Chapter 21
Nadir
...
...
Darkness...
everything is still.
There was no air in his lungs.
There was no air in his lungs.
breathe
bREATHE
BREATHE
a searing heat surrounded him in the dark.
But above all else, whatever the other things here
Avery knew one single thing...
He was totally alone here
in the bottom of the world.
Avery felt the dusty, arid air rush into his lungs. Even as he breathed, even as he was allowed to, it didn't feel like he was.
It tasted like dirt.
His eyes, heavy to open, looked about in the chamber. It was...huge. Expansively huge. Horrifically, mind-bogglingly huge.
He tried to speak. To call out Vizon's name. Anyone's. But...his voice was weak. Cracked. And trying to talk made a weird sort of vibration in his chest that he didn't like.
Carefully, methodically, Avery sat up...and took stock.
His badge...gone.
Bag...gone.
Ash billowed around him, a dull and shimmering orange glow coming from below as torrents of lava spilled from the cavern ceiling into a massive lake of molten rock below.
The heat was intense, oppressive. The world wobbled in a haze of hot and choking, suffocating air.
And there was nobody.
Nobody was here.
It was just him. Alone. No voice to console. No arms to hug.
No hand to hold.
Trapped down here.
With only one winding, teasing path forward.
'To a stand, then.'
Avery began to walk. His other eye refused to open for a bit...but eventually, reluctantly did. It didn't feel like a black eye or anything...it felt better the more he blinked. Probably got something in it from the fall.
...His leg was more concerning. He didn't notice at first...but as he began to walk, he became more and more aware that he was limping. Every step he took on his right paw sent a small shock of pain up his leg. Idly, Avery tried to look for a stick or something to help bring the pain off...but no dice. He was down here alone.
"...Vizon...?" Avery wheezed, his voice scratchy between coughs. That weird vibration came back in his chest. Maybe talking would be bad. But then...how could he find the others?
...
His eyes wandered down the sides of the winding path, into the lava below.
'...there's...no way. Right...?'
The lava hissed. Screamed in pressure.
No voice was there to tell Avery there was no way. No voice to tell him everyone was fine. If they weren't there was no way to tell their fate.
The rock was hot against Avery's paws, stones and gravel crunching and threatening to give way and plunge him into the lava below.
The unnerving hiss and pop and heat was maddening as the Plusle moved across a searing path, every step shooting more pain up his leg. Broken...and alone.
The solitude...the inability to talk...the winding path that never seemed to end...gave time to think. If only to distract from the pain.
Thoughts of Thundurus plagued the mind. The danger to Qease'.
Thoughts of the Snivy. The Starly. The Thieves Guild.
Thoughts of his friends...of Team Spade.
...of Loshjno, that chuckle echoing in his head. That knowing chuckle. The nonchalant attitude.
Like he knew everything that was about to happen.
Knew and said nothing.
'...No. That isn't right. He didn't say nothing. It might have been different if he'd said nothing. Better, maybe. Maybe I wouldn't have been distracted. Maybe we wouldn't have been separated when we were falling down the shaft. Maybe...'
'Maybe the rest of my team wouldn't have died.'
'Yeah. Maybe they wouldn't be dead. If Loshjno had said nothing. Or said...something. Something useful. Something to build up his teammate that he was actively holding back.'
Avery's footsteps were getting faster now. Even as it made the pain worse. Worse, worse, so much worse.
'Secrets...secrets, secrets, so many secrets, so many God damned secrets! So much duplicity, so many people not telling me shit, not telling me anything.
Everyone's either got secrets or blinders on. Vizon and Nivanee with their whole thing about the Illaminians. Up until their hands were forced, Aquashock weren't open with each other about what happened on their first mission. I still don't know who Jolvia works with. I don't know why we're getting these pearls, I don't know what the Thieves' Guild wants.
I've only met Xamao once! He looked evil, but is he? What does he want with them? Why is he getting them? Why would Janus be allied with someone like them? And who is Janus, anyway?
...And Olistia. Olistia and Arceus him-fucking-self.'
"What did you do to me...?" Avery whispered. "What did you two do to me...?"
'Even I'm not innocent. Most of my team, most of my friends don't know who I am. What I am.
The only person I know isn't keeping anything from me is Rikzyod. And even then...'
Secrets. So many questions, no answers. In a way, perhaps, this cave of fire and smoke was a microcosm of everything since that day he woke up in a field.
Robbed. Robbed of his friends. Alone somewhere strange and endlessly dangerous. In pain and fear, walking the edge. Even now the ridge where he began was long gone. The twisting, nonsensical path simply seemed to extend forever in both directions.
Avery briefly stopped walking. Had the scenery even changed at all? Was there even a way out of here?
'...I'm going to be stuck here until I starve.'
On.
On.
On.
No obvious end in sight. No goal to latch onto. No safe wall to lean upon.
Just confusion and relentless trudging forward, despite it all, where ever the path led.
A pillar of lava spurted far to the left from the magma lake. A wave of heat swept over Avery. No sweat formed on his head, all of it evaporating immediately.
His leg was hurting more. Lungs burning. Hunger overtaking him. How long had he been walking down this narrow path?
Who could say anymore. Nobody could.
One might think of how wronged he'd been. To be cast down here when he didn't even ask for this...how easily Sarfallinus threw him to the fire. Kellixae and Sekira left alone in Arceliaze. How the world seemed to just be coming apart at the seams while Avery burned alive in the deepest depths of the world.
In the haze...he caught sight of a small island of land the path crossed. A circular island with the path continuing on the far side...and there, Avery noticed something: a small red and orange mound lying by the rocks.
At last, his legs gave out.
With one last shock of pain, Avery tripped, falling to his knees. His leg was angry about it, but there was nothing he could do to sate its pain. The Plusle curled up on the ground, the hot, dusty ground, and just...laid there for a while. He didn't know how long it was. But he needed to rest. He was in too much pain to move now.
But...when he opened his eyes...eventually...he looked to the little orange lump. Off in the distance.
"...Lahnae...?"
The heat wavered...the orange and red mount stirred.
Slowly, Avery saw rocks and pebbles slip from the mound as it lifted. The the fire of the lava cave...Lahnae struggled up, coughing and shaking her head. Blood trickled from her beak, eyes squinting.
The lava hissed.
Lahnae wobbled to her feet, only barely able to hold herself without collapsing. She was shaking, an eye closed.
Nobody was with her.
Avery could see her taking a sharp breath...and at last her one good eye locked with him. She gasped sharply, hobbling over to him weakly, talons crunching in the hot, ashen dirt.
She looked...scared. Lahnae looked scared. Her voice terrified Avery for how...not-Lahnae it sounded.
"Avery...no no no, Avery..." She muttered, her voice shaken, unsure. "No no no, please...please...don't leave me alone. I don't wanna be alone..."
"...I'm..."
He knew why her voice scared him.
Loshjno hurt her. Her teammate, her best friend...he'd hurt her badly.
That was all the thinking Avery could do at the moment. He hurt all over.
Avery's head rested back on the ground, eyes easing shut.
"I...I'm not...l-leaving..." Avery wheezed. A laugh forced itself out of his mouth, followed by a deep wince from the shock of pain in his ribs. "...Can't even...move right."
Lahnae gasped sharply, hearing Avery's voice, crouching down to softly cradle his head, rolling him over. Even as she had trouble standing herself, Lahnae held tight to Avery.
He had a wall again.
"Avery...Arceus above...you're speaking...you're speaking, I..." Lahnae sniffed, holding him close, wings wrapping around him.
She was shaking.
She had a wall again.
"I'm so glad you're okay..."
...Another laugh. Another pang of pain and regret.
"...Okay's...one word for it..."
He closed his eyes again.
"D-don't, uh...hug too tight," Avery wheezed. "I...I think one of my ribs is broken-"
"Oh...!" Lahnae recoiled but didn't drop him, looking scared and worried as she eyed Avery up and down. He could have only imagined the state he looked to be in from her expression.
Lahnae brushed a wing over Avery's head, stroking his fur. She sniffed, furrowing her brow. Slowly, slowly, she toughened, for Avery, that Lahnae fire returning to her eyes.
"You're gunna be ok, Avery...rival." She said, her confidence returning. Even as Avery could hear it forced. Maybe even faked. She was strong. "I'm going to get you up, just lean on me, alright?"
"...Yeah," Avery said quietly, testing his weight on her to bring himself back up. He didn't want to hurt her, too. She took the same fall he did, after all.
Avery coughed.
It...it hurt.
"I'm guessing you haven't seen anyone else yet, huh...?" Avery asked. Lahnae hesitated...and shook her head.
"You're the first one I've seen..." She muttered, hoisting him up gently. Though she looked bruised, she held fast, holding Avery aloft.
Side by side the both of them walked together. Lahnae kept her eyes forward, guiding Avery through the heat and ash.
"Avery...I'm sorry." She said, firmly. "I'm so...so sorry. I didn't think it'd get this bad this time...not this bad...frankly, without you..."
She sighed, keeping him firmly aloft.
"...we'd have been knocked out as soon as the Thieves Guild showed up out of nowhere, normally." Lahnae said, shaking her head. "There's always a surprise, a twist waiting...that's what Loshjno says. I thought finally...finally we overcame the twist. That we had done it...!"
She lifted her head, watching the flows of magma pour from the ceiling, coughing at the smoke.
"But...there were still more surprises...more and more and..."
She looked sad for a moment, glancing down at Avery...sighing softly and pressing into his body comfortingly.
"I just wonder how much better this would have gone if you had gone with Aquashock." Lahnae said, hobbling forward. "I'm...sorry this all turned out this way, Avery. I really am just...so, so sorry..."
