed back to the journey in front, as he felt a rush soar into his body. It felt just like when he eavesdropped on his parents. It ain' foh jus' me dis time. His nerves sprang to life as he charged down the hill in a full-blown sprint.

I'm sorry bu' I've gotta find it! He screamed in his head.

Each hill he passed felt like it added more strain to his lungs. The pain of the slam from two nights ago was starting to cause cramps in his chest. Eventually, Ciecro was forced to stop and just rest. His eyes trailed forwards, wondering where he was and to his surprise, he was at the top of this hill.

"Huh?" He sat down, a bit relieved he didn't have to go further to look around. Leaning over, he started browsing the horizon, the pleasant feeling of relaxing slowly being replaced by the frustration of no river. Until he noticed an odd-colored spot in between two specific hills.

"Wha'?" He stood up, taking care not to overexert himself, and squinted. His heart, which had been doing slower thumps, had raced to life. His breath stuttered and his eyes widened. "Dah riveh!"

Sure enough, it was the color of some kind of stream. It was faint and far, but unmistakable.

Ciecro spun around and raced his way back as if he wasn't tired at all. He'd done it. He'd found what they needed to and just in time.

Time felt like it was racing alongside him as the trip back felt much shorter. Though, once he found his siblings he stopped, petrified.

Seliph was carrying the backpack on his back, holding Jaron's hand as they were descending a hill.

The warmth in Ciecro's body felt like it flew away in an instant. He shivered in place which increased as Seliph's gaze met his.

"Ciecro!"

The poor Charmander jumped at hearing his name shouted so angrily as Seliph stomped on down the hill.

"What the hell is wrong with you‽"

Ciecro stuttered, his mind blanking on his discovery of hope and simply refusing to function as Seliph finally stopped directly in front.

"Do you think this is some kind of game? You promised me you wouldn't run off!"

"I…I didn'. I was jus'-"

"Arceus!" Seliph latched his hands onto Ciecro's shoulders, scaring the Fire Type as he pulled his head in close to Ciecro's. His blue eyes were alive with rage as his hands tightened on Ciecro's shoulders. "Do you want to get separated? You could have gotten lost or worse, even killed."

"I jus'…" Ciecro felt the tears build up. "I jus' wanted tah help."

"'To help'!" Seliph shoved his arms forwards, causing Ciecro to fall onto his back. "How is breaking your damn promise, helping? Goddamn it, this isn't a-" He turned to the side and latched his hands onto his head, screaming as loud as he could.

"I…" Ciecro brushed his snout as he sat back up. "I found it."

Seliph paused, looking at Ciecro with a look that was still angry but also curious.

"Wait! You found the river?" Jaron exclaimed, rushing down the hill with a big smile on his face.

"Mhm." Ciecro nodded, looking at Seliph as he stood up, looking at Seliph with a remorseful expression that tried to save face. "I…I wanted tah find it."

"Ciecro…" Seliph's gaze faltered for a second before he walked up close and knelt on a knee. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he shook his head and stood up. "We'll talk about this later. Let's first get safe." Seliph adjusted the backpack as he walked onwards, saying as he passed by Ciecro. "Sorry, for shoving you."

Ciecro looked back and watched Seliph climb the hill in silence. He didn't respond as Jaron hugged him.

"Don't worry, he'll get over it. He's put up with us plenty of times."

The Charmander looked at Jaron's optimistic look. "Yeh…"

"I know you made him upset and feel bad. But, you found it. I'm glad you did and Seliph is too."

Ciecro watched Jaron go after Seliph. Tanks Jaron…I jus' wish- Cutting that thought off with a shake of the head, Ciecro hurried on after his brothers.

O

"Good God, that feels good." Seliph splashed another handful of water on his face.

"Then have some more!"

Right as Seliph looked at Jaron, his face was met with a big splash of water to the face. "Hey!"

Jaron laughed as he rushed further into the river, chased after Seliph.

Ciecro chuckled from his vantage point on a hill overlooking the river, leaning on the backpack with a smile on his face. It felt nice to see them so happy again. It made everything feel worth it for the Charmander.

His eyes lowered to the side as he felt the guilt resurface. I mean…I found dah riveh. I know it ain' okay, but… he looked back at the stream with a firm scowl. But now dey're safe. An' dats all dat mattehs.

"Aren't you thirsty?"

Ciecro looked to see Jaron walking over to him, dripping wet and nabbing some dirt and grass blades on his legs.

"Oh, uh naw. I'm fine." He scratched his chin as he smiled at the Totodile. "Dah juice from dah berry was enough."

"How is that 'enough'?" Jaron exclaimed.

"I'm fire type, stoopid," Ciecro chuckled, immediately having to shield his face as Jaron swung the droplets left on his arm on the Charmander.

"Doofus."

Giving the Totodile a challenging grin, Ciecro got to his feet and crossed his arms. "Nose face."

Jaron smirked back, thrusting his fists to his waist. "Vomit face."

"Jehk."

"Lamo."

"Baby."

"Scaredy Scal-" Jaron lurched out a loud cough that surprised the Charmander. "I'm fine," Jaron assured him.

Ciecro slowly nodded, unsure if Jaron was just saving face or if he meant it truly. Thankfully, Seliph joined the two and thus allowed Ciecro to leave the awkward moment by asking, "so, wha' now?"

"Now." Seliph leaned down and pulled up the backpack. "We follow the stream to a town."

