We haven't had me rambling on at the start lately, have we? Well… that's not changing now. But we have officially passed 400,000 words! WOO!
"Did you know… that all beings dream?"
"I could have guessed."
"Heh."
Darkrai's eyes were almost difficult to look at. Scout wasn't sure what it was about this specific legendary that made him appear so ethereal. Celebi was almost definitely some fae-equivalent, but Darkrai was so much more.
"What stories do you know, Scout?" Darkrai asked.
This was the third time they had come face to face. Scout had assured himself that he would not return to Darkrai, that he was done entertaining whatever twisted game the cruel creature wanted to play.
But two things swayed him. The first reason led to their second meeting. Unlike the first, Scout hadn't given Darkrai the chance to purr and weave words at him. He yelled at the demon until it backed off and left his friends alone.
Once again, he had found that they were calm once he returned to them. On their way to Eerie Copse to try and get an item to trade for another item to give to someone to take them to someone else who MIGHT have some information on an entity that would, or not, help them.
Seeing them grow more worn down each night, thanks to Darkrai's nightmares and their own troubled thoughts, drove stakes through him and allowed him to feel anger again.
So, Darkrai had left them for one more night. But he returned the next, and so here they were. Scout glaring at the shadowy figure while it waxed poetic words at him.
"There are many stories that I know," Darkrai said, once it became clear that Scout was just going to glare at him. "Some I have experienced; most I merely can retell. Do you know of the grand split? Or the great sacrifice? Or even of the reprise of civilisation?"
"No."
Darkrai nodded. "Indeed. There is not much surprise to be had there; many stories are long forgotten. Some have been intentionally buried so that only the 'loosest' of minds believe they could ever have occurred."
Smiling widely behind his growth, Darkrai cried to the stars. "But the stories! I love stories. It is what the dreaming mind concocts, you see? Dreams, the tapestry of thought and memory and wonder and experience. Those are some of the greatest stories, and like so many great stories. They are forgotten. Only a few such as I can recall those."
"I don't care," Scout snapped. Darkrai slowly lowered his head from where he gazed at the stars to meet his gaze again.
"No?"
"No."
"I'm not so sure."
Scout hated this creature. He had never hated someone so strongly, or perhaps he had never hated anyone before them. Darkrai was hurting his friends, and he knew it.
And yet… yet Scout was still here.
There was another reason why he had come here tonight. Why he had been swayed to leave the side of his companions, who did not know he was with them.
Darkrai could see him. Darkrai could speak to him. As much as he hated it, as much as he would never ask for anything or accept anything offered, Darkrai could still see him.
It was so lonely, to be walking alongside your friends, only for their eyes to never move your way. No friendly bump from Rai or remark from Mane. No jokes about food or bathing. No comments about hairballs that got him pounced on. They were lost, not even to the wind. Anything he said was not felt. He tried to hug Rai and Mane, but they could not feel him.
It was so lonely to be there, yet to not be there. And when it came down to it, Scout did not want to be alone.
So, he went to Darkrai. He'd make him leave them alone soon, and he would not tell stories or share jokes or accept any offered hands. All he'd do would be to ease his loneliness for a few minutes, then cast the demon away.
"Leave them alone, Darkrai," Scout said. "They don't deserve this."
"They deserve to get their reward," Darkrai replied, gently and ominous. "They deserve to have you back."
"Not by you," Scout replied.
"I am the only one that will."
Scout half-turned to leave, but he hesitated. He would be walking back to a sleepless night, watching their tear-tracked faces as they finally relaxed. This disturbance was affecting them badly, and he worried for their sake once they made it to the dungeon.
Mane's tail was beginning to drag, and Rai's temper was fraying. It was getting depressing.
Darkrai spoke again, seeing Scout's hesitation. "The others may not understand what they dream of, not truly. But I do. There are so few good things I can do. My predecessor did the one thing he could think of, protect a Time Gear. I cannot even do that. But I CAN bring you back."
"Why won't Arceus?" Scout asked. "What makes you so sure it won't revive me?"
Darkrai considered the question carefully. "I think... I do not claim to understand that being's mind, and I am not nearly so arrogant. But… if it would revive you, why hasn't it done so already?"
Scout had no answer for that.
"I'll leave you to think," Darkrai said, drifting back before melting into the shadows. Scout stared after it in silence before making his way back to the campsite. Rai and Mane were sleeping calmly now, but they were both breathing heavily.
Whatever nightmare they had experienced, they had suffered it longer out of his desire for company. Scout sat down by them and watched as the night ticked away.
Few things really got under Rai's fur.
After another awful night of sleep that left the two felines even more exhausted than they were when they went to bed, Rai and Mane trekked on to the Eerie Copse.
Their nightmares were getting worse and more frequent. Neither of them spoke about it, not wanting to bother the other with what they were dreaming about.
If they had thought to share the burden, Rai and Mane might have been confused to learn they were experiencing the same nightmare. Scout, trapped in an endless void, only able to look in and watch, trying to speak but being too detached from the world for them to hear.
It was an awful nightmare. And spending so many nights rolling and kicking in their sleep, suffering their own minds turning against them, was wearing them down. The dungeon was not even reached yet, and the pair were exhausted.
It was partway through the third day that they finally arrived. With exhaustion slowing them down, Rai and Mane experienced a boost in adrenaline once their eyes fell on the entrance to the dungeon.
Like most discovered dungeons, there was a sign written in footprint runes to warn of the danger. "Eerie Copse," Rai read, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Finally," Mane groaned, stretching long and popping his claws out. "Let's go in, do it, then get out."
"Quick and dirty."
Mane gave him a Look. Rai did not return it, trotting up to the entrance already.
Amused now, Mane followed Rai into the dungeon. It was the last time he'd feel amused today.
The dungeon was not pleasant.
"Why are there SO MANY zubat?" Mane shrieked as the horde descended upon them.
The dungeon was not fun.
"If I see another dead end, I'm going to start crying," Rai growled, nearly walking into Mane, who was staring dejectedly at the wall.
The dungeon was not merciful.
"Stop SPITING me!" Mane whined. He could barely muster up an Ember at this rate, but the misdreavus laughed at him. Had the gall to laugh in his face, bite his tail, and then shriek in his ear.
And finally, the dungeon was a waste of time.
"There… is… no… locked… chamber," Rai concluded calmly. They had tracked through the dungeon twice, looking for the chamber. The key he bought at a premium from Purple hung uselessly around his neck. A key for no lock. A maze with no mercy. A labyrinth with no prize.
"Xatu… told us," Mane said. The two had moved beyond hope to frustration, then to anger, then to misery. Now they were just tired.
"I guess… he got it wrong," Rai said, voice hollow. "Let's go."
They walked to the final room of the dungeon. A tight grove of trees that held a ghostly gem and nothing else. They took the gem after the first go around, but a second one had spawned. Mane had the second one, stating that they may as well.
With their time wasted, Rai and Mane stepped out of the dungeon, ready to make the slog back to Treasure Town. This endeavour was going to waste nearly a week, a week with nothing to show for it.
Maybe they could bargain with Duskull some other way?
"Woah-ho-ho."
Rai froze in place, and Mane walked on for a moment longer before the laugh registered.
Turning so fast their necks cracked with a mutual pop, Rai and Mane spotted none other than Team Skull.
"Chaw-haw-haw," Skuntank laughed, stomping up to them, "what's with that sour look on your face?"
"Y-you!?" Rai spluttered.
"Heh-heh-heh, what are you two doing all the way out here?" Zubat asked, fluttering around Skuntank. Koffing bobbed along with him, the two leering down at the tired pair with shit-eating grins.
Rai took a breath, regretted that, and choked.
Team Skull laughed at him, and Mane stepped between his gasping friend and the trio of thugs. "What are YOU three doing here?"
"I asked first," Zubat sneered, "or do you have no manners?"
"For you?" Mane scoffed.
Rai bumped him. Unlike the normal, comforting, one this was a more insistent hit. "What?" Mane asked, turning to him. Rai was still trying to breathe, but he was also gesturing to the bag. "Oh. Oh! Right."
Mane dug into the Treasure Bag. He tended to just dump everything into it, but he'd worked a way of finding what he needed. Team Skull all shared a confused glance.
"We," Rai wheezed, whoever was stinking was just too much, "have something for Zubat."
"Huh?"
"This," Mane replied, pulling the crinkled letter out, "Xatu wanted to give it to you." With the reminder of it, Mane frowned, wanting to set the message on fire for existing.
"What?" Zubat spluttered. "Keep it."
