Pokémon Mistery Dungeon: The Missing Project (Rewritten!)

by Lupingllogi111

Jake didn't know what happened when he awoke and realized he had turned into a Pokémon. All he knew was that his regular life had been replaced, and now, he will have to blend in, bond with new partners, and most importantly, try to unravel the misteries of the world he is in and save it from a criminal guild that plans to take over the world with the power of an abomination...

14. Chapter 12: The Escape

Chapter 12: Running away

---

Jake! Please, tell me you're alright...

Calm down, worrywat! I'm sure he's just sleeping.

...

It's you two again. You've been in my dreams a few times now. What the hell do you want?

I'm so sorry about what happened. Did you and your friends manage to get out of the town safely?

Yeah. Why do you even care? Who are you?

Come on, stop keeping things for yourself! He's gonna find out eventually!

Ugh, fine! I suppose there is no point in hiding it anymore. Jake, you have been brought into this world to save it from destruction.

You mean the Rocket Guild?

Yes and no. The Rocket Guild itself is not the problem. What they want to do and how they want to do it is what concerns us.

What do they want to do exactly?

The catastrophe. The reason behind that bunker's humans' disappearance.

Yeah. They want to force that... thing to help them and conquer the world. And if they do that, we'll have a serious problem in our paws.

The... catastrophe?

Yeah, that's how we all call it.

I believe you and your friends know where to go next?

If you are talking about that island, we do.

Very well then. We have to leave now. There are a lot of Pokémon paying attention to the slightest of movements, and the psychic link we created to talk to you may be discovered. Goodbye for now, and stay safe.

Wait! At least tell me who you are!

...

I am Celebi, guardian of what you call Illex Forest

And I'm Mew! Nice to meet you, Jakey!

Wait, what?!

Don't worry about that! You'll see us soon enough!

---

...

I slowly fluttered my eyes open and was greeted by the morning sun shining brightly above us.

I tried to move, but my arm was being pinned down by Ember. She had rolled on top of it while sleeping.

God, now I have to stay cuddled up with her? Oh, how will I ever recover from this? I ironically thought, moving a bit closer to her and closing my eyes again.

Some more sleep won't hurt...

After a few minutes, Ember unconsciously rolled closer, with her face just a few inches away from mine.

What the-?! Don't do this to me!

I could swear someone laughed at that moment.

A few minutes later, which felt like hours to me, I finally made up my mind and decided to wrap my arms around her, now feeling a lot warmer than before.

Despite not wanting to, I felt a small smile forming in my face.

"Jake, what are you doing?"

"Hm?"

My eyes shot open and I saw the now awake Braixen looking at me with a confused expression, all while her red face denoted embarassment.

"Oh! Uhhh... you were shivering a bit while you were sleeping, so I thought you would appreciate some heat" I lied, looking away and blushing.

She raised a brow. "Are you lying to me?"

"Alright, fine! I was just cold, okay? You were on top of one of my arms, so I took advantage of that, and brought you closer! Sorry if you didn't want to..." I partially lied again, and blushed even more.

"Just that? Don't worry about it. We were huddled up like that for that very reason. I don't mind at all. Plus, I was on top of your arm anyway, wasn't I? At least you brought me closer instead of pushing me away"

"Why would I push you away?"

"To get me off your arm? I kinda weigh a bit, you know?"

"You said it!"

Both of us giggled. "Should we get up?" Ember asked.

"But it's so comfy like this..." I said in a fake whinny tone.

"I know, but I think we should... you know, get to safety as soon as we can? There will be plenty of time to be lazy when we get out of this dungeon without getting stabbed by a certain Sylveon. There's also... Kit"

"Yeah, you're right... Are you okay, by the way? You looked so hurt yesterday"

"It was just the tension of the moment. It was a hard day, and that didn't help. I think I'm better now"

"Glad to hear that"

We spent a few more minutes hugging each other, until we decided it was enough, and got up.

Kit and Marshtomp were in a similar position as we were, albeit more separated from each other. Both of them were deeply asleep.

"Should we wake them up?" I asked.

"Probably? Don't be too harsh, though"

I kneeled next to Marshtomp and poked one of the fins he had on his head.

"What are you doing?" Ember questioned.

"I don't know. I think this worked when he was a Mudkip. It always made him wake up"

I poked a few more times, and Marshtomp's eyes opened up slowly. He looked around a few times before finally seeing me.

"Wakey, wakey!"

"Bo- I mean, Jake? Is that you?"

"Of course I am! Who would I be?"

"I don't know! It was just... I thought everything had been a dream" He sighed, straightening himself.

"Mmrrg?" Mumbled Kit doing the same with a groggy face.

"Great, you are awake too! Glad to see that I won't need to use the shake trick to wake you up!" Ember told him, jokingly.

"Yeah..." He replied with a forced smile, and without making eye contact.

Kit...

"Come on, cheer up! We can't afford to be depressed in times like this!" I tried to reassure him, offering my paw.

"I don't deserve it" He replied, smacking my it away and laying down once again.

"Oh, come on! You can't be serious! That's not the Kit I know!"

"The Kit you know never existed. It was just a façade to try to hide my past, which has come back for me stronger than ever, if you hadn't noticed already"

"Liar" Interjected Ember, to the surprise of all. "For as long as I have known you, you have always been the same cheerful, and sometimes mischievous Kit. Never have I had the minimum suspicion that it could be a façade. I know how you really are"

"Oh, you do?!" Kit yelled, standing up. "You really think that the leader of a fucking criminal organization is going to walk around town showing his true colors?! Why do you think no one knew I was the one behind everything, huh? I've been hiding since I joined that sect, and it has never changed! How are you so sure that I haven't been lying to you since the start?! How do you know that I am not planning on backstabbing you all and run away afterwards, huh?! How do you know?!" He snarled.

"Because you tried to kill yourself in front of me five years ago, asshole!"

Those words made Kit stumble. "You want to know how I know that you aren't going to run away? You wanna know why I know that you never lied to me? Because you tried to jump off a building in front of the town because of your past! You'd have to be so sick to make a scene like that, earn the trust of so many Pokémon, and then betray all of them for an organization for which you attempted to commit suicide! I know the real Kit is not the heartless monster that the leader of that guild was, but the one you showed to us! I really don't know why did you ever think joining that place was a good idea, but you clearly don't think like that now!"

No one dared to speak. A heavy silence fell over our group, as everyone awaited for a response.

So that was how they met? I'm... so sorry for Kit.

At last, someone broke the silence. Kit had begun to cry. "Fuck! I hate how you... know me so well!" He laughed, between the sobs.

Ember and I ran towards him and hugged Kit tightly, to which he returned the gesture. He began crying even harder. "It's okay, big guy. Let it all out" I reassured.

"I'm so sorry. Fuck, I'm so sorry I talked to you like that!"

"It's okay. When someone bottles up their emotions, they have to let them all out somehow" Ember told him.

"That's still no excuse to vent at you like that!"

"Shut up. I already accepted your apologies"

"I-... Someone like me doesn't deserve friends like you..."

For what felt like hours, we remained hugging Kit until his sobs slowly died down. That's when we broke the hug.

"I... feel so much better now" He sniffed, wiping his last tear.

"Thank Arceus, because I couldn't take this tension anymore!" Ember laughed.

"You think you are ready to talk about it?" I asked him.

"I'd prefer if we waited until we were in an actually safe place"

"Got it"

"So we are leaving?" Interjected Marshtomp, who had remained silent this whole time.

"Yeah. We should go to the nearest town, which is... ummm..." I tried to say.

"Sunny Town?" Ember helped.

"I guess?"

"I suppose our final destination is Seabound Town?" Kit questioned.

"Yeah. I don't know how we are going to make it across the water, though. Do we have to rent a boat?"

"No need. We just need to make it to Lively Town. I have a friend there that works as a captain. I'm sure she can help us" Ember answered.

"Lively Town?! That is at least a week of travelling on paw!" Kit exclaimed.

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"...no"

"Then let's go. I'm starting to feel claustrophobic in here..." Said Ember while she walked to the exit.

"Wait!" Kit stopped her. "We have to make sure the coast is clear!" He proceeded to stick his head out and look around.

"Can't you turn us invisible?" Asked Marshtomp.

"It's not going to work anymore. They'll have counter measures for my illusions. Lilith is going to have Lucario and Riolu all over the surrounding area, so being invisible won't be an option"

"That's gonna be a problem..." Marshtomp agreed.

"Then what do we do?" I asked him.

"We have to get out of the dungeon, and hope that it spits us out as far from them as possible"

"And what if they see us?" Ember questioned.

"Run. And don't look back. If they catch you, you are done for. They won't let you escape twice. If anything of that sort happens, we'll meet at Sunny Town in two days max, got it?"

"Now I know why you are this tactical sometimes"

"The façade can't be perfect, can it?"

Before long, we were walking down the narrow paths of the dungeon. We did our best to avoid fighting any ferals we found along the way, but sometimes we had to scare them so that they'd go away.