"Which way?" Jaron asked, looking at both sides of the stream.

"I don't know." Seliph slung the backpack over his shoulders and looked at the two. "We just gotta pick a direction. There should be several towns on this river so all that matters is finding one soon." Seliph held his hand over his eyes and looked up at the sky. "I think it's…six?"

"Then let's go." Jaron marched onwards, a gleeful smile on his face.

Seliph followed suit with Ciecro right behind. The Charmander's gaze fell to the side as he walked behind the Frogadier.

"Uhm…Seliph?"

"Yes?"

Ciecro's eyes widen with surprise at hearing Seliph's annoyed tone. 'Es still mad a' me. Ciecro crosses his arms as he stared at the ground. "Seliph, yah know I wasn' tryin' tah be bad."

Seliph let out an annoyed sigh. "Ciecro, I would rather save this for later."

"Bu'…I jus'…don' wantcha tah be mad a' me. I hate seeing yah mad."

Seliph glanced back, his eyes softer than Ciecro was anticipating. "Ciecro, I'm very glad you found the river. I just..." The Frogadier's eyes drifted to the left. "I thought…we had some kind of understanding."

"We still do," Ciecro chirped, shedding some positivity on this conversation.

The Frogadier looked forwards once more. "I just…" Seliph sighed and readjusted his backpack.

Ciecro's eyes lowered. I don' tink he wanna talk anymo'e. The Charmander let out a deep, heavy sigh as he accepted that truth and just followed in silence.

The river stretched out far in front, a replacement for the sea of mountains but a more welcome one. However, as their journey down the river went on, so did the sun drop in the sky, eventually being replaced by the moon and stars.

"Are we going to have to sleep in some hole again?" Jaron whined as he rested on his knees.

"Maybe." Seliph tightened the backpack on his shoulders. "We can go a little more if you guys want. There's enough moonlight to see fine."

Ciecro joined Jaron and leaned in close. "Yah wanna keep goin'?"

The Totodile had to wheeze for a second before straightening up and saying, "Yeah…though can we take a break first?"

"Sure. We've been at it for a while."

Deciding to look down the stream, Ciecro's eyes fell on something far down. It was hard to make out, but it looked like a dark rectangle on a small hill overlooking the creek. "Huh?" Without thinking, he started walking towards it.

"Ciecro, don't."

The Charmander stiffened as he glanced back in surprise at Seliph's serious stare. "I…No, it's not dat." Ciecro pointed as he informed, "I tink I see sometin'."

"See what?" The Frogadier asked, walking up to Ciecro and looking in the direction the sibling was pointing. "Is that a-? What is that?"

Jaron joined, looking for the mystery thing as well. "Is it that thing on that little hill? The dark rectangle?"

"Yeh," Ciecro added. "Do yah tink its near dah town?"

"Well, we won't know unless we go there. Even if it isn't, it'll be better than sleeping on the grass." Seliph jogged back for the backpack. "You two go ahead, I'll catch up."

Suddenly, Ciecro was shoved forwards, causing him to stumble a little. "Wha'? Jaron!" He snapped, though the Totodile was already rushing down the river.

"Race you!"

"Ge' back 'ere!" Ciecro rushed on after him, but the Totodile was far less fatigued and thus started to leave Ciecro behind in the dust.

He started wheezing as his sprint turned more into stumbling. "Jaron. Wai' up."

Jaron rushed up the little hill and tapped the mysterious thing, which turned out to be some kind of wooden shack, shouting, "I win!" He spun around and watched with a smug grin as Ciecro finally finished the trek and stumbled onto his knees in front of the shack.

"No' faih," Ciecro grumbled as he panted. The Charmander grit his jaw at hearing Jaron's chuckling, but to his surprise, the Totodile suddenly stopped. "Jaron?" He glanced up to see the Totodile was staring at something above them.

Ciecro looked in the direction Jaron was. "Dah hell?" He stood up and looked at the piece of rope hanging down from what looked like a hook. Following the rope showed that it ran through a hole in this shack. "Hrm?" Ciecro stepped closer to the shack, noticing they were on the side of the door. "Maybe…it's a dooh bell."

"A doorbell?" Jaron stepped back from the shack as if he suddenly realized it was some creepy building. "Someone lives here? But it's so small?"

"I dunno, maybe it's some…" Ciecro scratched the back of his head, trying his best to think of a reason. "Puny mon's home?" He shrugged as he and Jaron shared a clueless stare.

"Wow, you two are fast," Seliph huffed, startling the two boys as he jogged up to them.

"Seliph!" Jaron pointed to the dangling piece of rope. "We think someone lives here."

The Frogadier raised a brow as he looked at the rope in question. "Well…it looks like one I guess." He walked up to it and grabbed it.

Ciecro could feel a chill fill his body as they all just stared at the rope. Wha' kinda mon could live 'ere? Ciecro thought with his wild imagination trying to picture what kind of creature awaited inside. The flame on his tail almost grew still in its flickering as Seliph took a deep breath and yanked on the rope.

Seconds passed. Ciecro looked back at the door, confused. "Did yah pull 'ard enough?"

"Hmmm…" Seliph yanked again and, just like last time, nothing happened. "What's with this?"

"Maybe it's abandoned?" Jaron suggested, moving his face up to one of the door cracks.

Maybe… Ciecro crossed his arms as he looked back at the river. Bu' den why was dis built in dah fihst place? Huh? Ciecro blinked as he noticed the river's flowing stopped nearby. Following the flowing a little ways, he came across a drop-off that overlooked a large lake.