"Chaw-haw-haw, like Zubat needs to hear the whining from that old bird," Skuntank laughed.
"Look, we came ALL the way out here for nothing," Mane growled, thrusting the letter into the air. It dropped to the ground quickly. "So read the damn thing. If… if you can. I don't get why he wanted a LETTER."
Grumbling at him, Zubat swooped down and plucked the letter up in his mouth. "Uh downk neegk eyee," he said, words broken from the item in his mouth.
Mane frowned and glanced to Rai, who was finally recovered and glanced at Zubat who was almost hovering in the air.
"Well, what does he want?" Koffing asked.
Zubat dropped the letter and began to flap again. "Heh-heheheheheheheheh." Zubat fell into giggled, shaking his head. "Oh, wow. That's a surprise."
"Well…?" Mane asked, sharing an annoyed look with Rai.
"Heh, it's not for YOU to hear," Zubat tittered, "just a little joke between dad and I."
"Well, whatever," Skuntank said, turning around. "I bet you two are headed back to Treasure Town now?"
"We are," Rai answered.
Skuntank snorted at him. And without a further word, he began to lumber away. Koffing quickly flew after him, while Zubat just gave one last amused giggle at them before joining them.
Mane looked at the letter on the ground and decided to rip it open. He found no words, nothing, just paper. "How did…? Ugh." He shook his head and then growled before lighting the letter on fire. The smoke and ash made him feel better.
"Let's just go home," Rai said, putting a gentle paw on Mane's back. "The sooner we're back, the sooner we can figure something out."
"Yeah, alright," Mane sighed, turning to the road. "Let's go."
And go, they did.
Marill stood alone.
He had asked to be allowed to. Azurill was disappointed he couldn't watch him go for the guild, but he understood his big brother wanted to do this alone.
His mother had given him a strong, warm, hug and Azurill thumped his tail against his own.
"You can do it!" Azurill chirped.
"And we're so proud of you." Azumarill smiled.
Marill gave them both another hug before setting off for the guild. His mother was so much better now. There were no words for how thankful he was of that. Losing his father had been hard enough, but his mother too?
She was strong, however, and had refused to leave her boys on their own. And now? Now she was better, the money was coming in again as she could work, and Marill could now look forward for himself.
It was scary to think of his own wants and dreams again. So long, he had wrapped himself up in raising his brother as best he could and supporting his mother.
Now he stood in front of the guild, nervous, but determined.
"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" Diglett called.
"Who's footprint? Who's footprint?" Loudred replied. As they always did.
"The footprint is Marill! The footprint is Marill!"
There was no hesitation in lifting the gate. Even before Diglett had repeated himself, the gate was rising. He smiled and stepped forward, walking into the yawning cavern of Wigglytuff and the guild.
He had only ever been on the second level when entering the guild. The lowest floor was reserved for apprentices and other pokémon of the guild. It was uncommon for anyone else to go down and was disallowed.
Now, however, Marill strode forward. He cast a nervous smile at a few of the apprentices he saw as he walked down, hoping he'd be counted among their number very soon.
Armaldo was a scary pokémon to face, he had heard.
In the wake of Team Ion's salvation of the world, as well as Team Sunrise, the name had begun to be spoken since they named themselves, pokémon had come to Treasure Town eager to learn more.
And many had looked to the guild, perhaps hoping to share in the glory or even just get close to the team now being spoken of across the Grass Continent, maybe even the world.
Armaldo, however, had disappointed many pokémon and chased off some who chose to express such disappointment in unruly ways. He had no patience for those simply seeking glory, or to get close to Shinx and Litleo.
To work at a guild was difficult, Marill had heard, and the Wigglytuff Guild was legendary for both its quality of training and its difficulty of completion.
The town had been reminded of that. Of the majority of pokémon, Armaldo allowed to join the guild, only two of them had stuck it out and remained. His standards were unknown, but he had let multiple pokémon in. All but shy Paras and a hoity-toity newcomer called Flaaffy had stuck it out.
Marill wasn't the kind to really fall in with the gossiping crowd of Treasure Town, but he had heard there was a running bet of which one of the two would crack first. Other bets had been won and lost, but everyone up to now had left. Only these two remained.
And then him. Hopefully him. Marill was confident he had the persistence and discipline to take some hard training. It was getting past Armaldo that he was worried about.
Marill could worry about Armaldo all he wanted, except he couldn't. As he was already on the final floor, and Armaldo was right there staring at him.
"Marill?" The powerful pokémon began to stomp over to him. "You're not supposed to be this far down."
Swallowing his nerves, Marill shook his head. "A-actually. I am. Or, uh, I should be… soon?"
Armaldo stared at him. Marill wasn't sure if the angry look was normal or if he was actually cross with him. "I want to join the guild."
Armaldo moved quickly as several things happened at once. Two doors behind Marill almost popped off their hinges as a blur of pink came flying out. Armaldo caught the flying Fairy-type menace and tossed him out a window and into the sea.
"He'll be back in a few minutes," he said roughly, not even giving the shattered window another glance. A persistent "Eeeeeee" sound tickled their ears for a minute before it began to fade out.
"What was that?"
"We have just a few minutes to determine if this is really right for you," Armaldo said, leading him away from the incline. "So, I better explain everything quick."
Marill nodded, hoping that Armaldo would not throw him out the window to join the blur he had gathered to be Wigglytuff.
"The guild's training is strict and difficult," Armaldo explained, staring down at the nervous pokémon before him. "You'll be expected to get up early, work through most of the day on missions, and be in bed at a set time. You'll have to work with pokémon you may not agree with, on missions you may think is a waste of time, in places that could be unsuited to your skills or type."
"I understand." Marill nodded. He knew all this already.
Armaldo snorted. "A lot of pokémon have claimed that," he pointed out, Marill winced. Maybe he shouldn't act too confident.
"I've been up early to make sure Azurill gets to school on time," Marill said, deciding to explain his confidence anyway. "That wasn't easy, and we don't always get along. I know it's nothing like this, but…"
Armaldo shrugged. "It's a start at least. Still, that's a point, your family."
Marill nodded. "They are standing with me on this. I've wanted to join the guild for years; I would have done so ages ago. But…"
"Your mother got sick," Armaldo finished. Marill nodded. "Hm. Apprenticing at the guild will not be easy. There are explorations to do, rescues to make, deliveries to give, AND outlaws to chase down and take in."
"I want to help pokémon, and I want to get better."
"The guild has no entrance fee," Armaldo said, uncrossing his arms, "but you ARE required to give up 90% of the money you receive from completed jobs. Items are for you to keep."
Marill's mouth pinched for a moment before he nodded. "I… I know that."
Armaldo snorted. Everyone knew that. It amused, and boggled him, that pokémon would accept such a harsh payment. He knew he'd never have put up with that, had he ever joined a guild.
"Alright," Armaldo said, nodding. "You're in. You'll need to room with Paras, as there's no space anywhere else besides Team Ion's room. And teams get their own rooms to themselves. You'll be across the hall from Team Sunrise. You understand?"
Marill nodded rapidly, heart leaping into his throat. "Y-YES!" He blushed at his volume, Armaldo had blinked rapidly at him. "Sorry. Yes, yes, that's fine. That's more than fine, that's great!"
Armaldo did not snort, roll his eyes, or smile at the excited little pokémon. He simply nodded. "Very good. If you've brought anything, or are going to bring anything, it's the last door on the right that way." He jerked his head at the hallway to the rooms. "Get yourself settled in, cheer or do whatever you want, then come to the Guildmaster's quarters to be officially signed in. He should be back soon; I'll calm him down for you."
"Thank you, Armaldo."
"Don't mention it, kid," Armaldo replied, turning to make his way up the inclines and out to the cliffside. He needed to make sure he didn't need to fish Wigglytuff up or something.
Marill scuttled to the room he had been told to enter, poking his head in nervously. There was only the one bed, must be Paras' Marill gathered, but it was the room. He slipped in and took several deep breaths.
Armaldo hadn't been so bad. But he still needed some time to scream in excitement. No one was around; he could risk dancing around a bit. Wigglytuff wasn't the only one who needed some time to calm down.
He'd take a few seconds, or minutes, and then go out to see the Guildmaster.
"I've got two things set up for you four today," Armaldo explained. It was a couple of hours before Marill would arrive.
"Two?" Guardian asked, happily.
"Two…?" Saniya whined, rather unhappily.
"Two." Striker nodded, he accepted whatever work.
"Why two?" Sean asked, being the only one to question it.