"When we climb the last stairs, we'll be surrounded by thick shrubbery. Keep a low profile and don't make any sound. If you hear anything that isn't the voice of any of us, freeze. If they see you, your best bet is to run, and hope for the best. Remember, if they don't see you, don't move. If for example, I have to run, but they haven't seen you, stay still. Remember that we'll meet in Sunny Town in two days. If someone is missing by that time... you'll have to assume that they've been captured and move on. Did you get it?" Kit explained.

"Loud and clear, cap'n!"

"Thought you were the leader?"

"I'm giving you temporary leadership until we arrive to that town. I have no idea of what's going on, so I'm in no position to lead"

"Thanks for the promotion" Kit joked.

"Glad to have the old Kit back" Ember commented.

"Me too. Being all depressed doesn't fit me at all"

The last stairs were not too difficult to find. But they were surrounded by sleeping Breloom, which we made sure not to wake up. Not even a second after we got out of the dungeon, we heard someone talking.

"Is this even practical? This dungeon can spit you out in so many places! They could be anywhere!"

"Ugh, can you stop complaining just for five minutes?! You are driving me crazy! And you know I can't scan the area if you don't let me concentrate!" A different voice complained.

"I forgot you have a delicate aura sense! I still don't know how we can be friends when you are this annoying!"

"Go fuck yourself!"

"Love you too, asshole!"

A small pause.

"Sorry, dude"

"Yeah, I'm sorry too. It's been hours since I last slept"

"Yeah, don't worry about it"

"Woah, those two sound like little kids" I whispered to Ember.

"They probably are" She answered back.

"Jake, aura sense. Tell us who they are" Kit interrupted.

I nodded and concentrated in my aura sense. The blurs had now become actual silhouettes of Pokémon I could distinguish.

"Uhhhh... I think it's a Sentret and... a Riolu, I think. One of them is emitting a strong pulse of aura and it's too small to be a Lucario"

"Yeah, sounds about right. We should keep moving before they spot us"

"Wait, but if you felt the Riolu using his aura, doesn't that mean he can feel-"

"Hey, hold on. I think we are not alone here" The Riolu suddenly interrupted the fire type.

"What?"

"Yeah, there is something that just emitted an aura pulse. I'll check, be ready" He added. We then heard footsteps approaching us.

"Shit! They're onto us!" Marshtomp exclaimed.

"Keep quiet! I have a plan" Kit shut us before his eyes glowed crimson. Suddenly, a small Riolu with bloodshot eyes and what looked like foam coming from his mouth materialized in front of us, standing on all fours.

Not too long after, the regular Riolu walked through the bushes behind which we were hiding, and recoiled back when he saw the fake feral.

He didn't seem to have noticed us.

"Oluuu!" The fake feral growled, before running away towards where we just came from.

The Riolu stood a few seconds looking in that direction with an empty stare before he deeply sighed.

"I really don't get paid enough for this" He muttered, before walking away and explaining what he saw to his partner.

"Phew... Thanks Arceus it worked" Kit sighed.

"Mental note: No aura sense when Riolu or Lucario are around"

"Please" Marshtomp added.

We continued crawling our way between the bushes, making sure to be listening to any voices that didn't beling to any of us.

After a long sneaking session, and almost getting caught by a Lucario passing just in front of us looking around frantically, we saw the end of the woods.

It was a small flat area surrounded by hills. It didn't look like there had been any activity and it was also completely empty.

"Woah! You never told me this place was a thing!" I told Ember.

"I didn't know about this!" She answered.

We walked around the clearing, and I lied down on the grass. "This is amazing! If my life wasn't being threatened, I would fall asleep right here!"

"Yeah! I think I found a new forest clearing!" Ember said, lying down next to me.

"It's been too easy. This is not like Lilith at all..." Kit mumbled, walking in circles.

"Umm, guys? I think I know why we only found two groups of Pokémon in the forest" Interrupted Marshtomp, who was crouched down on top of one of the hills, looking over it.

"What do you-?" Kit tried to ask before widening his eyes. "Oh shit"

Ember and I looked at each other and stood up, doing the same and looking over the hill.

Oh.

The valley at the other side was full of tents and outposts. At least hundreds of Pokémon must have been walking around the camp, talking amongst themselves, and watching for the slightest movements. And in the middle of all of it, there she stood. The ghostly Zoroark was writting something down on a clipboard.

We were surrounded by a thick forest that belonged to the dungeon on all sides, and the only exit was forward, which meant one thing.

We had to get through that camp.

"Now, that's something Lilith would do" Groaned Kit, rolling his eyes annoyingly.

"Are we trapped?"

"Yeah. There is no way to go through the forest that surrounds that settlement, and sneaking through that camp is a suicide mission"

"There's nothing we can do, then?" I asked, worried.

"There is, but it's also a suicide mission. It's also our only bet, however"

"What's the plan?" Marshtomp asked.

"Alright, so notice how Lilith is not under any sort of illusion?"

"What about it?"

"Do you see those tall poles everywhere around the camp?"

I took another look. True to Kit's words, a few tall metal poles with some sort of metallic wiring were built all around the camp. "I do"

"Alright, so those are alarms connected to an illusion detection system, which goes off everytime an illusion is casted near the detectors. That's the only reason why we can't just go invisible and sneak through the camp, and the only reason why Lilith is not hiding her identity"

"Where are you going with this?" Ember questioned.

"Remember how there's a lot of Lucario in the forest and inside the camp?"

"I don't like where this is going..." I said.

"Does it really matter if there is one more?"

"No way! You are not sending Jake down there! We're trying not to let them catch him and you want him to purposefully walk to their front doorstep?!" Ember exclaimed.

"Is there another way, though?" I muttered.

"Jake, you can't seriously be considering going down there!" Marshtomp yelled.

"This is crazy..." Ember mumbled.

"I know it's not a good plan, but it's the only thing we can do! We can't just go down there and ask 'Oh, hey! Could you please let us through?'! Do you think I want to send Jake down there?" Kit replied.

"I'll do it"

"What?!" Ember and Marshtomp exclaimed, looking at me.

"No way I'm letting you go down there alone!" The fire type added.

"I've just gotten you back! There's no way I'll let you disappear again! Much less to the hands of that crazy Zoroark!"

"I already made up my mind. Kit, what do I have to do?"

"Jake!" Ember pleaded. "You can't! There's... gotta be another way! I can't... I just can't lose you! Not after everything you've done for me!"

"Hey! Thanks for that, but who said you are going to lose me? I'm sure Kit's plan has little to no flaws! He was the leader of that thing, right?"

"Thanks for reminding me..." He sarcastically commented.

Ember grabbed my hand and looked at me with a pleading look. "Jake, promise me that you'll come back safe and sound. Please"

"I promise"

"You better! We still got a league to win when all of this is over!" Marshtomp added.

I smiled. "I doubt I'll have the strength to even stand in the battlefield after everything that happened, but you bet I'll keep my promise!"

I turned to Kit. "I'm ready. What's the big plan?"

"Alright. You need to infiltrate that camp and disable or sabotage the illusion detectors. Once that's done, we'll get down there and cross right through the camp while invisible. There is a high chance that we won't cross paths while fleeing the camp, so once you deactivate the main circuit, get out of there. Remember: Sunny Town, two days"

"There's a problem, though. I don't know where Sunny Town is"

"Agh, I forgot about that! Maybe you could steal a map?"

"Or we could meet somewhere after the camp! There's no way the forest goes on until Sunny Town, is there?" Ember suggested.

"That's probably better. Alright, after you deactivate the detectors, keep moving forward until the end of the forest. Then, walk to your right until you find a pond. That's where we'll meet up in case something goes wrong, got it?"

"Loud and clear, cap'n!" I exclaimed, making a salute.

"Alright, but first we should change your appearence a bit"

"What?"

"Yeah. I don't know about you, Boss, but us Pokémon can differentiate individual faces, even if they are from the same species" Explained Marshtomp.

"Exactly. Now... maybe some mud in your face would be good?" Kit said, eyeing him.

"Please, don't-" But I was cut off by the water type using a Mud Shot, covering my face completely.

"Gross..."

"Too much?" He said.

"Maybe. We want to make him look like he came from the forest, not from a dungeon"

"Leave that to me!" He exclaimed, and used a Water Gun, washing off almost all of the mud, save for a few spots.

"Now he looks good!"

"I don't know... I can still recognize him" Ember hummed.

"Yeah... maybe a few scratches..." Kit added, subtly making small cuts on my face with his claws.

"What about his voice? Ember added.

"There's not much we can do about that, is there?"

"I could try not speaking if possible. And when I have to, I'll just change my voice. I knew how to do that pretty well when I was a human"

"Then it's settled. Good luck down there, bud. And don't die" Kit said, patting me on the back.

"Thanks, I'll try. Oh, and Ember?"

"Yeah?"