"Woah." He turned around and waved. "Guys look!"

The other two stopped fiddling with the door and joined him in overlooking the empty lake.

"A lake?" Jaron stated with awe in his voice. "It's so much bigger than that little pond at our play spot."

"Hmmm…" Seliph stroked his chin. "I wonder." He leaned as far as he could over the edge without risking falling in.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to see if the town is on the other side."

"Do yah see anytin'?" Ciecro inquired as he tried looking as well. Despite the moonlight, the lake bore some form of mistiness about it, obscuring the other side. It wasn't incredibly thick, but anything that seemed like shapes in the darkness would vanish and reappear like phantoms. "I tink I see sometin'."

"Yeah…we probably should check it out in the mor-"

"Hello?"

All three jumped at the strange voice. "Dya!" Ciecro shouted as he slipped on the rock, almost tumbling over the cliff if Seliph hadn't nabbed his arm.

"Hang on!" Seliph exclaimed, trying to improve his grip.

Panic filled Ciecro's mind as he looked down at the dark lake water awaiting him below. No! Pull me up! He started reaching up for Seliph's hand desperately.

"Ack! Ciecro! Calm down. I need to-"

Unfortunately, Ciecro couldn't hear him let alone process that command. His entire being was struggling for any hope of escape from dangling over this edge. Mom! Dad! He screamed as he shut his eyes. Huh? He looked down, suddenly feeling something touch his feet.

"Wha' dah?" It was a bubble. It glowed with a faint sense of light blue light as it propped underneath him, assisting Seliph in pulling up the frightened Charmander.

"Gotcha!" Seliph exclaimed as he grabbed Ciecro by the tail and pulled with all his might, tossing the Charmander onto the damp grass.

Ciecro spit out the dirt that entered his mouth and rolled on his side, eyeing Seliph with a grumpy scowl. "Couldn' yah 'ave-"

"Quiet," Seliph said with a blunt tone as he shifted his attention to something nearby.

Ciecro rolled onto his stomach to see something was poking out of the river. It was a yellow orb of light, floating a little above the rushing river. Its yellow glow gave an ambiance of comfort and warmth.

"Are you alright?"

Ciecro blinked. The voice sounded wavery and kind, in many ways, it felt like the voice he'd imagine one of his grandmother's sounding like. He got to his feet, squinting as he drew closer, almost entranced by the light and the soft voice.

"You're not hurt are you?"

"We're fine," Seliph said, placing a hand on Ciecro to keep him still or maybe it was to make sure whoever it was wouldn't snatch him into the river.

"Oh good." The voice replied, gleefully. "I'm sorry I startled you. I'm not as fast as I used to be at answering the door."

"'Answering the door'?" Jaron repeated, prompting the voice to chuckle.

"Why yes." The mon turned, nudging her ball of light at the door. "My humble abode."

Thanks to the mon's side facing them, Ciecro finally got a better look at who this character was. She was a fish, solid blue save for some yellow spot near the eyes that almost looked like some mask. This ball of light dangled from a blue stem that arced its way back and down upon this mon's head.

A Lanturn? Ciecro guessed. I mean, it's got dah ligh' tingy. Should be a-.

"Goodness!"

Ciecro lurched up at the Lanturn's sudden outburst.

"You're bleeding!"

The Charmander shifted his gaze back to Seliph, who looked at his bandaged arm. Oh righ'.

"Hold on, I'll get the door."

Before any of the boys could even gasp, the fish dove back into the river. Ciecro rushed the edge of the river, trying to see if he could spot her going into some kind of secret door located in the stream. Alas, he was too slow. "Damn, she's fast."

"Who was that?"

Seliph shrugged. "I don't know. She seemed friendly."

"Maybe she can help us!" Jaron chirped with a smile, though Seliph's gaze remained neutral.

Ciecro stood up and joined his brothers, mulling. She did save me. She didn' 'ave tah do dat.

The sound of gears turning snagged their attention as the door made a heavy creaking noise while sliding open. All three gulped at the sight of the vast darkness coming inside, only Ciecro was brave enough to step up to it and look down inside.

"Woah. I can't see anytin'." It was like staring into an empty world, one void of light and objects, well aside from the visible steps.

"Do we really have to go in?" Jaron asked in a shivering tone.

"Well…"

Right as Ciecro was about to test the first step, a loud splashing sound resounded from behind, causing him to step too firmly. The slick step made for an easy slipping spot, and Ciecro lost his balance.

He gasped as he stared at the darkness in front, suspended in his fall thanks to Seliph grabbing his arm. Glancing back, the Charmander weakly chuckled as the Frogadier pulled him back up, unamused. "Tanks again."

Seliph sighed as he gently nudged him away from the door. "Just be more careful." He then looked back at the river, where the Lanturn was watching them.

"Hurry on inside. I'll send for Healer Uximo. With any luck, he'll just be getting ready for bed." Before any of them could reply, she dove back into the river.

"For an old lady fish, she's pretty fast," Jaron commented, earning a little head tap from Seliph. "What?"

"Just mind what you say inside." Seliph adjusted the straps on his backpack. "I don't want us to upset her." He glanced back, almost leering at Ciecro as he mentioned, "you too."

Ciecro just nodded as the Frogadier took the lead to the door.

"It's slick so be careful."

Ciecro and Jaron watched their brother start descending into the darkness.

