PMD: Warped Skies

by Team Ion

Playing the part of the hero sounded fun at first, until he took a meaty punch to the face. Stranded in a world reminiscent of a game he once knew, a human-turned-Meowth struggles to retain his humanity while filling the shoes of the game's protagonists. However, this is not a game. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers, SI-OC/Isekai. Cover by Bograbbit!

53. World of Letters

And welcome to Chapter 53!

To Setech, hahaha. You are 100% correct on who that seedot was, and you are the only one to have said that, good job!

Also, I got something made for Team Sunrise!

samadriel-art dot tumblr dot com/image/626855512409079808

To everyone in general, let's go!

---

Lucario woke Sean up early and dragged him out to commit to something truly heinous. Training.

Lucario had maintained her avoidance of most Treasure Town pokémon but continued tagging along with Team Sunrise on their missions due to Sean not counting on the dungeon number.

They didn't take any outlaw or rescue missions due to her presence, but Lucario was fine to take things easy. They deserved it. Especially after the beating, she gave them.

Except when she didn't want to take it easy, such as now.

"Straighten your hips, tough, I know," Lucario said. "Copy my pose." She was on one foot, a flamingo style perhaps it could be regarded.

"I'm trying," Sean groaned, wobbling.

"Try harder."

They had a few days to recover from the battering she gave them, working easy jobs. As the days drew to a close, Team Sunrise did their own individual thing. Or in the case of Sean, was kidnapped in the early morning.

Striker and Guardian were beginning a training routine with Marowak. They didn't say it was because of Lucario, but it was obvious. Saniya was off with the fairies. Or, more specifically, the Fairy-type Azumarill for some more intense work on her issues.

Sean kept Lucario company, Scizor was still under lock and key from Chimecho. He was allowed outside, but not allowed to train with Lucario. And as she was not shy about smacking him around either, Chimecho largely worked to keep them apart.

He had heard enough from Lucario herself to not want to leave her alone, or invite Chimecho's wrath, so it was an easy choice.

Sean toppled over, and she sighed. "You are really bad at this."

"Why do you think I only know what I know?" Sean grumbled, snout in the sand.

"Probably because you're human and you don't really know the process about learning new moves," Lucario said, entirely correct and surprising him.

"Oh… yeah, that."

"Inexcusable," she declared, pulling him up and propping him on his feet again. "Okay, back from the top."

"Could you at least explain what and why and what?"

Lucario looked puzzled. "I didn't do that already?"

Sean was vehement with his retort. "NO."

They stared each other down. His hot glare cascaded against her indifferent puzzlement. "Hm. Odd. Well, alright." She dropped from standing right to sitting, jolting herself. "Basically we're starting off easy streets by teaching you something you should have naturally picked up at some point by now anyway. Endure!"

"Endure?" Sean asked.

She nodded. "Right. And if you repeat my words as if you're only half-listening, I will clap your ears." Sean gave a nervous laugh. "I'm not kidding."

"I believe you."

She nodded, satisfied for now. "Endure is an interesting little move. You do know how our Power inherently protects us?"

Sean nodded. "I think so. Striker and Guardian have talked about it. It's why fire attacks don't just… burn you up, right?"

"Right." She nodded. "But there are ways to use that inherent protection for more intentional things. Endure and Protect are like… two sides of the same coin. Protect forms you an outer shield which can generally block pretty much anything."

"But it's brittle?" Sean asked.

"Right again. You did do your research, didn't you?" He blushed a little. He hadn't set off on his journey until he was twelve and took that time to prepare for his adventure. "Protect is strong, but once it begins to break, it tends to break all at once, and then you've burned a lot of Power, and still got hit."

"I'm not as clear on Endure, though," Sean confessed. He was wiggling his toes, feeling the sand and listening to the waves as Lucario enlightened him.

"Endure is more of an evolution of that natural protection," she said. "Part of it is psychosomatic, you don't actually need to tense your muscles, but it's a good way to get into that headspace and often becomes a habit."

Sean nodded, following for now.

"Endure works by blunting an incoming attack, dispersing it across you relatively harmlessly. You still take the hit, but the damage is reduced. It's not a Protect, and a Protect isn't an Endure. You can break a Protect, even without Feint, but you can't really overcome an Endure."

She nodded sharply. "The strongest users can even keep standing on top of an attack that SHOULD, by all rights, have knocked them out. But, we'll start with simpler stuff."

Lucario stood back up, and Sean joined her. "Now, you're in luck for three reasons. You've got me as a teacher, and I know Endure. You're a pokémon that naturally can pick it up. And, most specifically, you're a riolu. The furry choice gives you an edge here."

"Why?" Sean asked, dry as the sand. "Because of aura?"

She gave him a point. "That's the one. Now, an aura can only go so far, but even without it, it's possible. You're just controlling a different aspect of yourself."

She began having him use Copycat on her, mimicking her use of Endure before giving him light hits. Barely even taps, but from her they'd still bruise, letting Sean get accustomed to the feel of using Endure.

They practised this for a few hours until he had quite a few welts and asked for them to stop.

"I was wondering something, Lucario?" Sean asked, rubbing a bruise.

"What's going on in that little furry's head?" Lucario asked. To his credit, Sean had stopped blushing when she teased him. He understood Scizor a lot more, Lucario relieved you of self-conscious behaviour before long, because she'd seize on anything with merciless gusto.

"You said we were an… eight when we fought you but sevens on our own? I was wondering what exactly that meant?"

For all her caustic behaviour at times, Lucario was largely alright to be around, and he was curious about the ancient pokémon.

"Eight as a group, yeah," Lucario answered, nodding. "I'd rate you specifically as a… hmm. Striker and Guardian are definitely high seven's, and Saniya should be an eight, but the whole mess with her kinda brings her down I think. You're tough, but I think six, you are definitely not as strong as them but how much is tough to say since it comes in gradients."

"I was able to knock you back," Sean pointed out.

"True." She nodded, accepting that. "Which is pretty impressive bar none." Surprisingly she didn't try and deny the point with claims of going easy or something.

"But what does it all mean?" Sean asked.

Lucario smirked at him. "It's so very human to be so interested in numbers and statistics," she chuckled. "Or maybe I'm just saying that because you are one. You're not the first to ask, but most of the ones to even know about my list were the other humans, so… bias I suppose."

They were on the beach. Not exactly sparring, as Lucario found it difficult to pull punches that much for Sean's relative delicacy. But they were practising at least a little with the uneven, sandy, surface.

"It's just a little thing to amuse me," Lucario said, deciding she would share this with Sean. "Because I like numbers and charts myself. I get bored sometimes and rank random things in my head. One of my favourites is my Power Chart." She shook her head. "Not the inner Power that we pokémon and certain humans draw our abilities from, just strength and skill and power in that general sense."

"I hope eight is a high number," Sean said, doing a kick and spraying sand into the tide. It was lost to the water instantly.

"Oh it is," she nodded, tassels jangling as she did so. "It's out of ten, you see. The first five levels are… not really worth discussing, so I'll summarise."

She raised a paw. She didn't have five fingers, so she had to count several times. "One is like… fresh out of the egg, die on its own quickly. Two is like sick, really young, very old and feeble. The 'and feeble' is important there." She glared as he was right about to point out her age.

"Three is your average young child. Four is unfit for battle but can use a few moves here and there. I'd say four and five are where most towny pokémon fall into, they COULD fight, but not exactly well, if they had to. But why would they have to?"

Sean nodded, understanding.

"Five is your fit, but not trained, pokémon. The next ones are a bit more interesting, and I'll say who I reckon goes where, as I go up."

Lucario sat down, cross-legged as she was tired to trudging back and forth on the sand. "Six is like your starting-out exploration team to moderately experienced. Probably most of the teams in Treasure Town and most of the guild apprentices are here. I put you here because while you are definitely a bit more trained than many pokémon, you're not THAT strong in actual combat."

"I guess that's fair," Sean nodded. "I only ever really use Force Palm and Copycat, to be honest."

"I noticed," she replied, dry as the sand they were sitting on. "I hear you took on Dialga though, so maybe seven is fairer, but I can't say for sure."

"Couldn't really do much to it," Sean admitted.

Lucario snorted. "It was Dialga. What did you expect? Eat a Violent Seed, use Swords Dance, and one-shot him? This isn't a game, kiddo." She blinked and added. "Well, according to some."

Sean looked a little uncomfortable, so she moved on. "Seven is where things get rather interesting. Well trained AND reasonably powerful to boot. The rest of your team goes here, Eight is something special we'll get to. I think maybe one or two apprentices at the guild might be here, I've heard good things about Sunflora and Croagunk. I reckon Team Ion as a group would probably be here too."

"You don't think they're as strong as us?" Sean said, pleased.

She gave him a crooked smile. "Well I've actually fought you, so I've got one side of the experience. I'm doubtful three little kitties are quite a fair match for four saviours, but hey? Could surprise me. I'll try and fight them too if they ever show up."

"Hopefully they won't be far off," Sean sighed, smile slipping. The situation was probably dangerous, they needed to know.

