Kenji's face drew into a grimace as he was pulled from the loving embrace of sleep to the cold, hard reality of life.
By a poke to the nose.
He felt something breathing over him and froze up, eyes cracking open just a tiny bit to figure out what was happening.
He got a far-too-close look at a pokey black nose. He went cross-eyed trying to look at it.
"HI!" Riolu said with a cheerfulness that only a morning person could manage.
"...what are you doing in my room?" Kenji asked, deciding to tackle the most problematic thing first.
"I broke in through the window!" Riolu replied happily. She must have done it surprisingly quietly if it hadn't woken him up.
"...I'm going to skip asking why."
"Okay!" She backed off to let him pull himself up, blinking sleep out of his eyes. He looked to his window, which had been left open and was spilling cold morning wind.
"What time is it?" he grumbled, he did not like the morning. Especially on a day when there was no school!
"What in tarnation?" came Nuzleaf's irritated voice. The door opened and he poked his head in. "What… what are you doing here?" he spluttered at Riolu.
"I snuck in!" She beamed.
He blinked once at her. Very slowly. "...I have to ask… why?"
"I didn't," Kenji groaned.
"Why not?" she replied.
Nuzleaf sighed, "Yup. That's 'bout what I figured." He stepped away from the door. "I guess you're staying for brekky, kiddo?"
"AWESOME!" she cheered and decided she just had to run circles around the house.
It certainly livened the place up and Nuzleaf had a small, if a little bemused, smile on his face as she cajoled Kenji into getting up. That was fair enough, he couldn't sleep the day away just because he didn't have to go to school.
"Does your pa know you're here?" Nuzleaf asked as he dished up some breakfast to give Kenji some spirit back to his step.
"Nope!"
Nuzleaf blinked. "Uh. Why not?"
"He was sleeping."
Kenji shot her a filthy look that she cheerfully poked his nose in response and he turned his head away, a brief smile stubbornly fighting onto his face at the gesture.
Once they were done, Riolu hopped off the chair and shot Kenji a smile that was part hopeful part pleading. "Can you come with me, please? I've got a place I know that I really want to show you and it's totally cool and you'll love it, please!"
Kenji shot a questioning look to Nuzleaf who shrugged. "As long as you don't get into trouble," he said lightly, before realising who he said it to. "...or at least you don't get caught getting into trouble," he amended.
Riolu giggled.
"We'll do our best," Kenji replied. He glanced at Riolu who looked innocent. "...I'll do my best."
"Go on then, shoo. It's too early to be up." Nuzleaf, the traitor that he was, flashed Kenji what was undoubtedly a damn smirk. "I'm going back to bed."
Kenji's glare might have set him on fire had Riolu not pulled him out of the door.
The morning was only just beginning to see the sun rise, but it had yet to hit Serene Village, still approaching the mountains that ringed the village.
Kenji felt sore as he was pulled along by Riolu and her unending energy, his body still wanted to be asleep. Still, he didn't complain and loyally let her drag him along. She'd explain herself, probably eventually.
They were heading up the upper paths in the home district when, instead of turning right to Riolu's own home, she turned them left. "This way!"
"The way I came into town?" Kenji asked.
Riolu gasped, "You came IN this way?"
"Yeah."
She pouted a moment before it was gone. "But you haven't been back around, right?"
"No."
And the cheer was back. "Great! Come on, before the sun rises!"
She doubled their pace and he was forced to jog or else she'd be dragging him. And he had a feeling she would drag him and not even realise, there was a fair bit of strength packed into her small frame.
They were halfway along the lake, approaching a dismal little path that led to a creepy little island that Nuzleaf had expressly told him not to go near, before they were stopped.
"Oi!" Came a sharp voice. Most calls failed to sink into Riolu's big ears but she recognised that voice too well and skidded to a stop.
"Pancham!" Riolu almost shouted, releasing Kenji and spinning around. Approaching from the path they had trailed was the smarmy little panda and his faceless companion. Kenji rubbed his arm as Pancham sneered at them.
"What are you doing here?" Riolu asked loudly. She was often loud but it seemed louder in the early morning.
Pancham cringed and Kenji knew they were on the same page on that at least. "None of your business why we're here."
"I thought we were here to-" Shelmet began but Pancham nudged him and he stopped.
"I'm pretty sure you're not allowed to be over here," Riolu pointed out. "Or did Miss Audino stop punishing you?"
They both cringed for a brief moment and Kenji felt almost a flash of sympathy. They had brought it on themselves but by goodness had Miss Audino been furious when they arrived at school.
Even though Deerling hadn't told her anything, she already knew. Maybe she had heard Deeling screaming from the village, but that was when Kenji heard that, apparently, Miss Audino knew everything anyway.
She did offer Kenji, Deerling, and Riolu a thank you for stepping in before scolding Goomy as well for doing it in the first place.
Kenji had never believed a species like audino could be anything beyond cute and cuddly until he saw her waiting for them at the school gates.