"Can…can you hold my hand?" Jaron asked, a little shiver in his posture.

Ciecro looked back at the darkness, his eyes narrowing. "Yeh."

O

It was cold and damp, probably the worst place Ciecro had ever been in so far. At leas' dah tunnel was dry. He thought as he sat there shivering on some random rock.

"Ow."

Ciecro jerked his gaze to a nearby stone where Seliph fidgeted on his stone a little. The boy was having his arm held by this 'healer' Hypno, who was busying himself on sewing up the wound. The process made Ciecro's scales crawl as he imagined it wasn't a pleasant experience, having stitches.

"Ouch!"

"Easy, almost done," The Healer commented. A few painful seconds later, the Hypno let go. "There, now try not to strain those strings."

"Yes sir…" Seliph begrudgingly answered as he rubbed his arm, though not on the stitches. "Though, sir, could you look at my brother?"

The Healer raised a brow as he glanced at the two remaining children. "Which one?"

"The Totodile."

"Oh." The Healer marched on over to Jaron, levitating his bag alongside him as he leaned in close, causing Jaron to shrivel back. "Open your mouth."

"Uh…" Jaron stuttered, but seconds later opened his maw. He about gagged as he felt his tongue get held down by some strange force.

"Relax," The Healer requested, his eyes glowing with a pink light. "Now…say 'aaaaaaahhhh'."

Jaron obeyed and the Hypno leaned in closer, his eyes shifting from the pinkish light to a mix of pink and cyan blue. "Hmmm…" The Hypno then pulled back and gently shut Jaron's mouth.

"Now, stay still."

The Totodile started shaking, prompting the Hypno to sigh and pressed his finger to the Totodile's forehead. "Stay still, as best you can."

"O-o-okay." Jaron squeaked as he shut his eyes, trying to calm down.

Ciecro scowled. Can't dat healeh be gentleh. The Charmander crossed his arms as he watched, till Seliph walked over. "Wha's he doin'?" Ciecro whispered.

"I'm guessing checking his vitals." Seliph sat down next to the Charmander, the two focusing squarely on Jaron's evaluation.

It was a tense few minutes until the Hypno removed his hand from Jaron's head, the light in his eyes dimming down to normal. "Twould seem to be fever."

"Poor thing. Will he be alright?" The Lanturn inquired, with the worry as if it was one of her grandchildren that was sick.

"His body is fighting it fine, but, just for precaution, I would like for him to stay at my house for tonight at the least."

"What‽" Jaron exclaimed, hopping off the rock to protest as if all the fear in his body was replaced with incredible amounts of courage.

Seliph raised a fist to his mouth and gave a purposely loud cough. Once Jaron was looking at him, the Frogadier looked at the Healer.

"It's only for tonight, son," The Hypno assured the Totodile as he reached into his bag and pulled out some flat, square plank. "I want to make sure you can get what you need in case the situation is worth than presented. We shouldn't take unnecessary risks, no?"

Ciecro's eyes went wide as the Hypno gently tossed the object in front, but instead of it slamming onto the floor it floated in the air completely still. The Charmander noticed the stranger's eyes were glowing again, this time with a solid pink light like when he held Jaron's tongue down. He watched the mon extend his fingers, causing the plank object to stretch out until it'd almost triple in size. The Healer then psychically lowered it to the floor and gestured for Jaron to get on.

Jaron looked at Ciecro and then Seliph. "Bu-"

Seliph gave a nod, and Jaron sighed. The Totodile crawled onto the plank, gasping as he suddenly felt it rise underneath him.

"Alright, shall we go?" The healer said to the two brothers.

"Come on," Seliph said to Ciecro as he got up from the rock, Ciecro following immediately after.

"Wait a minute, you two."

The boys looked at the Lanturn, who was shaking her head.

"You two should stay here for the night."

They both shared a blank stare, then looked back at the fish to deny the offer.

However, she was faster. She shook her head and said, "Now, now, I understand. You two want to be with your brother, but don't worry. Healer Uximo is very kind and Jaron will be taken care of." Her eyes went softer as she looked from one to another. "You boys also look very famished. It would be very terrible of me not to give you some form of hospitality."

"Thank you, bu-"

"Plus, Uximo, you only have one bed in the guest room, no?"

The Hypno started rubbing his chin, a little embarrassed at her point.

"And we can't have these poor children sleep on the floor without something, now can we?"

"Thank you miss-"

"Please, call me Dresha."

"Okay." Seliph sighed. "Thank you Miss Dresha, but like you said. I'd rather we be wit-."

"Now, now, no fussing. An old fish like me doesn't get such opportunities to help out such weary travelers like you. Plus, I'm sure you'll appreciate a nicer meal and warmer lodgings than being on the floor and whatever leftovers Healer Uximo has."

Warmer huh. Ciecro raised a skeptical brow as the strange mon's grunting nabbed everyone's attention.

"As much as I hate to agree, Miss Dresha is correct. You both would be in good hands…or rather fins."

"W-wait a second," Jaron squealed, shivering on the plank-like tall grass in the wind. He looked at the two and after a big gulp said, "I'll…I'll be okay. So don't w-w-worry."

A small smirk formed on Ciecro's face. Heh, yeh. A'ight.

They watched in silence as the Healer left with their brother, ascending the rocky staircase until they vanished in the darkness above. A cold, fearful feeling filled Ciecro's heart despite knowing Jaron was going to be alright. Perhaps it was just the aesthetics of their current environment that made him feel this way, but he decided figuring that out should be for later.