"Hopefully. Well. Keep in mind that I attribute these rankings to individuals. Team Sunrise being an 8 as a whole means a single 8 could probably take you on in a fair fight. Eight's are about as strong as a normal pokémon can hope to become, and it takes a long time for them to get there. I'd wager Wigglytuff and maybe that Armaldo fella is around that level. Scizor too I can say for sure, although he's a bit weakened thanks to his deep freeze. At his peak he's an eight as he's a normal pokémon that got there, he's sort of the whole basis for my list in the first place."

She smiled, glancing up. It was nice to hear her speaking nicely about Scizor and Sean smiled too. "Eight is also where I put legendary pokémon at a baseline. They are just stupidly strong on a basic level, but a lot of them can still be beaten because they rely too much on pure power. That's not so much in this world since legends aren't nearly as strong, and they know it. So, they hide."

She shook her head. He wanted to ask, but she was already moving on. "Nine is a special place to be at. You don't really get here by normal means. Legends that aren't the Big Ones that train tends to fall here. Other pokémon at this level are hardly normal. They are either exceptional in other ways, have access to mega evolution plus excellent training, or both."

"And so ten is like… Dialga and such?" Sean asked. "And you, I guess."

Lucario smirked at him. "Nah, I rate myself a nine. I'm stupidly strong, but I'm hardly that level… well." She quirked her head slightly. "Not normally." Her gaze fixed on nothing for a moment before she glanced at her knapsack. "Hm."

Sean skirted back as she opened it up and unloaded it. He had seen the avalanche of items once before, and he saw it yet again as that tiny sack unloaded a couple hundred years of knickknacks and curious onto the sand.

One such item was an old, diamond-shaped, necklace. Lucario picked it up and observed it for a few minutes.

"What… is that?" Sean asked, carefully stepping forward over the river of junk.

"Catch." She tossed it to him, and he flailed about trying to grab it. Smacked him in the nose before dropping into his paws and Lucario laughed at his expression.

"What is this?" Sean asked, rubbing his nose and looking at the object. It was old, it was dusty, it's string was worn and even dissolved under his paws poking at it.

"Open it up," Lucario said, giving a twisting motion with her paws. He did as she directed and the middle split, allowing him to take the cap off.

Lurking within was a rainbow, teardrop-shaped, crystal. Within the crystal shone a strange symbol, a curved diamond with three rows in the middle of it.

"That is an Awakening," Lucario said. Sean didn't react as she had hoped, just glanced up at her curiously, one of his ears flopping. After waiting a moment longer, no penny dropped, so she explained. "That will allow me to mega evolve. Or, anyone actually, who CAN mega evolve."

"Oh!" Sean said, voice rising an octave as his ears shot straight up. "Wow, this is… valuable. It's a mega stone?"

"Nope." Lucario shook her head. Sean marvelled at the Awakening a bit before she gestured for him to return it. "Cap on first," she warned, and he replaced it. Holding the contained Awakening, she explained. "It's basically a cheat. I, or another capable pokémon, could touch it and mega evolve without a mega stone, keystone, or even a trainer! That's a good… and a bad thing."

"A bad thing?" Sean frowned. "Why? Does it do something else?"

"How much do you know about Mega Evolution?" Lucario asked.

"Not much," Sean admitted. "With trust and bond and the right objects, a pokémon can temporarily attain a stronger form?"

She shrugged. "That's the gist of it, yeah. What they don't say is that the power boost by Mega Evolution is rather… intense. For some pokémon, it's even extremely painful until they can balance it out. That's what the trainer human boy/girl/whatever is for. They mostly act as a balancing force, that's what the keystone is for I believe."

She gave him a serious look. "It's very easy to lose control with that power even WITH a trainer. Imagine what it's like without one… without ANY buffering?"

"Oh." Sean's voice was very soft.

She nodded. "Yeah." Lucario replaced the band in the contained Awakening and looped it around her neck. "Well. I got to admit something. Now that I've shown it to you, I have a feeling I'll reach a situation where I might need to use it." She gave him a scary smile. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. And if it does? Have a Sleep Seed on hand. Please."

He nodded quickly, Lucario poked at her new necklace before shaking her head. "Well, anyway. That's my little judgement list. Ten's are your greater legendary pokémon. Dialga, Palkia, Giratina. Maybe Lugia. Pokémon like that."

"And you if you use that?"

"I dunno, to be honest," Lucario answered. "I haven't used an Awakening in a long time."

"Lucario!" a high and happy voice squealed, cutting the tension like a razor blade. Twice as sharp and three times more deadly, Saniya came zooming in.

She stopped right in front of Lucario's face, causing her to blink as the air blasted her in the eyes before Saniya began to talk.

"So, I was talking to Cara because I thought 'You know who I haven't seen recently? Scizor' and I went to bother Chimecho about it, and she was happy to let me in with only a few threats of bodily mutilation, and so I was talking to him about stuff and shit, and you know the stuff?"

Lucario nodded.

"Yeah. So, I was talking to him about random junk that went into my head, and he seemed to be following, and we laughing and joking, and he reminded me about a word. See, when we first got to know Cara, we asked him stuff about you because you're all famous and junk."

"Yeah?"

"And he was all like. 'Lucario doesn't like that image other pokémon make of her. Hates it. In fact, hate isn't a strong enough word' and all that," Saniya had said this while putting on a gruff tone more suited to Armaldo than Scizor.

"He's right but go on."

"Yeah, so I said the word Deplorahatred, and he thought it was a word I should offer to you about your feelings about all that if we ever met you! And then we did, but I forgot to bring it up until now."

Lucario nodded, having followed all of that.

Sean, on the other hand. "What?" he asked, blinking repeatedly.

"Deplorahatred!" Saniya repeated.

"Yeah, I… remember that."

"YOU remembered that?" Saniya gasped. "Well, why didn't you REMIND ME?" She then gasped. "Oh. Azumarill has been coaching me through not yelling everything. Uh… why didn't you remind me, an old friend of mine?"

"I only remembered after you said it."

"Well… that doesn't count." She brushed his inclusion off and turned back to Lucario. "Well? What do you think?"

"I think that's a fun word," Lucario said. "What kind of things do you find deplorahatredable?"

"Ooh, I like that." She rubbed her chin. "Armaldo being a big gross bug. Not being able to see Giratina anywhere. Oh! I know. So, new storytime." She leaned onto Lucario's shoulder and began to babble.

"Back in time,… in the future… that doesn't exist anymore. Back in the… a while ago… to come… to never… so I was talking to Giratina about Soothe not fixing things, and they were all like. 'You should have left it to me anyway, I've got something a'cookin', and I wasn't so sure."

"I could believe Giratina speaking like that, yes." Lucario nodded.

"They totally do. So, we mentioned that the old antimatter eggplant brought Sean over to us?"

"Yup."

"Yeah. Giratina was something contacting a Giratina from another world and did some sort of reverse/distortion, chain looping… thing. They never really told me much, but that Giratina brought Sean into their world and shunted him to ours through a bunch of mirrors so that he wasn't caught by Primal Dialga's nasty reality-freezing web annoyance."

She scoffed. "That was so annoying. I could never meet Giratina as they couldn't leave their own world or Dialga's trap would get him. HOW Dialga even had the mind to do that, I have no idea. I guess it didn't lose everything right away, and always was kinda cunning in that bestial way. But anyway, Giratina told me we were going to have a human to fix things and the last two humans did that SO WELL it seemed like a sound idea."

"Yeah, you're not wrong." She nodded to Sean. "He worked out."

"Right. And we love and tolerate him for it. But!" Saniya extracted herself from Lucario's shoulder and pressed her nose. "Giratina was INCORRECT in their information."

"If you pick my nose I'll be very upset."

Saniya removed her finger. "They made me look FOOLISH! I looked awful, my first impression on the group and I had incorrect information. Oh, how it tarnished my beauty and wisdom in front of them. They might have listened to my genius plans more often if I hadn't had arrived with such an airheaded look."

"I feel like we would have questioned the jellybean idea regardless," Sean said.

"LIES!"

"You poor, sweet, thing," Lucario said, shaking her head disapprovingly at Giratina's actions. "How do you even manage?"

"With a great deal of therapy!" They shared a self-loathing laugh.

"But… yeah, Giratina was told by the other Giratina that we'd be getting a Gabriel. Not a Sean. So, I looked silly, going in with the wrong name and all."

Lucario smiled and went to speak before pausing. A frown creased at her brow for a moment, and she glanced to Sean. "Hm."

"What?" he asked. She was looking at him that odd way again. She'd done it a few times, he thought it was just sizing him up for their talk the other day.

Lucario shook her head. "Nothing. Nothing… nothing."

"If it's something you should tell me!"

Seeing him getting alarmed, she waved him down. "Don't freak out. It's nothing bad, just weird. You…." She glanced over him again, lingering.

"What is it?" Saniya asked.

"I knew a Gabriel," Lucario said. Sean wasn't fast enough to grab Saniya before Saniya grabbed Lucario's face.

"WHAT?" she bellowed, spittle flying.

"Thanks for the shower." She wiped her face and grabbed Saniya. "Time to dunk." She dunked Saniya in the sea.