She already had Pancham and Shelmet looking like they had been caught stealing all the cookies before setting the kitchen on fire and hadn't so much as twitched.
It was like he could see the menacing aura around her perfectly neutral expression. She hadn't let them have it immediately, she let them squirm a few minutes before revealing she already knew.
Watchog, at least, gained some respect points for attempting to call everyone to class even with Miss Audino looking like she was going to introduce him to the chirurgeon's tools.
Class did not go ahead at the usual time that day.
"That was several days ago," Pancham sniffed, trying to look cool and not upset that he had his allowance rescinded for the whole week and couldn't go anywhere that wasn't inside the town for the month.
"Miss Audino looked mad enough to punish you for a million years!"
"Well, she didn't," Shelmet spluttered.
"As if you… ehh, whatever. That's not what we're here for."
"So, you are here for something!" Riolu called, determined she had cracked their code entirely.
"...what?"
"Gotcha."
Everyone besides Riolu exchanged confused glances before Pancham growled, "Okay, shut up for a minute. I got something I need you to do for me, okay?"
"Why should I?"
"We'll know you're actually cool," Pancham replied and Riolu's eyes lit up. "And this is way bigger than some creepy forest."
"Whatever it is I've already done it!" Riolu declared.
They shared a smirk. "You're not… too wrong there," Pancham began.
"Yeah," Shelmet agreed. "You know the Drilbur Coal Mine like the back of your paw, right? That's what you said, wasn't it?"
Riolu, for the first time Kenji had seen, hesitated.
"...Yep! Sure do. I go there all the time. Totally aren't banned or anything, nope."
"Yeah, great, so we heard deep in the cave there's some special gems. They say there's a left path that no one weak is supposed to go and there's ruby treasures in there. If you can get one, well, then we can't possibly deny that you're cool, right Shelmet?"
"Right!"
Riolu positively shone with excitement. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! This will be the coolest thing ever, won't it Quilava!?"
She turned her blinding grin at him.
"...this is obviously not a good idea," Kenji replied. She did not even compute it.
"You're not a coward are you?" Pancham sneered.
Riolu turned a gasp on him, "NO! I'm going!"
"I was talking to him," Pancham sneered. "Not everything's about you, y'know?"
"He's not either! He went into Foreboding Forest when you two were totally afraid! Hah! You two were shaking at the thought!"
"H-Hey! It was cold that morning."
"And we knew Miss Audino would be mad," Shelmet sighed, shuddering slightly at the memory of her fury.
Pancham twitched as well before screwing his face up. "Whatever. That's your challenge. Get a gem, with or without your 'human'. Then you'll be cool."
They scoffed in unison and then slunk off. Riolu stuck her tongue out at them before turning to Kenji again. "Let's go! Let's go!"
"Riolu," Kenji said patiently. "It is not a good idea."
"I've been there before!" Riolu replied. "I know Drilbur Coal Mine! It'll be a piece of cake. Or pie. Ooh, pie." She trailed off, thinking about Carracosta's cooking for a long moment.
Then shook it off. "Plleeeease," she begged and, to Kenji's horror, she stared at him with growlithe-eyes. "It'll be fun and cool and awesome and, uh, cool. I really want to go with you, it'll be so much fun and I'm going anyway but it'd be so much more fun with you and I can show you the ropes and we can go to the trrrrrrr. The place later and talk about and um, I want to save that stuff for later and it'd be so much better after doing something so cool and awesome I know we'll be-"
She wasn't breathing and Kenji, growing concerned the longer she went, finally waved her down.
"You're going anyway?" he asked.
"Yes!"
He sighed. "Fine."
With Nuzleaf asleep and Riolu uninterested in asking for something as banal as permission, they just began to head off, Riolu's earlier plans forgotten to the thrill of the challenge.
Thinking over how best to keep this reckless child from falling down a ravine or something, Kenji didn't notice as another person stepped in.
Having grown for years with Riolu's singleminded nature, soft-spoken Espurr spotted the clear signs of yet another incoming disaster that would drag people into the mud.
"Hello," she said.
"Espurr!" Riolu said cheerfully. "Hi!"
"Hello," she repeated, her eyes wide but not blank. Her gaze drifted over Riolu, like water and oil their temperaments never matched. She met Kenji's eyes, however, something far more possible to work.
Riolu, surprisingly, didn't seem to know what to say nor did she blurt something out, just fidgeting in place as Espurr stared at Kenji in silence.
"...hello," Kenji said eventually as Espurr wasn't blinking. "Is there something you wanted?"
"I saw what happened," Espurr said. "It's not a good idea. Pancham and Shelmet are being spiteful for being shown up and getting in trouble."
"They wouldn't do that," Riolu argued. "I believe in them!"
Espurr's unhalting gaze slid to Riolu for a moment. "It has never worked out between you and them. Why would this be any different?"
"If nothing changes then we're all stuck in a rut forever," Riolu responded. "Doesn't matter how many times they act mean, I know they're good deep down!"