"One job," Armaldo explained patiently, "and one expectation." To their confused glances, he explained. "Azumarill is ready to see you. To better make use of your time, I suggest one of you go to Azumarill immediately while the other three work on the job for the day."
"Riolu," Guardian and Striker said immediately, while Saniya said.
"Sean." She glanced to the two. "Oh, whoops. Sean. Gah, dammit! Riolu. There. Happy?"
"Very," Striker said, and she beamed.
"We'll talk about that later," Sean said, "why ME?" he demanded.
"You're the only one who isn't technically supposed to be with us in town at all times," Striker pointed out."
"Of the four of us, you have had the least amount of time to adjust to the reality of living again," Guardian softly said.
"Plus, we love you," Saniya said, calmly for once. "Whatever we've got to do, it won't be a hassle for the legend that I am! Plus those two." She waved a hand at Striker and Guardian. "They're fine too, I suppose."
"What is the job today?" Sean asked, pointedly, not smiling at their kindness and thoughtfulness.
"Vigoroth wants sparring partners at Marowak's Dojo," Armaldo explained, "Marowak can't, or won't, do it himself anymore. You'll be training with him today until he decides to end it."
"I could do that!" Sean protested. "I think Guardian should go first."
He faced them, and there was no budging in their expressions. Sean sighed. "Fine." Under his breath, he grumbled about Saniya's clear need for a therapist. "And what about that orb problem with Striker?"
As it was only grumbling, no one saw fit to respond to it. Except for Striker. "It's only a problem when I run out," he said, to an amused shake of his head from Sean. Armaldo left to do his own tasks, and Team Sunrise rolled out.
Armaldo had Bidoof guide, Sean, to Azumarill's home, while the rest of Team Sunrise headed for Marowak's Dojo.
"So, why does she do it out of her home rather than in town?" Sean asked as they entered the residential area of Treasure Town.
"Not sure," Bidoof replied, "but I reckon it's cause this place is a lot quieter than Treasure Town. You don't have pokémon going back and forth and talking up a storm, I reckon. It's quieter. I get that."
Sean nodded. "Makes sense. How was your friend?" he asked, and the two enjoyed some conversation to pass the time.
"Well, here you go," Bidoof said, as they arrived. Azumarill's home was modest and homey. It had no massive Azumarill face on it. It was simply situated underneath a large old tree.
"Thank you, Bidoof," Sean said, and Bidoof waved him off.
"I reckon it's the least I could do. I hope you have a good day."
"You too."
Bidoof parted his company, and Sean knocked on the door. He felt somewhat resistant to the idea of needing a therapist, he felt fine now, but Armaldo would find out if he went back to town.
He heard a little bit of movement from inside before a grunt of exertion as the door creaked open. Azurill, having jumped to reach the door handle, smiled at him as he dropped back to the floor.
"Good morning Mr Riolu!" the little pokémon chirped, and Sean smiled.
"Hello, Azurill. I'm here to see your mother."
"Yep," Azurill agreed, "I know. She told me to get the door." He stepped back, silent permission to enter, and Sean hunched his shoulders slightly as he stepped into the Azumarill Family Home.
Whereas the guild was large and spacious, this place was a lot snugger. It wasn't quite cramped but teasing the idea. Sean's head was not far from the ceiling, and there wasn't much space to look around.
The door led to a living area, adorned with a few nests as well as a small bookshelf and a fireplace. More interestingly, there was also a relatively large water hole with smoothed bricks on the top. It had clambered into many times.
Azurill led him through the living room and a small door. He, Sean realised he was in a kitchen. He hadn't seen the kitchen at the guild and had a surge of curiosity about what a kitchen would be like in a pokémon's home.
There was no sink, stove oven, or microwave to be seen. The room was more-or-less a large pantry with a table, scents and spices tickled his nose, and Sean sneezed.
He'd had over a year to get used to being a riolu, and so his enhanced sense of smell didn't affect him so much anymore. He still sneezed a lot, though.
"Over here," Azurill said, continuing to lead him. There were two doors. "That one's mine and Marill's room," he said, gesturing with his tail to the door on the right. "This one is mom's."
He knocked once, and Sean heard Azumarill call for them to enter. Azurill swiftly opened that one with old, practised, ease and Sean was introduced to Azumarill's room.
Sean noticed an odd sort of reversal from the guild. Where this house's living quarters were small but homey, and the guild was large and vacant, this room was larger than the room he shared with the others in Team Sunrise.
Part of him was jealous; most of him didn't mind.
"Good morning, Riolu," Azumarill greeted as he entered.
"I got him, mom!" Azurill beamed.
She smiled at her son. "Thank you, Azurill. Keep an ear on the door in case of anyone else, but you'll need to give us some privacy until we exit."
"Yep," Azurill said. He didn't have much memory of the time a year or two ago when his mother would talk to pokémon, but he did know he wasn't supposed to listen.
Azurill shut the door behind him, leaving the pair to their lonesome. There was a pair of windows that brought in sunlight, keeping the room well lit. Azumarill relaxed on her seat, or bed Sean supposed, while a second one had been pulled together for him today.
Feeling a little self-conscious, he sat down. "Good morning, Azumarill. Thanks for having me."
"Thank you for coming, Riolu," Azumarill replied, smiling warmly. Her presence was relaxing, and Sean's muscles slowly untensed. "Armaldo has told me some surface details about why you four are wishing to see me, but I think it'd be a good place to start if I explained what we could expect from this, and future settings."
"That'd be good." Sean nodded.
Azumarill laid her hands in her lap and told him a little about herself. "I host pokémon in one-on-one sessions to discuss fears, concerns, issues, and anything they wish to talk about in confidence. I'm here to listen, to discuss, and to give advice if you desire it. Some only want to be heard, and that is fine, and some want advice, and that too is fine."
Sean nodded silently.
"Everything spoken of here will be held in complete confidence," Azumarill said. "No one else will hear anything. Not Armaldo or the guild, not your companions, no one. This is solely between you and me."
"Good to hear."
She smiled at him. He was clearly uncomfortable. "Do you have any questions for me?"
"I… I don't think so. How long does this go for?" he asked.
"For as long as you're comfortable with."
He nodded to that and breathed out a sigh. "Okay, uh… how do we begin? I… don't really know what to say," Sean admitted, rubbing his arm.
"If you are ready, we can start with your account of why you're here. The problem from your viewpoint. I think it's best to hear from the pokémon themselves. You can only understand so much from another."
Sean nodded slightly, but he still wasn't sure what to say. "I… I don't know. I mean… like… I know that there's something wrong with me and all, but…" he trailed off, telling Azumarill it was okay for her to speak.
"Why do you think there is something 'wrong' with you?" she asked gently.
Sean gave her a puzzled look. "Isn't there? Isn't that why I'm here?"
Azumarill considered her words carefully. "Let me tell you a story. A story of a brave young pokémon, accomplished and brave. He was well-beloved, greatly respected, and seen as a leader and teacher for many pokémon."
Azumarill smiled softly. "There were times, however, that he needed to speak to someone impartial. Speak about his concerns, his difficulties. He wasn't always sure if he knew the right thing to do, but he didn't come for advice on that, just to talk. There was nothing 'wrong' with him, but that didn't mean that there weren't times that he still didn't want help. It's not always easy to talk to the ones closest to you, after all."
Sean nodded slowly, considering her words. His chest felt a little looser after hearing that. He wanted to ask who, but he understood that Azumarill wouldn't tell him. Confidentiality and all.
The last thing she said, struck him hard. There were things he hadn't told Striker or Saniya, or even Guardian. Embarrassment, shame, not wishing to bother them with trivial concerns. Sean glanced to Azumarill, sitting patiently for him to decide.
He swallowed. "O-okay. I… uh… I don't know exactly what to say but…"
"We can speak about anything," Azumarill coached. "Anything is worth being said. There are no stupid questions the same as there are no trivial concerns."
Sean's mind flashed to a few grave concerns he had that he didn't dare tell the others, but those felt too… personal to start with. He still felt shame in that. But wanting to speak, now, he started with something different.
"I don't know how to think about… anything at the moment," Sean said, meeting Azumarill's eyes briefly before looking away. He played with a bit of straw. "Everything in the future was just… we knew that we could die in the process, and we knew that succeeding WOULD end up killing us. It was tough to accept that, but I did in the end. And now I'm alive, and St… Grovyle, Celebi, and… Dusknoir is alive. But Meowth isn't."
He nearly bit his tongue. He was already leading into the place he was too reluctant to talk about, so he quickly pulled it back.