The sea bubbled before Saniya exploded out, sand and seaweed went flying. It all somehow missed Lucario and hit Sean instead, splatting him in the face and knocking him over.

"It shouldn't be so… bizarre," Lucario said as Saniya dried herself with pure speed. "Gabriel is hardly an uncommon human name… except the Gabriel I knew DID have a connection to Giratina, I swear he did." She frowned before outright glaring. "That bloody bastard stole the cookies, and I got blamed! I KNOW IT WAS Giratina, it looked TOO familiar when we saw it later on."

She growled in anger, at unfair punishment, at cookie-stealing jerks. The sand around them seemed to shake slightly.

"And it was hardly even one time, either. I wouldn't have known any connection if Gabriel didn't have that weird pendant. It was just like the other orbs, Dialga and Palkia's, I am certain! It felt similar! Ugh." She tapped her head. "This is literally ancient memory; I can barely remember it. It's just my pure rage at something that unfair being blamed on me that burned itself into my mind."

She glared. "If I ever see that Giratina again, I will laugh at it for nearly dying and having to be saved by a shaymin. You hear me! LAUGH!"

She growled again but then shook it off. The sand around them stopped trembling. Lucario rubbed her face and then turned back to them.

"Sean… you're probably a poor sucker who got snatched by an uncaring bastard just because it didn't want to give up its cookie stash dispenser. But hey?" She shrugged. "You still saved the world, so props to you."

Sean blinked in surprise, he really hadn't expected a revelation like this. "Oh… uh… cool?"

She nodded. "Chosen Ones are overrated, I can assure you of that. You're strong on your own."

Deciding that was a good thing, he smiled. "Thanks. I've long wondered why I was taken… it's weird to think it was purely random," he admitted. "But at the same time… I was just a regular kid. Normal…ish family, was just starting my journey. Heh, I didn't even have my starter. I was just heading off to Hearthome to get a plane ride to Twinleaf Town when I got taken."

Lucario stared at him all over again. "Sinnoh," she said.

"Yes?" Sean said, a little startled.

"Where did you grow up?"

"Just a small town."

"What was it called?" she corrected, frowning a little at him for the answer.

"Solaceon Town?"

Lucario's gaze bored into him. "What… what is your last name?" Her voice was almost… cracking.

Sean furrowed his brows. "Wow, no one's asked me that before. I guess because pokémon don't have last names? It's Connolly. Sean Connolly."

Lucario's expression was a mask. Something flickered, but it was too dark, too dim. She closed her eyes and sighed. "How old were you again?"

"About sixteen, I think?"

"He said four years, so he was about twelve when he left," Lucario muttered under her breath, doing mathematics for the first time in quite a while. "That could be…? Ugh."

"Lucario?"

"Did you know Felix?" Lucario said, dropping her paw and facing him directly. "Kid around your age. Didn't have any parents. Had a riolu you really liked to hug?"

"Felix…? Oh!" Sean exclaimed, ears going up and he beamed for a moment. "Right, yeah! He was Angie's friieeeenn…d."

Sean's eyes flicked to her before widening, his pupils constricting, and Lucario's eye twitched.

"KEIRA!?"

"YES!" she shouted back. Sean staggered back as Lucario, as Keira, immediately started pacing angrily. "Oh my gosh. Oh. My. GOSH!"

Far away, Sunflora sneezed as someone took her catchphrase.

Saniya rapidly looked between the two in stunned confusion as Keira stomped about. "I cannot believe this. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS." She tossed paws at Sean. "Grabby hands. Mr Grabby Hands is HERE! The fucktonne minuscule chance this could possibly have occurred is so low it could be nothing less than divine FUCKERY!"

She pointed right at the skies. "Sean was a year younger than Felix!" She spun back on him. "WEREN'T YOU?" she thundered.

Sean nodded, unable to speak.

"That means… twelve, sixteen, four years! Felix was fifteen when I died, and you woke up when he was fourteen. He'd be seventeen now. YOU ARE AWAKE AREN'T YOU, YOU FENCE-STUCK-HOOP-RIDDEN-BASTARD!?"

"What? What? What?" Saniya was stuck on repeat.

Keira spun back on them. "Gabriel is Felix's older brother."

Saniya's eyes widened, and she slowly turned to Sean, creaking her bones as she did so. "You… k̸̛n̢͜ew͘͡ a Gabriel?" she uttered, lifting him up with her mind and the sandbanks far back began to collapse, the tide receded and feared to return as Saniya's gaze turned beyond words.

"I didn't know Felix had a brother!" Sean squeaked. "We weren't exactly friends! I only knew Felix because I liked…." He glanced at Keira.

"Oh my… I'm the reason you're- ARGH!?" She blew a hole in a rock formation.

"Oh no… I want to die," Sean squeaked, voice several octaves higher.

Saniya could very easily grant that wish at the moment. However, she dropped him and gave an unearthly scream before warping away, leaving the smell of the number six in her wake. Keira glanced at Sean but couldn't look for long.

"Mr Grabby Hands," she uttered, grabbing her ears and pulling them down. "Mr Grabby Hands. Of all the humans Giratina could have… your hands were always sticky," she accused, an unfair amount of judgement in those words. "Always. Every. Single. Time."

"I'm sorry," he managed, still high-voiced.

Keira took a very deep, very necessary, breath and then let it go with the exhale. She took another one when the urge to snap things bubbled back up.

Eventually, she did compose herself. "Well. I knew something was up." She glared at the sky. "I don't believe in premeditated events or some big grand 'plan'. I've met Arceus, I highly, HIGHLY, doubt it has anything like that in mind, or the ability to even do it. What I DO know is that Arceus is a bitch, and if it could have done this to me, I bet it would have."

She glared at Sean for a moment, but then her gaze softened. "But I doubt it. Giratina took you most likely just because it could, and with it hanging around Solaceon Town… you really were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I was actually leaving a second time," Sean admitted. "I wanted to give my parents another hug and couldn't talk myself out of it, so I walked back. Two days into my journey, and both of those days, I mostly spent where I began. I actually remember someone else was nearby when I got grabbed, I passed a guy drinking a Slurpee."

Keira smiled at him. It was an odd little smile, nostalgic and happy and bitter all at once. "I never really thought I'd meet anyone who actually knew who I was… in the way that is different to how everyone else knows me."

"If you're here," Sean began. "And you've been here for… so long, what happened to Felix?"

Keira's expression was not a mask, she couldn't hide this. "I don't truly know," she said, very softly. "That's why it sucks to die mid-fight. You don't know what happened to everyone else. I want to believe that he got out. That he fucking slaughtered Ghetsis for what he did to me… but also I hope he didn't. I hope he just escaped. He's not the kind to hurt others like that, and I hope he didn't become one after he lost me."

Keira looked so very sad that Sean had to try and shift her attention. "I watched you in the Kanto and Johto league battles," Sean said, a little shyly.

"Pfft." She smiled a little. "That's so long ago I can barely even remember… I evolved in one of them, right?"

"In the Kanto one. Against that Charizard."

"Right." Keira nodded, her eyes were turning away from a cloudy regret to something more akin to what he knew her like. "Traded a weakness to Flying for a weakness to Fire. Didn't help."

"And that Latios in the Johto one…"

"That sucked, yeah. Heh…." She stared at Sean a little more, knowing what he was doing. "Well, today has been a very strange day, and I'm very tired. Shall we go back?"

"Sounds good."

"You know… if you were twelve when you were taken, and you're a year younger than him... Felix and I must have been in Hoenn when you first came here?" Keira said as they began walking back. "I died a couple years later. We did Sinnoh after Hoenn, and I died the year after in Unova."

"That's… really weird for two reasons."

"Me already being here when you came yet hadn't come here yet and me dying?"

"Yeah."

"It's weird to say, as well. Fucking with time is confusing."

They were silent for a few minutes. "I'm not going to ask about…" Sean began and didn't really know how to finish it.

"Thanks. I don't really want to talk about it."

"I was wondering something, though?"

"Shoot."

"Why didn't you mention your name before? I meant to ask your name earlier but kept forgetting or feeling awkward. But you seem so open about it with others, why not your own?"

Keira gave him a smirk. "Well, technically by my rights Keira isn't my name, it's just the name Felix gave me. But… the real reason is just that I know I'll get those annoying 'ArE YOu HuMAn?' Questions again, fucking Dimitri, and it'll spread like wildfire if I mention my name out and about."

"Gotcha."

They made the rest of the trip in silence. It wasn't exactly a relaxed walk, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

---

Saniya was acquitted on charges of arson the next day, and someone else got to have a nice surprise for once.

Team Charm strode into town.

More specifically, they entered the Wigglytuff Guild and completely avoided the town. With Lucario still being a buzz, however, there were still more than a few extra pokémon around the guild, and they were noticed regardless.

Their appearance, however, was the last straw for a few sensitive pokémon who suffered what looked like asthma attacks and were carried off to be healed by Chansey. To many pokémon, being taken to Chansey was worse than being sick or injured in the first place.

She may have healed their maladies, but she tended to make pokémon cry. More business for Azumarill at least.

"Greeting Treasure Town!" Lopunny, the leader, the speaker, the first of Team Charm she did a stylish pose. "It is wonderful to meet so many fans!"