"They aren't bad," Espurr replied. "But they are young and spiteful. Even if you do this it won't make them think you're cool." To Kenji's surprise, that pulled a small flinch from Riolu.
"I gotta prove it somehow!" Riolu pulled her confidence back with an energetic grin.
"Why?"
Again, she didn't seem to know what to say.
"Uh… well, you wouldn't get it. You're already pretty cool and they're your brothers so they probably think you're cool."
"Why does being cool matter?"
Riolu blinked at her like she was speaking in tongues.
"I wanna be cool!" Riolu eventually settled on. She turned to Kenji. "And this will be so cool! And exciting! And awesome!"
Espurr turned her gaze back to Kenji who offered something of a shrug. "I think I'll stick this one out."
Riolu's grin might have lit the sky.
Espurr soon nodded. "I see I can't change your mind." She looked at Riolu and then back to him. "Riolu doesn't think about consequences."
"I totally do!"
"Riolu doesn't care about consequences," she amended. Riolu pouted, crossing her arms. "Just keep that in mind."
And with that, she drifted off.
Riolu crossed her arms. "See?" she said as if there was a question afoot. "No one cares much. But when I prove I'm cool! Then everyone will be my friend!"
She regained her energy and enthusiasm and Kenji's eyes turned just a shade sympathetic before he nodded and once again, this time without any more disruptions, they were off.
Riolu definitely knew the way and she led them confidently farther past anywhere Kenji had seen yet. Beyond Foreboding Forest, well beyond. It took over an hour of walking at Riolu's fast pace before they were finally there.
The ground had turned mossy from the liquid pooling around the land, causing their footsteps to make muddy squelches in the moistest part.
Logs were left to rot in bundles high and low, large flat rocks mounting an archway towards the mine. There were some footprint runes stating the area was the mine but neither Riolu nor Kenji paid them much mind.
Within the mine were the bulk of the workers but there was plenty of action happening outside it. Pokemon were pulling carts out of the mine as others unloaded and took them back in.
It wasn't just drilbur, the place employed plenty of pokemon around Serene Village.
Hauling the most material was a floating metang, guiding two carts and carrying more on top of them with apparent ease.
"Okay, let's be sneaky," Riolu suggested as they approached, no one having bothered to notice them just yet.
"What did you do here anyway?" Kenji asked.
"Absolutely nothing!"
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. But, uh, let's be quieter. They don't like kids playing around here."
As Kenji was ready to point out he was not as young as she was, they were busted.
"Hey!" A drilbur spotted them and came jogging over. "You can't be here!"
"Ah, figs," Riolu said pouting. "That wasn't very good sneaking!"
Drilbur came up, panting, and tried to cross his arm and look stern even though he was shorter than both of them. "Especially you, Riolu. A mine is no place for a child."
"What if… YOU LOOK OVER THERE!" She pointed dramatically at where a manectric snored on a patch of grass.
Drilbur didn't look. "Riolu," he said, weariness filling his voice. "No. Go home before you get into trouble."
"But what if… uh… darn, I don't know what to try." She turned to Kenji. "Any ideas?"
Kenji and Drilbur looked at each other.
"Have you said please?" he asked.
"Oh! Good idea! Pllleeeeaase!" She gave the most powerful growlithe eyes she could muster.
It was like a wave dashing against a shore. "No."
Riolu slumped.
"And we're keeping an eye out. Everyone knows the trouble you bring."
"Sorry to have bothered you," Riolu said, straightening back up. Without missing a beat, she turned to Kenji. "Let's wait for an opening to sneak in."
Drilbur blinked multiple times, not sure if he had heard that correctly.
"Wha…? You can't just… say that."
"Don't worry about it," she replied cheerfully. "We'll be real sneaky and you won't notice a thing!"
Deciding he had to back off and raise up some extra eyes, Drilbur backed away from the insane child and went to call for help.
Whistling a cheerful tune, she stepped away to kick some stones and think of a distraction.
"Hmm… what about the ol' distract them with food trick?" she asked Kenji.
"Might work."
"Ooh, what if I tell a crazy story? Oh wait, that'll be too interesting. What about a really boring story that puts them to sleep?"
"Do you know any?"
"No. Do you?"
"No."
Despite waiting for an opening truly patiently, at least twelve minutes, eyes were constantly on the entrance and Riolu started growing disheartened. Kicking stones around.
"It's totally not fair. That cave-in was made up I wasn't even here and it's not like that place was being used or anything. It was all Pancham's idea anyway."
Content to just wait her out until she grew bored enough to focus her attention elsewhere, Kenji practiced generating small flames in his hands.
Or, paws he supposed.
It was quite fascinating stuff, to will something into existence, especially something as dangerous as fire.
'Breathe.' His mind recalled, yet he didn't recognise the voice at all. 'The fire needs oxygen just as you do.'