"...If we'd gone with Team Aquashock," Avery said, wiping his forehead. "...If we'd gone with Aquashock, I'd be down here with Kipuuna instead of with you."
He looked up at her.
"...Maybe Kipuuna and Ganisus would have had a plan for that hostage situation, but..." He coughed, pressing into her as she pressed into him. "I can't really see this going any other way. And even if we did teleport out with the badges-"
He shuddered and wheezed again. Each cough felt worse and worse.
"...Even if we did...those three would have still been down here. Or worse."
Avery's legs stopped pushing him forwards for a moment.
'What happened to those three?'
Lahnae was quiet a moment, keeping pace. Avery's words...dispelled her doubt. At once, her self pity vanished, the determination in her face returning.
"You're right..." She said...a curt nod punctuating that. "We're not going to leave anyone behind. Not even Thieves Guild. We're going to save everyone..."
She coughed, shaking her head.
"That's what guild...no...that's just what we do."
She was quiet a moment, the both of them slowly making their way across the long lake of lava, the island far behind them, here in what felt like an abyss of heat.
"...thanks, rival." Lahnae said, a small smile on her beak. "We're going to set this right. And we'll take on anything thrown our way...you with me?"
Avery smiled sadly.
"...Ha, I'm not...sure, Lahnae. I'm..."
His face grew resolute.
"...I'm not in any shape to fight." He said, voice breathy. "If I do too much now, I'm worried I might break something inside me more permanently than I'd like. My leg's already- nng-"
He sucked in air through his teeth, stopping his pace for a moment. Lahnae stopped, looking back at Avery...her face fell, worried. That resolve she had been building...shook. Shook so easily. It was odd seeing strong and energetic Lahnae be so...fragile. Rocky.
It was a shock. Avery didn't like seeing it. Not at all. It made him feel sick, emotionally, along with the physical pain and sickness he was feeling now.
He hated it.
Still, she tilted her head, the both of them standing there a moment to let Avery recover.
"Do you need me to carry you...?" Lahnae asked, brow furrowed. "We need to get you an oran berry to at least dull the pain...all my items were with Loshjno..."
'Deep breath in- the smoke isn't pleasant. Deep breath out.'
He couldn't put on a face. He couldn't lie to her. No more lies. No more secrets.
"...I'm tired of secrets, Lahnae. I'm tired of fighting for and beside miserable secrets."
"Secrets...? What secrets...?" She asked.
Averu fixed her with a stare, one which she returned.
Avery took a deep breath, letting the words spill from his mouth. No hesitation.
"...I'm a human, Lahnae. Or...I was one."
The sound of Avery's voice faded among the roar of lava. Lahnae was silent, staring at him. She blinked...
...and tilted her head.
"You're a...what...?" Lahnae asked, brow furrowing. "Avery are...you ok...? What do you mean you're a human...?"
Her voice...it was like she was worried Avery was hurt more than physically.
"...I know how that sounds, Lahnae," Avery said seriously. "But...I'm sick of secrets. I'm sick of them, I- if there aren't going to be any more, it has to start with me. I can't lie to the people I care about. Not anymore."
Deep breath.
The air inflated his lungs stuck in his chest.
"Vizon and Nivanee already know. But...I was a human. I don't remember much of my old life. But I had friends. I had a Vulpix named Ember, I think. I liked her...a lot. A lot, and-" Avery winced again. "...I was ripped away from them. By Arceus, by-"
'...Even now. Can I implicate the Conduit?
...she's keeping things from me.'
"By Olistia." Avery said bitterly. "They...reconstructed me. Into this. But I only remember blackness. Being asked questions. And then...I fell from the sky, into Breezy Plains."
He pressed into Lahnae, his wall. She was quiet, only holding him and listening.
"I've had dreams about that process. About my old life. Every night. Apparently humans are some...beasts of war or something, but that's not what I remember. But I'm not...I don't belong here, Lahnae. I don't remember the dates, the locations, the names, because I never learned them."
"So all the...weird obvious questions," Lahnae muttered. "...the cluelessness about stuff that..."
She blinked.
"...that wasn't just amnesia...? And Vizon...Nivanee...knew...?"
Lahnae stared at Avery. Hard.
For a long time she stared...looking deep in thought. For a long time she said nothing...
A pillar of fire burst upwards somewhere far away, a hiss and pop filling the cavern.
"Ripped from your old life..." Lahnae muttered. "...Olistia...? But Arceus is good...isn't he...? He brought a beast of war...that had friends..."
There was another moment of silence.
Long silence.
A long, deep silence.
Even the cave seemed to quiet.
The pause was agonizing...
Yet...at last, Lahnae took a step forward. Gently, she leaned Avery against herself, easing him forward, her wing stroking him.
"...I don't care who you are." She said, as if it were so simple. "You do belong here just fine. Dates and locations and names and all that...stupid stuff don't matter. All that matters is that you're a good person. That you're my friend. You belong here."
She furrowed her brow in determination.
"But nobody...deserves to be torn from those they care about." Lahnae looked up at the ceiling billowing streams of lava. "I'll do anything to help you. Anything. I promise.
So easy. As if that was that. Not a hint of waver to her voice.
She trusted Avery without a second thought.
'...'You belong here.
Do I?
She might trust me without a second thought, and I appreciate that. And I don't doubt that she believes her words. Not for a second.
...'
"I'll tell you one thing," Avery said, starting to walk again. Another reluctant laugh escaped his lips. "...Whoever I was before...I'm pretty sure I never fell a hundred thousand feet into the core of the earth. That's...that's brand new."
"Then...you're stronger now than you were before..." Lahnae encouraged softly. "Every day...we're someone different than who we were yesterday. We know more, see more...do more...you know?"
Lahnae smiled. This time...it looked more genuine. She tried to lighten the bleak atmosphere with that smile, with her words.
"No secrets between us, rival." She said. "You can always trust me. I promise."
"...I just...I wanted to clear that." Avery sighed, staring down at the ground in front of me. "I care about you a lot, Lahnae. I...Just, don't go around telling everyone, okay? I think...if too many people knew, I'd either be written up as crazy, or...worse. People would believe me. And I don't know what Arceans would think about me then."
His face darkened.
"...But there's too many secrets in the guild. I..."
'I have to ask...'
"Has Loshjno always been like that...?"
"No, he wasn't."
She said it so quickly. No hesitation. Avery could see it in her eye. Forcing it out hurt her to her core.
But she promised no more secrets.
She took a deep breath. Pressed against her, Avery could feel how hard her heart was beating.
"He...used to be so much more...enthusiastic." Lahnae said. "Joining the guild was his idea...he used to be passionate and wanting to get better and improve but..."
She huffed sadly, guiding Avery forward.
"...now it's like he doesn't even want to be in the guild anymore. Like he doesn't care what happens..." The Torchic looked down at the ground. "...no more secrets, Avery...I think he only stays in the guild for my sake...I'd never leave this guild, I want to do good. I want to help Poke'mon but..."
She glanced down at him.
"I don't want to lose my best friend, either...but I don't know what else to do but try harder. Hit harder. Take more hits. I can't...look, I know, I'm not...smart, you know...? Even when we were kids I needed him to do the thinking...make the plans, I just can't do it by myself. But now he just...lets come what may."
She shook her head, snorting through her nostrils.
"I just need to try harder. Even harder. One day all this bad luck won't matter if I just try...a little harder."
"..."
Even if it hurt...Avery reached around and hugged her. Softly, so as not to injure either of them. Lahnae felt his hug...and she wrapped her wings around him softly, hugging back...tightly, nuzzling into him with a deep sigh.
Avery was still pretty sure they were going to die down here. They'd been walking for...well, he didn't know. It felt like hours. Avery's leg was feeling less awkward with Lahnae to support me. But that wouldn't last. They needed food. And more importantly, with the sweltering heat, water. They had neither.
'...But I'm not going to let Lahnae go out thinking this is her fault.'
"... That isn't how this works, Lahnae," Avery said quietly. "You're partners, you and him. And... You've been trying hard the whole time. At a certain point...If he can't see that, it's on him. If he won't talk to you, if he won't tell you what's wrong...It's on him."
Avery clenched his free fist.
"...A team needs to be open with each other. Communicate. And if he doesn't do that, if he doesn't, at the very least, tell you what he wants, then it's on him! It's on Loshjno to-"
Avery coughed. Hard. A slight trail of blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth. Had he cut his lip? Or...
"I...yeah..." Lahnae said softly. "I'll figure it out...what he wants. Or, well...maybe we can figure it out...?"
She shifted a little, squeezing Avery tighter. She pulled away, seeing the blood running down his lip.
She took a deep breath, leaning him against her.
"I got you." Lahnae said warmly, hoisting him forward.
In the intense heat...there was something...a billow of cold air, lapping at the pair every so often. Avery wasn't feeling so hot anymore, actually. He hadn't felt warm for the past couple of minutes, except for where he was right up against Lahnae. So that was nice.
But... he looked up. He definitely felt a cool breeze...Avery could see a wall coming up...in the haze and smoke...there finally looked to be an end.
"Avery...look..."
Lahnae nodded her head forward. Ahead, the twisting path lead to another cliff like the one he had landed on, on the opposite end of the lava lake. And there, on the wall...looked to be another archway of white stone leading...
...somewhere. It was hard to decipher what it was they were looking at through the archway. Lahnae hoisted Avery forward, a twinkle in her eye.
"We're gunna be okay, Avery." Lahnae said. "I swear it. We will."
Cold air seemed to...billow from the archway, banishing the heat of the lava lake.
"... T... The others..." He wheezed.
The light of hope, just for a moment, had been rekindled. He couldn't leave without them. If he could get out, he couldn't without them-
'... But the lake of lava... Any of them could have landed in there. There was more lake than land...'