"If I don't come back, I just want to tell you that I... thank you for everything you've done for me"

"Don't say something like that!"

"Just in case"

I began making my way down the hill, trying my best to have a neutral attitude, but deep down, I was fighting the urge to faint on the spot.

When I arrived to the main entrance of the camp, the guard just gave me a tired glance and went back to reading his book.

Not even asking for me to stop? There really must be a lot of Lucario around here.

The camp consisted of a long line of tents occupying most of the area, and small clearings where a few Pokémon chatted while drinking or eating something.

I forced myself to remember that all of this was enemy territory and even the slightest mistake could lead me to my death.

I walked near a tent that had a long line to enter. It also had a small steaming coffe mug picture on top of some text, which I assumed it meant 'Café' or something of that sort. I had no money on me, so I decided to just stand still and try to spot anything suspicious.

As soon as I thought that, two individuals walked out of the bigger tent. A Girafarig and (what a surprise) a Riolu.

"Seriously, girl. When I saw that crazy advert posted around, I never would have thought something like this could exist" The Girafarig said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate which was being held by psychic energy.

"It's not so bad, is it? And it's kinda fun too! We just have to catch a few bad guys and we'll get some money!" The Riolu responded, drinking from her own mug.

"Yeah, but isn't it weird that they are asking anyone to just try to catch a group of criminals without passing a test first or something? And who are these guys anyway?"

"Who cares who they are! We get money if we help catching them! And this chocolate is so good!"

"If you say so..."

The two friends walked away, talking and bickering about their things. Meanwhile, I looked around to see if there were any prying eyes around and when I confirmed there weren't, I pulled my badge out.

"Kit!"

"Jake? What are you doing? You could get caught if you call us so soon! "

"Listen up, Kit. I just overheard a conversation between two Pokémon and guess what they said!"

"What? "

"They said they came here because of some advert that promised money in exchange of capturing a group of criminals! Us! "

"WHAT?! That's gotta be one of Lilith's tricks for sure! "

"What if I try to convince them that I'm not a criminal so they help me?"

"I don't know about that. You could attract unwanted attention, and that's the last thing we need. Keep going, over "

I grumbled and put the badge back on my bag, deciding to walk around for some more.

There wasn't too much else to see. The camp was made of only tents and more tents, as far as the eye could see. The only thing different was that in the center of the whole settlement, there was a larger tent, with a small hanging sign that had a small angry face under some text.

The drawing of the head of a Zoroark was familiar.

This has got to be Lilith's tent. The boss always gets the best dorms.

Not wanting to be seen too close to her tent, I kept walking down the crowded streets.

All of the Pokémon I walked past were talking amongst themselves, and most were talking about 'how easy it's going to be to get some money', which made me shiver. Luckily, no one seemed to care.

"Hey, you!" A loud shout interrupted my thinking. I freezed on the spot. "Yes, you! Are you deaf or something? Turn around!"

Feeling the sweat drip down my forehead, I slowly turned around and I met face to face with Lilith, still holding onto the clipboard from before.

"What's your ID?"

"Umm..."

Shit, what do I do? I can't just make up an ID, can I?

"ID?"

"Your ID number! I assigned you all one at the meeting this morning!"

"What meeting?"

I resisted the urge to slap my face.

It's so over.

She gave me one last suspicious look before... sighing?

"You are that Jack guy, aren't you? The one that said he was going to arrive late?"

"Wha-? Yeah, I'm that guy!" I answered, nodding nervously.

"Hey, don't be nervous. It's normal that you don't have an ID if you didn't come to the meeting" She chuckled without looking at me, as she was searching for something on the clipboard.

"Yeah..."

"Your ID is 448. You have to uhhh... stand guard at the illusion detectors. Just tell the current guard I sent you and they'll let you alone. They are just down this path. Good luck"

"O-Okay, thanks"

I awkwardly walked away from her and the crowd of curious Pokémon I didn't even know we attracted and headed to the point where 'Jack' was supposed to be.

What if the actual Jack shows up? Best to hope that he doesn't.

The illusion detectors weren't exactly as I expected. I there would be complicated machinery, full of wires and all that sorts of stuff involved, but what I saw reminded me that this world didn't have that type of technology.

It instead blew my mind.

There was a pink sphere that looked like it was made out of glass, connected to at least hundreds of silky strings, and inside of it, there was some sort of black crystal floating, emitting some weird black aura around it.

A Darkinium Z.

Is that the powerhouse of the whole detector? That's amazing! How does this even work? I knew Z-Crystals had very powerful energy since they were made from Necrozma and all that, but I never would have thought something like this was possible!

"Oi! Watcha doin' here, mate?" Someone shouted.

The voice belonged to a Gumshoos, who had an eyepatch covering his left eye. "This ain't a place fer anyone t'be, so scram!"

"Oh! I was sent by Lil- Umm, the Boss to guard this thing?"

"The Boss sent ya?"

"Yeah"

He looked back at the weird machine and then back at me. "Pretty big machine, ain't it?"

"Yeah, it's... massive! How does it even work?"

"I've no idea, but what I know is that it's all yours t'guard now! Good luck, me boy. And remember, don't let anyone get t'close" He told me, patting my back.

The exact moment he disappeared from my eyesight, I once again checked my surroundings and pulled my badge out.

"Kit!"

"You alright, Jake? "

"You won't believe what happened! I got assigned to guard the detectors! They think I'm some guy called Jack! I'm in front of them right now"

"Wait, really?! That's great! What do you see? "

"Umm... There is a pink sphere connected to a lot of silky strings that extend to the whole area. There's also what looks like a Darkinium Z inside the sphere, powering the whole thing"

"Dark... inium Z? "

"A black crystal? With some sort of symbol on it?"

"...Oh yeah! That thing is there? I thought I got rid of all of them! "

"Glad that you remembered, but how do I deactivate the thing?"

"Just take the crystal out. Then the power supply should stop and the detectors won't go off with my illusions. I'll wait for your sign "

"Got it"

Slowly, I made my way to the pink sphere and tried to grab it. It didn't budge at all. I thought about cracking the sphere, but that would make noise and attract attention, which adding to the fact that I was already so close to the thing that it could be considered suspicious, made this a bad plan.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" Someone exclaimed, before I almost got blasted by a Vacuum Wave. Thankfully, Detect Band was still useful. "Don't do that! You'll break the detector!" The voice spoke again.

"And what should I do? Let that outlaw destroy it first?" A different voice said.

And I knew both of them.

"Are you even sure that this guy's the one just because he's messing with the power source? He could easily be the engineer or something like that" Girafarig said.

"Of course he is! I can feel it! I felt the same way just when we were next to him" Her partner replied.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Silence, criminal! You'll come with us right this instant or we'll have to make you come!" Riolu immediately hushed me.

"Woah, criminal? You guys have no idea of what you're talking about" I sighed.

"Aha! So you're actually the one we're looking for!"

"Can you just shut up and let me explain? You are totally mistaken"

"As if we were going to listen to some dumb excuse! You're coming with us!"

"I think we should listen to him" Interjected Girafarig.

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"Who's the psychic type here?"

"Ugh, fineeeee!" The Riolu turned to me. "You'll have five minutes to explain yourself. But if I sense any sort of lies I'll knock you down in no time, got it?"

"Whatever. Listen, you are not part of any rescue team or any guild or anything, right?"

"No? We are just two friends that saw an advert posted in the middle of the night and decided to take the job" Girafarig explained.

"Wrong"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You are actually working for a criminal organization"

"Pfft! Yeah, sure!" Riolu exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

"Have you guys heard of the Rocket Guild?" Both of their faces went pale and Riolu stopped laughing immediately. "Yeah, exactly. You are working for them right now"

"Impossible! The guild was disbanded years ago!" Riolu yelled, this time nervous. "How could you be making up something like that?! Do you have no respect for everyone that died because of them?"

"He's... not lying. I can feel it" Girafarig plainly stated.

"You want more proof? Check this out" I said, showing them my badge.

When they took a good look at it, Riolu gasped. "Oh, Arceus! We almost beat up the leader of a rescue team! And that's the badge of team Indigo!" She muttered.

"You almost beat him" Corrected her friend.

"But then..."

"This is all a Rocket Guild camp. Most of them are members, but some of them are actually civilians just like you two"

"It's that damn Zoroark, isn't it? I knew something was off the instant I met her!" Riolu shouted.

"But then... oh shit, we could go to jail!" Her partner yelled, almost shivering.

"Hey! You won't go to jail, because you've done nothing wrong yet. Just help me with this and then run away from here and you should be all good"

"Help you with what?"

I pointed at the sphere. "I need to take that crystal away from that sphere so that the detectors won't work anymore and my friends can pass safely. I'm here just because of the absurd quantity of Lucario running around, so I won't get recognized"

"Yeah, there's a lot of them"

"So what do we do?"