He turned around to see Seliph had already started talking with Miss Dresha.

Hmm…I'll le' 'im do dah talkin'. Ciecro took the liberty to walk around. The underground room wasn't too expansive, probably the size of three rooms of their old house, yet it was far taller. It also was very empty. Aside from a few large rocks that likely were chairs for the land dwellers, there wasn't much going on at all, just a few Emura lights dotted here and there along the walls.

The hovel honestly looked pretty boring, though one thing caught his eye. It was another staircase on the other side of the room that led down. When he walked up to it, his eyes widened at seeing some light coming from a room at the end of the small staircase.

Glancing back to see the two still engrossed in their talking, Ciecro decided to head down on his own. These steps felt dry and the area felt much warmer compared to the first room.

When he reached the bottom, his jaw dropped. "Woah…" It was like he had just stepped out of the darkest nights into the brightest of days. The inside was lit up by various emura lights decorating the vicinity, each one shining brighter than all the emuras in the previous room combined. There was wooden furniture, various trinkets, a carpet, even some interesting-looking wood carvings.

Everything felt so enticing to look at he didn't know where to start. However, one thing managed to stand out to him. It was a large open pool of water, cupped on the other side of the room next to a large stone bed similar to his parent's bed.

As he got closer, he noticed there was a wooden stand next to this bed that was resting between it and the water hole. On the top of it, rested what looked like a picture frame. He gently reached out and took the frame in his hands, moving it so the light from the room helped him see the image.

It was a hand drawing of what looked like an underwater scene. It depicted two mons swimming in this vast ocean, swirling in a way that seemed to indicate some kind of underwater play. He instantly spotted Miss Dresha in there, her face looking relatively the same though something about it made Ciecro think she was younger looking. The other one made the Charmander raise a brow.

It was a much bigger mon, one he'd never seen before. It lacked feet like the fish and had what looked like fins, but they didn't seem scaly like Dresha's. The mon's face also looked like some white plant, floating in the water. This mon's eyes were shut, but with an expression that indicated having a great time.

Ciecro gasped as he noticed the mon had large tusks on his mouth. They extended far below the mon's chin. "Woah," he peered closer, trying to match a mon name and description to whatever this creature was until a splashing of water nabbed his attention.

"Ah, there you are." Miss Dresha's head popped out of the hole. Her eyes widened as she spotted the frame in his hands, curling into a sweet smile. "Isn't it a lovely drawing?"

"Uh…" Ciecro looked at it one more time like he hadn't looked at it before and wanted to get a brief glance to not be lying when he answered, "Yeh."

"I always loved that drawing. We got that one our twentieth anniversary."

"We?" Ciecro looked around the room, almost anticipating this other figure to hop out at any moment and surprise him.

"Yes…my late husband."

"Oh." He froze up, feeling a little guilty for bringing it up. He placed the frame back on the stand, with the motions of someone that felt he'd violated something sacred.

"He was quite the trooper. Always had to be busy, busy, busy."

Ciecro raised a brow as he stared back. She didn't seem too sad talking about someone she cared about that died. "Busy?" Ciecro absent-mindedly repeated.

"Yes. He hated being idle. In fact, moving here was his idea because of how much more demand there would be for our wares. Which meant more growing for him." She giggled into her fins. "He even went as far as to get the whole lake bed for it."

"Wha'?" Ciecro stared at her dumbfounded. Yah can buy a lake, like dat?

"Yes, farming is very time-consuming. Of course, it didn't take up all his time." She gestured outwards to all the various things in the room. "He loved crafts as well." She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "I still remember the first little wooden carving he gave me." Suddenly, she shook her head. "But enough of that, you must be famished. Come, I've got some food ready."

Before Ciecro could so much as blink, Dresha dove into the water. His stomach started to growl at food being mentioned and a shaky, dreadful feeling filled his mind. She's a fish. Fish live in wateh…fish eat stuff from dah wateh… Ciecro covered his mouth as he felt his body convulse at the thought.

"Yuck…" Gulping, he eyed the stairs with a weak stare. It felt like an eternity for him as he had to fight himself to just climb up the steps. Why watehfood? I hate dat stuff. He grumbled to himself, trying to shove down imagining how bad it was going to be with ranting.

As he reached the top, he saw on one of the rocks near the large body of water sat a wide plate. It had a pile of these red things that looked so weird and estranged, Ciecro had to look away and cover his mouth. Dat's messed up.

"Ah, there you are, Deary. Come, come, it's all nice and fresh." Dresha called out.

Taking a deep breath, Ciecro took his hand away and tried his best to compose himself. He took heavy steps to the rock and sat down in front of it, eyeing the feat of frights in front. He'd almost prefer if all that red stuff in front was guts or something. At least that was stuff on land and not whatever horrors waited in the deepest trenches of the underwater banks.

"Are you alright, Deary?"

Ciecro shot up in his chair, staring right at Dresha, who was looking at him with concern.

"Oh…yeah," he lied, as he looked back at the pile. "Uhm…" Glancing at Seliph, Ciecro got the unfortunate show of Seliph shoving one of them into his mouth.

Everything inside the Charmander's body cringed as he pushed forwards just so his body wouldn't lurch onto the floor. Be brave…It's food, I guess. He reached out and grabbed one of the red things, recoiling a little at how squishy it felt.