She took a battle pose, ears lifting into a 'Come On' gesture with a paw up, Medicham and Gardevoir immediately struck a pose too. On each side of Lopunny, they faced away from her and mirrored each other's poses, ready to attack with psychic powers.

The crowd erupted into cheers.

The noise was so great that it managed to drag Armaldo out from his cocoon and he yelled at Treasure Town.

"Why are there so many pokémon out on the cliff?" Armaldo demanded, arising out of the guild like a trapdoor spider. Instinctively, many pokémon took a step back. Including those on the edge of the cliff, slipping and needed to be caught by their fellows.

Or by a rapid String Shot from Armaldo, catching no less than five pokémon who began to slip.

"Okay," he grunted, tugging them all up harshly and knocking several onto their faces. "This is ridiculous. Citizens, you cannot crowd the guild like this. Celebrities or not, the noise is irritating, and there are pokémon doing important jobs. The longer they have to wait to get their work done, the more danger pokémon in need of rescue are."

More than a few pokémon glanced away, a little ashamed. Armaldo, for once, wasn't just yelling with loudness. Turns out he could lay on the guilt trip.

"Well?" he asked, patience dwindling. "GO!"

Team Charm waved and blew kisses as the pokémon left, crowding the staircase down with a few pokémon just flying back to town.

Armaldo groaned in relief. "If I had known the guilt trip would have worked, I would have done it ages ago." He rubbed his head, a permanent headache easing slightly, before facing Team Charm. "Thank you for coming."

"Oh, we wouldn't miss this for the world!" Lopunny beamed, hopping over him. "I do apologise for our dawdling, it took some time for your message to reach us."

She began cleaning nicks and scratches on his carapace, and Armaldo stared at her. "Must you?"

"I must," Lopunny replied. He rolled his eyes but allowed it.

"So, honoured Armaldo?" Gardevoir said, striding up to him, "would you tell us a little more of Rhythm's state before we meet him?"

"I can," Armaldo said, glancing back. Once the chaos had started, he'd instructed Diglett and Dugtrio to distract Wigglytuff for this very purpose.

"Good," Medicham said. In her hands, she held a bouquet of flowers. "Let's do it where Chatot's buried."

This wasn't the first time Team Charm had returned to Treasure Town. Upon hearing of Chatot's death, they had dropped everything and ran day and night to reach the guild and console Wigglytuff.

He didn't let them stay long, however. Wigglytuff had appreciated their arrival, but he had been in no state to be consoled and requested them not to abandon their own goals just for him.

They hadn't returned since. But with Armaldo asking them too, there was no chance they'd refuse.

Medicham set down the flowers on the grave, and they read the message.

Here lies Trill

Rest In Peace

l will always remember you

The message was salt-blasted from the wind and waves but stood firm and proud, overlooking the sea. From their vantage point, you could just see the broken window that Wigglytuff's Chamber's resided in.

They wisely didn't go to close, just in case.

"The Guildmaster is," Armaldo began.

"You can call him Rhythm," Lopunny cut in. "We're all his friends."

Armaldo paused, unused to pokémon willing to interrupt him. "Very well. Rhythm is falling apart. He's dazed out constantly, actually dazed out," he emphasised. Wigglytuff being 'with the fairies' was no uncommon occurrence, but he was always more aware of his surroundings than he seemed.

"Are you sure he's not just playing you a bit?" Medicham asked. "Rhythm always seems like he has no idea what's going on, but we all know that's wrong."

"I've found myself needing to repeat a lot of what I've been saying to him," Armaldo explained. "Words, sentences, sometimes I discuss entire topics with him that he seems to be engaging with but then has no idea what we had spoken about. This isn't normal behaviour, even for him."

She nodded, pursing her lips.

"And nothing has been able to help him?" Gardevoir asked. "Talking about what happened? Going on missions? Nothing?"

Armaldo shook his head. "He sees Azumarill once a week, and I spoke to her recently. She was the one to highlight the fact that he's getting worse, and that is a big deal. She doesn't speak about her patients at all. Confidentiality and all." He didn't add that she recommended he contact them, he had already been considering it after all.

Gardevoir bowed her head, worried.

"And he hasn't been on any missions," Armaldo admitted. They hadn't really been offered, either. "He never leaves the guild anymore, except in the dead of night to sit at… here."

Team Charm looked to Trill's grave with a mutual look of sadness.

"Okay," Lopunny said. "I think that's enough. I need to go give him a hug and then we can ask him." She nodded to the girls, and they nodded back.

"What are your plans?" Armaldo asked before they could runoff.

Lopunny flashed him a winning smile. "Rhythm had a life after you and before Trill. He chose him over us, and we understand and respect that. But I won't stand for him losing who he is over this! Rhythm was and is an adventurer through and through."

"We've tracked down a dungeon," Gardevoir added. "And we know the key to get in."

"Literal key!" Medicham shouted. "And we let him hold onto it. Well, time to remake the full Team Charm!"

Gardevoir and Lopunny nodded, and they dashed off into the guild.

Armaldo rolled his eyes, but he had expected something like this. He began to trudge into town, looking for the other pokémon he contacted for this occasion.

The few pokémon in the guild looked up in expectation, thinking Armaldo was trudging his way back down. The clang of the gate had been heard, he rarely waited for Diglett and Loudred to open it up for him after all.

Instead, three pokémon did cartwheels into the guild. "Hello dears," Lopunny giggled to Bidoof's team, Sunflora and Corphish, as well as Team Sunrise.

They did backflips down the second incline and with something interesting to pursue, the ten pokémon came back down.

The rest of the guild was poking around. Armaldo had stormed off before the daily announcement could be given, and not everyone knew what to do with such a severe change of routine.

"Is that…?" Loudred muttered.

"It is," Croagunk said, leaning over his Swap Cauldron and nearly falling in.

"Rhythm!" Lopunny shouted, a sudden crash echoed from Wigglytuff's Chambers. "Get out here you big balloon."

The doors flew open, and he collided with Lopunny with a positive Double Edge impact.

"VELVET!" Rhythm cried. They nearly hit the wall with his sudden glomp. She was prepared for the hug, however, and managed to brace in time. Didn't even fall over from the high-speed impact, just wrapped her arms and ears around him.

He was babbling so fast no one could understand him, but she kept her arms around him and let him mumble into her chest.

Her fur was getting a bit gross by the time Gardevoir and Medicham intervened. "Oh?" Medicham scoffed. "She's the ONLY one you're that happy to see?"

She got her wish, and Wigglytuff floated rapidly into her, almost knocking her down.

Gardevoir also got some Wigglytuff-Hug.

"Why are you here?" he asked, once he had finally calmed down enough to not babble. The majority of the guild had given them privacy, determining on their own that this wasn't something to eavesdrop on.

Even if that definitely was Team Charm. They could be respectful.

Only Diglett and Dugtrio remained, as they had to man the gate.

"Two simple things," Lopunny said, lifting her hand. "You remember that old key we found? No idea where it was supposed to go."

"The one shaped like an unown?" Wigglytuff asked, cocking his head.

"Indeed!" Lopunny clapped her paws. "That's the one. We found the keyhole. You still have it, of course?"

"Mmm." Wigglytuff didn't look too sure. "Dunno."

"WHAT?" Medicham shouted. "You lost it? Rhythm!"

"Ah well," Lopunny giggled. "We still need to give him our gift."

"Gift?"

"Oh yes," Gardevoir said, gliding forth, materialising something in her hands. "A gift that shows our bond. What was it again?"

Wigglytuff smiled fondly at her, or maybe at the apple. "Perfect."

Medicham didn't tear up. Even now, the memory of him actually giving her the Perfect Apple remained strong… and definitely not cry-worthy.

"Lalalala, Perfect Apple!" Wigglytuff danced. As it bounced, he took quick bites from it until just a core was left. Then he ate that too. "Mmm. Key!" he shouted and danced off into his room.

More crashing and banging attracted concerned attention, and Armaldo returned, stomping his way. With him walking into the meeting of old friends, the rest of the guild decided it was okay to do so as well.

Besides Bidoof's team. They had already set off on a mission.

"Here we go!" Wigglytuff called and did a cartwheel back out and finished with a triple backflip. "Tada!"

He gave the jazz hands.

Team Charm clapped. "Sure haven't lost your agility," Lopunny said, highly approving.

"Surprised too, since we hear you've just been cooped up doing nothin," Medicham said. She received quick, sharp, glares from Lopunny and Gardevoir and clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

Wigglytuff's artificial cheer dimmed slightly. "Well,… you know how it is?" he said, a little awkwardly. He fiddled with the key for a moment. "Here."

He passed it over. It was shaped like an Unown K. Such a thing had amused Wigglytuff for years, as he understood the language now. Not at the time, however, he only learned it later as a member of the team with no name.

He refused to think of who had taught him.

"Thank you," Lopunny said, graciously accepting the key with a lingering hold on his paw. "But that's just the first thing we came here for."

"Really?" Wigglytuff asked.

"We want you to come with us," Lopunny said, simply and plainly. Yet the words caused Wigglytuff to physically recoil backwards, taking a step.

"What?" he asked.