"Make a distraction. Get everyone as away from here as you can. Breaking that sphere will make a lot of noise, and possibly set off an alarm, so I need as many peop- Pokémon away from here as possible. Think you can do that?"

"Of course!" Girafarig exclaimed.

"Who are you? I know your team and all, but I don't know your name!"

"I can't tell you. It will put you in even more danger than you already are. Just ask for the leader of team Indigo"

"That's actually a really rad name"

"Come on, girl! We have a distraction to make!"

Both ran away as fast as they could until they were completely out of sight. I decided to act as if nothing weird was going on, walking around the device, and acting as if I really cared.

Then it happened. "GUYS! I THINK I FOUND THEM! COME HERE!"

Every single Pokémon on the camp ran towards the source of the voice leaving me to do whatever I wanted to with the sphere.

With no time to waste, I once again walked to the sphere and smashed it with a Force Palm, grabbing the crystal and sprinting out of there. The silky strings dimmed as a result of my actions.

"Kit! I got it! I got the crystal!" I yelled through the badge.

"Got it! We'll go to the meeting point! I better see you there! "

I heard footsteps coming my way, so I got under the sphere's table. By the time I was completely hidden from view, a few guards were coming over to check the source of the noise, and almost fainted when they saw that the crystal was missing.

Someone took out something that looked like a radio and suddenly a voice began booming over the whole camp.

"Umm, be advised. The crystal that powers the illusion detectors is missing, I repeat, the crystal is missing"

Almost immediately after, Lilith came running down the path, and grabbed the Simisage from her shoulders.

"What do you mean? Who the fuck was guarding the crystal?!" She snarled.

"I-I don't know!" She stammered.

Letting her go, she once again picked the clipboard and frowned when she took a look at it. "JACK!"

"Yeah, that's me! I'm late, sorry! What's with this commotion?" Another Lucario replied, running towards the group.

My face went pale when I heard that voice. Oh no.

"You! I'm going to kill you! What have you done with the crystal? WHY WEREN'T YOU GUARDING IT?!"

"Crystal? What do you mean? I just arrived here!"

Lilith's face twisted into a confused look. "What do you mean you just arrived here? I talked to you like... fifteen minutes ago? And your voice sounds different too"

"I don't know what you are talking about?"

"You are Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Then who's the one..."

She suddenly turned her head to the spot were the cristal was and I could quite literally feel the heat coming from her from my hiding spot.

"I'M GONNA KILL THAT FUCKING MUTT!" She yelled, pulling a rocket shaped badge.

"Listen, everyone! I want every Lucario in this camp in front of my tent! And if you don't appear in less than five minutes, you'll be taken by force! Everyone else, if you see a Lucario that isn't going to my tent, take him or her there without any hesitation!"

It was time to run. Tossing the crystal inside my bag, I sprinted out from under the table and headed between the line of tents. That was when I realized something horrible.

I didn't know which way was the right way.

That was bad. I decided that my best bet was to go straight in one direction and hope to find the lake Kit told me about.

When I exited from between the tents, I found myself face to face with a long line of Lucario waiting around the big tent belonging to Lilith, all bickering to themselves.

Immediately, I turned around and ran down the street towards the opposite direction, which I assumed was the right one. Without any warning, I tripped on something invisible, and fell to the ground face first.

"Oops! Did your gorgeous scarf not save you from this one?"

From nowhere, I got kicked in the stomach, and then on the face. I managed to roll away, but not without cringing in pain.

"Ugh! What the fu-" Before i could finish the sentence, I suddenly felt like I was being grabbed, despite there being no one visible in front of me. The culprit wasted no time in revealing herself.

"You really thought you were going to trick me?" Lilith said.

"I already did!" I replied, kicking her in the stomach, making her drop me.

"Now, you have two options, human. Give me the crystal and surrender yourself, or I'll take it from you and beat you until you can't do anything other than squirm as I take you to your cell"

"As if I'd ever surrender to you!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you" She growled, preparing a Shadow Claw... before getting tackled by a Flame Charge.

"Piss off!" Yelled Ember.

"Jake! Are you alright?" Marshtomp asked, running behind her.

"Yeah, just because you saved me"

"Argh! You think a Flame Charge will knock me out? You have no idea of what I've had to endure in the past!"

"Oh, but I do"

To say she got launched would be an understatement. Lilith got blasted away by the most intense Night Daze I had ever seen, going through three different tents and destroying them completely.

Kit then dropped his illusion and sighed. "Oh, how I needed that"

"What even-?" I tried to ask.

"Dark type moves work with negative energy and feelings. You've probably already realized I've got a lot of those"

"Is that why you were so good at fighting?" Ember asked.

"That, and the fact that I didn't become the leader of that place just for my pretty face"

"I think we should move before she wakes up" Marshtomp interrupted.

"I don't know where to go! I lost track of the direction I was heading to!" I replied.

"Follow us!" Ember answered, grabbing my paw and pulling me.

Kit sprinted forward and we followed him closely behind. All of the occupants of the camp didn't bat an eye at us while they were running to inspect the mess that Lilith had left, so that meant we were under one of Kit's illusions.

"Come on, we are close to the exit now!" The Zoroark said from the front.

After a few more minutes of running, we came across the Riolu and Girafarig I met before trying to calm down the group of Pokémon that were piling on them.

"Why did you two yell if there was no one?"

"You helped them, didn't you?"

"And you really expect us to believe that they aren't outlaws, just because you say it?"

"Traitors!"

"Betrayers!"

"Guys! We gotta stop!" I said.

"What?! Are you crazy?" Ember exclaimed.

"Those two helped me! If it wasn't for them I wouldn't have been able to take the crystal! I already confirmed they aren't with the guild, so please! We can't just leave them!"

After a small pause, Kit walked behind the Girafarig. "You better be sure of it"

I walked behind the Riolu. "I'm sure"

After a nod, we picked both of them up earning a groan from them and ran away to a safer spot. All of the attackers were too stunned watching the scene to move.

"What the-?"

"How are they-?"

Without stopping, we managed to run to the end of the camp, dodging a few stray Pokémon that tried to stop the two (from an outside perspective) floating fugitives.

Checking that no one was following us, we hid ourselves between the bushes and headed to the lake.

Once we arrived, we took a moment to look at the scenary. The water was crystaline and you could see all of the vegetation growing inside the water. There were no swimming Pokémon, of course, since we weren't inside a mistery dungeon.

"Leader of team Indigo and unknown member of his team, can you let us down now?" Riolu asked, with a joking tone.

Doing as she asked, we let the two friends on the ground and Kit uncasted his illusion.

"Thanks for saving our asses back there" Girafarig sighed.

"We wouldn't have made it without you, so I wasn't just going to let you two get beaten up" I replied, rubbing the back of my head. "A rescue team's duty is to save as many Pokémon as possible... even if we aren't going to go on official missions for a while..."

"Eben if that's true, thank you all! We appreciate what you've done for us!" Riolu exclaimed.

"What do we do now?" Girafarig questioned her partner.

"Go home. And don't go outside on your own for a few days, just until things calm down. You really don't know what she's capable of to make words not spread" Kit told them.

"O-Okay? We'll just leave you be for now. It was nice meeting you, team Indigo!"

"It was nice to meet you too, Riolu"

"Please, just call me Luca!"

"And I'm Riley! Nice to meet ya!" The Girafarig added.

"Nice to meet you! I'm-" Ember tried to introduce herself.

"Don't. That will put them in even more danger" Kit cut me.

"Oh, that sucks... sorry, both of you"

"No problem, member of team Indigo! We'll be sure to ask about your team once everything is okay!" Luca said, beaming with positivity.

"Looking forward to that day!"

Just then, all of our stomachs growled, causing both of the friends to laugh.

"Are you hungry?"

"Maybe a bit..." Marshtomp said, flushing with embarassment.

"We haven't eaten anything since we ran away from the town, right?" I thought out loud.

"Don't worry, we stole a few extra buns from the café tent. Here, you can have them" Riley said, using her Psychic to float four buns towards us.

"Thank you! I'm starving..." Ember declared, almost devouring her bun.

"I didn't even get the coffe you guys had..." Kit added, eating his own bun.

"You guys have anything to eat?" I questioned the duo.

"Nah, we already ate at the café tent, don't worry" Assured Luca, shaking her paw dismisively.

"Oh yeah, I saw you coming out of it with the hot cocoa before"

"Oh, so you were already spying on us?" Riley teased.

"I like her. She knows how to tease right" Kit commented with a chuckle.

"Ready for a date whenever you want, sweetheart~" She winked.

Seeing Kit blush slightly was the perfect cue for Ember to act. "Who's the one that has a girlfriend now, huh?"

"Hey, don't you dare use my own phrases on me!"

Everyone bursted into laughter.

Having already spent the whole morning and with our mini lunch eaten, we began our preparations to continue with our trip.

"Well, you two. This is where we part ways. I'm glad that I got to meet you both! And thanks for helping me, by the way"

"Don't worry about it. Good luck with arriving to Lively Town!" Riley said.