"How do you feel about Meowth?" Azumarill asked, gently pushing him along.
"Terrible," Sean answered. He opened his mouth to continue, but the words stalled in his mouth, and he scrambled for words for a moment. "Just… like… it's not fair that everyone else got to come back but not him. I feel guilty."
"You had no control over any of this, did you?" she asked. He shook his head. "Yet, guilt does not accept things like that so easily."
"No," Sean agreed, voice low, "it doesn't." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Dialga told me why it was me who was brought back, Meowth was going to die from his injuries but… but still. When we were in the future, it was my job to look out for everyone. Scout kept an eye on everything else, and I made sure they were all alright. How could I have let him push himself so hard to the point he was dying?"
Sean's voice had risen as he spoke until he was almost yelling, but he caught himself and retreated again, crossing his arms and hunching back in the straw. Azumarill did not appear phased by his outburst, but her eyes softened.
"May I ask you something?"
Softly, Sean replied. "Go ahead."
"You were still human in the body in the future, correct?"
"Yes."
"And is it true that humans have no affinity for the Power that pokémon wield?"
"It is. Some humans might have a bit of Psychic power or something, but it's really rare. I had nothing like that. I was just tough, like all humans."
"What was your team's composition in the future? If you don't mind me asking," Azumarill asked. Sean had said some interesting things, but he was clearly distressed. Going straight back to that wouldn't help him, so she aimed to distract with a similar topic.
Sean considered the question for a minute. The answer was clear to him, but he wasn't sure where to begin. "Well… S… Grovyle was our main fighter; he was fast and strong. Dusknoir was the big defender, keeping me or someone injured safe. Meowth was our eyes; he warned us in case something was coming. Celebi was… I guess our main 'quest giver' if that makes sense, she told us what we needed to do and gave me the ability to help."
Azumarill nodded. "And yourself?"
"I…" Sean glanced to the side, the inner parts of his ears going a bit pink. "I don't know. I had the Dimensional Scream so that I could find the Time Gears. Main… finder guy, I guess."
"I see. Did you accept this role, and what else did you do?"
Sean blushed a bit more, and he muttered out. "I guess… I was kind of the leader of the group, but only because there wasn't anything else I could do."
"Riolu, you've achieved exceptional things," Azumarill said, smiling, "you saved the world."
It didn't help. Sean hunched in a bit. "I was the one that looked out for everyone else," he said softly. "I learned how to patch wounds, set bones, and made sure everyone was okay."
"Do you think Meowth could have hidden the extent of his injuries?" she asked.
"Well… yeah, I suppose so. But even then, I SHOULD have noticed."
She gave him another gentle look. "May I tell you another story?" she asked. Sean gave a rough nod. "There was a floatzel. He was said to be an extremely stubborn soul, constantly working and training and rescuing, and improving. He was said to be difficult, but a gem underneath it all."
She sighed slightly. There was something heavier to it than a usual sigh. "Ultimately, he found a mate who could handle him and sired a family and turned his strengths to protecting and raising them, especially after his mate could not anymore."
She smiled. "He was known to be a strong pokémon, so no one noticed at first when he began to slow down when he needed to sleep a little longer, but didn't. He was excellent at presenting a good front, and even his mate didn't realise the extent of the illness that was taking him until it was far too late."
She shook her head. "We often miss the pains of those we love dearest, as seeing anything less than healthy can be too much to handle. Do you understand what I mean, Riolu? It isn't your fault that Meowth was injured."
"I… I know. There wasn't anything else we could do, but…"
"There is always a but," Azumarill said, before smiling at him, "but emotions are never so simple. What do you remember most, the first thing that comes to your mind, when you think of him?"
Sean was quiet for a moment, considering the question. "I… think of the time we had before we left the future. At the Passage of Time. Celebi was there so that she could translate. Leading up to it, he was… frightened. And I reassured him we'd all be okay."
"And what would you like to say to him now?"
"Sorry," Sean said without thinking. He paused and added to that. "Sorry that I broke my promise."
Azumarill nodded, and they moved the topic further.
They discussed what brought Sean to her today, why Armaldo thought it was necessary.
"It's not like… I mean, what we went through there's definitely shit we need to… I, uh… sorry for swearing."
"That's alright, continue if you're comfortable."
They spoke of what Sean's history was like.
"I grew up with both parents, as well as two older sisters. They were closer in age than I was and fought all the time, scared me a little. I wanted to be a trainer, which is… uh… it's hard to explain, but it's a lifestyle, and career if you're good at it. I was just starting when I ended up in the Dark Future; I hadn't even gotten my first pokémon."
And what Sean thought was wrong with how things were.
"I just… I just don't know what I'm doing," Sean admitted, resting uncomfortably. He had to admit, Azumarill was easy to talk to. Maybe it was because of where he was. He was here TO talk to her after all. Even then, however, there was something comforting.
She reminded him just a tad of his own mother—a maternal feeling about her.
"What are some things you've done since you returned?" Azumarill asked. She knew most of it already but talking was good.
"Well… I went to talk to Dialga with Shinx and Litleo and have just been helping others since then. Well… as much help as I can, they all sent me here while they did a job by themselves."
"And how do you feel about them sending you ahead?"
Sean pursed his lips and played with some straw for a moment. His shoulders hunched and tensed a bit before he sighed and relaxed. "I get why, they all told me why, but… when the time needed to be saved there was this… this goal. This big shiny endpoint that we all knew. How we were getting there, that had to be worked out, but the goal itself was always known. Now that it's done and dusted I just…"
Azumarill nodded along, not saying anything. Let him find the words rather than putting words in his mouth.
"I just… I don't know. I'm going to stick with the guys, Team Sunrise, and that gives us all something to do. But then what?" He looked to her for an answer; one Azumarill wasn't sure what it was.
"The goals we determine for ourselves are the ones we strive for," she said, he sagged a bit. She smiled at his pout. "I don't mean to disappoint you. I can offer some suggestions. After all, you won't likely find an answer if you don't look for it."
"Where do I look?"
"What is it that you want to do?" she asked instead of answering otherwise. It was a question that hadn't been asked yet. A problem Sean realised he had never been asked.
Not in this context at least. He wanted to save the world because it was what he was supposed to do, he was brought to the future to save it, and he found the will to do so throughout that. Meeting so many pokémon and seeing so many monsters. He wanted to save the future.
But it was also something that he had to do.
"I… I don't… know." Sean frowned, confusion across his face.
"Now you have a chance to figure that out," Azumarill said, pulling his eyes up to her. "It's understandable not to know what you want to do. Many pokémon struggle with that."
"Did you know you wanted to do this?" Sean asked curiously. Azumarill was an adult, and adults always had things figured out. He wasn't entirely clear how old he was, but he was still a teenager.
In human terms, Sean wasn't sure how it worked as a pokémon. He had almost had a moustache when he first left the future.
Waking up with fur all over his body had caused a brief panic that he had grown hair everywhere overnight. "So," he began but was interrupted.
"Mother?" Azurill called, knocking on the door. "I think Mr Dusknoir and Mr Grovyle and Miss Celebi are here."
Azumarill glanced to Sean quickly, and he said. "That's fine. I think I could use a break."
"Certainly," she said, before turning to the door. "You may let them in now, Azurill. Tell them we'll be out in a minute."
"Yep."
Satisfied, she faced Sean again. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Pretty good," Sean answered, nice and neutral.
She nodded, after a brief pause, and glanced down. Sean's face went through a minor myriad of expressions before he took a soft breath. "I don't feel… better exactly, but… I don't know. A little lighter?"
Azumarill gave him another of her soft smiles that made him feel at home. "That's to be expected," she said. "One session isn't going to cause any ground-breaking changes or life-changing realisations. The road is not always easy, but always worth taking."
Sean nodded. To be honest, he didn't feel better. There was an odd tightness in the pit of his stomach. But, at the same time, his shoulders were less tense, and he was able to stand up quickly, feeling light as a feather for a moment.
He joined Azumarill at the door and smiled at her. They may not have cracked into what was bothering him, it wasn't so easy to talk about, but Sean did hope that this would help. Either way, Armaldo was paying for it.
He knew that point would convince Saniya to continue if she had second thoughts later.
"Try to find a new goal," Azumarill said, giving one bit of advice before their session ended.
Sean stepped out of Azumarill's room and walked to his companions.
After sending Sean off, the rest of Team Sunrise made haste to Marowak's Dojo. Their only details being Vigoroth wanting sparring partners.