Slowly, he raised it to his face, eyeing it with a face full of dread.

"Don't worry deary, you'll like it."

Ciecro glanced over at Dresha, who was smiling at him. "I know it looks bad, but give it a try." Something about her gaze seemed to almost reason his stomach into calming down. Maybe it was that she had that 'old, sweet lady' feeling about her that'd set his mind at ease. Alas, he put on a brave face, shut his eyes, opened his mouth, and shoved the horrible food into his mouth.

He sat there, frozen in shock. He'd just shoved one of those things into his mouth. It bobbed inside like it was alive, making Ciecro lurch forwards, barely avoiding a faceplant by grabbing the sides of the rock. His eyes were wide and bulging as his body wanted to gag.

Then, a brow raised. A strange taste had surfaced. It was faint but sweet. Pulling back, Ciecro used his tongue to feel around as he looked to the side with a quizzical gaze. He dared to push his jaw down on it, causing more of that inner juice to pour out.

Instantly, his eyes went wide. "Shit dis is good!" He lurched for another one and shoved it into his mouth, biting down on it instantly and thus getting an even stronger thrust of flavor on his taste buds.

"Verbiage aside, I'm glad you liked it," Dresha said with a cheery smile.

"What is this?" Ciecro asked, not bothering to gulp down the food in his mouth.

"Rosenarp."

"Rosenarp?" Ciecro repeated, looking back at the pile.

"Yes. It's quite the ugly-looking thing, but inside it's simply delightful.

He stared at the pile, wondering how on the planet a name like that could have been given to this. Then his eyes widened as a theory popped up. "Oh! Like a Magikarp?"

Dresha stared at him with a rather awkward look. Eventually, they closed as she chuckled softly. "I…suppose you could say that."

Raising a brow, Ciecro looked at Seliph for some answer, but the Frogadier seemed busy staring at his second Rosenarp with a serious stare.

Seliph? Ciecro opened his mouth to ask Seliph what was wrong, but Dresha was quicker.

"Its name is derived from it being known as the 'the appalling sea rose'," Dresha corrected, as she floated closer to the pile to flick one of them up in the air with her headlight and let it soar into her waiting mouth. "It's a very popular underwater plant to grow." Her eyes shut as she smiled with a look of pride. "It's quite rare to have such plants be grown so far inland, but my husband and I have been growing these little things here for forty years."

"Forty years‽" Ciecro exclaimed, causing her to laugh.

"Yes. When we decided to move further inland, we decided to learn how to grow these things to sweeten any deal we could get. And just like that, we were able to farm the lake here and produce these for the town for a living. It was a wonderful opportunity."

"Wow, dat's really cool," Ciecro commented, then shoved another into his mouth, absolutely melting at the taste again. As the Charmander feasted on the good seafood, Seliph suddenly placed his Rosenarp down and stood up.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

"Oh, no trouble deary. Aren't you hungry?"

"No ma'am. That one was very filling."

Ciecro lowered the next Rosenarp from his mouth, staring at Seliph with surprise. Is he lyin' While Ciecro tried to look for tells to answer this, Seliph gave a little head bow towards the fish, saying.

"If you don't mind, where will we be sleeping?"

"Oh, thank you for reminding me!" Dresha exclaimed as she pushed back further into the pool of water. "I need to get it all set up."

"Do you need some help?"

"Oh no, I'll be fine. You two just rest. I'll be right back."

A quarter of a second later, she dove into the cave pond and vanished into some hole near the bottom.

"Heh, an' she said she was 'slow'." Ciecro chuckled, though he quickly ceased at seeing Seliph stare at the pond with a heavy look in his eyes. "Seliph?"

Ciecro got up from his seat and walked over. "Are yah okay?"

Seliph sighed. "I just…" The Frogadier looked at the side. The gaze seemed to be full of bother, like a healer that couldn't seem to figure out a cure for a condition.

"Don' worry," Ciecro said with a smile. "Jaron is gonna be a'ight."

"But what then?"

"Huh?"

Seliph looked at him, staring at the Charmander in silence. A silence filled the room, the kind that felt like a crypt as Ciecro stared into Seliph's blue eyes with a confused sense of unfamiliarity.

The Frogadier's question almost seemed rhetorical. Like he wasn't asking Ciecro for answers, but someone else. Someone hiding around. It was enough to make Ciecro take a quick check just to be sure. "Seliph?"

The Frogadier blinked.

"Seliph, wha's wrong?" The Charmander walked closer, as Seliph kept his stare on the Charmander, almost as if he just realized Ciecro was in the room. "Is dis abou'…" Ciecro sighed as he looked back at the Frogadier. "Yah know I'm sorry fo' breakin' my prawmise, righ'?"

Seliph sighed. "It's not that." The water type moved his right hand over his left wrist and began to rub it. "I just…I'm not…" Suddenly, Seliph shook his head. "Nevermind, I'm just overthinking it."

"Ovehtinkin' wha'?"

The Frogadier sighed and looked at the side. His gaze shifted from the uncertain look before into a stern one, almost like someone he didn't like walked into the room.

Wha's eatin' 'im? Ciecro wondered, right as Miss Dresha returned, eliminating any opportunity to ask the Frogadier.

"Sorry, about that." She said, swimming towards the edge of her pool.

Seliph stepped forwards, startling Ciecro as he asked, "Miss Dresha?"

"Yes, Deary?"

"Can, I talk to you about something?"