He noticed he was breathing carefully while manifesting the flames, embers dancing along the small digits of his quilava paws. He rolled a ball of flame like a snowball, feeding more energy into it as he grew in size, rolling along his hands and even up his arms before he let it dissipate.
Fire was neat.
Unfortunately, it distracted him from keeping sure Riolu wasn't causing any more cave-ins.
She was walking right up the manectric, kicking a stone. She kicked it too hard and it bounced against its flank, causing it to jerk and snap back awake. "I'm here! I'm not late! I'm, oh. Where am I again?"
"Drilbur Coal Mine," Riolu replied.
He blinked and looked at her. "Did you just hit me with a rock?"
"A small one."
"Why?"
"Was an accident."
"Alright, you're forgiven."
"Great!"
Manectric gave a long, deep, stretch with several cracking bones that had Kenji twitching before yawning. "Riiiight. I was meant to be helping."
"Helping?"
"Yeah, Metang and I are just around doing jobs."
"Can you help me?" she said with such sweetness that Manectric would have to be heartless to ignore her plea.
"Of course, what can I do to help?"
"I wanna sneak into the mine but Drilbur is being a mine-hog. It's like he thinks the mine is his."
"It isn't?"
"I don't know, there's a lot of them."
"Hmm." He looked at her, and raised his head to Kenji as the quilava walked up to her as well. "I'm trying to remember what Metang would tell me to do in this situation."
'Declaration: Fancy word, veiled insult.'
"Metang would tell you to help!" Riolu said with the blind confidence only a child could have.
"They would tell me to help, right, we always help! Very well! Manectric will help you!" He straightened up, ready for action. Then paused. "What do I do?"
"Distract Drilbur!"
"Challenge accepted." Without a beat, Manectric slid away with the grace of a feline and drifted right up to Drilbur. "Why, hello handsome~"
As Drilbur went several levels of puce over three seconds, Riolu grabbed Kenji's paw and dragged him forwards. Once Drilbur, plus two others, were covering their faces in flustered embarrassment they ran through.
"Thanks, Manectric!" Riolu cried as the three jumped.
"Ah! They went in."
"Ah! We should stop them?"
"Ah… uh… so, what were you saying, heh?"
Manectric grinned, jackpot.
The path through the mine was dark and swift, they were running and thus anyone travelling back didn't try to stop them.
"Determination: Not my problem," the metang said as they raced past.
Their problem was doing enough work to make up for all the work Manectric was not doing.
The path was straightforward and easy to follow once Kenji lit a paw on fire to provide them with a little extra light, the tunnel of the dungeon not quite hitting full-on mystery dungeon just yet.
Riolu made sure to position her arms trailing behind her for aerodynamic speed and coolness and Kenji found himself struggling to keep up.
He stumbled on the occasional step still, catching himself on all fours before pushing himself up. It was embarrassing when it happened around the school when everyone was watching.
Then they took a step and the dungeon began.
"Ooh, that's different than last time," Riolu said cheerfully. "I can't wait to see what's different!"
Kenji looked back and forth. It was not making sense to his stubborn brain that a single step and blink could change everything around him so swiftly. The walls were brighter, there was significantly more light, and growls of distant pokemon echoed threateningly.
"No Deerling this time," Riolu said, raising a fist. "Let's do this!"
She took first point, guarding Kenji bravely except for the times that she ran ahead. Which was always.
"Come on, Kenji!" Riolu called after just running through a room of ferals, leaving him to scare them off with fireballs. "Slowpoke."
He breathed out a puff of fire.
"Eheheheh."
She didn't leave him behind again for at least fifteen minutes.
By the time the dungeon began to shift again, Riolu was panting but Kenji was managing with a firm breathing cycle. "Hoo! I can run all day!" Riolu insisted as Kenji gave her an apple.
"Eat it."
"You eat it."
He broke it in half, mollifying her.
"This should be the midsection where the paths split," Riolu said as the walls stopped being so creepily uniform and resembled proper mine walls once again.
"Wow, you're really strong," Riolu said as they slowed to an easier walk. "Those feral pokemon didn't stand a chance!"
"Fire hurts," he replied. A few sparks and flames in the face and most creatures would turn and run.
"But you don't even look tired!"
"I'm not hitting everything with all my strength," he replied.
She laughed at him. "You think I'm hitting them with all my strength? Not even half."
He raised an eyebrow. That was a boast considering she sent several heavy pokemon flying tens of meters.
There was a single drilbur standing guard at the crossroads. Like the rest he seemed a bit fidgety and bored, nose twitching as he just stood around.
He spotted them as they entered and jumped. "Hey! You two! You shouldn't be here! Especially you, Riolu!"
"I'm not Riolu," Riolu said.
"I-What?"
"I'm Quilava!" she said.
"No. No, he's Quilava."
"That's Pancham."
Drilbur blinked, rubbed his ears. "What are you…?"
"Where are we?" Riolu said instead.
"I. The mine."
"Is it yours?"