The pokémon in question was pacing nervously, or just energetically, outside of the dojo and brightened when he saw them.
"Yo, Team Sunrise?" he called, scampering up to them quickly. "Honoured to meet you guys, and even more to be training against you! Marowak used to be my normal partner, but I tend to wear him out a bit, he's more of a trainer than a doer, you hear? We can't go as long as I like, but I hear you guys are pretty much the strongest around! Well, except for Team Go-Getters, but they are too busy helping pokémon. Not that you guys aren't, you're helping me, that's awesome! World savers, helping ME! This is so cool. I'm honoured. Did I say that? All four of you. Wait, where's Riolu?"
He said that all in one breath. Only once he asked a question did he stop and take a big gasp of air.
"He's-" Striker begun.
"Eh, doesn't matter if he's here or not. I've still got you three! I know Dusknoir's gotta be strong, Celebi's a legend chick or something, and YOU'RE the guy who beat up the Lake Trio. Who is stronger? You or Celebi?"
"I-"
"You beat those other guys, so probably you. What about Dusknoir, he beat you? But with help, right? Hey? Who's stronger between you two?" He pointed between Striker and Guardian. "Bah! Doesn't matter, what matters is that we're gonna train! This is so cool, Marowak? Marowak? Open up. They're here!"
He began rapidly thumping on the door to the dojo, vibrating the whole building, and nearly falling in when it was wrenched open.
"Yes, I heard," Marowak replied tiredly. "Well… stop standing about, come in."
"I like him," Saniya whispered to Guardian as they followed.
"Of course you would," he replied. "It'd be that or loathe him with every fibre of your being."
"That's saved for Armaldo. Plus he was nice to you. He's got a big plus in my books already!"
"You're…" Guardian's eye flickered in embarrassment. "You're sweet, Saniya."
She stuck her tongue out at him before giving him a peck on the side of his head. She giggled and flew to Striker and picked him up. "LET'S DO THIS!" she screamed as Striker shouted in alarm.
"YEEAAAH!" Vigoroth roared back. Saniya threw the protesting grovyle at the vigoroth, and the battle has begun.
Marowak and Guardian stepped back. Marowak having experience with Vigoroth's excitement and Guardian due to knowing Striker's competitive nature.
"Are you ready to," Striker begun, rolling himself off Vigoroth, "okay. You are." Vigoroth was already up and giving him a 'come at me' gesture.
Saniya floated up above them and decided to act as the announcer for this large crowd she had. "The battle between Grovyle the Gorgeous and Amazing and Handsome and Vigoroth the Awesome and Loud and Louder shall now commence!"
She waved her hands in a vague, starting, gesture but Striker had words.
"Wait, what's the rules for this?"
"Death or dismemberment!"
"I'm… not too sure about that," Vigoroth said, pausing. "How about we start with something light?"
"Yes," Striker breathed, relieved. "So… like…?"
"UNTIL WE SUBMIT!" Vigoroth roared and came sprinting for Striker.
He sighed. It was like a slightly larger, less comfortable, Saniya.
Striker unlooped his worn Treasure Bag and tossed it to Guardian just in time to brace for Vigoroth's attack.
His arms were thick, muscled, and capped with sharp claws. Striker was lithe and slender in comparison, but size did not always speak of strength. He caught Vigoroth's first swipe with the length of his arm and caught the other claw with his fist.
Vigoroth had a great deal of strength, but what he didn't have so much of was balance. Striker kicked out at his legs and as Vigoroth stumbled, gripped on tighter and pulled, tossing the larger pokémon over his shoulder.
Vigoroth grunted as he tasted the dirt on Marowak's floor. That was a familiar taste; he almost didn't mind it anymore.
"First point to Grovy-wovey!" Saniya cheered, doing a victory twirl.
"Last point!" Vigoroth boasted. He beat his chest a few times before roaring out, his muscles briefly swelling and enlarging, giving him a bulked-up appearance, before it faded into a red aura. Vigoroth chuckled as Striker's surprise. "I know a few tactics too!" he laughed before coming for Striker once more.
This time, Vigoroth was more careful. He did not blindly slam his whole weight into Striker, hoping that'd overwhelm the smaller pokémon.
Striker was fast, however, and always cautious. He let Vigoroth get close, but not too close. They danced around each other for a few trips around the room before Vigoroth's patience ran dry and he went for a risky move.
He beat his chest again, but instead of Bulking Up again, he took a deep breath. Striker, expecting his foe to be aiming to increase his strength's again, came swiftly in, arm leaves shining green.
Vigoroth belted out a blast of sound that slammed into Striker as if it was a physical blow, staggering his approach and disorientating him. Vigoroth swiped out, claws shining white, aiming to slam the grovyle back to bed.
Striker ducked.
Vigoroth, not expecting his foe to have such balance still, was thrown off balance. He had put too much force into that blow and missing completely was just terrible.
Striker gave a swift uppercut with his fist, nearly bouncing off the red aura, before dropping a glowing sphere on Vigoroth.
It rapidly grew until it was covering Vigoroth's whole body like a glistening green membrane. A line of green energy began to pour out of Vigoroth like he'd sprung a leak, heading straight to Striker.
The Mega Drain was exhausting to suffer, even for a short time, but Vigoroth tore through it given enough seconds.
He leapt for Striker and this time; Striker was too slow.
Vigoroth's claw glinted white and Slashed through Striker. Thankfully, as a friendly battle, this didn't draw much more than a painful line in Striker's scales, but the blow winded him, and he dropped to a knee.
Vigoroth fell over from trying to stop too fast, but he bounced up excitedly. "WOO! I scored a hit!"
"Score one to Vigoroth!" Saniya shouted. "To Grovyle's two."
"Still behind? Damn."
Striker chuckled, getting back to his feet. He shared a glance with Guardian and turned back to Vigoroth. "Not bad, but I don't lose."
"Easily," Vigoroth countered.
"Nope. At all."
"What was Dusknoir, then?"
"All part of the plan."
Guardian rolled his eye at the pissing contest but watched in interest as the two combatants went back into it. Striker was fast and struck hard, as per his name and role in their team. Vigoroth was strong but faster than he looked as well, while not being as agile.
"Want to see something cool?" Striker asked, panting for breath. They had clashed a few times, Leaf Blade on Slash, but no further hits that'd cause Saniya to score them.
"Always."
Grinning at his opponent, Striker let loose with one of his most curious manoeuvres. "Ranged Leaf Blade!" he called, slashing wildly in the air.
Vigoroth gasped as Striker's slashes weren't just to look cool, or be stupid, but lines of green were being expelled with each movement.
And all heading straight for him.
He stopped staring in amazement and thought about dodging.
Yet, thinking about dodging was not dodging, and Vigoroth was bombarded. Striker gave a whoop as Vigoroth was forced back from multiple cuts to his arms and torso.
"He would not stop bragging about working that out for WEEKS!" Saniya said, circling them. "I know because I could keep track of how long."
"It was longer still," Guardian added. "He kept going even after you left."
"That is impressive, though," Marowak said. Guardian and Saniya sighed as Striker immediately turned to Marowak with a grin.
"I know," he said, completely humble. "I thought about trying it after Scout mastered Shadow Ball as he loved to attack from afar." The name slip-up was unnoticed. The topic itself surprisingly didn't cause too severe of a reaction after Striker caught what he was saying. "I…"
Thankfully, Vigoroth was there. "Eyes back on me grassy," he yelled, baring his claws. "This young guy's still got a few tricks to play."
Striker bristled at the implications. "Are you calling me old?"
Vigoroth laughed and gestured for him. The pair ran for each other and clashed, Leaf Blades onto shining Slashing claws.
Then, surprisingly, Vigoroth gave in completely, taking a brutal X cut into his fur. The strike was hard enough to draw some actual blood, although not a lot.
Vigoroth hissed in discomfort, but the grin didn't leave his face even as Striker gasped. The grovyle gasped louder when a sharp bang blew him off his feet and into the air.
Vigoroth jolted back from the blow but quickly bounced back. Striker hit the roof with a dull thunk and then fell to the floor with a splat.
"Ow," Striker groaned, "Counter. Of course."
"Yeah!" Vigoroth cheered. "I really AM that awesome. Please, please, no autographs."
"Is he always like this?" Guardian asked, concerned. Marowak's glanced up at him with a frown. They weren't particularly standing close, but close enough.
Guardian knew he wasn't supposed to talk, but he did anyway. Striker was getting up and getting back into it, unwilling to give in.