That reaction was not promising, but they were Team Charm. They were not to be deterred.

Gardevoir was the one to lay down the law. "The matter is simple, Rhythm," she said softly, and with steel that would not yield to anything. "We found this key as a team. As a team of four. It is the last mission of Team Charm, the full one. We cannot, we will not attempt this mission incomplete."

"She's right," Medicham said, crossing her arms. "And that's that. You've got to come with us."

"But…." Wigglytuff looked between them, a warring expression of hope and reluctance on his face. "I… I can't, I'm sorry. Not now, there's too much going on I can't leave the town for so long."

That's when Armaldo stepped in. "Hardly for a long time," he said, Alakazam walking beside him. "You'll be getting ported over by Alakazam and back once you're done. Shouldn't be more than a couple days, right?"

Team Charm nodded to him, smiling at his sneakiness.

Wigglytuff's eyes filled up with tears. "Bu-bu-but."

Armaldo walked up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder, steadying him. "You need a break. Go with them, enjoy yourself, forget what's going on. I can handle things."

Wigglytuff sniffled. "But I shouldn't leave you to…." He trailed off before chuckling weakly at himself. "To keep doing exactly what you've been doing this whole time."

He stared at his feet, and Armaldo gave him a gentle shake. "Rhythm," he said, quietly just for them. "You need this. You need this. Don't be difficult."

Rhythm held his gaze for a long time. Few pokémon could, as Armaldo's gaze was a harsh thing indeed, but Rhythm had never known it to be anything more than wisely cranky.

He smiled. "Alright."

Armaldo nodded, satisfied with himself. "Good." He raised his voice, over to Team Charm. "Alright, get your shit together and get ready." He stomped over to them and whispered. "Make sure he actually enjoys himself."

As Armaldo was getting ready to prepare some items for Wigglytuff to take, he was accosted by the newest bother in his life.

"I've got a proposition for you," Lucario said, leaning against the door to the panty. "And it's nice to actually be the one saying it for once."

"I'm not interested in bedding you," Armaldo shot back, amused by the immediate thunderclap of an expression she had.

It passed as fast as a lightning strike, and she smirked. "Heh, you're an interesting one. Still a couple centuries too young for me. No, I want Team Sunrise to go as well."

"Go…?" he begun before frowning. "Why?"

"That's a key to Aegis Cave," she replied easily. "I think they… deserve the experience."

"You know of where they're going?" he demanded.

Lucario nodded, a shit-eating grin on her face. "They've got to go. Trust me. They'll… love it."

"I don't trust you. For a second or less."

"Just tell them they've got to go," Lucario said, pushing off and moving to speak to the Charley's Angel's cosplayers. "I'll let the ladies know."

Armaldo sighed as Lucario walked out of his line of sight. He considered why she was demanding this but decided he couldn't be bothered to care.

He walked after her. He'd speak to Team Sunrise.

"I suggest a little wager!" Lucario declared, strutting into the main room where Team Charm was busy being mobbed by the guild.

"Pardon?" Lopunny said, signing something for Corphish to give to Marill to give to Azurill for his famous pokémon signature collection.

"Team Charm, famously stylish treasure hunters," Lucario carried on. "You think you're the best, but I nominate a different team that can whoop your asses!"

Team Sunrise saw Armaldo approaching them and began feeling nervous squared.

Lucario pointed the finger at them. "Team Sunrise can reach the end of Aegis Cave first and unlock its secrets before you can!"

"Ohohohohoh really?" Gardevoir said, jumping up and gliding over to Lucario. Medicham backflipped out of the huddle, and Lopunny bounced.

They landed in front of her and did a pose very reminiscent of something only Scout would recognise. Maybe recognise.

"Team Charm doesn't back down!" Medicham said.

"Team Charm takes on all comers," Gardevoir added.

Wigglytuff did a cartwheel. "Team Charm finds all the treasures!" He beamed and was smiled at by Medicham and Gardevoir.

"And Team Charm always wins," Lopunny finished, peering down her nose at Lucario.

She grinned a scary smile. "We'll see. Oh, boooys… and Saniya."

Team Sunrise, having been informed of their next doom, all stepped back from Lucario. "Let's get you ready."

"Please no," Sean whimpered.

"Oh yes," Keira grinned, scaring him even more. She felt the need to put a little space between her and Team Sunrise, Sean specifically, until she adjusted to this… change in who they were to each other.

What better way then to put them through actual hell?

As Team Charm accepted the challenge and danced off to prepare for it, Keira smirked down at Team Sunrise, looking so small for once.

"Let's get you ready."

---

With several days of practising with Keira under his belt, Sean had walked into Aegis Cave with hope in his eyes and a fire in his heart.

Aegis Cave would crush that. It would take his eyes out with a spoon. It would replace his heart with a stone inscribed with an Unown H. It would take everything because it took and only took more.

Alakazam had warped them to the North East of the continent. Aegis Cave was not entirely unknown to the world at large, but nothing could penetrate its initial door. No amount of attacks, no Ghost-type could phase through. It was an impervious blockade, with only ancient scribblings on the outside that few could understand.

Even Wigglytuff and Sean had difficulty making any sense out of what little could be read, but that was ignored when Medicham handed Wigglytuff the key.

"You've held onto it for, like, forever," she said, rolling her eyes. "You do it."

"Aww…" Wigglytuff sniffled.

"Do NOT hug me," she warned. He did not listen. "Get off me, let me go!" Eventually, he acquiesced to that demand and rolled over to the door.

"We all ready?" Wigglytuff asked. He received a chorus of nods. Smiling, he inserted the key, and it went in far, once it could go no further, he twisted it.

The key spun before flattening out, the Unown K symbol becoming part of the wall. The door trembled, glittering with lapis lazuli crystals and flashing several lights.

Up above the ancient door, where nature had taken its hold, lights began to flicker on. Three down, then five across in a cross pattern. Then three down on two sides with three across in the middle, taking a similar shape to an Unown H. Then six in a circle with one in the middle of it.

Lastly was four in a diamond shape and then three down, the last three going sequentially.

Once the last light had flickered on and off the door creaked open.

"What a show!" Gardevoir beamed.

"It was fantabulous!" Saniya agreed.

"Sensational," Gardevoir added.

"Stupendous," Saniya continued.

"Amazing."

"Glorious."

"Incandescent!"

"Luminous!"

"Magnificent!"

"Wonderful!"

"Abso-Lopunny?" Gardevoir asked, noticing Lopunny had begun waving her hand in front of her face.

"Are you still with us, dear?" Lopunny asked, giggling.

Gardevoir blushed. "Oh, dear, I got carried away." She turned to Saniya, who was similarly being reminded of existence by her teammates. "You possess eloquence, Celebi. But I possess grace. I'll see you at the finish line, assuming you so much as reach it."

And with that, she hiked her skirt up and dashed in. Lopunny quickly hopped, Medicham sprinted, and Wigglytuff somehow rolled. All keeping up.

"We cannot lose now," Saniya said, giving a fist bump to the sky. "I have rattled her! I will rattle their bones! ONWARDS!"

And Team Sunrise rushed forth themselves.

They hadn't talked about it as they were preparing, but Scout had mentioned Aegis Cave before. They had an idea of what they were in for, the puzzles and bosses they'd be facing.

They found themselves in hell. The walls were covered in writing, and a lot of that writing was able and willing to come off the walls and attack them.

"Why. Are. There nothing BUT UNOWN!?" Striker of all pokémon screamed after being bombarded by a score of unown. Curiously enough they were solely made of the F and U forms.

"I think there's a zubat over there." Guardian pointed before blasting the poor cretin.

"You think you're so clever," Saniya growled. "With your GHOST POWERS and immunities to things."

Guardian had been hit by an awful lot of Hidden Power attacks that wound up being Normal or Fighting attacks. It left him in a positive mood compared to the others.

The unown didn't speak, they just floated about attacking at random. The dungeon just looped around and around and around.

And it didn't take long for them to work out what was the likely plan. "It says Ice," Sean said the first time they looked over the thick pillar. Being much more adept at reading Unown Script then anyone else. It was a language commonly taught in school, after all.

When the first unown dissolved into a rock with its form inscribed on it, the path ahead was clear.

But unown appeared at random, poking and prodding at them with Hidden Power. Only some of them turned into the stones, and it took forever to locate the right letter.

Sean was getting ready to tear his fur out, or better yet Saniya and Striker's leaves for their endless bitching. But he didn't, because he had enjoyed a great few nights of sleep lately with no surges of anger or irritation.

This was purely just the madness brought about by a dungeon who solely existed to hurt you.

"Is that it?" Saniya asked, weakly when an E appeared in the air before hitting the ground with a clatter. Team Sunrise stared at it in anticipation, almost expecting it to disappear. Sean then ran over to it, snatching it up before the stone could even consider ruining their lives.

"I've got it!" he yelled, stashing it with the I and C stones.

"Let's get out of this nightmare land!" Saniya said, and they hightailed it. The loop wasn't long, just frustrating.

Standing before the thick pillar again, Sean read what else was written into it. "If you seek passage, close your eyes, then submit your proof… okay." He pulled the stones out, holding them awkwardly as they were fairly large. He stretched his paws out and closed his eyes.