"No! Not mine, Mine."
"Mime?"
Drilbur breathed out hard, getting flustered. "I-Is this some kind of mindgame?"
"Do you really think you're dumb enough to fall for that?"
"Of course not!"
"So?"
"Yes."
"We can go?" Before he could answer she said. "Thanks! He said yes, Quilava, let's go!"
Kenji tipped his head to Drilbur and they walked straight for the left path as Drilbur tried to catch up to what was going on.
They were gone before he caught up entirely. "Oh… crumbs, Gabite is going to be so upset." He nibbled his claws for a moment, debating what to do. The indecision was paralysing.
Running forwards, Riolu laughed. "I can't believe that worked again!"
"Again?" Kenji asked.
"I did that last time, hehehe. The drilbur get really confused when you talk for them. Now, get ready because I bet this part of the dungeon is going to be a lot more tough!"
It was.
With cubone, numel, and geodude frequently around, Kenji was finding his flames beginning to be as effective as smoke in fighting them off. Cubone deflected his fireballs and numel and geodude were throwing charged stones back at him.
Riolu did impressively defending him, sharp strikes smashing stones to dust or deflecting them away from them, but the numbers of the ferals were forcing her to join him in just evading and scaring them off.
Kenji focused on his breathing, repeating the words that were in his head. 'Fire needs air. You need air. Fire does what it wants. You just guide it to where it wants to be.' He began to form fireballs that remained on his body, paws to shoulders and ready to fling at a moment's notice.
Rocky or not, nothing liked fire in the eyes.
Except for slugma. That was a problem, too hot to burn, too hot for Riolu to hit either without hurting herself. They had to run more.
"I've got it!" she grabbed a rock, holding it like a ball until they encountered their next lava-like slug foe. She lobbed the stone at it and send it scampering with a blubbering hiss. "Ten points!"
He spun and tossed a trio of fireballs at something small stalking her shadow. The flames burst into violent light, exposing a trapinch that had been digging out under her.
She yelped, fire licking at her fur and jumped. The jaws of the trapinch snapped nothing but air and Kenji formed a bigger fireball between both paws and slammed it down at the trapinch.
The explosion knocked Kenji onto his back but definitely took out the trapinch in the process.
"Woah," Riolu said, bracing herself on a knee. She pulled herself up and jogged to the quilava, offering a paw to help him up as well. "That was awesome! You're really strong, you know?"
Kenji stared at his quilava paws for a moment. "...I guess I do now."
Riolu cracked her back and groaned. "We really need to invest in a bag or something. Oh well, it can't be much farther now! The mine isn't isn't much bigger, else it couldn't really be used!"
She was right, a few minutes later the path began to change again and Riolu began to jitter in excitement. "I can't wait to see these ruby treasures! Pancham and Shelmet and Deerling and everyone will be so impressed! Let's go!"
Kenji hurried to keep up with Riolu, rushing the last few steps of the dungeon until the room widened out significantly. Their noses twitched, taking in the scent of something leathery and entrenched but neither of them stopped.
"Dungeons are weird, aren't they?" she asked, looking up. "There's no sun but we can see. Haha, I wonder why?"
Kenji frowned, she was right but he couldn't really ponder that just now. The air thrummed with excitement, energy, and danger. Riolu seemed impervious to it, or perhaps she was excited further at the prospect?
He noticed her tassels shivering slightly until Riolu swatted one. "Behave," she said and they stopped.
"Grr."
"Hm?" Riolu hummed. "Was that you, Kenji?"
"GRR."
"Oh my gosh, is that your stomach!?"
"What? NO!" She jumped as that voice boomed all around them. Kenji immediately stepped up to her, fire cracking around his paws and spreading more light around.
The floor stomped and then began to shake as something approached.
"Oh. Oh wow," Riolu said, staggered as a large draconic beast tore itself out of the earth before them.
A gabite, Kenji's mind flashed in recognition. And wariness, this was a powerful pokemon, territorial and aggressive.
"You DARE enter the restricted mine?" Gabite roared. "Those blasted drilbur are supposed to keep your ilk out of here! LEAVE NOW OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!"
"Ah! W-Wait, we're just here for some ruby treasures," Riolu said and Kenji winced. He had opened his mouth to agree but she was faster.
"Ruby treasures?" Gabite asked softly, dangerously. Riolu didn't hear or heed the danger in his voice, nodding frantically.
"That's right, then we'll be out of your hai-uh. Scales!"
Gabite gave a bellowing roar that had both of them gripping their ears. "I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU THIEVING 'EXPLORERS'."
"Ah. What? We're not explorers, we're kids! Well, one day we'll be explorers I hadn't gotten around to askin-"
"SILENCE!" Gabite shouted. "KIDS, EXPLORERS, 'CIVILISED' POKEMON! YOU ARE ALL THIEVES AND THIEVES ARE NO LONGER TOLERATED!"
He gave one last bestial roar and then charged them.