"He's taken a fair few blows, and I can say from experience that Grovyle's attacks are staggering. He might be holding back somewhat due to this being training, but even so. Vigoroth is acting like this is nothing, is he really that strong?"
Marowak didn't answer him at first. He was staring in silence and a bit of contempt before considering what Guardian was actually saying. He sighed and turned back to the battle, not wanting to look at the dusknoir any longer.
"Yes, he's always like this," Marowak said, tapping his bone on the ground. "Acting like he doesn't feel any hits or injuries or exhaustion until he simply drops. He'd get himself into some peril quite often with these training exercises when I stopped letting him in here. He broke all my equipment multiple times; I don't even bother replacing them again, so the place is somewhat barren."
Guardian looked around. There were punching bags visible and a few scattered exercise equipment dotting the edge of the room as well as a door that led somewhere else. But otherwise, Marowak's Dojo was quite bare.
"That cannot be healthy," he said, maybe hoping Marowak would continue talking to him.
"No," Marowak gave, after another pause. "That's why I let him in here again, just to make sure he doesn't hurt himself too badly again."
Saniya called an end to the training battle, giving Striker one more point for gorgeousness and giving him the victory.
"Hahahaha, I'll get you next time!" Vigoroth laughed, unbothered by the biased judge. He brushed himself off and started jogging in place. "Okay, okay! Which one next! You or him! Or both! Ooooh! Can it be both! I can take you; this was a great warm-up!"
"Warm-up?" Striker spluttered, Vigoroth nodded with a grin, still jogging in place. "Yes… very good warm-up."
Dusknoir drifted over, seeking to prevent damage to be caused. "Celebi can be… intense," he said.
Saniya grinned at him. "Oh, stop it you," she giggled, "you're going to make me blush."
"Do you go red when you blush?" Vigoroth asked. "Or purple? Or blue!? Do you go yellow!?"
"That's for Striker to know and you never to find out."
"Alright. Intense! Intense! Intense!" Vigoroth began to chant.
"Perhaps… just me?" Guardian said. "I am an excellent partner to train with. Striker does not have a great deal of endurance, I do."
"I can do anything you can do, but better!" Striker snapped.
"By tearing your muscles apart," Guardian snapped back. "Which is not healthy."
"You're a ghost. What do you know about healthy?"
"Are we actually going to have this argument again?" Guardian replied, heat entering his voice as his eye flickered.
"Boys, boys," Saniya soothed, patting Guardian on the top of his head before zooming to Striker's side and stroking his leaves. "If you have this conversation for the twenty-eighth time, I am going to take your seeing privileges from you."
"Wut?" Vigoroth asked.
"By taking their eyes," Saniya explained, still in her calm and soothing tone.
"Ooh. Yeah, you might want to stop."
Striker crossed his arms. Guardian mimicked him. Saniya held it in for a moment before she giggled, ruining the moment. Striker dropped his arms, shaking his head with a smile while Guardian shook a little with laughter.
"My apologies, Vigoroth," Guardian said, still chuckling. "Some inside jokes must truly seem like nonsense to onlookers."
"Yeah…" Vigoroth said, suddenly quiet and wistful. He glanced away before straightening his back and shaking his head. He began jogging in place again. "Okay! So, which one!? Or two! I could definitely take you both on."
"You wanna go, bro?" Saniya said zooming up to poke his pink, button, nose with her face. She, like Scout, didn't really have a nose.
"I do!"
"Alright then!"
She tugged Guardian forward with a pull of Psychic might before raising her fists. "Let's destroy him."
"Not destroy," Guardian corrected.
"Crush."
"No."
"Annihilate!"
"You're getting colder."
"Drown?"
"Celebi."
"Fine." She rolled her eyes and metaphorically put the 'dukes' away. "Let's train."
Vigoroth, grin never fading, leapt into combat with the two fresh members of Team Sunrise while Striker joined a more relaxed Marowak.
For the next hour, Saniya, Guardian, Striker, and even Marowak fought against Vigoroth.
Saniya and Guardian acted much less aggressively than Striker, not having quite the same competitive spirit the grovyle possessed. Saniya mostly kept to the edges of the battle and sniped Vigoroth when he was busy with Guardian, while Guardian let Vigoroth land several harsh blows on him but delivered few in return.
Slowly, but surely, they wore the energetic pokémon down.
"Thank you for today," Marowak said, later, once everything had wound to a stop. Vigoroth was curled up, snoozing peacefully. He was littered with scratches, ruffled fur, and bruises, but there was a relaxed smile on his face as he slept. "He does not often experience a good night of rest, having as much trouble sleeping as he does."
"With that energy?" Saniya said. "Woo. I can see why."
"Yes, that energy." Marowak nodded. "I can scarcely keep up with him, certainly not every day. He usually works it off as best as he can, running around town giving promotions for shopkeepers. But that's never really enough. It's not an uncommon sight for him to be stumbling around, seemingly intoxicated. But nothing more than exhaustion. Exhaustion he doesn't really feel."
"I do not envy that," Striker said. He was the most worn out of the rest of them, laying on his back and panting for breath. "I feel like I could sleep a week."
Marowak nodded again to that. "Imagine your body feeling as you are, but still unable to get a wink of rest? That, I believe, is what Vigoroth struggles with every day."
"Why does he not evolve?" Guardian asked. Marowak had grown more used to his presence and had already engaged him in brief conversation. He assumed it was safe to ask about Vigoroth.
Marowak still hesitated at his question, eying Guardian, before answering. "He's said that he refuses to become that big. Or that lazy. Still, I do wish he could relax. Something I don't think is possible for him anymore."
Marowak fell silent for a moment, but the others could feel that he had something else he wanted to say. "You might be wondering why he doesn't use this energy to work in an exploration or rescue or delivery or… any sort of team."
"Yeah," Saniya replied, nodding. "Kinda."
"He used to be," Marowak explained, "he was on a team. Team Terrific, in fact, is their name."
"I've heard of them," Guardian said, blinking in surprise. "A Rescue Team that doubles as a Delivery Team, correct?"
"Correct." Marowak nodded. "Vigoroth was one of their starting members. However…" he sighed and looked over to the calmly sleeping pokémon. "He would push himself far beyond his limits and faint from exhaustion, getting sick, risking himself and even the pokémon they were rescuing with it all. Ultimately, the other members had to kick him off the team for his own health and everyone's safety."
Everyone's eyes moved to Vigoroth, smiling at some dream. One of his legs kicked out a few times.
"He's been in town ever since," Marowak finished, concluding his story. "Unwilling to leave alone, unable to join a team due to his energy, averse to evolving because he fears it'll change him too much."
"That really sucks," Saniya said, bluntly.
Marowak laughed at it. "Yes. Yes, it does." He shook his head and stared at Vigoroth a little more before using his bone to get back to his feet. "Well, I must thank you all, Team Sunrise, he's asleep calmly for once. Hopefully, he'll sleep for a week. I may need to request your services again sometime. Thank you."
Guardian helped Striker up, and Saniya gave Marowak a friendly wave. She decided she liked him: Stern, a little unforgiving, but overall fair to them.
It hadn't taken all day, although the training experience felt like it took an age, which left the three tired, but also free.
"I hope we'll run into Team Go-Getters," Saniya chattered as they made their way to Azumarill's house. Bidoof had pointed out a lot of homes when showing them to the Revival Herb, so they knew where to go.
Guardian knocked gently, and they waited around. Striker began to doze against him, and Saniya floated down to rest on his shoulders. Guardian remained nice and still until a skittering at the door caused him to jump.
Guardian's sudden movement caused Saniya to shriek and fly into the leaves and Striker to do a front flip and fall into a battle position.
"Just the door," Guardian said, patting Striker's shoulder as it opened.
"Oh!" Azurill gasped. "Mr Dusknoir and Mr Grovyle! I'll go get mother."
"I'm here too!" Saniya called, still hiding in the branches.
"Yep." Azurill closed the door and disappeared from their hearing. Saniya slowly came down and waited until Azurill returned to let them in.
"Try to find a new goal." Team Sunrise overheard Azumarill say as a door further in opened and Sean drifted out. Surprisingly, he looked nearly as tired as they did.
Brightening as he saw them, Sean ran over to them. To Striker's surprise, Sean hugged him.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah," Sean said, pulling back, "it's just good to see you."
Not one to be left out, Saniya hugged Sean as well. "Did she make you cry?" she asked.
Sean laughed.
"I can see one more person today," Azumarill said, looking them over, "if you wish."
Three sets of eyes all turned to the one pokémon skulking in the corner.