"Oh of course."

Seliph turned around, looking at Ciecro. "You should head to bed."

The Charmander's eyes widened. "Huh?"

A heavy sigh followed. "Please Ciecro. It's not going to be pleasant."

"O-oh…" Ciecro nodded as he walked towards the stares, a scowl forming. 'Not pleasant' eh. He stomped his way down to about halfway before looking back up the stairs.

Wha' is he talkin' abou' wit 'er? Is it abou' dah attack? He leaned up against the wall. Guess he doesn' want me awound when talkin' abou' dat. I ge' it, bu'…It's not like I don' know abou' it already. His frustrations turned to determination as he crept up the stairs, lowering himself to all fours as he peeked above the top one.

Seliph and Dresha were busy talking, Seliph's face looking heavy and tired while hers looked sympathetic and shocked.

Guess he is talkin' abou' dah attack. Ciecro moved down a step and rolled onto his back. I…I shouln' be listenin' on in 'im. Bu' I don' geh why I can't. He folded his claws together and began to fiddle with them. He could hear their conversation, though not make out every word. It wouldn't be hard to listen in from this vantage point and avoid detection, though his conscience nagged at him.

Rolling on his side, Ciecro started lightly tapping his fingers onto the wood as his eyes lowered. Wha' am I doin'? Ciecro looked to his left, remembering the slap he earned yesterday. It's not like we're in an emergency anymo'e.

Quietly, he slid down the steps until he felt it was safe to stand up and walk down the remaining. He looked around at the dimmer room, all the emuras sparkling like faraway stars in this underground room. Despite the less light, the room felt strangely warmer.

"Huh?" The Charmander looked around, trying to find its source, but gave up after just a few minutes. Seliph could be coming down soon and he'd hate to be busted when he had decided to do the right thing. He crawled up on the large stone bed, surprised by how warm it felt, and climbed to the far end.

"Woah…" he pressed down on the cushioned surface. It didn't feel like straw, but something foamier like. Whatever it was, it was enticing to push down. So much so, Ciecro flopped forwards and let himself melt into it. "Damn, dis is nice."

His eyes shot open as he rolled onto his back. A sigh of relief followed upon seeing his tail hadn't caught anything on fire. Wai' is it fireproof? He grabbed his tail and pressed it down upon the cloth below him. "Woah." He then reached for the cotton blanket and did the same. "Neato."

His curiosity grew as he realized the blanket felt a little slick. "Is it coated in something?" He leaned back, resting his head on a sack that likely was filled with some kind of straw, and just kept rubbing his claws on the soft cover.

Wow, Mom neveh told me dey made blankets like dis. Slowly, his drowsiness began to surface, causing him to let go and just lie there. He stared up at the ceiling, eyes narrowing as he drifted off, or rather, tried to drift off.

He rolled onto his side as he tried to push the nagging thought away. Unfortunately, it kept pestering him as it rubbed deeper and deeper into his soul.

Wha' are we gonna do now? He imagined Seliph's face again when the Frogadier mentioned it. The Charmander's eyes scowled while shut, as he was reminded of how off it felt. I hope he's okay. Opening his eyes a little, Ciecro stared at the empty spot next to him. I wondeh if he's scared too. Probably worried, bu'…I wish he'd tell me how tah help. Ciecro pressed his cheek further onto the comfortable sack. I don' wan' 'im tah worry.

Time dragged on as Ciecro struggled to fall asleep despite his fatigue. It would have upset him if he wasn't so tired.

Suddenly, he heard a thumping sound, prompting him to open an eye. Seliph? Sure enough, he saw the Frogadier, but Seliph wasn't on the bed next to him. Instead, he was sitting on the opposite wall near an emura, staring at something.

It was the vial. Its red, transparent liquid refracted the light from the Emura in a way that illuminated its transparent interior.

Ciecro felt himself shift a little closer to get a better look. Why's he lookin' at dat? Ciecro shifted his gaze towards Seliph's face. He shivered a little at seeing Seliph's stern, almost angry stare like the vial held some dark image that upset him. Although, Seliph also held that uncertainty in his eyes, or was it hesitation?

The Charmander rolled onto his other side, shutting his eyes tightly. He remembered when he looked directly at the vial and how weird it made him feel. Of course, he didn't regret looking at it, but he didn't want to ever look at the thing up close again. After all, it was the cause of all this chaos in their lives and while it felt a bit unfair to blame some object, it was better than pretending it was something innocent. Mom was sent tah research it. He pointed out in his head as he pulled the covers over more.

His head flooded with so many questions as the world around him felt fuzzy in his sleep-deprived state. It got so bad, he finally just threw the covers off, sat up, and yelled in his head, Jus' lemme sleep, damnit!

"Huh?" He looked to the right, seeing Seliph's spot was still empty. The Charmander glanced around the room and at seeing Seliph nowhere to be found he slid out of his spot. Where is he? Why's he still up? Ciecro felt a chill flow down his spine, unnerving enough to almost wake him out of any fatigue.

Stepping his way up the stairs, Ciecro looked around the dimly lit room. "Seliph?" He whispered, but there was no reply. Wha's goin' on? He mulled as he crept his way to the middle. Turning towards the long staircase to his left, Ciecro gulped and stepped over to it. Doing his best to see amid all the darkness, Ciecro gasped upon noticing he could faintly see a little spot of what looked like the night sky. The door was open.