Riolu spun on the ball of her foot as Gabite moved, he was shockingly fast for something so much bigger than them. Her paw connected with Kenji's chest and he was knocked flying. She raised her other arm to try and block Gabite's strike and seemed to succeed.
His claw met her paw shining white, but then scraped off and struck the meat of her arm. Missing her counterattack and striking what was undefended, Gabite tore a gash in Riolu's arm and knocked her sprawling as well.
Kenji landed hard, having not expected Riolu to hit him. Her strike gave him a chance to run but left her vulnerable, he had to watch Gabite hit her and hear her scream pierce across the room.
Without thinking, Kenji leapt back to his feet and he found himself moving before he even realised it.
Capitalising on her buckling, Gabite was bearing down with her with overwhelming force. Riolu's eyes widened with fear as things seemed to slow down to her.
Gabite, claw blazing white, snarling down at her with vindictive fury. Kenji, bounding with clear panic flashing across his face, sparks lighting along his body but the distance was just too much between them.
'Sorry,' she thought, unable to help but smile.
An arc of light split the air. Gabite's claw slammed not into Riolu but into a translucent barrier.
In a single moment, Kenji slammed into Riolu, tackling her down as Gabite was thrown backwards by a blast of dazzling light.
The two small pokemon rolled into a tumble as Gabite gave a strangled yelp, scales singed and stinging as fairy lights twinkled merrily against him.
He looked up, eyes snapping away from the intruders and widened. "W-"
And then Miss Audino was there.
Gabite, who overpowered them with contemptuous ease, was thrown back with enough strength to slam him into his mound of treasures. The treasures scattered, being tossed around by the force of his impact, many gems tumbling and jewels covering the ground in glittering fragments.
He had barely enough time to raise his head before a series of lavender shackles appeared around him, nailing themselves into the wall and binding his arms, legs, and neck.
"GABITE!" Audino roared with such magnitude it made his bellows seem like a cub's whimper in comparison.
Miss Audino stomped forwards. For an average-sized audino, she carried herself with a sudden presence that left her dwarfing Gabite despite having to look up at him. "Of all the absolutely immature, aggressive, insane things you could have done you ATTACK THEM?"
"B–B-Bu they-"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" she yelled and he cringed.
"This is my home," he whimpered. "I'm sick of people trying to steal my things."
"CHILDREN, GABITE! YOU THROW THEM OUT IF YOU HAVE TO, YOU CALL FOR HELP, YOU DON'T ATTACK THEM LIKE A FORSAKEN FERAL!"
She wasn't striking him, but he flinched at every second word. She gave him a withering glare and then the restrained vanished, letting him crumple like a puppet whose strings were cut.
Her glare softened. "Gabite, I know this is frustrating. You cannot do this though. I'm sorry, here." She knelt and began to heal the wounds mostly she had inflicted, Gabite was silent. "Now, because I know this is serious, I'll make it right. What treasure are you still seeking?"
He looked up, the anger had faded to a gleam. He whispered something to her and she nodded. "Consider it done."
Then, she turned towards Riolu and Kenji who had also frozen up.
Riolu's eyes were full of sparkles at Miss Audino's strength before she realised the glare had not stopped. "As for you two," she began and Riolu began to nervously chuckle.
Kenji found himself standing between them again but Audino walked up to them like he wasn't going to do anything. She was taller than him and stared down with an unreadable glare in her eyes. "Riolu is hurt," she said.
He stepped aside and she knelt down, bringing gentle paws to Riolu's injured arm. Riolu winced, hissing slightly as the lavender light burned the wound site, but it began to close nonetheless.
She took off her travel bag and took out a strip of cloth and tied it around her arm and then picked her up. "Let's go."
Kenji trailed quietly after them as Audino began to walk them out of the dungeon. The Drilbur did their best to avoid Audino's eyes and Manectric was nowhere to be seen as they exited.
Once they were outside, the painful silence was finally broken. "Gabite lived in the safe zone of the dungeon before the Drilbur set up shop," she began. "It's a complicated dungeon, with numerous safe zones that seem to collect offshoots from the dungeon areas, making it a self-filling mine and very valuable."
"Gabite's home, however, began to get invaded. He was getting angry, considering forcing the mine to be closed. The town is supported by the Drilbur mine, without it, Serene Village likely couldn't sustain itself, at least not at the size it is now. Keeping Gabite happy is vital to the survival of the town and everyone in it."
She turned to Kenji, and Riolu as her head was on that side. "Seeking Gabite's treasure is a serious issue that could cause a domino effect that destroys the town as you know it. The only time I ever want to hear of you two going back there is to apologise profusely and give Gabite another treasure to make up for what you have done. He's already told me what he wants and it'll be you two and Pancham and Shelmet who retrieve it."
"Huh? Why them?"
"Think I don't know who put you up to this?" she returned. Riolu blushed. "I'm going to be talking to Carracosta about this."
"Aww, please don't."