"What are you looking at me for?" Guardian asked, mildly offended. Azurill, who was swinging himself on one of Guardian's arms giggled.
They continued staring until he buckled. "Very well." He slowly lowered Azurill to the floor, so he didn't drop and hurt himself and glanced shyly to Azumarill. "If you would not mind, we can come back another time."
"I do not mind in the least," Azumarill replied and gestured for him to approach. Guardian slowly floated over, he was large, and this house was small.
He only almost knocked a few objects over, apologising each time.
"Would you three be willing to entertain Azurill while I'm busy?" Azumarill asked. Azurill turned a child's entire hope upon the three. There was no ability to refuse even if they wanted to.
"Certainly," Striker said, ever the diplomat.
"Come along, child," Saniya said as the door closed. "I'm going to teach you how to burn things."
It was a breath of fresh air to be stepping back into Treasure Town. Pokémon went about merrily, trading and chatting and having a good time.
A few pokémon stopped, however, to stare as Team Ion dragged themselves in. Looking most disturbingly like two cats that had gone through a washing machine and then dried with a blow-dryer, the two were in something of a state.
Unbeknownst to the residents of the town, this was mostly intentional. Whether that spoke of sanity, anyway, was best not pondered.
There was no pausing, no give or compromise in their gait. They were going forth, and big or small, pokémon had best get out of the way.
Xatu was waiting for them. His eyes were closed, and he serenely hummed, swaying back and forth.
"Xatu!" Mane barked, snapping the Psychic-type to attention. "We have words to share."
"There was no Reaper Cloth at Eerie Copse," Rai said. He was less literally burning with rage than Mane was, but he was still upset. "You got it wrong, and we wasted a week!"
"Did you check every room?" Xatu asked.
"Yes. Twice."
"Did you deliver the letter to Zubat?"
"Yes. He laughed at us."
Xatu laughed as well. "I am glad." He shifted a wing, pulling up a scrap of dark cloth. "Your reward as promised. A Reaper Cloth."
The pair fell silent.
A vein pulsed in Mane's head, and he had to fight the urge to burn things. Burn things in front of him. Everything in front of him.
Rai opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He opened and closed several times, doing a fantastic magikarp impression. "I… I…" he sighed, slowly and wearily and thunked his head on the wood in front of him. "Thank you."
"No," Xatu replied, shaking his head. "Thank YOU."
"Why… couldn't you just tell us you had one?" Mane asked, weakly. The fire had burned out, he almost just wanted to lay down and bury himself right here and now.
"A question such as that deserves a riddle," Xatu began.
"No, that's okay," Rai said quickly, grabbing the Reaper Cloth and then Mane's ruff. "We'll be on our way," he said, muffled by Mane's fur.
"If you are sure, it's a good one."
"No-no," he said roughly before hissing, "go, GO." To Mane.
They stepped back before deciding they didn't care and just bolted for it. Xatu waved as they ran.
Together, Rai and Mane ran for Duskull's Bank. There was no time. They had it now!
"Duskull!" Mane said as Rai's mouth was currently occupied. "We have it!"
"Oh-hoo-hoo-hoo?" Duskull giggled.
"Yes," Rai said, spitting out fur and fabric. He brought the scrap of Reaper Cloth up, and Duskull inspected it.
"Hoo… hohohohohoho!"
"Is this… good?" Rai asked Duskull, who was vibrating with his giggles.
"Hohohohohoho-yes. Yes, this is truly fantastic." Duskull disappeared from view, sinking into his chambers. He rose up with two items. "A perfect addition to my apparel."
Mane's eye twitched, and Rai gawked as Duskull brandished a massive quilt-like stitchwork of Reaper Cloth's, all woven together to create some sort of fashionable cape.
"What… is THAT?" Rai asked. "And why do you need? Why… I… ugh…" he bonked his head again. "Can we please have the Psychic Torc."
"Of course, of course," Duskull tittered, sliding an engraved solid necklace-like object over. Mane scooped it up. "Tell Alakazam he has my thanks."
With that enigmatic statement, they returned to the guild. Diglett let the exhausted pair in, and they drifted downstairs, almost in a daze.
"Friendly friends, you have returned!" Wigglytuff beamed when they walked into his chambers. "How did your search go?"
"We… got it," Rai managed, nodding as Mane held the item up. "Could you… contact Alakazam?"
"Yes, yes, yes, siree!" As Wigglytuff danced off to do that, Rai and Mane returned to the assembly square to lay together in joined pain.
Loudred called something over to them, but they weren't listening.
The sentries let in a few pokémon, and Croagunk came and went. Whether it was five minutes or fifty, the pair weren't sure, Wigglytuff returned with company.
"So," Alakazam said, stroking his moustache as he stared down at the pair of exhausted pokémon, "I hear you need to get to the Shaymin Village?"
"Yes!" Rai said, jolting to his feet. "We have the Psychic Torc." He relieved Mane of it, as the litleo was not standing up, and thrust it out. It was levitated out of his grip, and Alakazam inspected it for a moment.
"Yes… this will be perfect for my collection."
Mane's ears twitched. "Collection?" he asked, standing up. "You mean… rare items?"
Rai glanced between them in building worry.
"Oh, no-no. My collection of Psychic Torcs! Duskull always seems to find them, but he never can just trade them to me. I have quite a few you see, and they are quite pretty things. Ah, frivolous I know, but we all have our vices."
Rai pressed up against Mane, nearly pushing him over. The litleo visibly smoked and swallowed fire. He nodded. He did not trust himself to speak.
"When can you take us?" Rai asked, strained. He took a few deep breaths, turning the other cheek. "We are on a somewhat time-sensitive mission."
"Today! I just need an hour or so to prepare. Wigglytuff, would you be able to bring them to me once you get the ping?"
"Not a worry!" Wigglytuff said.
Nodding his thanks, Alakazam departed.
"It might be a little while before we see each other again," Wigglytuff said, turning to Team Ion. "So let me give you a BIG hug!"
He nearly squeezed the fire out of Mane with his hug, but the two accepted it.
"And before you go, you might want to say goodbye to everyone. You might see someone… ooh, I can't spoil it!" He giggled and danced away into his chambers.
Rubbing his throat, Mane coughed. "Well. Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Rai sighed. "Just think. We're almost there."
Taking Wigglytuff's advice, they shared a few words with Loudred and Diglett, then a few more with Croagunk.
"Wait a moment," Mane said before hitting himself with his tail. "Croagunk is literally our guy for rare items." Furious, he turned to Croagunk. "Did YOU know where any of the stuff we needed was?"
Croagunk shrugged. "I found Duskull about the same time you did. And he was also the only one around to have Reaper Cloth. You figured that out before you came to see me."
"Oh… sorry," Rai said.
"Meh-heh-heh. You're fine. Just come to me first next time."
After that, they dragged themselves up to the middle level, where a surprise awaited them.
"Marill?" Rai asked, cocking his head.
Marill turned, beaming when he spotted them. "Shinx! Litleo! Hi!" He came running over, with three companions in tow.
"Hey, don't just run off," Flaaffy snapped. He puffed a breath and blew a bit of curly wool out of his eyes before looking the returned duo up and down. "You look awful."
"Great to see you too, Flaaffy," Mane replied, dryly. "I'm amazed you left your room looking like that today."
Flaaffy puffed some more wool out of his face. "We take what we can get," he replied. "I don't always have time for my own standards."
"Not too hard for you yet?" Mane snarked, and Rai put a paw on his back, and he settled down.
"You joined the guild?" Rai asked, grinning at Marill.
"Yep!" Marill said, patting the explorer's badge on his Treasure Bag. "Armaldo let me join, and Guildmaster Wigglytuff got me all sorted out quickly. I've been in for a couple of days."
"H-he's working with us," the other member of that small group, Paras, whispered. She shrunk in on herself when eyes turned to her.
"Yes, well." Flaaffy brushed more wool out of his eyes. "We appear to make a competent quartet."
"Quartet?"
"Bidoof is showing us the ropes, so to speak," Marill explained. "We just got back from a mission; he's just gone to get Munna to tell her we found her item."
"So, what are you two doing?" Flaaffy asked. Marill had his moment, the attention needed to return to him now. "You surely aren't going back out looking like that? You know the guild's reputation is strongly affected by how we look, you two almost as much as the Guildmaster nowadays."
"We're going to the Shaymin Village now," Mane snapped back, "as if it's any of your business how we look."
"Appearances are important."
"So is saving our friend."
"Hmm. Yes, I suppose."