"Wait, how do you...?" Kit began.

"I'm a psychic type, hun. I know a few tricks. Mostly just reading the minds of your friends, but also reading yours without needing to use Miracle Eye" She said, before winking again.

"Wh-What do you mean?" He stammered, looking away, and blushing again.

"Aaaanyway!" Luca interjected, pushing her friend away. "We should be going instead of flirting! Goodbye, you four!"

"Sure! Goodbye, to you two! Have a safe trip back home!" I told them, waving goodbye.

Once we were alone again, I turned to look at my friends. "See how we shouldn't have left them in the camp?"

"Alright, yeah. You win this time, Jakey" Kit answered, smiling.

"Are you saying that because of your new friend? " Ember teased.

"I don't know what you are talking about" Replied Kit, crossing his arms and looking away, still with a small smirk.

"I think we should keep walking. We still have to make it to an actual safe spot before we go to sleep" Marshtomp interrupted.

"He's right. Let's keep it up" Kit replied, standing up.

We began following behind Kit once again. "I was so scared down there..." I sighed.

"But everything turned out alright, didn't it?" Ember replied, walking next to me.

"Yeah. And we got something too!" I said, pulling out the Darkinium Z.

"Why would we want that? It's just an energy source" Kit commented.

"Oh no, my friend, it's more than just that. And you are the only one that can use it!"

"Huh?"

I tossed the crystal to him. "I'll explain to you along the way"

"Okay?"

"Alright, so what do you know about Z-Moves?"

---

...

...

...

My voice, my dear child, are you alright?

...

...

...

...

L-Leave me alone.

Excuse me?

I-I don't want this. I-I don't want you. Please... just leave me alone.

Hmph, that blow must have hurt you more than I had thought. Let me fix it.

N-No! Get out of my head!

GAHHH!!!

---

...

...

"Helloooo? Earth calling Lilith! Are you there?"

"Mmrgh?!"

"You are awake? Thank Arceus. You've been out for like... hours! It was long since you had to endure such a strong super effective move, wasn't it?"

Lilith slowly straightened herself and rubbed her bandaged head. Mismagious was floating beside her, a med kit in his hand-like limbs.

"I feel weird..." She said.

"Duh, 'cus you took a Night Daze to your back and then got launched through a total of three tents! I'm surprised you only have a concussion!"

"Yeah, but not that kind of weird..."

"Huh? Then what do you mean?"

"I don't know. I feel as if I just woke up from a really deep sleep for a second..."

"You wanna talk about it or...?"

"No, we have more important things to do at the moment" The Zoroark said, standing up.

"If you say so..."

"What's the status of the camp?"

"Completely destroyed" Simisage informed. Lilith hadn't really bothered learning her name. "Someone told everyone who we were and they destroyed everything"

"Anything else that I should be aware of?" She groaned.

"Team Indigo escaped"

"Should have known..." She growled.

"And we believe that two of the civilians that we hired, Luca the Riolu, and Riley the Girafarig, are the ones behind the riot"

"Then what are we waiting for? Go capture them!"

"But what about team Indi-"

"I don't care about them! Capture those two before we lose track of them! We can't let any more word of us spread!"

"Okay, I'll tell everyone about it" Mismagious said.

Lilith took a step forward, but he stopped her. "Nuh uh! You are going to rest at HQ until you are fully healed! Akash is already on his way, so wait right here!"

"You are bossing me around?" Lilith chuckled.

"Call it 'worrying about you'"

"I'm here!" Akash yelled, landing in front of the group. "Come on, boss! I'll take you to HQ!"

"Rest assured, you'll be the first one to know if we find anything interesting!" Mismagious told her.

"You better!" Replied Lilith, jumping onto the Corviknight's back.

Akash took off, and Lilith watched how her friends waved at her from the ground. Something still was present on her mind, however.

That dream... it was so long since I had a dream, and then it was something like that? It felt so real too...

Should I worry?

...

Probably not. I have more important matters, like finding those three bastards and where He is residing at this moment.

---

"So you say I can use a move called 'Black Hole Eclypse'? That sounds so cool and strong!"

"Yeah, but I don't exactly know if it will work without something else first... I guess we'll have to find out sometime"

"I want to try it right now!"

"Woah, stop right there. Those moves use a lot of energy and can be seen from really far away, which is something we don't want, do we?"

"Are you repeating my phrases?"

"Maybe"

"Guys, if we keep this up, we'll be in a safe place just in time for sunset" Ember said from the front.

"Okay!"

The walk was uneventful. We didn't talk much, except for the usual questions that Kit asked me about the Z-Moves.

Then something came to mind.

"Kit, while we are walking and all... could you tell us about,... you know?"

He sighed. "I suppose I owe that to you, and I think that I need to get it off my chest someday"

"Don't worry, we are here for you, alright?"

"Okay..." He took some deep breaths.

"Back when I was around sixteen years old, I was just a naive Zorua who dreamed big. It was a dream anyone would call it worthy of a dictator, but it still was my dream. I met Lilith when I was a year younger than that, and talked her into helping me once we were old enough to join the guild. Believe it or not, Lilith was not the sadistic Zoroark you all know and love, but the most kind-hearted and timid Zorua there existed"

A pause. "Back then, the Rocket Guild was just a small band of criminals that wanted to take over the whole world and shape them as they willed, something that somehow was appealing to me. We joined the ranks and, as low level recruits, we did silly missions that mostly involved stealing things for 'the greater good'. Now, this is the thing that first began making me question if I did the right thing. As I already said, both of us were sixteen when we joined. Well, the first part of that year, Lilith was always hesitant to do anything, which at that time was annoying to me. But then, by the end of the year, she began complaining less and less and when we became seventeen, instead of complaining, she was eager to go on mission after mission, saying that would rise our rank pretty quickly, so we could achieve our dream easier. That was the first red flag. Her dream never had anything to do with conquering anything. I think she wanted to be a doctor, or something like that"

Another small pause, where the dark type shivered. "I didn't give it much thought at first, since the thought of finally having a partner that wouldn't complain about everything we did was enough to make my long lost tail wag. But everyday, she looked more and more like the Lilith we see today, everyday talking less to our guildmates, and only talking to me if it was really necessary, as if we were just... coworkers"

A small tear formed in his eye. "That would go on until we became eighteen years old, when the current boss noticed our hard work, dedication and rapidly raising rank, and decided to call us to his office. He told us that he was going to retire soon, and that he needed someone to replace him when that happened. He stated that he thought we would be the perfect 'mons for the job and that he was going to make a really big exception by letting us replace him when we were so young. Lilith was excited. She said that we worked so hard for that and that we would gladly accept the responsability, all while I was trying to collect my thoughts. This is all I ever wanted! I should be excited! Was what I thought. So why does it feel... wrong? Something didn't feel right. Nothing felt right. Something about seeing Lilith so excited for something she originally didn't have any interest in hit me like a Copperajah charging at full speed. But once again, I decided to ignore it and act as if I were as excited as when I first joined the guild"

The final long pause. "The last sign I needed wouldn't come until the boss sent us to our last mission before we took his position. Around the time when the old mayor had to be replaced"

A deep breath and another shiver. "The time when I evolved"

---

"Fuck's sake, Lilith! Slow down!"

"Maybe try moving your fat ass faster instead of complaining!"

Lilith and I were tasked with stealing one of the precious crystals that the mayor had in his office. The mission was simple: Get the crystal and we would become the next bosses. Fail, and we'd have to give up on the position.

The latter was what Lilith feared the most.

"Stop! I think we are in front of it now!"

"Fuckin' finally!" I sighed, panting and resting on top of the tree branch.

"You gotta swear everytime you say something? It's getting annoying"

"How about you mind your own business?"

"Do whatever you want, then" She huffed. We were on top of one of the tall trees that had been planted just in front of the entrance. Since they extended almost to the building's height, we could check the inside from one of the windows. "I see someone patroling, but I doubt they are a psychic type. The mayor is nowhere to be seen either. The perfect chance to strike, let's go!" She added, opening the window and jumping in.

"Wait for me!" I yelled, following after her.

Turns out that the one patroling was none other than Blaze, back then a Cyndaquil, though I didn't know it at that time.

Evading him was easy. We just had to walk silently while being covered in an illusion, so it was not a problem for us. Taking the crystal, however, was not going to be a hard task.

"Who in Giratina's domain locks their door with locks made out of psychic energy?" Lilith exclaimed.

"A psychic type mayor that doesn't want his things messed with?"

"Pfft! As if that's going to stop us!" She added, taking out a lockpick imbued with a ghostly aura and changing her form to a white and purple Sneasel, freeing two of her paws. "I'll bust the door for us. You watch out for that Cyndaquil"

It wasn't too hard to do that. On corridors where there was little to no light, seeing the dim orange glow of Blaze's flames was a clear indicator of when he was coming. We just had to hide ourselves when he passed near.