"No, Riolu. I'm going to."
She slumped in her grasp and Audino let them stew in what they might have caused by angering Gabite for the rest of the way.
Once in town, Audino set Riolu down. "Back home, Riolu. If I hear you've gone somewhere else I'll be even less happy. Rest that leg, I'll be checking it later."
"Okay." Riolu's ears were down and she turned to Kenji. "Walk me home?"
"I need to speak to Quilava first," Audino replied and Riolu pouted. She gave in, waved once, and began to wander off.
Kenji and Soothe looked at each other, the quilava on guard and wary, Soothe's expression cool and composed. "Follow me." She began to walk upwards to the school, Kenji hesitating a moment before stepping into her shadow and following her up the track.
She took him to the healer's office and sat behind her desk, gesturing for him to sit on a comfortable seat. She sighed, rolling her shoulders and visibly relaxing from the bound-fury she had been wearing before.
"I've been meaning to speak to you for a little while," she said, meeting his eyes. "But I've not had the time. Anyway, I have a few questions and you can ask some in return if you have any. I hear what goes on around the village and I know you're human."
Quilava blinked, surprised for a moment. Not at her overhearing it, those ears were clearly not for show, but her certain she sounded in saying it. Not saying she overheard that he was human, but that she knew that he was. He straightened up a little, Audino was addressing him not as a schoolkid and he found he enjoyed that.
His opinion on Audino rose a little.
"What do you remember?" she said.
He thought a moment. "Not much," he replied. "My name. That I was human. Honestly, that's about it."
She nodded, not seeming surprised. "Next question. Beheeyem, have you encountered any?"
"Have you spoken to Nuzleaf?"
"How did you meet Nuzleaf, first?"
He bent his head and then began to explain. "I was just… wandering around, not sure where I was or what was going on. I had run into, yeah, Beheeyem a little earlier and they seemed threatening. There were three and I was outnumbered so I ran rather than fight. They almost had me in those… Psychic holds they can do, and then Nuzleaf intervened. Since he was a Dark-type he was able to help me break free and run."
She nodded, listening attentively. "I'll keep an eye and ear out for any sign of them. How long were you with Nuzleaf before you arrived at town?"
"Uh, not long. About two days, I had nowhere to go so he offered to let me stay with him. I think he figured I was some lost kid and put me in school."
She had a shade of a smile for a moment. "How old do you think you are?"
"I feel like I'm not a kid."
"You are a quilava. Not that evolution level really has any factor on age, but it's definitely unusual. Do you know the stories of the other humans?"
"Well, Riolu's talked a lot about a lucario called Sean. She seems to really be a fan of him."
Another shade of a smile, this time it lingered longer and didn't fully fade away. "Yes, Sean is quite popular with children across the world, being the most recent human and the youngest of the group. Team Go-Getters has Dimitri, the wartortle. And the city of Paradise is managed by Jessica a human-turned-dewott. But, them including Sean all arrived as the first stage pokemon. Never a second-stage pokemon."
"Isn't there another?" Kenji asked, a gleam entered Audino's eyes. She measured him for a moment, there was a tilt of respect.
"Right. Soothe, the audino."
There was a moment of silence between them.
Kenji didn't ask.
Soothe considered for a moment, her eyes far away. She knew it was possible to have pikachu be the player character, and Pikachu was already a mid-stage pokemon. But, it hadn't happened. The only pika line connected to the humans was Jessica's partner, Raichu.
Her eyes returned to the present. "I heard your name is Kenji?" she asked.
"Right."
She nodded slowly. "Nice to meet you. There's another human. The first, even. He doesn't exactly count anymore, even less than we do. He became a Gengar, but his name is Kenji."
Kenji blinked once, almost affronted at the idea. "What?"
She seemed to detect it. "Strange, isn't it? Well. If you ever have any questions, don't be shy. Write it down if you need to, nothing more frustrating than forgetting what you wanted to ask." And he might be more comfortable talking through writing, but she didn't say that.
He nodded, a shade of a grateful smile on his face now. "Thanks, Audino."
"No problem. Also, as an aside, try to be careful in telling people your name. Not only is Kenji not a pokemon's name but being too open about that can lead people to thinking you're, well… inappropriately coming onto them, as what happened to my dumbass little brother."
She smiled fondly, remembering when she first heard the newcomer meowth telling everyone in the guild his name. Timber had barely been able to say it and she had laughed genuinely. It seemed even funnier nowadays.
"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked.
"I don't like to waste words I guess."
She nodded. "Fair enough. I don't want to overload you with too much information at once."
"Alright. Thanks for telling me all this, Audino. Is that all?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Try to stay out of trouble. Riolu has a lot of energy and that can be put to better things than breaking and entering. I'll speak to the other teachers as well about the lessons you're getting. You are clearly older than the rest, but you also don't have much idea of the world you're in, do you?"
He shook his head.
"We'll work on that. Alright, you right to walk back to Nuzleaf's?"