"If we found this...I bet the others did, too." Lahnae said firmly, as though accepting no alternatives.
Her voice told him there was no way. Her voice told him everyone was fine. If they weren't then she had a good idea what their fate was: going through an archway.
Lahnae's voice consoled Avery. Her arms hugged him.
Gently...Avery felt his hand held in her wing.
"Let's go find our friends, Avery." She said, smiling, pulling him forward. Softly, he nodded, a smile finally forming on his face, the warmth of the Torchic's body comfortingly coiling around him.
The end of the path was reached at last. The archway just ahead.
As they approached the corridor, the air became colder...colder...
And they still...weren't sure what it was they were looking at as they approached it.
Still, Avery and Lahnae stood before the archway, peering into the...whatever this was...
...
"...Are we dead?" Avery muttered.
Lahnae squinted, hobbling forward. She ran a wing down the side of the stone archway. It felt real...all of this was...real...
The stone floor continued in the archway, snaking like cloth and ending in a strange...void. The inside looked to be nighttime, with a strange textured sky and a bizarre moon. Deep within Avery could see other corridors and strange architecture rising from an expansive checkerboard desert far below...
The air inside there was cold.
Lahnae peered inside, leaning in, looking around.
"It...doesn't connect to anything in here...what...is this?" She said in wonder.
"This... This looks kind of like the illusions in Dove Fo Uddjo," Avery murmured. "... The Obscurity Fields... Is it something psychic, or..."
'Are we dead?'
Lahnae grunted and began to lower Avery.
"Can you stand?" Lahnae asked. "Can you stay here at least...? I can make sure it's safe."
Avery shook his head.
"... I'm not letting you take a step ahead of me. If you go down through the floor, we both do-"
Another laugh he regretted with a pained wince.
"Shh shh, hey, c'mon..." Lahnae cooed, smiling warmly. "Alright, rival. We go together..."
They both stepped into the cold air of whatever this place was...the ground remained firm under their feet, even as it seemed to be suspended over nothing.
Lahnae let out a sigh of relief. This place was a welcome change from the blazing heat of the magma lake.
She looked ahead, seeing the trail connect to the trail of another archway. Lahnae's faced twisted.
"This is...weird...so weird..." She muttered, looking around. It seemed like the psychic illusions from before yet...it kept so still. It didn't shift and morph like the deep dimension. It was like a dream that stayed perfectly internally consistent, as strange as the dream was.
"...Okay...Not like Dove Fo Uddjo, exactly..." Avery said, frowning. "... It's...Weird."
The Plusle looked towards Lahnae.
"...Vizon and I were the closest before being separated. But...I found you." Avery said, squirming. "That...that doesn't make sense spatially, right...? Unless...unless he was behind me. But...But I looked there."
His eyes wandered past the horizon. It seemed like there were other doors.
"...Do you think the others might be through those...?"
"I have a gut feeling that say yes, and that's rarely ever wrong." Lahnae kept her chipper attitude, brightening the atmosphere as best she could, even as they were surrounded by strange sights. "Come on, let's just...pick a corridor and see where it takes us!"
She kept her confidence, lifting Avery forward, crossing the floating path of rocks.
There was a door on the left...the right...and the center.
"Which way do you think they are, Rival?"
"...Left to right," Avery said, taking a breath. "...Let's go left to right. Like a book."
"Alright!" Lahnae cheered, gripping Avery softly and guiding to the leftmost archway. Thankfully, it didn't look like lava and fire on the other side. The Torchic just lead the Plusle over, across the path, slowly approaching the threshold of the archway.
They passed through the stone archway, finding on the other side a cave. It was dark, save for a single stream of light coming from the sun far, far above, filtered through a small crack.
Water...
They could hear rushing water. A small freshwater cave stream babbled over the stone on the other side of the chamber...and there...a wet, blue lump lied on the stone.
And it was...
...breathing.
'This is...a little more pleasant than the other place. Better than a hellish lake of fire. But...'
"...T...There..." Avery said, pointing.
Whoever it was...they were alive. Either Vizon, Jolvia, or...
...Loshjno...
"... Hello?" Avery called, despite his chest's arguments against any sort of volume.
The lump coughed. Desperately coughed, hunched over. It lifted, spluttering and coughing up water. A lot of water. It shivered, its fur matted and dripping as it sat, cold.
A red eye lifted to look at Avery and Lahnae.
"A-A-A...A-Aam...?" Vizon's voice was weak, shuddering in the cold. Lahnae quickly pulled Avery forward, heating her body at once to help the Riolu who was no doubt hitting hypothermia.
'...Maybe not as nice.'
"Hey, bud..." Avery said, limping forward and easing himself to a seated position beside the Riolu. "...Figures that the bird of us is in the best condition out of a fall like that, huh...?"
'...now that I say that...I haven't really looked before. I'd seen blood dripping from Lahnae's beak, but...How bad were her injuries?
And Vizon's, for that matter...?'
Vizon coughed again, wiping his mouth, looking up at the pair.
"I'm...Arceus I'm glad to see you..." Vizon huffed, leaning into Avery, feeling Lahnae's radiating heat. "When I lost you, Avery, I thought that was it I...I hit the water and was dragged through tunnels for I don't know how long..."
"We got you, Vizon." Lahnae assured.
As Avery looked the others over, Vizon looked freezing and exhausted. Bruises festooned his body, his arm limp at his side. But vitally...he still had his soaking wet item bag with him.
And Lahnae...Avery hadn't seen in the haze of the magma lake but she looked...awful. Bloodied cuts coated in dust and sand, bruises, a slight limp in her leg she was ignoring. And still, yet, more blood dribbled down her beak which she only spat out without a thought. Her eye still hadn't opened.
And yet she stood like nothing was wrong.
"You guys look horrible..." Vizon said, fumbling for his pack. "Here...I think I have at least one or two of these left...the rest got washed away...I'm sorry."
Vizon produced two soggy Oran berries. Only two.
"..." Avery looked down at them. "...Have you had any yet, Viz...?"
"Aha...no..." Vizon chuckled weakly. "I only just pulled myself out of that river...been worried sick about you guys..."
The Riolu looked between Avery and Lahnae.
"Are the others safe? Nivanee? Jolvia? Rikzyod? Loshjno?"
Lahnae sighed at the final name.
"... No idea," Avery said. "...I was alone for a while in this lake of lava, and...I only saw Lahnae after an hour of walking. My, uh... My leg isn't doing so hot, heh...And...I think...I think there's something broken in my chest."
Avery looked to Lahnae.
"...I think Lahnae matches, actually. But...We haven't seen anyone other than you yet. But...Maybe there's some people around here."
'...I'm not sure about that. From what I can tell, this place is pretty small. If there's anyone else here, I dunno if we can tell...'
"... Can you move your arm...? " Avery asked.
Vizon sucked in a breath, laughing softly.
"It feels...kinda numb..."
Even as Lahnae warmed him and dried him...his arm was still dripping.
"That's probably not good is it...?" Slowly, the Riolu stood up, legs wobbling.
He looked like he could stand fine, no issues there.
"Alright...if I can walk...I can go on and fight." Vizon said, assured.
"...If we don't find medical supplies soon we might be in some real trouble..." Avery mumbled. "... I don't think we should fight like this. I don't even know if I can fight verbally with my chest the way it is. I..."
Avery sighed.
"...Before we look for the others...I should let you know, Vizon." The Plusle began. "I...I told Lahnae. About...Myself. What you and Nivanee know."
'Maybe it was a stupid decision, but...'
"After what's been going on with Loshjno, and what happened with Aquashock...I don't want any more secrets. Not between the people I care about."
"H-huh...?" Vizon stammered, looking to Lahnae. The Torchic nodded.
"Your best friend's a human, huh?" She said, grinning, Vizon jumping slightly.
"B-But Olistia told us not to tell anyone...!"
"...Olistia," Avery said, giving the ground a steely glance, "...hasn't exactly been the most open with me either..."
Vizon looked worried, looking from Avery to Lahnae. The Torchic only furrowed her brow.
"Don't worry, Vizon. I stand with my friends no matter what." She said. The Riolu let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head, offering Avery his hand.
"Still seems reckless..." Vizon muttered. "Where's this issue with Olistia coming from...? I thought we were friendly with her..."
"Olistia..." Avery furrowed his brow. "...I'm going to need to talk to her about some things soon. But I learned some things about what she and Arceus did, and what she and Sarfallinus are doing that... That I don't..."
Avery clenched his fists.
Lahnae hummed, sighing. Vizon didn't push it further.
"You two should eat those oran berries." Vizon said. "They won't fix everything but you'll at least be able to limp along without help."
Avery didn't want to admit it, but...Vizon was right. He and Lahnae were both coughing up blood. That meant internal bleeding. Vizon seemed okay on that front - whatever happened to his arm... Probably wouldn't kill him if left unchecked for a little while longer, while Lahnae and Avery walking on injured legs could lead to permanent damage.
"Alright. But we'll get you something as soon as we can, too." Avery took one of the oran berries, and handed it to Lahnae, and took the other for himself. "...Are you sure you'll be okay until then?"
Vizon nodded, using his good arm to tighten the strap of his bag, turning the now empty item bag into a makeshift sling.
"I'll power through it...!" Vizon said. "That's the kind of thing cool guild members do in their adventures, yeah?"
"Hehe, yeah!" Lahnae cheered merrily, looking down at the berry. "But...I don't think I-"
"Lahnae, c'mon. You're spitting up blood." Vizon cut in, Lahnae huffing.
"Guh..." Lahnae sighed, shaking her head...at last taking the oran berry like a child finally convinced. "Fine...but we're getting you help as soon as we can."