Before long, I heard a click and looked back to see Lilith leaving the lockpick back on her bag. "Let's get in"

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"Boss said it's a white crystal. I don't exactly know what's its shape, but I know that it has some weird flash shaped marking on it"

"Got it"

The mayor's office was just the same as it is today, with only a few small things different. We searched thoroughly, trying to make as little noise as possible, but there was no sign of the crystal anywhere. We even looked under the rug and inside the trash can, but we found nothing.

"Where is this damn thing?!"

"Can't find it anywhere" I answered. "Are you sure it's in his office?"

"That's what they told us! I swear that if it isn't actually here..."

"Let's just look a bit more" I suggested, leaning in one of the pots that decorated the room... and promptly knocking it to the ground on accident.

But it didn't break. In fact, it sounded as if it wasn't a flower pot at all. Underneath the space that it was hiding, I found a small red button.

"You are lucky it didn't break, or I would have killed you right this instant" Lilith sighed in relief, walking towards me.

"What's that?" She asked.

"Looks like a hidden button"

"Should we press it?"

"I don't see why not. Worst case, we'll just have to hide from the Cyndaquil"

I pressed the button and it made a click sound, but nothing happened at first glance. When we were just about to turn around to keep searching though, the shelves began to move and sink onto the wall, proceeded by the wall literally cracking in half, revealing a secret room behind.

And in the center of the room, there stood the infamous crystal, floating inside a glass display.

"Woah!"

"So this is where he was hiding the crystal!"

We walked inside and headed to where the object was. The room was empty otherwise, save for a few more empty pillars.

"Why is this room so empty?" I asked.

"Maybe because he wanted to have more of these things in the future? I don't know, and I couldn't care less. Let's get the crystal and get out of here, this place is giving me bad vibes"

"Did the spooky, scary ghost just say that she's scared of an empty room? Maybe afraid of getting jumpscared by a cardboard cutout of a Gengar?"

"I never said I was scared, just that I'd prefer to be in this room as little time as possible"

"That's another way of saying that you're scared, babe~"

"Whatever" She huffed, lifting the glass and snatching the crystal.

...

"Not even an alarm? That's too bad" She chuckled, walking away.

I just sighed. How long has it been since she expressed the slightest affection for me?

We pressed the big button again, making the bookshelfs go back to their previous location and looked around the room to see if everything was exactly as when we entered. After confirming that, we exited the building through the window once again and headed to the outskirts of the town.

"We did it! I can't believe it! We're gonna be the next bosses of the guild!" Lilith squealed.

"I don't know... This has been to easy, don't you think?"

"Who cares about that! We just need to get back and we'll have completed the mission! And that old man of a mayor won't even notice!"

"I can assure you he has indeed noticed, child"

We freezed in terror and slowly turned our heads around. The only Pokémon we didn't want to see that night was standing right behind us.

"Now, I'm impressed that you managed to get inside the building and find the crystal without getting noticed at all, but everything ends here for you. Now, you can give it back and come with me peacefully, or we'll have to do this the hard way" The Gallade mayor stated, as stoic as ever.

"No way! This crystal is our ticket to succes! We aren't just going to give it to you!"

"Are you sure we have a chance against him?"

"Don't tell me you are scared!"

"Last chance to do this without violence" The mayor pressed.

"Fuck off!"

"I see you chose the hard way. Don't say I didn't warn you" He said, before disappearing in a flash.

Before we could even react, I got a Low Kick attack used on me, which sent me flying against a tree.

"Why me...?" I whinned, trying my best to stand up after that kick to the gut.

"Shut up and help me!"

"Quite an unnatural way of treating your loved one, but I'm not in a position to complain"

"How do you-?!" She was interrupted by a Psycho Cut, which knocked her back in a similar way as me.

"What did it made you decide to join those thugs, hmm?"

I was already behind him covered in an illusion, but he apparently already knew the trick, since before I could attack him, the Gallade kicked me again, this time even stronger.

"Was it the thirst for power? That can corrupt even the most kind-hearted Pokémon"

"Shut up!" I yelled, trying a Foul Play, which surprisingly managed to hit its target. Unfortunately, it didn't do as much damage as I thought it would.

"What about you, lass? Why did you join?"

"For the love of Arceus, shut the fuck up already!" Lilith snapped, using a Hex attack, which also hit the Galade.

"Maybe it was that you just wanted recognition. After all, you two are going to be the next bosses of the guild, aren't you? That's a very good way for everyone to know about you"

"Please, just shut up!" I begged.

What he was saying was starting to hit home, and it didn't feel particularly pleasant to revive those memories I had tried to supress for so long.

"Kit, use an item!" Yelled Lilith, attacking the Gallade with another Hex. I quickly searched in my bag and had a difficult time finding something useful between all the sharp tools to break in I had there.

Finally, I found a Blast Seed, so I ate it, spitting an enormous fireball at the Mayor... who just shook it off as if it had been nothing.

"I can feel the rage building inside you, young Zorua. Did I say something that upset you? You can always give up and return the crystal"

"Are you deaf? Shut your Arceus damnned mouth already!" I yelled, trying a combo of Knock Off and Hex.

The Mayor once again dodged the attacks without any difficulty, but this time, he looked at me once he landed. "That face... I finally know why you decided to join the guild. That is the face of someone who has endured so much trauma and desperation to the point they can't hold it anymore. That's the face of someone who's been restlessly looking for a way to run away from their problems"

"And what do you know about it?" I yelled, running after him with another Foul Play. The Mayor dodged to the side and grabbed me by the fur on my neck. He then threw me onto the ground.

"I do not know. Let us see..." I couldn't move as the Galade placed one of his hands on my head, before a flashback came to my mind.

I was back at home, in front of my parents, a Zoroark and a Bisharp, who were looking down at me with a disappointed look on their faces.

"Kit, we need to talk about your grades at school" My mom said.

"What do you mean? I got a nine outta ten in the latest test!"

"Exactly. Why is not a ten out of ten? You have been studying in your room as you said you were, weren't you?" Dad asked.

"Of course!"

"Then why didn't you get a perfect grade? You know we only want perfection!"

"Because I-"

"No excuses! You'll stay in your room for the rest of the day! And no dinner for you!"

"What?! But-"

"NO BUT'S! TO YOUR ROOM, NOW!"

I wanted to say something, but I knew that would only worsen things. I ran to my bedroom and laid on my bed, feeling tears flow from my eyes.

"Why do they hate me? Is it really that bad to get a nine out of ten in a test?" I cried. "Am I really that bad of a son?"

I couldn't hold it anymore. I began crying. "It's my birthday today, and I'm sure they don't even care about it!"

I cried on my bed for what felt like hours, but was probably just minutes, when I heard my parents start talking once again.

"What are we going to do with him?" My dad asked.

"We should be even more strict. He needs to learn that he needs to be perfect, one way or another. He has already missed class because of losing a fight. We can't let this get worse" Mom added.

"Agreed. If he doesn't want to do it for himself, then we'll have to teach him"

"Now take that cake out. Only those that achieve perfection get to celebrate their birthday"

"True. There is no place in this house for useless children"

Back to the present. My heart was beating so hard. I didn't know what the Mayor had done to me or why I had just lived through that again. There was only room for one thing in my body.

Rage. Raw and seething rage.

I picked something from my bag without even looking at it, thinking it was just another Blast Seed. "I'M NOT USELESS!" I yelled, throwing the object at the Mayor.

Time seemed to slow down as the object made its way towards him. Everything I had remembered flashed in front of my eyes, only getting shadowed by the feeling of dread of the realization.

The object I had just thrown at the Mayor, was none other than a screwdriver.

Before I could even process what happened, the Gallade was already kneeling on the ground, a small river of blood flowing from his chest, which is where the tool had landed.

The last words he uttered were nothing more than incomprehensible gurgles that resulted in more spilled blood, before I felt his hand slowly slip from my head and he face planted onto the ground next to me, unmoving.

Dead.

A small puddle of blood began forming around his now dead body. All the while, a few shouts were heard on the distance.

"Kit, we have to get out of here"

I was unmoving. Shocked by what I had just done. I-I killed him. He's... dead.

"Kit! Can you hear me?"

Everything went limp as I felt my body getting encased in glowing light. Lilith had to cover her eyes as to not get blinded. It didn't last too long, though.

When it faded, instead of a petrified, standing Zorua, there was a kneeling, even more traumatized Zoroark just beside the corpse.

"I... I just killed a Pokémon..." I stuttered, looking at it. "W-Why didn't he dodge it?"

"KIT!"

I finally found the strength to look at Lilith. Her face denoted something I hadn't seen in a very long time.

Genuine concern.

"Kit, we have to get out of here! The mayor used his telepathy to call reinforcements! If they see us next to him, we'll be in even more trouble than we already are! Please!"

I stood silently for a bit more time, contemplating the corpse and fearing the thoughts that were crossing my mind.