"Seliph!" he rushed up the stairs as best he could without falling. Why's he out? He kept asking himself as he tried to think of a good reason for Seliph to step out of the safety of this underground home.

Once he reached the top, he looked in all directions. His worry turned to desperation as he couldn't see a single living mon anywhere until he spotted Miss Dresha in the river.

"Dresha!" He said, almost gasping on his words as he rushed towards the edge of the river.

"Ciecro!" She gasped, swimming over to him as he dropped to his knees, out of breath and shivering from the night's cool air once more on his scales.

"Where's Seliph?"

Dresha's eyes lowered. "He…well…"

"Where is he?" Ciecro repeated, his tone low and shaky. Seeing her hesitate, Ciecro got to his feet and shouted, "Where's my brother‽" He looked around and shouted at the top of his lungs. "Seliph! Seliph!"

"Ciecro."

He paused, almost out of surprise at the tone of authority from Miss Dresha. The Charmander looked at her, as she stared back with a sympathetic look.

"Ciecro…He's not here."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. I just know he left."

Ciecro gasped as she swam up and lifted herself a little out of the river, just to look into his eyes better. "I woke up in the middle of the night and saw him going up the staircase. I went after him and asked him what he was doing, but he ignored me."

Wha's goin' on? He lef'? Why?

"I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't listen."

"Stop it! Yah're ly-" Ciecro wanted to finish that sentence as bad as he felt tears begin to form. His gaze lowered as he dropped down to all fours. I don' undehstand.

"I'm so sorry. I tried, but he told me he couldn't stay here."

"Huh?" Ciecro raised his gaze, staring into her gentle gaze.

Her gaze faltered.

Not satisfied with her silence, Ciecro snapped, "Why? Why did yah let 'im go on his own?"

Miss Dresha's gaze remained fixed on Ciecro's, almost as if they were pushing against each other with their eyes. "He said that if I didn't let him go…then everyone in the town would die."

Ciecro froze still, the events that played over the com. That massacre of the rangers resounded.

"I…didn't know what to say."

Falling back, Ciecro stared at the ground, sniffling. "I…" he brushed his face. "I don' undehstand." He stiffened as he saw she was staring at the ground in front, a small amount of anger on her face.

"Miss Dresha?" Ciecro leaned forwards as she looked at him with a look that bore sympathy and yet angered. "Did he say wha' he was doin'? Where he was goin'?"

"Dear…"

Ciecro kept up his desperate stare until Miss Dersha motioned him to come closer. He complied and leaned in as she whispered the words, "He just said, 'don't look for me and tell them-'." She froze up, her eyes drifting to the side with a look of guilt.

"Tell us wha'?" Ciecro pressed, impatiently.

"That...he orders you both to stay here and not to look for him. And if you disobey you would be spitting on your parent's graves."

Ciecro froze as his heart felt like it fell into his stomach. "He…he said dat?"

Miss Dresha slowly nodded. Suddenly, she swam to the other side and returned with something in her fin.

Once Dresha tossed it on the bank. Ciecro recognized the key to the box with the vial in it.

"He said, if you care…you will obey. And that if you two don't believe me, to give you this as proof."

Ciecro picked up the key, his claws shaking as he eyed the object. Tears started to form as he clenched tighter on it, pressing it to his forehead as his anger and sadness peaked into a loud cry.

O

A roar resounded in Ciecro's head as he shot up, panting heavily and looking around for the origin of the noise. His body calm down as he realized it was just some dumb dream. His eyes narrowed as he looked down at the covers in front.

Without looking, he reached over to the nightstand and pulled out an orb. Twisting it, it beamed a hologram up that displayed in large numbers, '5:00'.

He grumbled as he waited out his eyes to adjust to the light. Geez, he shut it off and placed it back on the dresser, yawning as he slid off the bed and stretched his arms.

Suddenly, he froze. Glancing behind, Ciecro noticed a lump under the covers next to him move slightly, but then lay still followed by the sound of snoozing.

A very quiet sigh followed as Ciecro crept his way over to the staircase, reaching over to grab a travel sack from the dark and sling it over his shoulder. As he ascended the stairs, he paused to take one last glance back at the bed. Get some rest, Jaron. His head moved forwards as he pressed onwards, going through the next room, and up the long flight of stairs till he reached the wooden door in front.

He reached for a lever and pulled, causing gears no more than a foot away from him to grind and twist. The door creaked as it opened and he stepped out at the first opportunity.

Taking in a deep breath of the outside air, Ciecro took a couple of steps to the edge overseeing the lake. His eyes softened as he looked at how the water sprawled far as well as the fogginess that would stay till the end of morning.

Lowering his head, Ciecro turned to walk over to the stream and look at his reflection. While it was hard to make out deeper details, he could very well see his orange eyes and his well-built Charmeleon body.

His eyes shut as his mind drifted for what felt like a lifetime away.

Eventually, he started walking down a trail that led around the large lake, taking a sharp turn at a specific hill. As he reached the top, he left the bag over his shoulder slide off, and land in the grass as he softly walked closer.

He knelt and stared deeply at four rocks.

"It's almos' a week away." His eyes drifted to one on the far left. "Pray fo' me, will yah guys?" He stood up and looked up at the sky. "I'm…I don' wanna screw dis up. So…" his eyes shut. "Well…yah know. Thanks fo'…looking out fo' me."

He turned around and picked up his sack, throwing it over his shoulder, marching down the hill with a determined scowl on his face.