Avery nodded, eating as well.
"...If I didn't have internal damage this Berry would absolutely be yours," Avery huffed after swallowing it. "... Do you think there's anyone else in this section, Lahnae? Or... Should we move on...?"
Lahnae took a breath as she swallowed the oran berry, looking around.
"I don't see anyone..." She said, scanning the cave. No exits save for the archway...and the river. "Vizon, nobody fell down with you, did they?"
"No, I went down this way myself..." Vizon said, stepping forward. "Where did you guys come from?"
Lahnae stepped aside, showing the archway. Vizon peered at it over her shoulder.
"There's, like...a whole weird series of interconnected archways...we could be miles out from the magma lake Avery and I dropped in.
"Magma lake...?" Vizon said in disbelief.
"Yeah...I think we can find more of our team if we take the archways. That's what I believe in my heart." Lahnae looked to Avery, popping her neck as she felt the oran berry take effect, even if it was limited. Her limp had gone nowhere but she looked much better off. "What do you think, Avery...? Should we try to cover more ground by taking different archways?"
Avery wasn't sure how well it helped his chest but...he felt a little better at least.
"...I don't feel good about splitting up here," Avery said, furrowing his brow. "Especially since... I don't really think we're dealing with anything normal. But...I think if there's anyone else here, they'd be down river. And going that way seems a one way trip. So...We should probably get back to that nexus and try the middle archway. "
"Agreed. I just found you guys, I don't wanna go losing you now..." Vizon muttered. Lahnae smiled, nodding.
"Alright then..." Lahnae conceded. "Say, Vizon...got a cool name for us...?"
"Huh...oh...!" Vizon perked up, coughing out the last of the water as he added to the chipper attitude. "GO GO, TRIPLE SEARCH AND RESCUE FORCE!"
"GO!" Lahnae cheered, high-fiving with Vizon! As a team! Avery still wasn't sure he could shout like they did. Didn't want to risk more damage. But...
The Plusle smiled.
'These two, I can count on.'
"Let's not waste any more time then...!" Avery said encouragingly, stepping closer. "The others need us."
Back to the nexus they went...Hopefully it'd be warmer for Vizon. And hopefully whoever they found would be able to get some supplies.
In the back of Avery's mind...he realized that whatever was happening up there was still happening. The Snivy, the Starly, the Sneasel...
'He'd gotten after us for arresting his team, but...The dungeons had to be better than what was happening in Qeasé.
Marginally.'
The group returned to that strange nexus, Vizon taking his time to stare in amazement at the strange world they all entered, the bizarre towers and architecture across the checkerboard desert.
They all took a quick left, going straight for the centermost archway, Lahnae waving Vizon over.
There, on the other side of the archway, they could see an odd sandy cave. Blocks engraved with moons and suns littered the space, small streams of sand pouring through cracks in the wall.
The cave seemed to continue ahead, taking a right turn. This cave was very dark, save for the light coming from the nexus. Lahnae puffed out a small stream of fire to light the way, letting them all move forward.
"...Hello?" Avery called. It was at least a little easier to call without a stabbing pain in his side. That was good. "Is anyone in here...?"
It was dark...Avery couldn't see two feet in front of his when the fire dissipated.
"What... is this place...?" Avery whispered. "A lava lake, an underground river, a cave of sand...All linked to these sky walkways above a fake desert..."
...
"...hello?"
A voice called from the darkness, squeaking and weak.
There was a shuffle. Another, more distant voice said something Avery couldn't make out.
"We're here to save you!" Vizon called out, Lahnae taking point as the 'torch', swinging her little stream of flame here and there to look at the strange walls, carved with all kinds of odd patterns. She brought the fire low so they all could avoid the block half-submerged in sand.
If anything...this place seemed like more ruins.
"...Vizon...?" The voice squeaked again. Vizon's ears perked, the Riolu listening close.
"Nivanee?" He called out into the dark, urging Lahnae on. The Torchic nodded, going deeper in the cave, rounding the corner.
"I'm here...I'm here, help..." Avery could hear Nivanee's voice. "It hurts. It hurts really bad, Vizon..."
That other, fainter voice could be heard.
"Ah! I think there might be someone this way, Rik! Hello! Are you there?"
...That wasn't good. Avery picked up the pace.
"Jolvia? Jolvia, is that you...? We're..." Avery tried to clench his fist, bring up enough energy to make a bolt of electricity in his arm to use as a beacon. "W-we're over here...! N-Niv, what... What hurts...? Where are you...?"
"I think I heard something...Avery!"
That was Jolvia's voice. The trio trudged forward, running over the sand, ducking under a narrow passage and into a larger area where sand was spilling in from a hole in the wall.
There, on the opposite end of the chamber, was a little brown lump. In another passage ahead, Avery could see two figures enter from the shadows, torches in hand.
"Hello?!" Vizon called. The two figures seemed to jump, anxious until they saw the three in detail.
"Avery! Vizon!" Jolvia's voice came from the other group. "Thank goodness you're alright!:
"Nevermind! Do you see Nivanee anywhere?!" Lahnae called out. "We heard her just a second ago!"
Avery could feel Vizon's hair stand on end as a mournful moan rumbled in the darkness.
"...There," Avery said, pointing to the other side. The brown lump. "Over there, I think I see her- N... Nivanee, can you move...?"
Avery began making his way slowly through the sand, raising his bolt, crackling and unstable as it was, to illuminate his path.
Avery could see Jolvia and Rikzyod too, though they were still dark.
"Jolvia, Rikzyod, are you guys okay...? I'm, uh... Expecting we're all pretty injured in one way or another-"
"We've stemmed our bleeding, Avery. We'll be fine." Jolvia's voice called. The other figure indeed flew like Rikzyod...but bobbed up and down.
Getting closer...it wasn't Rikzyod.
It was the Starly, Calladin, looking terrified, his schism sigil wingband glistening in the torchlight. His right leg was bound to his body with straps. He huddled close to Jolvia like a lost lamb desperate to keep next to anybody, even if they were technically an enemy.
Vizon glanced suspiciously at the Starly a moment, but Nivanee's moans grabbed his attention more urgently. Lahnae got close, holding the flame close, Vizon grimacing at what he saw.
The huddled pair blocked...perhaps even shielded you from the sight of Nivanee's condition.
[CW START]
"Arceus above, Nivanee..."
"Is...is it bad...?" Avery could hear a gurgling in her words.
"Nothing we can't field-mend..." Jolvia assured. "Vizon, hold this."
Avery could see Vizon take Jolvia's torch, a paw over his mouth.
"Two breaks here...here...Lahnae you're going to have to cauterize..." Jolvia paused. "...that."
"Give her a stun seed first."
'Cauterize?'
Avery's blood went cold.
'I shouldn't have eaten the oran Berry. I shouldn't have, I knew I shouldn't have-'
Avery felt sick. He hadn't even seen her yet...
Jolvia took a deep breath, rummaging in her bag to take everything out before handing it to Nivanee.
"Bite."
Avery could hear the sound of teeth sinking into leather. Jolvia leaned back, nodding to Vizon, giving him a razor.
"My hands are too numb. We need the area around the wound shaved."
"Alright..."
Scrape...scrape...scrape...
Jolvia crushed an oran berry over Nivanee. Avery still couldn't see anything.
"It's disinfected." Jolvia said, giving another oran berry and stun seed to Nivanee. "Lahnae...you're up."
The torchic solemnly nodded, taking a deep breath...
A bright red and orange glow flared up. Avery could hear Nivanee's pained, muffled screeching as she bit hard into Jolvia's leather bag.
The bolt disappeared from Avery's hand.
In the dark, in the talking, the screeching, the burning...Avery vomited quietly into the sand.
Not much came up.
He felt awful. He felt useless. Nivanee was his teammate and here he was, squeamish.
Finally, the glow subsided, Jolvia motioning for Calladin to help as they quickly took out rawst berries to juice over Nivanee and bandages to wrap her in, Vizon taking two splints to do work of his own.
"There..." Jolvia sighed with relief. "You're going to make it, Nivanee...but you need a clinic. No oran berry in the world is going to fix this easily."
"So..." Nivanee's voice was weak. She spat and coughed, the gurgling subsiding.
[CW END]
"No more fighting. You're out of commission for this one." Jolvia sighed. Vizon and Lahnae grimaced.
Avery took a few steps away from the point of impact, and fell onto the sand, on his side. The oran Berry had helped, but...his leg still hurt. And that tightness in his chest when he'd brought something up had stung too.
'...I don't have my badge. How am I going to get out of here...?'
"Jolvia...can you...?" Vizon began. The Nidorina nodded, shifting forward. Avery could hear Nivanee grunt in pain as Jolvua lifted her onto her shoulders.
Now Avery could see the Eevee...the wrappings on two legs, the wraps all around her torso...the dreamy, hazy look on her face. Jolvia held tight, standing up.
Nivanee's eyes rolled lazily in her head until they came to the Plusle.
"Heya, Avery..." she said quietly. "I'm so...so happy...to see you...to see my family came for me..."
Avery swallowed a lump in his throat.
"... Nobody gets left behind," The Plusle stuttered, pushing himself to a seated position. "We...We're all going to get out of here."
Avery's eyes turned to the Starly. He tried to give him a little smile.
"... All of us."
The smile was replaced with a grimace as Avery tried to push himself up. That hurt, obviously.
"Starly, you were...You were up there a little longer than we were, I think...Do you remember what happened after we fell...? Or...If your friend or the foreman came down here too?"
"Yeah...what did happen up there...?" Vizon asked suspiciously, making the Starly recoil. Jolvia patted the Starly on the shoulder, calming him down.