Finally, I stood up, almost tripping from the fact I was a biped now. "I just killed someone..."

"Kit, we need to get the fuck outta here! Come on!"

Gulping, I ran behind the smaller 'mon, all the time the same thoughts passing through my head.

I just killed someone. He's gone, forever. My parents were right. I'm not only a useless child, just as they said.

I'm also a murderer.

---

We had arrived to a relatively hidden place and had just finished setting the foundation of a fire by the time Kit was done with his story.

To say that we were all stunned was not enough to make justice as to how we were feeling at the moment. Kit was barely managing to hold back his tears.

"From that time on, I knew that I couldn't just keep doing what we were doing. Of course, we passed the mission and became the bosses a few months later, but I wasn't the same after what happened. I never was. I knew that my case wasn't the first, and that there were hundreds, if not thousands of Pokémon dying by the hands of the guild every time. I'd had enough already"

A really long pause. "Not even a day after we got the rank of boss, I discovered the secret place in the MD to which I took you all today. I though of a plan to destroy the Rocket Guild from the inside, which as you know, worked perfectly. After I had done that though, I just... didn't have a purpose in life anymore, you know? Abusive parents, lost family, regrets from which you cannot escape,... I just couldn't find a reason to keep living anymore"

...

"So that's why... you tried to kill yourself?" Ember weakly spoke.

Kit just nodded.

"I... don't even know what to say" I commented.

"You don't have to. You listened to my whole rant, and that's enough for me"

"Are you fucking kidding me? ENOUGH FOR YOU?! You really expect us to be silent after you kept something like that for all this time?!" Ember snapped.

"I... understand. If you want me to go, I'll take my leave now"

Kit couldn't even stand up before he got slapped in the face by Ember. "Leaving?! You aren't going anywhere!" She added, a few tears in her eyes.

"But I-..." He looked away. "I'm a murderer"

"Kit. You aren't a murderer" I told him.

"Yes I am! I killed someone! And it was the Mayor! I still don't know how you managed to convince me not to jump!"

"You know why?! Because deep down, you know we're right!" The fire type yelled.

"She's right, Kit. I don't know what happened back then, but I know that you aren't a murderer. You want to know why? Because you feel regretful. You aren't a murderer, because you never wanted to kill anyone in the first place. You aren't a murderer, because you are regretting that exact moment over and over again"

"But-"

"Boss is right. You can't really be a murderer if you did it by accident, can you?"

"You really are just... acting as if it were nothing?" Kit incredulously asked.

"I wouldn't go that far, but..."

A pause of a few minutes followed, which was interrupted by Ember suddenly standing up. "I think I need a moment" She stated, and walked away.

Kit proceeded to look even more sad. "I knew I should have just left" He mumbled, standing up too, and walking towards Ember's opposite direction.

Marshtomp and I were left alone now. "I... everything's falling apart so suddenly..." I stammered.

"Don't worry, Boss. I'm sure it will be alright"

"I hope so. I just don't want to see Ember so sad, much less watch Kit leave. But even if that doesn't happen... nothing is going to be the same anymore"

"That's for sure" He added standing up, and walking after Kit. "Go talk with her. She needs it. I'll go make sure Kit's okay"

"Got it" I replied, going after the Braixen.

She didn't walk too far, but somehow, she had managed to find a pond full of water near where we were camping. She was looking down to the water with her paws inside it.

Just as we found her, back when she ran away crying that fateful night.

I sat down next to her. "Hey, Ember"

She didn't respond. "Are you okay?"

"No" She finally said, sounding like she was trying to hold back all of her emotions.

"Hey, it's okay. You can talk to me"

"No, Jake. I'm not okay. Nothing is okay"

"Don't say that! We managed to get through that camp in one piece, didn't we?"

"You know what I'm talking about"

"Ember, you can tell me what's bothering you. I know you are hurt, so just spit it out. You'll feel a lot better, trust me"

She stood silent for a moment, and then took a deep breath. "Listen, Jake. I've known Kit for years now. You probably already guessed that our first encounter wasn't exactly the most normal one"

I nodded, so she continued. "You know, when I first met him, I just saw someone who desperately needed help. Someone who desperately needed to know that there were Pokémon out there that still cared about him. He told me what he told us today, albeit a lot more summarized. I thought that he just had had a very rough life up until then, and that it had finally reached a critical point, but I never gave much of a thought about why exactly he tried to commit suicide. He said that everyone that he cared about didn't want anything to do with him anymore, and that he had done some things that were unforgivable, sure, but being the leader of the Rocket Guild and killing the mayor wasn't inside my list of possibilities. When Lilith told us who he really was, I really couldn't believe it. The Kit you knew slowly developed after the incident, and never looked like the monster that the boss of that guild was supposed to be. He was always cheerful and optimistic. He always seemed to avoid talking about his past, but I thought that was obviously normal"

The fire type inhaled deeply. "And now, I get told in just two day that he was the leader of the Rocket Guild and that he killed the old Mayor. I just... I can't trust him anymore. Things aren't going to be the same anymore. I-I know that he didn't want to do it on purpose! But he still did it. At least he realized that everything he had done was wrong. And to think that his parents abused him... it almost justifies why he made that decision"

...

"Ember, I know you are hurt. I am hurt too, but he's our friend. You said it yourself, the Kit we all know and love is the real Kit, not some murderous assasin. You can't just push him away now. He didn't tell you anything because he feared that you would do exactly that. If you just stop being his friend... I don't even want to think what would happen. Just give it some time, and hopefully, no, I know that everything will eventually go back to normal"

"And do you think I don't want everything to go back to normal, Jake?! I just want to go back to that time when I was scared of exploring, and everything was okay! But no! Everything had to turn upside down ever since you-!"

She put a horrified face as she stopped herself. "I didn't-... I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay" I sighed, forcing a smile. "You are not wrong, anyway"

"Jake, I didn't mean to blame you"

"No, you are right. I've also been hiding something, and I think it's time to spit it out too"

"Please, don't tell me you've got another huge revelation. I don't think my body can't take it"

"Then I guess I'll wait for tomorrow. Are you sure you are okay, tho-?"

I was interrupted by Ember's sudden tight hug, which was conpletely unexpected. "Thank you Jake. You've listened to a lot of my rants by now. I don't think it's necessary, but I'll tell you anyway: I do not regret saving your life back then, even if it completely changed mine. You've been a great friend. Thank you for everything"

A long pause followed, in which I returned her hug.

Fuck it. What better time than the present?

"Ember"

"Hm?"

"You wanna know what I wanted to tell you back at the café?"

She looked at me. "What is it?"

"I... ermm..."

No. No going back again.

"Promise you won't get angry, alright?"

"That's the same thing you told me back there. What's with the thing?"

Alright, here it goes...

"Ember,... I love you"

She took a few seconds to proccess it. "...Huh?!"

Before she could react any further, I leaned in and gave her a big kiss. She widened her eyes, but didn't move.

Ohgodohgod, it's happening!

The setting sun and us sitting ner the lake made the moment almost look like a movie, albeit this was real, and it definitely felt like it.

After some time, I broke the kiss and pulled away, with the biggest blush I ever had, which matched with hers.

"I..." She began, after a long pause. "I think I need a moment. Another one. Alone "

Feeling my heart crack into pieces, I stood up. "Y-Yeah. S-sure..."

I walked back to our little settlement, all the time thinking about what just happened and of course, its consequences.

Did I do the right thing? Should I have waited more? She literally told you that she didn't want another revelation, so you go and tell her that you love her?! You are an idot, Jake! But she didn't try to push me away...

My thoughts were interrupted by Marshtomp walking towards me, a sad look present in his normally happy face.

"What's wrong?"

"Boss... Kit doesn't want to come back"

"What? What do you mean?"

"He said that he doesn't want to cause more trouble to you, so he told me that he wasn't going to come to the camp for a few hours, probably until after nightfall, or... even longer"

"Where is he now?"

"I don't know. After he said that, he turned invisible and left"

"We can't let him all by himself! What if...? What if...?!" I didn't even want to finish that sentence.

"Relax" Marshtomp reassured, patting my back, or at least what he reached. "He's not going to do anything like that. He just needs a moment alone. Speaking of moments, how did it go? Did Ember and you talk?"

"Ember and I talked about how she met Kit, and how she didn't want to believe anything she heard today"

"That's good. Why do you look so down, then?"

I deeply sighed. "I confessed my love for her and I think she hates me now"

"Your lov-? Boss, you never told me about that!"

"I know. I just... I don't know, okay? I just know that I picked the worst moment there is to tell her, and I only managed to upset her"

"Don't say that! You two are good friends! I'm sure she just needs to process it"

"I hope so. The small shelters we made are for two Pokémon each, and I feel like it's going to be a very uncomfortable night"

"If you want, you can sleep in the other one? I can take your place if you feel like it's necessary"

"Already trying to steal her away?"

"I'd never! I didn't want to say it, but you two really are made for each other!"