Annoyed at Flaaffy's behaviour too, Rai was still the voice of reason, and he pulled Mane back from trying to start a tousle.
"I hope you're having a good time," Rai said, turning back to Marill.
He nodded. "It's the best. It's weird not spending all day with Azurill, but I still see him."
They continued to chat, talking about what Marill had been up to and how he was taking the training. Bidoof eventually returned with Munna, and the trio became a quartet and had to part ways.
"We'll see you when we're back," Rai said as they stepped back. "I'll be looking forward to hearing from them!"
"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Mane said, pulling him along with Rai's tail.
Wigglytuff came up and picked them both up, before bouncing off to where Alakazam awaited.
"Are you prepared?" Alakazam asked, looking them up and down exactly once.
"Yes," Rai answered, nodding. Mane nodded in kind.
"Very well. Grab on and brace yourselves."
They each took an offered hand from Alakazam, placing a single paw against him. There was a moment where nothing happened, Wigglytuff said. "Good luck." And then they were gone.
Teleportation was always disorientating for passengers and both felines staggered once they reappeared.
"Here we are," Alakazam said as the pair tried to collect themselves. It was the sense of smell that returned. First, flowers tickling their noses and causing Mane to sneeze and nearly set the peaceful village on fire.
Rai pulled himself up first, blinking the spots out of his vision and looking around.
They had appeared in the centre of a circle of flat stones, almost half-heartedly tossed around to make a vague centre of the village. Several watering holes dotted the village with pokémon chatting around them.
Small buildings woven entirely from leaves served as homes and shops for this small place. Shaymin Village was vastly smaller than the likes of Treasure Town, but it was still a lovely community.
"Welcome," a shaymin said, trotting up to them. His voice was soft but unmistakably male. "May I ask if you are you here to explore or to visit?"
"We're here to find someone," Mane said, Rai gave quiet thanks to Alakazam. "Lucario, she's here, right?"
Shaymin blinked. "Oh? Lucario?" Despite technically it is possible to be any lucario, there remained that gravity to the name. "She was here, yes."
"Was?" Rai asked, strained.
"She moved on a day and a half ago," Shaymin explained, frowning for them. Rai and Mane shred pained looks. "She was quite lovely though, helped map out more of Sky Peak and was able to help some pokémon in neighbouring dungeons."
"I… which way did she go?" Mane asked. "We NEED to find her. It's a matter of life and death."
"I'm… not sure if I should tell you," Shaymin said, "she got distraught one night when we tried to have a feast in her honour. She explained she doesn't like pokémon treating her as someone to be glorified."
"We're Team Ion," Rai said, "if that'll help. We think Lucario can help us get Meowth back. She might know something about Arceus!"
"Arceus?" Shaymin asked, his voice suddenly sharp. He frowned for a moment before looking them over. "You are Team Ion… hmm." He glanced to the side before pursing his lips and turning back to them. "She said she was heading to Gratified Thicket next. But… she's actually heading to Dawn Town."
"Wait… why would you say both?" Rai asked.
"It's all I know, I'm afraid," Shaymin replied, shrugging as best as a hedgehog covered with flowers could.
They thanked Shaymin for his help and moved aside to quietly deliberate and go over their map. "We should ask around a bit, just to make sure," Mane suggested, Rai nodded to that.
"We can't let her get too far away. We have to work quickly."
They spent half an hour talking to as many pokémon as they could. Mr Mime especially was helpful. He was the only one to collaborate Shaymin's mention of Dawn Town. All other pokémon believed she was headed to Gratified Thicket.
They had to choose one.
"Dawn Town," Rai said.
"Alright, I hope you're right."
"Me too."
Alakazam agreed to remain in Shaymin Village for at least a couple days, and Team Ion departed. The place was lovely, but they had no time to stop and smell the roses.
"How much do you know of Lucario?"
"Almost nothing."
"Hm."
Scout had been given two nights of peace or was it torture, with a lack of Darkrai. He wondered if Darkrai was actually giving him space, or if the distance they teleported had actually thrown him off.
It was curious for Scout to teleport. He did not experience the same displacement as his friends did, and part of him was able to see the journey. He could barely understand it, however.
Until the teleport, Darkrai had visited him every night. Usually to wax poetic nonsense at him until Scout could not stand the sight of the creature any longer. He found himself able to stand him longer and longer each time.
Now they were here, and Darkrai was talkative as usual.
"I confess… I do not know much of this enigmatic lucario. Even my predecessor didn't know much, and he had guarded the Time Gear for so long that he had received little news from the outside world. It was quite a shock to me when I found towns and villages, pokémon working in unison, trading and bartering. Nothing like the world that was before Lucario."
Darkrai hummed. "Where did she come from? Where does she go? Where did she come from cotton-eyed doe?"
"What are you doing?"
Darkrai gave a wispy chuckle. "Just… odd things that stick out in my mind that I experience from dreams." Darkrai shook his head. "I wonder what Lucario dreams about. Some say she doesn't sleep, but I doubt that. Everything sleeps in some way or another."
"Even you?" Scout asked.
"But of course."
"And you don't… have nightmares from your own ability?"
Darkrai gave another of his wispy, creepy, chuckles. "Perhaps I do. Perhaps I have never known what a 'dream' is like, that even a nightmare does not cause any shock."
Scout didn't reply again, so Darkrai moved on. "I wonder, though. If Lucario dreams, then she must have nightmares as well. I wonder what she experiences then. A pokémon as long-lived as she appears to be a must-have known great terror in her time. But does that terror rise up again and again, or has she grown so strong she defies even that?"
"Sounds like you want to give Lucario a nightmare. That's kind of you."
Once more, Darkrai chuckled at him. "Call me morbid if you must. You either become consumed by your maladies, or you learn to control your perception of them. If I could avoid giving other's nightmares, I would. But since I cannot, I find myself curious about what they experience."
"You don't… just go in and see?"
Darkrai gave him a look of surprise, brief as it was. "At times, yes. Not often. It is dangerous for both of us. I am curious, yes, but I don't wish to hurt them any further."
"Somehow, I doubt that." And somehow, he doubted what he just said.
Scout shook his head. No. Darkrai was the enemy. He shouldn't be here.
Spotting his discomfort, Darkrai spoke again. "Assuming your companions do find Lucario, what do you think she'll say?"
Scout was silent.
"Do you think she will help? She is their last hope, after all. We all know there are no leads of legends they can follow and achieve results in half a month."
"And if she can help?" Scout challenged, looking up at the embodiment of nightmares before him.
"Then I will be greatly happy for you."
Scout scoffed at him, clicking his tongue and looking away. A flash of hurt had crossed Darkrai's face, and he hated himself for feeling bad about causing it.
"I would… wish that I could be the one to help but… I do understand why you refuse my offer. Your lack of trust in me is well understandable, even… ignoring what you knew about me."
"What I KNOW," Scout said, fighting the bad feeling. "I know you're up to no good."
"Then why do you return every night to see me?"
"Because you are HURTING my friends!"
Darkrai was silent. He didn't need to say it. Scout knew. Every time he told Darkrai to leave, he left with a parting remark. Their time spent together was entirely based on his own wishes.
"It isn't fair you are the only person I can talk to," Scout growled. He wished he could have some sort of physical reaction to make himself feel better, but there was no physical to react.
"It isn't," Darkrai agreed. "And hopefully, soon, you won't be cursed with my company any longer."
Scout's lip curled, or at least he felt like it should so Darkrai saw that.
They were silent before Scout said. "Leave."
And so, like always, Darkrai left.
When Scout was by his friend's sides again, he stared guiltily at their trembling forms. He had stayed nearly twice as long to talk to Darkrai. Going just two days without any sort of verbal contact had seriously worn him down.
He hated that Darkrai made him feel better, but at least it was something. Something to stave off this eternity of nothingness.
Yet the cost of his weakness was displayed for him to see. Rai's tear-tracked cheeks and Mane's bleeding lip. They suffered when Darkrai was nearby. Suffered because Darkrai would always return. Suffered because he was so lonely he'd even go to their torturer for comfort.
"Guys…" Scout said. His voice didn't break as he had no larynx, but it still shivered in the nothingness. Not even an ear flicked. Scout didn't say anything more as there was no point.
He simply curled up between Rai and Mane and listened to their breathing for the rest of the night.
Poor Rai and Mane. Setech is right about sad family time adventures; they are trying so hard. Poor Scout as well, it is not easy stuck as he is.
At least Team Sunrise is doing better! Guardian talked to THREE strangers today without being spat at. Progress!