"Well...we fell at the same time all of you did...I flapped my wings and tried to save Quay-I mean, uh...Q." the Starly gulped. "And I saw Thundurus flick the foreman off the alter after us...I couldn't catch either of them and when I swooped in I kind...lost control."
"Good. Then that means they're down here with us." Jolvia said.
"Wait, but...hasn't anyone seen Loshjno?" Lahnae asked, pressingly. Jolvia and Calladin shook thier heads.
"What about Rikzyod?"
"He was the first one I found, actually." Jolvia explained. "We split up to cover two pathways back in some..."
She paused.
"Well...I don't know how to explain it. It was like some bizarre, mystical crossroads of perpetual night."
Avery nodded, trying to keep his mind off of Nivanee's...injuries.
"I ended up in some lava lake, and I found Lahnae after about an hour alone." Avery explained. "Then we went into...I think that same night nexus you were talking about, and we found Vizon there. And...Now we're here. There's one more door we didn't cover in the nexus we found, the rightmost one from the perspective of the lava lake."
Avery paused.
"...Does...Anyone have any idea what this place is...?" The Plusle asked. "We were falling for two or three whole minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if we were in the center of the earth or something..."
"I woke up in a deep cavern of metal and strange lights..." Jolvia said. "I found Rikzyod in a cavern in an oceanside forest, facing crashing waves...Calladin tells me he ended up at the bottom of the ocean until one of those 'portals' sucked him into a cave river where I found him."
Everyone stared at one another in confusion.
"So...I suppose it's safe to say that...no, nobody knows what this place is." Vizon said, standing up. "I don't even know whose ruins these are."
"They're Kessian. You know...one of the old tribes before Arcea." Lahnae put in. "It's why Qease' values them so much, they're suppose to be Kessi descendants."
"Well...Calladin," Avery said, putting a hand to his chest. "...I'm Avery. I know that...Yknow, up there we've got issues and stuff, but...I don't think we can afford to think about those while we're in a place like this with...so many injuries. So...I promise: We'll get everyone out of here safely. That's what I feel like I'm supposed to do as a guild member. "
"Wooow, awesome..." Calladin said. "The way Q talked about you guys made you seem a lot scarier! Like you'd cave my skull and bury me in the desert!"
"What?" Vizon cried.
"Oh shoot. Was that out loud?"
"...Yeah, uh... No, I'm not in the habit of doing that," Avery said, frowning a little. "... Kind of makes me wonder how much we know about you guys is wrong-"
Jolvia nudged the starly, rolling her eyes. Nivanee huffed weakly, Vizon eying the group.
"So, where to now...?" Vizon asked. Jolvia sniffed, looking back the way she and Calladin came as she answered.
"Well, in just a few moments I suspect-"
"IIIIII FOUND THE STUPID ONE!" A familar, gruff voice merrily sang.
"Ah, there he is." Jolvia said with a smile, turning back to see a figure appear, floating and with a body slung over his shoulder.
"What fun!" Rikzyod's voice rang merrily. "I found myself in a strange place of endless mist where I found the stupid one asleep! I even had fun with the shadowy creatures stalking in the fog, what a lark!"
Avery's thoughts were interrupted by Rikzyod's voice, looking up from his contemplation.
"Stupid one? Do you... Do you mean the Foreman...?" the Plusle asked.
'...I mean. Trying to wield an ancient artifact strikes me as pretty stupid.'
"That is the one!" Rikzyod said, dropping the foreman on the ground. The Sneasel had a shallow gash on her head but was otherwise alive...if unconscious.
Vizon lifted a torch, handing it to Rikzyod. Avery could see a whole half of the Geodude's face was now sparkling diamond geode, the rock layer blown away. Yet despite the grievous impurity Rikzyod still smiled merrily.
"Oh, sheesh, Rikzyod..." Vizon cringed. "Doesn't that...you know..." he gestured to his face. "...hurt...?"
"Immensely! Near to paralyzingly! Is it not grand?" Rikzyod laughed, patting Vizon on the head, who only grunted in response. "Now then...ah! Avery! You are alive! Come back a few broken bones stronger, uh?"
"I'm not the worst off of all of us," Avery said with an uneasy laugh. "...We need to get Nivanee some intensive medical care as soon as possible. And I think chances are low that we're going to find a fully staffed hospital down here."
"Hah! And when she is back on her feet she will no doubt be able to put a hole through Arceus himself!" Rikzyod assured with a smile, one the delirious Nivanee returned, a silent chuckle escaping her lips. It was clear she appreciated any levity right now.
'...Deep breaths.
I'm not sure how levitous I can be. But...for Nivanee, I have to try.
We have to get out of here.'
Avery smiled as well and looked back towards the nexus.
"There's one more door back where we came from. Hopefully that leads to a way out... And our two missing faces."
Jolvia nodded, Rikzyod picking the forman back up.
"Alright, follow us." Vizon said, Calladin nodding and taking his place behind him, Jolvia and Rikzyod following suit. "Lahnae, Avery, lead on."
Lahnae nodded, lighting a stream of fire again, ready to return to the nexus. Avery began walking back with them - slower, now that they had a much larger party. That was probably good on Avery's hobbling leg, at least.
Soon, they were back in the pathways far above the night desert.
"...Get your looks in now," Avery said, looking up. "...And, uh...I don't know if it's possible, but don't fall again. The sand there looks plush, but... I'm not sure I see an obvious way back up here."
Walking into this strange place...Nivanee stared in awe. Calladin looked abouts, nodding off to the side as a trio of floating archways far in the distance...
"That must be where we just were..." the Starly muttered.
Avery looked back at Calladin for a moment.
"Are you able to fly, Calladin? I don't want you pushing yourself to injury, but since our eventual direction is going to be 'up,' having someone who can get up there without land beneath him would be good."
Calladin snapped out of his thoughts to look at Avery.
"Huh? Oh yeah, yeah, totally, guild guy!" Calladin assured. "This hurt leg's not gunna slow me down from saving you guys."
Jolvia smiled.
"Thank you, Calladin." She said. "I know...Q has his misgivings about us, but..."
"Q is just as cool as ever, I'm just following his example!"
Vizon looked back at the Starly, looking lost as to what he meant. He grunted, looking away. It wasn't hard for Avery to guess what the Riolu was thinking about being buddy-buddy with 'bad guys'. Thankfully, Vizon voiced nothing for now.
As Avery spoke, he returned his gaze to the final arch, heading towards it. He had to hope that Q and Loshjno were through there.
The cold wind intensified as they approached the final archway...a veil of white obscuring whatever was on the other side.
As they walked through...Avery saw snow. Here, by a tall rock cliff that towered to their right, they were outside in a frozen wasteland...who knows where.
"...Oh jeez..." Avery mumbled, bringing his hand up to shield his face as a gust of cold wind buffeted his tiny body. "... This is cold-"
Avery looked back at the others. He didn't say anything but...
'Loshjno and Q are both reptiles. If they're in here...They could be in trouble.'
"There's no shame in waiting outside if you aren't feeling up for snow," Avery said. "I'm good to keep going for now, but if anyone wants to wait in the...Relatively gentle crossroads, I'll come back with a report."
There, behind Avery, as he looked back...Avery saw nothing...
Nothing but a blank rock face and an archway to nowhere.
No weird nexus, no friends.
The wind howled.
But just before he could feel worried, a voice rang.
"Avery!"
It was Lahnae's...above him, up the sheer rock cliff. Avery could see it, stumbling from another archway, the Torchic appeared, looking around frantically.
"Do you see him?!" Avery could hear Jolvia's voice.
"No...no I don't! Avery?!"
She sounded genuinely terrified.
"W...what the-"
Avery blinked.
"D- DON'T COME IN-!" Avery yelled, looking up. "I-I'm okay! Th...The archway just moved! Don't come in!"
'...ow.'
"Huh?!" Lahnae shouted, whipping her head around, looking down. She threw herself on her chest, peeking over the cliff down at Avery, a deep look of relief. "Oh, thank goodness, I...hah...no more surprises, Avery! All this shock is getting DUMB!"
She took a deep, shuddering breath, looking back toward her archway.
"He's ok! Just...came through somewhere else..."
"Does this archway switch?" Jolvia's voice rang out.
Lahnae shrugged, looking back down at Avery.
"Look, Avery, let's see who we can find here, okay?" She shouted down, looking back towards the arch. "Guys, can we get some rope or something from the other rooms?"
"I'll see what we can do...Nivanee and Vizon need to save their strength...and body heat right now." Jolvia's voice said.
Lahnae nodded again, looking back down at Avery.
"I'll check up here...maybe you can check down there and we'll get a rope to you so you can rejoin us in a bit, okay?"
"Got it," Avery called. "...I was going to say the same thing, Vizon's soaked and Nivanee's...both of them should probably stay where it's safe. I'll see what I can find...!"
Avery turned and began traipsing through the snow, wading alongside it.
He was hoping that he was light enough that he wouldn't sink too far into it. At the very least...in a place as white as this, seeing green, or blue and brown, would be pretty easy.
The snow was thickly packed, easily holding Avery. A layer of ice underneath made it somewhat slippery...but quite stable.
But where in Lightning Wastes could you possibly be? Clearly he wasn't in a desert anymore...what were any of these places? Without much time to mull on it, Avery continued.
The valley had snow upon every single surface, even up the steep hills, surely too steep to ever climb.
His paws crunched in the snow. No wind blew here, thankfully, the air was a still and motionless cold, every huff of breath producing a thick cloud of steam.
Avery had to squint his eyes, the glare of the sun upon the snow blinding as it hit the white surface.
And most of all.
It was silent. Totally silent. Not a single sound disturbed this hidden valley but the crunch of Avery's footsteps...