"Everyone do it too," he instructed, and they followed. Saniya kept an eye peeked open, but nothing was happening, so she squeezed it shut.

Lights began to flicker, seen only in flashes of red through their eyelids. Sean gasped as he felt the stones move in his paws before suddenly they were empty, the light grew blinding, and a buzzing sound put them all on edge.

Then it stopped. Opening their eyes presented the spoils of their trauma—a staircase.

"Stairs," Saniya mused, looking down the inky passageway. "Well… I vote Sean goes first!"

"Seconded," Striker said.

"Thirded," Guardian chuckled.

"Hey!" Sean said, faux-offended. "What do you think you're-" Saniya pushed him, and he dropped into the passageway. "Oi!"

He landed easily, on his feet, a few steps in. She poked her tongue out. "Looks safe enough." She glided down, and Striker and Guardian came up the rear and the four descended.

It was dark and yet, even as they walked, their sight changed little. Only a few feet in front could be seen, but even as they walked further into the darkness that didn't change.

Light soon returned, and they entered a chamber of teal-stone, the very same as the walls the unown had peeled themselves from. Unlike before, however, there was no writing on the walls, alive or not.

It was only a titan.

"Desig-ig-ignation: F-F-F-Foes." The being, the regice, rattled in place as they came to a sudden stop. "Di-di-di-di-directive."

"Phew," Saniya breathed, hearing die repeated a lot was concerning at first.

"I-If you seek to go-go-go further, show th-th-that you-you-you have." It gave a sudden horrific noise, like a dialup phone hearing the sounds of someone using the internet. "Power."

Regice raised its arms. Its speech may have been glitching, but it was still a very dangerous foe. Team Sunrise took position as the battlefield under their feet froze solid.

---

Team Ion came-a-running into town.

Well after Wigglytuff, Team Charm, and Team Sunrise had already left.

The seven of them sprinted up the stairs or floated in two pokémon's cases until they reached the grate.

"Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!" Diglett cried from below. Scout, who was the one being read, was panting for breath too hard to tell him to just let them in.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" Loudred boomed back.

Diglett was quiet for a moment, building up anticipation. "The footprint is Meowth!" He raised his voice. "THE FOOTPRINT IS MEOWTH!"

The gate quickly opened, and they dashed into the guild, almost sliding down the slope and getting dizzy as they spun around quite quickly.

Rai tumbled and fell into Mane, and the two collided with Scout, sending the three falling in a fluffy ball of claws and limbs.

Team Gazer came down with a bit more grace, and Ara was behind them.

"Not that I don't mind this…." Mane grinned from where he was pinned under Rai and Scout. "But… get off!"

"We have a problem!" Scout yelled at the same time as Rai pulled the three of them apart. "A very big problem! Wigglytuff, Armaldo!"

Loudred and Diglett paused as they were coming over, and their shouting attracted the attention of Chimecho and Croagunk. The last pokémon to make himself known was Armaldo, hurrying out of Wigglytuff's Chambers.

"You're back!" he snapped. "We know there's a problem."

"You know about the distortion?" Scout gasped, and Armaldo paused.

"I… oh good grief. Come on, get in here." Team Ion dashed in after him as Armaldo retrieved a Mute Orb.

Team Gazer was too slow to join and wasn't sure if forcing the doors open was right. So, they loitered awkwardly as Loudred blinked at them.

"Uh… hello?" Loudred said.

"Hi," Beheeyem said.

Chimecho, who decided this was more important than listening to Scizor complain, greeted them with a smile. "It is nice to see you three again. And, uh…." She blinked at Ara in surprise. "Luxio?"

She said it with familiarity, and Ara nodded. "Oh, Shinx must be so happy to see you!" She beamed. Ara gave a flick of her tail.

As the newcomers chatted with the apprentices, Team Ion spoke with Armaldo.

"Okay, stop, shut up. Slow down!" Armaldo demanded, as they were all talking at once and he couldn't make rhyme or reason.

"We were at Luminous Springs," Scout began.

"The voice told us that," Rai said.

"Rai, stop let him talk!" Mane chastised, and they turned into an amalgam of voices again.

"Okay. Get out," Armaldo snapped, silencing the three of them.

"What?"

"You two." Armaldo pointed at Rai and Mane. "Unless this is something that can only be explained by the three of you, I know I need to talk to one." He stomped to the door and cracked it open. "Hurry before this interferes with the orb."

Rai and Mane dashed out, ears folded back and tails down a bit and Armaldo closed the door with a groan.

"Okay. Meowth. What is going on?"

And so, Scout explained.

Once he had gotten through the preamble, he got to the point. "The voice at the springs, which did mention this in the story," Scout explained. "Said that not only was Rai also unable to evolve thanks to this distortion but that it's multiplicative. It's not one-two-three. It's one-two-four-eight-sixteen, and we have at least seven pokémon that are like this."

"Sixty-four," Armaldo muttered, doing the math quickly. "Maybe even higher, if Darkrai and Soothe also create distortion."

"I guess it's an explanation as to why he'd revive me," Scout mumbled, looking down in shame. He'd never completely trusted Darkrai, but was that even the truth? If he had trusted him and been deceived, that was bad enough, but to know it was a mistake and to still do it was just shameful.

"Perhaps," Armaldo said, stepping back. "We also have found something troubling. Team Sunrise returned to the Hidden Land recently and met with Dialga. Dialga who had no recollection of speaking to Riolu, Shinx, or Litleo… or you."

"What?" Scout squeaked. "But… I did!"

"Right." Armaldo nodded.

"And I could speak to Darkrai too," Scout said, lips getting numb. "Darkrai… who can make illusions… but not in real life! Only in dreams, they weren't asleep. I remained aware even when everyone was asleep!"

"Darkrai who with the existence of at least six pokémon causing distortion," Armaldo pointed out. "Yes, we couldn't fathom how he could have pretended to be Dialga either, but if this is true. This… distortion has become so much more powerful, that could be an explanation now couldn't it?"

Scout weakly nodded. "I've," he said, voice shaking. "Really messed things up again, haven't I?"

Armaldo huffed a breath. "If you weren't here, you could not have warned us that Darkrai was a threat now, could you?" That was something at least, and Scout took that to heart and nodded.

"Alright… alright… where's Wigglytuff?"

Armaldo closed his eyes and cursed. "He and Team Sunrise aren't here," he said, remembering. "Dammit. They JUST left yesterday, they've gone to Aegis Cave."

"Oh no," Scout groaned. "That could take them ages! The Regi's are in there too!"

"They know," Armaldo rumbled, sighing. "And they were teleported there and will be teleported back. Still, of course, you'd miss our request to come home early and arrive right as someone else leaves."

Armaldo paced, shaking the guild with his steps. "Fine, fine, fine! Meowth of Team Ion," he said, spinning back on him. "Your team has passed the graduation exam, but without the Guildmaster here, I cannot complete the final paperwork to make it legal. You'll stay here until they're back."

Scout nodded, he had no issue with this.

"Secondly… I don't know, go rest, meet with Chimecho and have you all checked out. Do something, I need to… no, I need to speak with Chimecho. Go to your team and do something, please."

Armaldo hurried, as best as he could, to the door, threw it open and stomped out calling for Chimecho.

Scout crept out after him, shaking his head. Somehow it was even worse than he thought but letting Armaldo know made him feel a bit better. The powerful Bug-type had some sort of plan of action at least.

He thought about his own plans, what little of them he had managed to keep intact.

"How'd it go?" Rai asked, seeing Scout exit after Armaldo.

"About as well as I thought it would," Scout said, rubbing his face. He felt really tired. "Apparently the Dialga you two, and Sean, met wasn't Dialga. It was almost definitely Darkrai."

That caused both of them to blanch.

"What I don't know," Scout muttered. "You came to… him to ask him to revive me. Darkrai was able to do it, why would he pretend to be Dialga to NOT do that. That doesn't make sense still, we would have accepted Dialga's help without hesitation, but instead, he tried to make me think that no one would revive me."

"Even though if he had offered," Rai continued. "We would have accepted. So… did he want you revived or not?"

"Maybe he didn't have the power yet?" Mane suggested. "And once he did, he wanted you to think he was your only choice?"

That sounded about right, and Scout nodded uncertainly. "That could make sense."

But he couldn't be sure. Darkrai was far too enigmatic to even try to work out.

"Well?" Mane asked. "What are we going to do now?"

"Well, Wigglytuff isn't actually here. He and Team Sunrise went to Aegis Cave."

Rai and Mane cursed.

"But by a teleporter," Scout added. "So, hopefully, they won't be long. Armaldo told me to just… do whatever for the moment, he's speaking to Chimecho so we can't go to her."

"It's been ages since we've seen the town," Rai suggested. "I'd never been away from it for so long before."

Mane didn't share that nostalgic feeling but wouldn't refuse him.

"Actually," Ara said, stepping forth to butt the two out of the way. "You two can do whatever you want, I want to have another day with my brother."

"Ara?" Rai asked, surprised. She raised her head.

"It's been years since I've been in town. Mind showing me around?"