"Thanks, bud. Let's just start preparing dinner. Sun's setting and last time I checked, I can't cook in the dark!"

"Me neither. Let's get to it!"

---

Dinner consisted of a plate full of cooked berries of various types, save for Chesto berries. Everyone wanted to sleep that night.

The whole time, there was uncomfortable silence looming over us, only interrupted by the sound of our chewing.

You will never know how much you like something until you miss it, or so they say.

Kit's absence was noticeable enough that I even began to miss when he teased us. "I miss him" I sighed.

"I've only known him for a day or so, but I do too"

Ember sat silently.

We quickly finished dinner and made our preparations to go to sleep. Kit of course, wasn't here yet.

"We need someone to keep watch just in case. Do you guys think that the three of us will be enough for tonight?" Marshtomp finally asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm sure it will be enough. It's going to be so boring, though..." I replied.

"That's the price to pay for safety. Who's gonna take the first turn?"

"I will" Ember answered.

"Okay. Do you want the second turn, Boss?"

"I think I'll take the last one"

"Alright then. Good night, you two!" He finished, crawling into his small shelter.

I was about to say something, but I couldn't find the right words. I just sighed and walked inside our own shelter.

"Good luck, Ember" I weakly said.

She also looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't have the strength to do so. "Thanks"

When I lied down, I couldn't sleep at all. It was just as if I had just drunk ten coffes a moment ago, despite avoiding the Chesto berries.

Every single thing I managed to achieve this few days was crumbling in less than a few hours. Kit was on the verge of a breakdown, I could feel it. My relationship with Ember was probably never going to be the same, for better or for worse. All of us were being hunted by a criminal organization which also bombed the only city I ever knew here,... and so much more. And not only me, but the world of everyone who I had met was also crumbling.

And it's all my fault. I wish Lilith would have just killed me. None of this would be happening. Everyone would still be living their regular lives.

I couldn't hold my emotions anymore. I cried in despair for as long as I was awake, and even a little while after I fell asleep.

Before I realized it, Marshtomp was already calling for me to wake up. "Hey, Boss! It's your turn to-" He gasped when he took a look at me. "Arceus, you look horrible! What happened?"

I got up and scratched my eyes, which were red as a tomato from all the crying. I realized I was still alone inside the shelter. "I'm okay, just thinking about things. Is Ember inside the other shelter?"

"Yeah" He replied before giving me another look "Boss, you are not okay"

"Just go to sleep, Marshtomp. How long 'till dawn?"

"About four hours. But please, Jake! I can't let you out like this!"

"Thanks for your concern, but don't worry about it. I'm fine" I replied, starting to get a bit annoyed.

I was about to get out when Marshtomp grabbed my arm and stopped me. He was surprisingly strong for his small size. I hated the part that made me feel proud of that.

"No. You are not fine, Jake. I don't know if you noticed, but you have been sobbing for the whole night. Both of us heard you while we were awake, but thought that you just needed to cry for a bit. We didn't think you'd be like this!"

"Both...?"

"Jake, Ember is worried sick about you"

"She is?"

"She is scared that she hurt you by shoving you away"

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Boss, just give her tonight. I'm sure you two will be just like when you first met!"

"If you say so... I'll just head out"

"I'm following you"

"What? No, you've been awake for hours now. Go to sleep"

"No. We are going to talk. And I won't take a no for an answer"

"But-"

"What did I just say?"

"...Fine"

Marshtomp finally let me go, and both of us walked out and sat on the ground next to the improvised tent.

"It's my fault" I plainly stated.

"What?"

"Everything that's happening is my fault. Those criminals are after me, and I roped Ember, Kit, and now you too into my problems. I just... I wish Lilith had actually killed me when she threw me down that cliff"

What came after was something I didn't expect at all. Marshtomp slapped me in the face. "That fall must have hurt you more than I thought. How can you be saying something that stupid?!"

"It's true, though" I added, rubbing my cheek... then getting slapped on my other one.

"No it's not! You have nothing to do with anything that's happening!"

"Yes I do! I shouldn't even be here in the first place! I'm just here because some mythical Pokémon decided so! And look at everything that's happened! I've just caused pain to everyone I've ever cared about..."

"But is it you fault that you are stuck here? Is it, Jake?"

"I don't even know what to think anymore"

"Let me answer for you, then: No. A thousand times no! It's not your fault at all!"

"I want to think that too, but I just... can't. Everything would have been better without me"

"That's not true, and you know it damn well" Another voice suddenly said.

Ember walked out of her tent, an angry look on her face. "I can't believe what I'm hearing right now. You out of everyone thinks he's responsible for anything? "

"I-"

"Hush! I don't want to hear any more bullshit coming from your mouth, you hear? Now, you are going to stay on guard, and look for anyone that gets too close! And I'm going to make sure you don't even think about blaming yourself, even if I have to stay awake all night sitting beside you!"

"See? What did I tell you, Boss?"

"I... you are all the best, you know that?" I managed to say, feeling tears starting to form.

"If only Kit could hear you!" She laughed.

"Yeah..."

In an instant, I felt the weight of someone fall on my shoulders. When I looked, I saw that Marshtomp had fallen asleep.

"Oh, look at that! He is so tired that he felt asleep right here! Isn't it funny?"

The fire type's face told me that she didn't seem to find that funny. "Something wrong?"

"He did not fall asleep. Someone made him fall asleep"

"What?!"

"Watch out, they could be any-" Ember couldn't finish her sentence before a small seed flew towards her and disappeared, just before she too fell asleep.

"Ember?! Fuck!" I exclaimed, standing up.

Even though I looked around frantically, I couldn't see anybody in this darkness. "Why don't you come out and fight me like a real man?!"

Not even a second after, I felt something hit my back, and every single bit of strength faded from my body, making me fall down to my knees. I tried to fight the sleepiness, but I couldn't do anything against the seed's effects.

The last thing I saw before my vision faded to black was the figure of someone walking towards us.

---

...

...

"...oss! Wake up!"

...

"Ughhh... Where am I?"

"Thank Arceus! You are okay too... I'm sorry I couldn't warn you before!"

I fluttered my eyes open and squinted to see Marshtomp right next to me, his paws on my shoulders. "It's okay, bud. What happened?"

"Kit's gone" Summarized Ember.

"What?!" I exclaimed, jumping on my feet.

"Yeah. Apparently the one that knocked us out was him. He left his badge and a letter in his tent, so I assume he is gone" She added, a mixture of sadness, anger and worry in her voice.

"He... what?"

She pulled a small paper out. "I've been thinking about it and I have reached a conclussion: I can't keep doing this anymore. I've lied to you, I've kept things away from you, and most importantly, I put you all in danger. I just can't keep walking around with you as if nothing happened. Point is: I loved all those years were I was able to run away from my problems, but that's over. Thanks for saving me that day and being my friend for so long, Ember. Thanks for all of those good moments, and giving me the opportunity to help all those Pokémon by being part of a rescue team, Jake. And I'm happy you found your friend too, Marshtomp. Farewell, guys. Thanks for everything. -Kit" She read.

"I don't want to think it, but the way he's putting all of this makes me think..." She began, tearing up. "That he's going to go away... forever"

"You mean that he just left us a suicide letter?!" Marshtomp exclaimed.

"M-Most.. likely" She stammered.

"FUCK! A THOUSAND TIMES FUCK! I'M NOT GOING TO LET THIS HAPPEN!" I yelled, getting out of the shelter.

"Jake, where are you going?" Ember asked, exiting behind me.

"I'm going to find Kit! And I'm gonna do it while he's alive! He can't do this to us! I'm not gonna let him!" I rambled, looking for any tracks that could give us any clues on to where he had headed off to.

I managed to spot something in the ground. "Aha! These are footprints! And they are headed to the direction we were walking to!"

"You mean he's gone to Sunny Town?"

"You bet! And we are following him! Grab your things, we are leaving right now"

"What about the camp?" Marshtomp asked.

"I'll tell you what we'll do with the camp!" Ember shouted, taking her stick and blowing a huge fire attack at both of the shelters. Only ash remained now. "Jake is right! We are going to find Kit!"

"Yeah!"

"You are right! Let's head off, now!" Marshtomp screamed, running away.

"Hey, wait for us!"

And so, all three of us ran as fast as we could with the hopes of arriving to our destination on time to prevent a certain Zoroark from taking the worst decission in his life...

...for a second time.

---

END OF CHAPTER 12

Another chapter rewritten! This was a very cool one to do, so that's probably why I did it this fast.

This chapter has a lot of backstory for Kit, and I'd like to think that I did it well enough for you to enjoy.

P.D.

This was the time where I released my other story, A Hisuian adventure, I believe, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I have an idea for a sequel for it when I'm not even close to finishing it! Crazy, right?

Anyway, as always, any opinions, ways to improve, or grammar mistakes that you see are always appreciated in a review.

Goodbye and hope to see you soon!