Amara, Arven, Penny, and Nemona all found their way out of the west gate leaving Mesagoza. Trish hailed a flying taxi from the plaza, and Allie had left through the south gate. Now the four friends were tooling along through Cortondo, Arven leading the pack. The group turned to head north, and after another hour or so of driving, they found the lighthouse in the distance. Nemona took note of the boulders rolling down the hill separating them from their destination and remarked, "Arven, is that supposed to happen?"
Arven thought for a moment, then nodded. "If we think of the titan Pokémon as just humongous versions of regular Pokémon, then I think this rock dropping could be a Bombirdier, just with bigger rocks." He looked at the boulders falling from the hillside again. "Amara, do you see the pattern?" Arven shouted. "Koraidon and Miraidon should be able to weave between the boulders if we time it right. Are you ready?"
"Motherfucker, I was born ready." Amara called as Penny held onto Amara's waist more tightly. Arven and Koraidon moved into position to lead. "Stay close, Amara." Arven called, then he gave a countdown, and the two Pokémon went charging up the hillside. Amara kept Miraidon as close to Koraidon as possible as they wove past the boulders. Arven reached the top and pulled out a Pokéball. Nemona leapt from Koraidon's back and tossed out her own Pokémon, a Beartic. Arven's Pokéball opened to reveal a Bellibolt and Amara and Penny entered the battle a moment later.
"Jolteon, go!" Penny called as her Pokéball opened. Amara went to her belt and pulled out a Pokéball of her own. She tossed the ball onto the field to reveal a Pikachu. "Alright, everyone. Let's work together, give 'em hell!" Amara shouted as the three Pokémon rushed into battle. Sparks flew from Bellibolt and Jolteon, then Beartic unleashed an Ice Beam. "Pikachu, Volt Tackle." Amara called as she passed a glowing, yellow sphere to Pikachu. The Pokémon caught it and electricity wreathed Pikachu's body. Pikachu charged, then leapt into the air, striking Bombirdier square in the chest. The bird let out a cry and tossed a boulder into the hillside. "There, it's going for the Herba Mystica!" Arven called. Pikachu was still on Bombirdier's back, so Amara called for Pikachu to hit the Pokémon with a Thunderbolt. Pikachu erupted into a powerful burst of electricity, and Bombirdier came crashing to the ground, unconscious.
"Excellent work, team. Let's go see how much of this stuff there is this time." Arven announced as he jogged into the cave. "Holy shit, there's a crap ton in here!" The crew heard as Arven held a pair of scissors in one hand and a mixing bowl full of Herba Mystica in the other. "Have a seat, ladies, and I'll have some super delicious food made in just a few minutes. Arven put down the bowl and Koraidon and Miraidon sniffed the Herba Mystica inside. "No, stay away from that. We need it all for mab-. Fuck."
"So, you do have an ulterior motive, huh, Arven?" Amara asked as she pulled Miraidon away from the bowl. Arven was silent for a minute as he crushed the leaves of the Herba Mystica to powder. After a minute, he pulled out a Pokéball.
"Yeah," he said as he tossed the Pokéball and a Mabosstiff came out, then crumpled. "Mabosstiff got hurt the last time I tried to see my parents in person. Got hurt is putting it mildly, I guess." He shook the Herba Mystica onto the sandwiches he made and offered a platter to the girls. "And you," He turned to Mabosstiff on the floor. "You get a big, delicious sandwich." He offered the bread to Mabosstiff, who dazedly ate a few bites. After a he finished, he gave a weak bark to Arven.
"Did it work?" Penny asked as she took a bite of her own sandwich. Amara took one and broke it in half to give to Koraidon and Miraidon, then Arven finally bit into his own sandwich. "Yeah, He hasn't barked since Mirai- since he got hurt." Arven looked down at the sandwich and smiled. "It's working, just slowly. We have three more Herba Mystica to find, and when Mabosstiff eats them all, he should be back to his old self. As long as the legends are true."
"Arven, I feel for you. My grief is yours." Penny said as she placed a hand on Arven's shoulder. "If I even came close to losing one of my veevees, I would be absolutely distraught." Arven nodded along to Penny's words.
"This is cure attempt number eight. I've gone through all the biology texts, all of the medical texts." He looked at Mabosstiff as tears welled up in his eyes. "If this doesn't work, I'm going to lose him." He pulled out Mabosstiff's Pokéball and recalled Mabosstiff. "I know where I need to go next. There're rumors of a giant worm in the desert north of Levincia. I'll give you girls a call if I find anything." Everyone nodded back and then Amara paused. "So, are you not meeting us in Cascarrafa? I think that's where we're all headed." Arven shook his head and informed the group that he had to do what he could to find the Herba Mystica before Mabosstiff's condition worsened, but that he'd have a lot more free time when his partner was better.
"By Azelf's grace, Arven, go save your boy."