'...Come to think of it...Other than my friends and...Others...I haven't seen a single soul down here. Not another Poke'mon.'
It was pretty unnerving...but while Nivanee was in such a state, Avery wasn't going to be able to think about all that right now. How a chamber like this could be so close to a lake of fire, how the doorway could move...
'I didn't fall, right...?'
He was alone again, yes, but...not entirely. His team was looking for a way to get him back up to them. And for now...he'd have to find Loshjno and Q in the meantime.
...
'Hopefully I'll find them before it's too late.'
The snow seemed to go on...and on. The world seemed so still out here...yes, out here. The sun shone clearly, the sky above...
Then, something caught Avery's eye...a break in the snow, an easy imperfection to spot in the layer of smooth white. The blanket of frost was disturbed, pushed aside, compressed...tracks!
The tracks seemed to come from ahead, moving towards Avery...then they veered off towards a small inset of rock in the cliff face.
The Plusle could see something up there. Someone. But it was hard to tell who from his angle, the Poke'mon mostly obscured by rock.
But Avery could see the faintest hint of blue.
"...Loshjno?" Avery said. It was silent here. Hauntingly silent. He thanked whoever was up there that this meant he didn't have to yell. "...Is that you?"
The figure seemed to...perk up.
"Avery...is that you?" the Plusle could hear Loshjno's voice speak up from over the ridge. "Hey, way to go, pal. You found me before I found you."
Avery backed up and saw the Squirtle...lounging. Leg propped on his knee and hands behind his head.
Loshjno rolled his head, looking down at Avery, eyes half lidded...looking as though nothing's happened.
"Having fun yet, Avery?" The Squirtle chuckled. "You look awful."
Avery ignored his remarks, moving in a little closer. Even as...mocking as they seemed, the Plusle had to remain calm.
"Are you hurt...?" Avery asked. "Have you seen the Snivy anywhere...?"
"Can't say I have, unfortunately. Who knows where the poor guy's ended up." Loshjno sighed, shrugging. "Need another Oran berry? I guess you already found the others, huh?"
He chuckled again, lazily standing up. Seeing him in full...Loshjno didn't have a scratch on him. Worst he had was some nicking on his shell but that was it. He looked fully fit and unhurt, jumping from the inset and into the snow in front of Avery with a loud crunch.
"Did Lahnae get knocked out?"
'...Maybe he retreated into his shell during the fall. That might have cushioned him...Or maybe he was ultra powerful in that respect, too.'
"No. She was hurt pretty badly though... Not nearly as bad as Nivanee." Avery replied. "If anyone needs oran berries it's her. We should get back with the others, though."
"Just 'hurt badly'?" Loshjno sighed, shaking his head. "I guess that means the mission is still on, huh? Oh well. Mind we keep poor Nivanee on the sidelines when we get to our next surprise."
There was a...strange air to his words. There it was again...that knowing air.
"I must have been closer than I thought to an exit." Loshjno continued, looking down the valley, popping his neck. "You're real commendable, Avery. Not a quitting bone in your body. That's the stern stuff winners are made out of, huh? But just make sure you're mindful and...don't try so hard right now, you're hurt enough as it is."
Loshjno chuckled, patting Avery on the shoulder.
"I'll probably need to tell Lahnae the same, poor girl."
That twinge of anger showed itself in Avery's gut again.
But...the Plusle knew that he couldn't lose his cool like he did with Kipuuna. Not again.
"...Loshjno, what's going on with you?" Avery asked, stepping back out into the snow. "You're obviously holding back during fights. You're really capable. And you seem to have knowledge of what's going to happen before it happens. But you're being so nonchalant about it all."
Avery fixed a hard look upon Loshjno.
"There's people... A lot of people counting on you, you know...?" Avery finished.
Loshjno paused his walk. His feet sank in the snow.
He was silent, seeming to just...ponder Avery's question. Avery saw Loshjno's hand clench...unclench. Huffs of steam escaped the Squirtle's lips as he stood with his back to Avery.
"Knowledge?" Loshjno asked. "It's not 'knowledge', Avery. It's just a bit of perception and deducting. A simple prediction may as well be future sight if it's well-informed enough."
He turned to face Avery. He still had his smile...but it was small. Fallen slightly.
"Poor Lahnae...I'd never get anywhere without her raw fighting skill..." Loshjno said...it was the first thing Avery heard the Squirtle say that was halfway to solemn. "I'm sorry you've had to see me sandbagging this mission. I know you've seen it, you're not stupid."
Avery gave a small, curt nod, but said nothing yet.
Loshjno looked up at the sky, staring at the clouds as they lazily rolled along. He shifted thoughtfully.
"Top index, they said, in perception and critical thinking. A genius child was what I was considered when I joined...poor Lahnae...she's always relied on me, my plans, my hard-calls, into order to hit her max potential."
Loshjno paused, his eyes hardening.
"But I'd rather keep her from her best, if you don't mind" Loshjno sighed, shaking his head, still not looking at Avery. "You wanted to be on a Team Spade mission, and now here you are. Broken and bruised, friends hurt, in a hopeless situation. We've got a mission to fail, posthaste, and I only hope we make it out of this one only being knocked out...we're much farther along than we'd usually be..."
'...So there it is.'
"...is that all it is...?" Avery said. "Bad luck, snowballing worse and worse until..."
The Plusle was silent for a few more moments. Trying to think of something to say.
"I guess when you've read a type of story enough times you start to be able to predict where the twists happen," Avery admitted. "...And with three years of this under your belt, I feel like you've already tried to change the plot from the inside."
Avery's eyes went up to the cliff.
"...But even so. Even hurt, bruised as we are...we're somewhere nobody has been in a long, long time. We've got people to save, to get out of here."
There was a long silencce. Slowly, Avery looked back to Loshjno.
"...so what happens next?"
Even as the Plusle said it, even as he asked...There was a chill down his spine. Loshjno was smart. Gifted, he said. And he knew this would only get worse the longer they went.
Loshjno was sandbagging, hoping they'd fail, to keep them from getting here. Loshjno was trying to keep them, keep Lahnae, safe.
'What was next?'
Loshjno stared at Avery.
Stared at him very hard.
That smile of his...vanished. At last, Avery saw something that seemed as though it were broiling underneath. A face of stone, eyes tired near to dead as they burrowed into the Plusle.
"You want to know?"
Loshjno's voice was like a guard, giving Avery his last chance to back out and remain unknowing. The Squirtle didn't sigh. Nor shrug. Nor smile.
"When we get out, there will be an exit to the series of tunnels we've been traversing. The area we fell down is, itself, a temple structure connecting to other areas in Arcea using portals, and of course needs a conventional method of entering the nexus besides plummeting from a hundred miles."
He tilted his head, eyes wandering.
"The voice as the pearl was activated by the foreman...'hardlight projections'. This is all fake. Thundurus is, anyway. A security system built to hard-deter thieves based on a god of Kessi mythology. Likely this 'hardlight', whatever it is, will be used to convince us the Qease' villagers have been made into thralls like he said, but his words suggest this 'punishment' only applies to us, the people in the chamber. Qease' will remain untouched."
His head tilted to the other side.
"The Kessi tribe believed Thundurus lived in a grand and trapped palace on Thunder Mesa, so we'll likely find that. A labyrinth with dangerous traps. Saws, daggers, spikes, old Kessi traps."
He leaned his head back, clicking his tongue.
"Confusing to navigate unless you know to go for the central tower, where Kessi kings traditionally put their throne. Because it's all a projection, Thundurus will appear and he'll be massive. Lots of thunder and lightning to intimidate us."
He lowered his head.
"And, of course, when we fight him, just as we think we've won, the second form of Thundurus will appear at the last second, just as Kessi religion describes, a snake-like dragon of the storms. Even bigger and more dangerous than his first form."
He frowned, crossing his arms.
"Not that it's an impossible fight there, either. I've already come up with plans, contingencies, backups, everything, to overcome all of this, every obstacle, every enemy, but, Avery, I'm telling you you, none of that matters. Absolutely none of anything I said matters."
Loshjno's brow furrowed.
"Do you know why? Do you know why none of it matters? Do you know what happens after that?"
Loshjno stared at Avery.
A long stare, hardened, almost...sneering. Avery's reply was only silence, thus Loshjno continued.
"I don't know. I have no idea what happens after that. There's always something that happens next, I've worked as hard as I can to see as much as I can coming but I can only go so far. I have no idea what other curveball we could possibly have lined up but it's going to be bad."
Loshjno took a step forward, his stony face had barely moved.
"Because it's only going to get worse, Avery, I've told you. Lahnae's bad luck...it's real. The further we go, the worse it's going to get, compounding on and on and on until we fail...or worse."
Loshjno gestured to Avery's limp, the blood in the Plusle's fur.
"That could be your final warning, Avery." Loshjno said, gravely. "It's been like this for years, since the day Lahnae and I started. Things always got worse than projected, we'd struggle on and power through, twist after twist. Do you know what that led to?"
Avery was silent for a long time.
"... What did that lead to?" Avery asked quietly.
"I got angry." Loshjno held up a finger. "Once. Only...once."
Loshjno paused, rubbing two of his fingers together as he seemed to sink in the snow.
"Back then...Lahnae was in it for the fun. She had fun going on missions, being in it with me...but me, I was different. I was trying, Avery. This one mission long ago...I was really really trying, I laid out every plan, studied every map I could find, researched where we were going, news articles, a night and morning of prep work to do a mission that...frankly, someone like Nivanee could just blaze in and do blindly on instinct."
Loshjno let out a breathy laugh.
"And we still failed. And I was furious. I was angry. The looks my guildmates gave me again...those pedantic looks of sympathy I had seen a million times, my only reward after trying so hard to succeed this...it sent me down somewhere...bad. Somewhere crushing. Somewhere..."