He glanced to Scout and Mane, but neither of them minded. "Go ahead," Scout said, and he gave them a grateful smile.

"Yeah, we can focus on the crazy stuff when it needs to be focused," Mane said. "Have some fun."

He had a better appreciation for Ara. A sibling that wasn't a cruel, bullying, bastard. What a novel thing, but he was happy Rai had that.

They trotted off.

"Well then," Mane said, flashing Scout a winning smile. "It's just the two of us." He wiggled his eyebrows and leaned in, Scout batted him away, gently, with his paw.

"Stop that," he said, Mane tried again and was smushed away until Scout grabbed his face with both paws.

"Well thish ish purrfect," Mane said with Scout holding his face, he gave a wink for good measure.

Scout rolled his eyes but did give Mane a peck on the nose. The funniest thing was, Mane talked a very big game, but it was easier to fluster him than it was to fluster Scout.

He immediately went red, and his mohawk sparked with flames, and he squeaked, flinching back.

There wasn't a crowd on the inside of the guild, but someone still did snort in amusement at such things.

Lucario had arrived.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in?" she said, stepping over to them.

"That's clever," Mane said, rubbing his nose. "How long did it take you to think that up?"

"Longer than you last," Lucario said, giving a deadly wink. "Anyway, Imma borrow that one." She picked Scout up and stashed him under the crook of her arm. "Later."

"H-Hey!" Scout said, disagreeing with this.

Mane blinked after them, stunned for just a moment, before also calling foul. "Don't take him! Oi, Lucario!" He began to run after them, but then Dugtrio appeared.

"Ah! Litleo," Dugtrio said. "We have been requested by Lucario to distract you!"

"What?" he said before the words registered. "What?"

"Mission successful," Dugtrio said, knowing Lucario had departed.

Mane growled. "Alright, fine. YOU can entertain me then." Dugtrio recoiled. "Not like that." He rolled his eyes.

"Uh… we're not sure about this."

"Rai's gone, Scout's gone, you're the only one I have left." He trotted up and laid on one of Dugtrio's heads. "How am I supposed to survive now?"

"We don't care."

Dugtrio tried to flee, but Mane clamped on. He would not escape until one of the others returned.

All while Team Gazer muddled around, they saw Armaldo stomping back and decided to go to him.

---

"Hey, Lucario!" Scout complained all the way until she reached Beach Cave. "Ah."

"I'm glad you don't bite," she said cheerfully.

"Where did you even come from?" Scout asked.

"I've been here for ages now," Lucario replied. "Armaldo didn't mention me?"

"No."

"Rude. Well, I came about because I needed to see Team Sunrise, you, and I heard someone knew was pretending to be my old student Carapace. I was pretty surprised to find out that it was actually Carapace." They entered Beach Cave, and she dropped him unhesitatingly. "And equally surprised that I have you to thank."

"Ah," Scout said, rubbing his back. He got to his feet and looked up at Lucario. "This is going to be interesting, isn't it?"

"Quite probably," she said, primly. "Now. I've lived a long time, seen a lot of things, done a lot of things. I've never quite heard of someone like you… so, you're going to explain to me everything you know."

"Everything?" Scout said, almost whining. He'd explained this so many times. "Didn't Armaldo and Wigglytuff already tell you? I'm guessing that's how you know in the first place, or was it Team Sunrise?"

"No." She shook her head. "It was the first two. But that's second-hand stuff, no matter how informative. I need to hear it from you."

Scout nibbled on his lip but nodded. Lucario could be trusted, and he had regretted not telling her before. He only wished she wasn't so immediately casual, it was a little disarming to have someone be so touchy without knowing them. "Alright. Um… where do you want me to start?"

"Start with what you are," she instructed, and so Scout once again explained everything.

He explained his knowledge of playing a set of games called Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers as well as other media branded as Pokémon. He talked about waking up, in the wrong place at that, and thinking he was dreaming before thinking he knew what he was doing.

He revealed the fact that Scout existed before he knew this, and that his memories of being Scout had effectively all returned. The only issue was the same as the rest of Team Sunrise, remembering something that didn't exist anymore left things difficult.

He discussed how things had gone wrong immediately without him really knowing why and the mistakes he had made.

Once he was done, she had questions to ask. "Interesting. Well, I need to know a few more specific things."

Scout nodded, expecting that.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Other than a mention of The Legendary Lucario in the first set of games, Rescue Team, absolutely nothing. All I knew was that you were a very famous rescuer. And that based on the statue a team could get once they reached the highest rank, probably not alive anymore."

She nodded, humming under her breath. "Alright. You mentioned you know of other media as well? Tell me a bit more about that."

Scout explained the anime that he knew pretty damn well, the other games that Lucario herself seemed amused by. The manga that he didn't know nearly as much about.

"I remember hearing you mention seeing a darkrai hold off Dialga and Palkia at once," Scout said on his own volition. Lucario nodded. "Alamos Town?"

She nodded again. "So, you do know of me?" she said, almost grinning.

"No?" Scout said, and she blinked. "As far as I remember, there was no lucario at Alamos Town. At least… not doing anything plot-relevant. But that means you're from the anime that I knew."

Lucario stared at him for a minute. "Hm. You said the protagonist of this anime is Ash, and you don't know me?" She sounded almost offended.

"Uh… no? Uh... are you Cameron's Lucario?"

Lucario narrowed her eyes. "I have never been so insulted in my life." If they weren't in a dungeon right now she'd toss him into the ocean. "You don't know Felix?" She stressed that name.

"No?"

"Hm." She frowned and considered everything he had told her for a moment. Just a moment, she determined what to go for next quite quickly.

"Well… before we start getting wild, do keep in mind that there are a great many things about THIS world that you didn't know or see. What you've seen in this anime of yours is likely less of a direct representation of what went down and the version of your own world of it."

She nodded to herself. "My trainer and I knew Ash, never exactly travelled with his little group, but we knew him quite well. If your anime didn't show that, and your knowledge of THIS world is lacking as well, keep in mind that you don't know everything."

Scout accepted that. He had come to a similar idea himself, with how many things were different here than what the game had shown. "So, I guess you know Team Rocket too? The TRio, or…?"

To his surprise, Lucario barked with laughter. "Damn I never thought I'd hear about them again. Hahaha, I actually kinda miss them." She shook her head. "Yeah, Felix was friends with them because he is a complete bleeding heart and they looked so damn pathetic. And, well, they really aren't all that bad. Just painfully stupid."

Scout grinned, he couldn't really believe what he was hearing but tried to compose himself. "They were my favourite characters, s-so that's kinda… crazy to hear that they... yeah."

Lucario shook her head in amusement. "Well, as much fun as digressing on that stuff is, we're losing track. Back to business. Shadow Pokémon, what do you know?"

Scout positively grimaced, what a fun change of topic. "I know that they are a bit different to what I was expecting," he admitted. "Pokémon with artificially closed hearts that gained access to Shadow Moves and could be purified by… something was about all I knew. Not this… horrifying, plague-like, abomination that it is here."

"It is the same everywhere," Lucario said. "I've heard a comment that your Pokémon was for kids? Heh, that'd explain why a lot was left out even ignoring complications of what and how your world could be presenting mine as if it was a work of fiction."

She shrugged. "Although some worlds may deal with the Shadow Pokémon problem better, it's still awful everywhere. There's a connection between it and humans, I'm certain of it. In my world, Shadow Pokémon are impossibly rare. Here, however, they seem to be crawling out of the woodwork. Sure was when I first came here, at least."

She set her jaw. "This is the biggest issue we need to talk about. Do you know ANYTHING about Shadow Pokémon here?"

Scout, unfortunately, shook his head. "It wasn't a thing in these games," he sighed, and Lucario's jaw tightened. "Of all the swerves, that was the worst one for me because I had no idea what they really were like. It's like an outside-context problem, I just don't know."

Lucario stared at him, eyes boring into him, seeking any deceit or hesitance. There was nothing. "Well, not what I hoping for, I admit, but cannot be helped."

"What do you want to know?" Scout asked.

"Everything," she answered. "Arceus barely told me anything, all I know is just… personal experience." She looked very uncomfortable for a brief moment. "What it is? Why it is. How to stop it. Shadow Pokémon can be purified, but they are so damn dangerous, and there's no real… easy fix in this world."

She suddenly looked very old. "I've had to kill hundreds of them. Every Shadow Pokémon I've determined to be one without doubt, I had to kill. It's why I was brought here, the other-other reason at least. Give this world civilisation… and clean it up of the filth infecting it. I wish I could do it another way, but it's simply too dangerous to even try. Not without a foolproof plan, and there is none!"

For a moment, her gaze was on Scout, and it was a dark look indeed. He swallowed nervously. "Darkrai…"

"Is probably one, yes," she said, nodding. "And he revived you. What does that make you?"

Scout was silent.

Lucario continued. "There's been no situation like this that I know of. Not only a legendary pokémon as a Shadow Pokémon but one that revived someone from oblivion…"

"There was one, other," Scout said. "At least. A Shadow Lugia, that I knew of. In some other game, though. I don't know anything more, except that it could be purified with a considerable amount of difficulty."

Lucario looked him over again. "Hm. Still…"

"Still," Scout said, shifting uncomfortably. "What if I am?"

Lucario raised her head. "Then you'll have to die," she said, simple and blunt and it slapped Scout in the face like a physical object. "But… you don't seem like one. But that's not something I can trust implicitly."

Scout looked up as she continued. "There are the blindingly obvious ones, but you've got the sneakier sort. Those are the most dangerous because they are still close to themselves. Worst of all, they still try to BE themselves. But that infection within them takes that chance away. Shadow Pokémon are psychopath's, enforced by that malignant corruption."

She glared. "Dangerous psychopaths to be exact. No matter how much they TRY to care, try to continue as they were before, it doesn't work. And the reason is simple. The Shadow Pokémon wants to spread its foulness. A Shadow Pokémon is driven to create more of themselves, no matter how much control they have. I've seen the sneaky ones try for days, weeks, months. Even one case that struggled for four years. It's tragic, but... sooner or later, they'll snap."

"I don't… feel any different," Scout said, softly.

She smiled at him, but there was no amusement or kindness to it. "But you will accept that you'd say that either way?"

Scout nodded.

"Well. If it means anything to you, I don't believe you are one… at the moment. But if Darkrai could do something to you, and as a Shadow Pokémon, he likely would. I don't know if he could. Just… be careful, Scout."

"If I start… can you just tell me if there's anything I can do or watch out for?"

Lucario considered the request but nodded. "Since you're in a unique situation, it's hard to be sure, but if you feel things like constant irritability no matter what you or anyone else does. Start having intrusive thoughts about harm, yourself and others. Start feeling like no one and nothing matters. If you just stop feeling like yourself, talk to someone. It might be nothing, we all have our mood changes, but it pays to be careful. I don't expect you to talk to me, I did threaten to kill you after all, but if you want and I'm available you can."

She smiled mirthlessly. "But if there is any chance to stop it or just to avoid hurting anyone, I hope you will."

Scout nodded. "I promise I'll tell someone if that starts happening."

"Good." She considered their surroundings for a moment. "Well… let's be off. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." There was audible disappointment in her voice, even if it was somewhat concealed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be any more help," he said, she waved his apologies off.

"Don't worry, it's nothing really important. I already know what I'm doing after all." She nodded, her eyes set. "One thing I've known throughout my life, especially in that… 'anime' of yours, is that there will always be someone to stop the monster. Things aren't terrible, Scout. There are beings who seek to change it, but just remember that they are the ones who are trying and failing to change things."

He hadn't really thought of that. But she did have a point. Pokémon were judgemental and flighty at times, but they still sought to help others with little wanted in return. Totodile, Indeedee, Duskull and Xatu. The world was good, and Darkrai was trying to change that, not reveal that.

Scout did feel a little wary of Lucario. She was so powerful, and she had threatened to kill him. That wasn't grounds for a comfortable relationship, but she didn't seem to think he was a danger. Just the potential to become one. And she continued to be very casual, which was just strange to adjust to.

"Lucario?" he asked as they neared the end of Beach Cave.

"Yeah?"

"If I do become a danger to everyone. You'll stop me?"

Lucario eyed him for a moment. "If I'm still around to do so, yes."

There was nothing he had feared more than to hurt them.

"And what about now? I don't know if you heard, but... everyone who went to the future in some way is causing distortion. It's multiplicative, not additive, and there's at least seven of us causing it."

Lucario considered him for a moment. "I think it's too late to do anything about that," she said. "Say if I was to kill you. And Team Sunrise. And your companions as well. That doesn't change the fact that the initial distortion has already been taken advantage of. No, trying to stop that now is pointless so don't start thinking like that."

He nodded, satisfied with that. And they returned to the Wigglytuff Guild.

---

"Repeat that… please," Armaldo said, voice straining to the point of breaking. This day was getting too much.

Chimecho floated before him with concern etched deeply into her face. "Natu of Evertrail Town contacted me just a few minutes ago," she repeated, as he asked. "She says that Team Go-Getters entered the new dungeon, Vastswallow Hill, three days ago and haven't been seen since. No one in that town is strong enough to reach the end, and there have been numerous injuries with attempts."

"Team Go-Getters is missing?" Armaldo asked, closing his eyes and holding his head. Damn, he had a headache.

"Yes," Chimecho answered. "Natu is requesting help, as Treasure Town is the closest established guild to Evertrail Town, she hopes that there is someone strong enough here to find them."

Armaldo gave a long-suffering sigh. "Chimecho I… I need to think, leave me." She nodded and floated out, letting Armaldo dwell on his own.

Wigglytuff and Team Sunrise were out of the area, he couldn't count on them. Which hurt, because he knew that Team Sunrise were the best fit for a task like this.

Team Go-Getters was missing? That rang many alarm bells in his head. Now of all times? Now when Darkrai was known to be a threat? Now, the most famous Rescue Team went missing? He couldn't trust that occurrence to chance.

Even IF it was, the risk it wasn't was incredibly high.

Even if it was just chance, whatever had taken them out would take almost anyone here out. He couldn't send Loudred or Corphish, they were strong yes but not on that level.

And if it was something caused by Darkrai, whoever he sent could go straight into a trap.

Team Ion were back, however. With Team Sunrise gone, they were probably the next best option.

But the idea of sending anyone into what could be a trap was painfully distasteful. And yet, Armaldo knew, someone had to go. They couldn't ignore Team Go-Getters vanishing.

He would have gone himself, but Wigglytuff wasn't here. He cursed himself for bringing Team Charm, then cursed himself for cursing that. Wigglytuff needed this, but why now? Why did this have to happen now?

It was in the middle of this cavalcade of rapidly-shifting thoughts that he was intruded on.

"Excuse me, good sir," Beheeyem said as Team Gazer entered Wigglytuff's Chambers without permission. "Pardon us for interrupting, but we couldn't help but overhear your predicament."

"We eavesdropped!" Electrike barked happily as Armaldo stopped his pacing to glare holes in the three for intruding without consent.

"I would strongly suggest you three-step out," Armaldo growled. "Now."

"Proposition: We present a proposal," Metang announced. "Team Go-Getters can be found by us, Team Gazer!"

They did a pose, and Armaldo was reminded of Team Charm for a horrible second.

"No," he said.

They deflated for a moment.

"Do not take our handsome exteriors for anything less than rugged strength," Beheeyem said, composing himself as Metang held Electrike back. "We are more than a match for Team Ion before Metang evolved, with our current strength we likely have surpassed them."

They had clearly eavesdropped well if they'd heard him muttering about Team Ion and Team Sunrise.

He narrowed his eyes, but it was a causing a thought. "You three are not part of this guild," he pointed out. Not a good or a bad thing, just a point.

"We are our own team," Beheeyem explained. "Treasure Hunter Extraordinaires! But we dip our metaphorical feet into everything, including rescues. We can find Team Go-Getters!"

Metang and Electrike gave shouts of agreement.

Armaldo considered them for a long moment. "Alright," he said, this was good. This was potentially solving several problems. But he was still loathed to send anyone into a possible trap without preparation. "You understand this is undoubtedly very dangerous? If they were taken down by the dungeon, that is dangerous enough, but they may have been attacked. This could be a trap."

"We can handle it," Beheeyem insisted.

Armaldo raised his head. "We'll see. I'm going to send someone to aid you." He stepped past them and retrieved Chimecho. "Go get Sunflora before she's leaves town," he said. "Quickly."

She nodded and floated off out the window Lucario liked to take, and Armaldo turned back to Team Gazer. "Follow me. You'll have your pick of items from the guild to prepare yourselves. Team Go-Getters needs to be found, but I am not risking Sunflora anymore than I have to."

"And us?" Electrike asked.

Armaldo didn't respond and showed them the storeroom instead. "Take what you need and return to Wigglytuff's Chambers. Sunflora should be there by then."

Beheeyem opened the door, and he and Electrike went in, Metang remaining back due to their size. Armaldo returned to the chambers to wait and think.

He hated that all he could really do was think.

---

We all love Aegis Cave, don't we? The gimmick is so satisfying. The music is a banger…

It's times like this, chapters like this, that I'm reminded that for all the twists and turns, darks and scares, for all the ways that Warped Skies is… I still prioritise having fun with it. I do things with this story I wouldn't do for others.

Case in point. Sean and, now we know her as, Keira. Fun Fact! That idea was very, VERY, recent and was a joke idea I wrote a small snippet for my beta and I to laugh over. Then… then the idea just seemed… fun.

And isn't that just great? When I have an idea I feel is fun, I have the freedom to do it—a freedom I wouldn't really have in other works.

I love this story.

Results of the Guardian Poll!

He had his reasons why he did what he did, and he's made up for it now. Won with 8 votes. He's my favourite because you have seen his character progression and I can root for him now. And Those arms. Those thicc, muscular, arms were second with 6 votes (you hilarious people) And He's my father figure. Father Dusky was in third place with 6 votes. Only one person called him Daddy Dusky in a comment, so I admire your collective restraint ;P

The newest poll. We've got Sean, Rai, and Striker left out of the protagonists. Let's roll a die... Sean.

The newest poll is about Sean!