Loshjno grit his teeth. There was a shimmering darkness in his eyes.
"...well, what else could it be but Rock Bottom...? This maddening place where you have done literally...literally everything you are capable of, physically, mentally, whatever, you have reached the top of the mountain and it still not enough."
Loshjno took a breath.
The silence chilled the air.
"And after that mission...as I slowly...slowly slipped into despair, what do I find Lahnae doing? She's in the dojo...training. Promising me she'd do her best next time. No more goofing off. She was getting serious she was..."
Loshjno bit his lip.
"...doing what she always did. Trying harder. But Avery...even if you didn't know her as a kid, I know you've seen it in her. That twinkle in her eye like thin glass soon to shatter, that look she gives when she's alone, when there's nothing to prop against. You've seen how...fragile she is. For all the bluster and power and can-do spirit she has a brittle heart."
Avery cold hear him swallow, his eyes wandering away...up the snowy cliffs.
"I was always her wall, the one she propped herself against, because I could take it. But my anger shook her that day...so I stay lax, tell her it's ok. I don't care anymore. But that's not enough."
Loshjno looked back, down the way Avery had come, down into the growing haze of snow...as though he were looking at Lahnae herself.
"Did you hear her as we fell? That desperation in her voice is exactly what I'm afraid of. Being around you, her rival, the one she looks up to, being put on an important mission...she's ending up right where I was that night."
His head turned to side-eye Avery. There was almost an...accusatory look in his eye.
"There's only two kinds of Poke'mon when you sit on the bottom rung your whole career." Loshjno said at last. "Ones like me that have the emotional strength to accept their position...and ones like Lahnae, who fight and claw and strain and pull all the way up, up, up...to their low ceiling...where they come crashing down...down...down."
Loshjno huffed a breath, a torrent of steam billowing from his mouth.
"And some Poke'mon who hit rock bottom that hard never recover." His voice was so icy...grim. "Some Poke'mon that see the peak of what their capable of...just break."
He turned to Avery. The Plusle's expression had hardened with Loshjno's.
"Do you think me cruel enough to let that happen to Lahnae...?" Loshjno asked. "Not Lahnae...not her, Avery. She's my friend. I know what would happen to her if she crashed...I know. I see it in my nightmares. Every mission we go out on where she rushes and beats 100 bad guys I feel a deep fear in my heart that this is it, this is the mission where it all falls apart for my best friend. And I do whatever I can to tug her back down before it happens."
"... This can't go on forever, Loshjno," Avery replied quietly, leaning up against the wall of stone to ease the pressure off his leg. "We both know that. It's already been going on for years. I didn't know how...bad it had gotten when I asked Guildmaster Sarfallinus to let Lahnae and you come with us. I'd only learned about her luck in earnest this morning, and even then I didn't really believe it."
Avery fixed Loshjno with a hard stare - though below it there was a deep, sad admiration for the Squirtle's own resolve to help his friend. Avery had misjudged him. Loshjno was doing this for Lahnae, even as it hurt her.
"But...the way I see it, Loshjno, this ends one of three ways. And I don't mean your mission, I mean Team Spade." Avery took a deep breath. "...One. We find out why her luck is this bad and find some way to lift it. As you've no doubt gathered or heard me say, I'm new here, so I don't know if that's something we can do. But it's something.
"Way two is you both quit, one way or another. With this low ceiling, with these constant defeats, either Lahnae will lose heart or Sarfallinus will dismiss you both. If she thinks that even I don't believe in her anymore..."
Avery paused.
"...I do believe in her. I believe in both of you...but the third way is... Something horrible happens. Something that forcibly stops Team Spade from adventuring forever."
Avery's paw idly, almost nervously, traced the facets of the wall behind him.
"... You've been dealing with this three years longer than I have, Loshjno. I'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know. But there's a crossroads in front of you both. And it's been a long time coming...but we're getting closer to it every day, and sooner or later you're both going to need to pick a path.
"I don't know what happens next. And to an extent, neither do you. Whatever waits for us next... We're in no condition to fight at our best. I've lost my badge. So have a lot of the others. And there's still someone down here unaccounted for that I can't just leave.
"Maybe the call is to go back to the guild. Honestly I'm running on fumes as far as my leg is concerned. But there's still something we have to do down here first. And I..."
Avery gave Loshjno a little smile.
"I think if we're going to fail this mission, we're going to fail it as best as we possibly can."
"Hm...you're right on one thing." Loshjno said, clasping his hands together. "I've seen those paths coming a long time. I doubt there's any fixing Lahnae's luck, some people are just...born that way. Maybe it's some lack of perception on her part, maybe it's the specific way she shoots her mouth at just the wrong time, maybe some combination of microscopic, imperceptible factors we'd never be able to fully fathom in a million years, but..."
Loshjno sighed, rubbing his head.
"She has so much fun at the guild, Avery." the Squirtle said, his voice almost wavering. "Maybe it all leads to Team Spade dissolving, both of us leaving the guild...maybe our friendship going with it. But I can at least delay the inevitable as long as I can, just to squeeze every precious second of time for her."
He huffed, looking away and rubbing his arm, looking down the valley, back toward the archway.
"We'll at least get everyone out of here." Loshjno said, solemnly. "I won't let anyone die in this mission, I promise. But...I want this to be over before we hit the end, Avery. That unknown waiting for us at the end of this scares me, it always does..."
Avery pushed himself off of the wall, wincing a bit at the pressure on his leg.
"...It's scared me too. Heck, everything is unknown to me. All of my missions have ballooned out of control. From Windscorch Mountain to Breezy Plains to this one. From heads of criminal organizations to dimensions made to psychologically torture us to kingdoms enslaving thousands to monsters burning down houses. I know the unknown is scary. And... It's even scarier when you can see it coming. Where you're just... so acutely aware of what's coming... And when that stops."
Avery took another step forwards.
"But she tries so hard, Loshjno. And a Poke'mon that tries that hard shouldn't fail in the worst ways. It's not fair to her and it's not fair to you."
Another step.
"There is something in the way between Team Spade and sparkling success. It's something...dark, expansive, maybe even unknowable. But it's there...and I'm sure that it can be moved. You are both... So close. So so close."
Avery put a hand on Loshjno's shoulder, the Squirtle staring down at it.
"You both have the makings to be some of the best Poke'mon in the business. And I know that it can happen. It's like...Those fighters who train with shackles, with weights. So when they're lifted..."
Avery laughed a bit, shaking his head.
"Maybe that's just me dreaming, sure, but... I think we can at least all make it out of here. If planning will get us somewhere terrifying, and improvising will get us hurt...Maybe we can find some happy medium in between. We can fail as best as we can."
Loshjno said nothing. A breeze picked up, chilling the valley as snow began to swirl.
The Squirtle huffed a breath, steam billowing up into the air.
Slowly, Loshjno lifted his arms behind his head, taking his relaxed position again.
"It isn't fair to her. None of this is fair to her...she doesn't deserve this." Loshjno said, turning from Avery and stepping forward, crunching in the snow. "But I well know our potential, what we could do...how close we always are. Always so close. But 'close' doesn't cut it."
He looked back at Avery.
"If she crashes..." Loshjno began. "...if I let her soar in the air and she crashes back down...what then? I have a few guesses...but let me get out of my own head for a bit. What do you think would happen, huh?"
"...If I had to guess...?" Avery said, looking back up at the cliff. "Lahnae would pick herself up, dust herself off and try again. I think the definition of a 'skill cap' to her is more a suggestion than anything."
Avery's eyes fell back down to Loshjno.
"But that'll only happen as long as people believe in her." Avery said. "...we saw what happens when she has nobody at her back. This morning, when she realized Sarfallinus was shuffling her off to useless missions. And...when we were falling. When she thought you didn't care about the mission."
Avery smiled woefully.
"...She's a lot like me, in that respect. But as long as she has support...true, undying support, I don't think anything will keep her down. I'm pretty sure that girl has the willpower to fight death itself and best it."
A small smile crossed Loshjno's mouth. And he chuckled.
A genuinely friendly chuckle.
"We shouldn't keep the others waiting." the Squirtle said, turning away, crunching in the snow. The prints he made were deep, his gait...relaxed yet not casual.
He lowered his hands, glancing back at the Plusle.
"Oh, and, Avery...?"
He paused, his smile widening.
His hand clenched...lifting slowly...
...and giving Avery a thumbs-up.
"...let's do our best."
Despite the cold, Avery felt a warmth rise in his chest.
"Man, I've been looking forward to hearing you say that," Avery said, his own smile swelling. He hobbled forwards to match Loshjno's gait.
The two walked quickly, following Avery's tracks back towards the Nexus gates. Though nothing was said, there was a growing energy in the silence, something that, at last, felt hopeful.
Then, a sound rose up over the sounds of their crunching footsteps.
"AVERYYYYY!"
The Plusle could hear it. Lahnae's loud voice echoing over the valley.
Loshjno stopped. A brief pause, hearing Lahnae's voice coming from the cliff just ahead. The Squirtle stared up at the cliff, at the girl that scanned the area by the archway.
"Heeeey! Anyone out there?"
Loshjno chuckled...a long chuckle, punctuated by a heaving sigh.
An accepting, sad sigh.
"If this is Team Spade's last mission together..." Loshjno muttered. "...it may as well be the best adventure ever."
The Squirtle took a long, deep breath.
And ran.
"Lahnaaaeee! We're here!"
'...Please don't let it be Team Spade's last mission. Please, Arceus, if you're listening... Give us something to break the curse.'
Avery couldn't call, of course. But he did his best to keep pace with Loshjno.
"We're alright!" Avery said, as loudly as he could without hurting himself. "We haven't found Q yet."
Avery could see Lahnae look over, the Torchic's eyes brightening at once as she waved to Loshjno.
"Loshjno! You're okay!"
Loshjno laughed, rushing to the cliff and waving back.
"Avery! Look who I found!" Lahnae cheered. There, beside her, Avery and Loshjno could see the hooded face of the snivy, Q. He looked down at the two with a cool expression, only nodding silently. Lahnae turned to look at him. "Hey, hey, Q! You might giving them a lift?"
The snivy sighed...but all the same let down a pair of vines down toward Avery and Loshjno both. The Squirtle grabbed onto one whilst the other lightly wrapped itself around Avery's body, being sure to put most of the pressure under the Plusle's arms instead of his hurt body. With that, he lifted them both up to the cliff to join the others.
"Thanks," Avery said once Q was in earshot of his quieter voice. "...Are you okay? We're a little low on supplies, but... Any injuries?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Nothing some time in the sun didn't fix..." Q said simply, retracting his vines as Avery and Loshjno settled onto the cliff. He looked off to the side, staring coldly at the archway. "...Nivanee of Duskwalker is...doing much better now."
"Yeah! Q totally gave his oran berries out to everyone! Now we're friends and stuff!" Lahnae said excitedly, the Snivy sighing, not looking at her...even as a blush crossed his cheeks. He reached in his bag and produced more for Avery and Loshjno to help get them back up to full strength.
"I'm not sure on that last part...but yes, everyone should be healed. Nivanee of Duskwalker will still need a clinic...and that Riolu partner of yours is a bit twitchy, isn't he?" Q asked, standing up and dusting the snow from himself. "I'll speak no words to you getting help from your enemies. Goodness knows I'd never want to hurt the guild's reputation."
The last sentence was spoken a little bitterly. Lahnae took no notice but Loshjno stroked his chin, staring at the snivy.
The Squirtle had that knowing look on his face, one that Q very deliberately chose to ignore.
"...Vizon is..." Avery frowned, biting his lip after swallowing another berry. "...Slow to trust. But we're not enemies right now. We're all in the same boat."
Avery wasn't sure if the oran berry would settle his ribs or his legs permanently, but...having more supplies definitely helped.
They all moved back to the archway, seeing the rest of the team standing in that strange nexus. Nivanee looked much less hazy, smiling warmly at Avery as she lie across Jolvia's shoulders. Rikzyod's face had mostly recovered, with only a few patches of exposed diamond showing.
Vizon stood by another archway in the nexus, rolling his shoulder, his arm looking much better thanks to Q's oran berry.
"Niv?" Avery said as he approached, releived to see the Eevee. "You sure you're alright?"
"Yeah...I think we're doing much better..." Nivanee said softly. She glanced to the Snivy, giving the hooded Thieves Guild member a smile. "I really appreciate all you've done for us, despite everything, Q."
The Snivy stared hard at Nivanee.
"Yeah...despite everything."
Vizon looked back at Avery, waving him over.
"Looks like that's everyone...check this out..." Vizon seemed to be avoiding eye-contact with Q and Calladin, the Thieves Guild members reuniting...namely the Starly tearfully hugging into the Snivy...and the cool-headed Snivy idly patting his head.
Vizon stepped aside, showing a new archway that hadn't been there before. From here, Avery could see it led into a cave...with stairs leading up. Loshjno smiled.
"There it is."
"Alright...I think that's everyone," Avery said, looking around. "Vizon, Nivanee...Jolvia and Rikzyod, Lahnae and Loshjno, Q and Calladin, and the Foreman. We aren't leaving anyone behind."
The Plusle took a step forward.
"Let's go. But...stay alert, everyone. We're still in the ruins, and...there might still be traps ahead."
Everyone nodded, Vizon taking the first exploratory step forward toward the stairs with Jolvia following behind with Rikzyod.
Q and Calladin followed behind. Only Lahnae and Loshjno lagged behind. It was almost as though Lahnae was...hesitating...
Lahnae turned her head slowly toward Loshjno.
There was a...hopeful, wishful, expectant look in her eye. A silent plea.
The Squirtle turned his head, smiling.
And the words he spoke were simple...and Avery could really tell...just how precise the word choice was.
"Give it your all, Lahnae. ALL of your all! That Thundurus doesn't stand a chance when we work together."
Lahnae's eyes lit up! A bright fire burned in her eyes! The wicked smile across her face! The bristle of her feathers! The radiating heat from her!
Lahnae POPPED up into the air, giving a joyous SPIN! A swirl of excited flames circled her body, limbs flailing in the air, dancing!
"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEAAAHHHH!"
She let out a JUBILANT bellow.
"I'M GUNNA GIVE IT MY ALL! NO MATTER WHAT!"
A sad look crossed Loshjno's eye, hearing that, watching her dance about in excitement. He sighed, quietly enough that she wouldn't hear.
"I know you will...Lahnae."
Loshjno watched the Torchic bound toward the stairs boldly, thundering up after the others.
Loshjno only...hung back and watched as she pulled forward, leaving him and Avery both behind.
"I know you will..."
Avery glanced at the Squirtle as he staired up at the retreating form of Lahnae as she ran up towards the light.
"...You know what's funny, Loshjno?" Avery said quietly, standing there next to him. "...You told me back there, I wanted to go on a Team Spade mission, I'm on a Team Spade mission. We're injured, Nivanee's hurt, we're on our last legs..."
Avery turned to him, and gave the Squirtle a little smile.
"...Don't forget. You're on a Team Azure mission, too. And as surprising as it sounds..." Avery took a few steps forward towards the staircase...
...and looked back at Loshjno.
"This is par for the course for us, too."
Loshjno, for the first time since Avery had met him so long ago, brightened with a vigor that could rival Lahnae's, the Squirtle running up after Avery as they both followed after their team.
There...the staircase was long, impossibility long. It spanned a dizzying distance upward in a trudge that seemed like it could go on forever.
But every eye was trained upon the top, that shining light that hung at the top of the endless staircase.
"Alright, one of us is going to have to escape here and make tracks for Arceliaze." Jolvia said, adjusting the Eevee on her shoulders.
"One of us?" Vizon asked with a smile. Jolvia smirked.
"I can hear it in your voice, young Vizon. I know well it'd take more than a few broken bones to keep you from your mission." She replied. "What's that you say? 'Heroes never give up'?"
She hummed, looking up at the Snivy and Starly.
"And you two...surely you realize we're enemies again once we escape?" Jolvia asked. The Snivy looked back at her with a cool expression...and, oddly, seemed to smirk, almost jokingly.
"Is that true? You don't wish for any more help against this Thunder God?" Q responded. "Whatever you might think of us, we're not going to abandon this desert, nor leave Qease' to it's fate. We never do."
"Woaah...cool..." Calladin muttered in awe at the Snivy.
Avery looked to Q with a little smile at that.
"Then you and I can be allies a little while longer. I didn't want to leave you guys down there, and I don't want to leave Qeasé alone until it's safe, either."
Avery turned his attention to the other Poke'mon.
"I say if anyone is going to hightail it back to Arceliaze, it should probably be the person least fit to fight," Avery said, looking up at the light. "...Nivanee, the trip out here was long, but it wasn't too hard - do you feel like you can make it back on your own?"
"I think...ngh..." Nivanee grunted, softly nodding. "Does anyone still have their badge?"
Loshjno nodded, plucking his from his chest. He seemed to be the only one.
"Once we're closer to the surface we should be able to get you out." The Squirtle said.
"Alright...I'm so sorry for this." Nivanee apologized.
"Naaah, why?!" Lahnae said, loudly. "You helped us bigtime in the ruins, fighting all those Treasure Guild mooks...!"
Q snorted but said nothing.
"Alright..." Nivanee conceded with a nod and a soft smile. "I'm very proud of you, Lahnae. Loshjno. You both have stuck through what would break most other teams."
The pair beamed warmly.
"You'll be a wonderful Arceali Guild team before you know it. Shining all-stars everyone will look up to." Nivanee smiled, Loshjno putting his badge on the Eevee's chest.
"Lahnae and Loshjno have more gumption in one feather or finger - respectively - than many Pokémon can say they have in their whole body," Avery said with a nod. "Alright, everyone. We've got...a good fight ahead of us. It's going to be tough, we know that much...but we can't give up now...!"
Avery smiled, looking to Rikzyod who still carried the limp and unconscious body of the foreman.
"How's she doing?" Avery asked. Rikzyod looked to you, lightly patting the cheek of the sneasel.
"She will make an excellent cudel, at least!"
"Rikzyod, she's going with Nivanee." Jolvia grunted.
"I figured as much, of course." Rikzyod replied cheekily.
Avery took a breath, making sure that Nivanee had Loshjno's badge secured.
"...You know...I realize this now, but Sarfallinus might have to replace most of our badges. This, coupled with Aquashock going back down a rung...Heh. Sure hope the poor guy has enough metal."
"I think guildmaster will think it well worth the pearl in tow." Nivanee said, giggling, though she grimaced in pain doing so.
Lahnae bounced excitedly up the stairs, Loshjno following behind with a...determined look in his eye. It was clear. He was going to give this final stretch his all.
The light grew more and more intense. Their legs burned, the group panted as they trudged from the depths of the earth...until at last...the end came.
Jolvia crested the top of the stairs first, audibly gasping.
Vizon and Rikzyod were next, looking ahead, speechless.
Loshjno was next with Lahnae. The squirtle nodded his head.
"Just as I thought."
Chapter 21
Nadir
[CW SUMMARY] - Nivanee is extremely injured and the team has to perform emergency field first-aid with their dwindling supplies, guaranteeing that Nivanee won't be able to proceed with the mission.