He nodded again. She stood with him. "How do you find living with Nuzleaf, by the way?" she asked, as she walked to the door and opened it for him.
"Nuzleaf is fine. I don't think he really knows what to think of me, but he's taken me in so I'm grateful."
She nodded slowly. "Alright. You let me know if you need anything, Nuzleaf's doing a good thing taking you in but the rest of the town is here too, okay?"
"Okay."
She pat him on the shoulder and watched him walk off. Soothe returned to her office with a conflicted expression. She found her paws writing out Nuzleaf and then stared at the word for some time.
Kenji, walking off, began to digest everything that had just gone down. From fighting Gabite to Audino's intervention to everything she just told him.
He appreciated that she was talking to him more seriously, not leaving him feeling like a babied child. He examined his paws as he went, allowing flickering flames to generate again.
He had wanted to ask but found the words failing when he looked at her. Riolu had mentioned another human. An audino with lavender fur. He rolled another fireball, focusing on breathing.
Part of him had the feeling that it wasn't something he should simply ask out of the blue.
He noted a few other things as well.
She hadn't said she'd talk to Nuzleaf like she had stated she'd talk to Carracosta. She also hadn't gone to speak to Carracosta, but maybe she just wasn't going yet.
She seemed a little fixated on his living status with Nuzleaf, but fair enough they didn't really know each other and Nuzleaf was new to the town as well.
He realised he should have asked how she knew they were in trouble. Was it the Drilbur who ran back to call for help maybe?
He decided she was one to watch with tentative trust for the time being.
Serene Village was not serene at the moment, pokemon bustling back and forth at the apex of the afternoon, he was bumped by accident twice and still not being certain on his feet left Kenji on the ground.
The pokemon apologised but then was hurrying off without helping him up.
He made his way past the shopping district and cafe and began to leave the town, uncomfortable with so many pokemon at once. He eyed Nuzleaf's house from where he stood before looking back.
Lying in the distance past the lake was the tree Riolu had been dragging him towards in the morning. He wondered what exactly it was she wanted to show him, and if she was there now.
Making his choice, he walked to the tree.
There was no Pancham or Shelmet to accost him this time, nor any espurr either. He felt a flash of discomfort as he noted he was alone and heading to the outskirts of the town and no one knew he was heading out there.
He didn't let the concern of Beheeyem drag his feet and kept a closer eye out until he climbed a steep hill.
The tree was indeed towering. Its shadow cool and pleasant. And, to the quilava's happiness, Riolu sat in the shade staring out over the grand view.
"Riolu?" Kenji called and she jumped.
"Eek! You scared me, haha!" She almost rolled off the hill but caught himself and propped herself up proudly. "Quilava! You came all the way out here? Oh, did you remember I wanted to show you this place?"
"I did." He nodded, coming up beside her.
She beamed at him with such a bright eye in her eyes. "Pretty great view, right? Heheh."
It really was a great view. The hill tumbled into the lake swiftly, providing an overarching view of the lake, to the strange little island on it, to the town in the distance. Kenji had seen the town from afar when he first arrived, but not quite like this. Not being able to look across and down and take in all the little buildings, the rising mountains, and countless moving shapes of the citizens of Serene Village.
"Everyone loves this view," Riolu sighed, sitting back down. "So, I wanted you to see it too since you're a part of the village now!"
He gave a smile and sat down next to her. That was a pretty sweet gesture, no one else had tried to really include him in the town quite like Riolu had. "Thank you, it is a great view."
She sighed, laying back. "Phew, we sure worked hard today! Sneaking into the mine. You were so strong! Pity we made Gabite mad. I wonder what we have to get for him? Did Miss Audino tell you?"
He shook his head.
"Guess we'll figure it out later!" She smiled but then it faded to a disappointed look. "Too bad Pancham and Shelmet won't think I'm cool. I ran into them and they don't believe me, hah, oh well."
He turned to her. "Why do you want to be 'cool' so bad? It seems to mean a lot to you what they think."
"Oh! Being cool is, like, the coolest thing!" he exclaimed. "When you're cool everyone wants to talk to you, and play with you, and they'll be your friend and you're big and strong and can go anywhere and do anything! Like the clouds up there, they do whatever they want, see whatever they want. They're cool! I'd love to be like the clouds one day, racing everywhere across the world, seeing and doing things and helping everyone I meet!"
"You want to explore and help people?"
Riolu nodded. "That's why I want to go to Lively Town and join the Expedition Society!" Riolu's eyes sparkled. "When I'm a part of the Expedition Society, I want to make a map of the whole world!" There was a fire in Riolu's spirit that surged a moment and Kenji felt, for a strong few seconds, just how determined Riolu was.
It left him wanting to run around like crazy. Was this what she always felt like?
Then, however, Riolu wilted. "But… I can't. They don't let kids join the Expedition Society and even if they did, everyone says it's too dangerous to leave the village. Something about dungeons getting more difficult and appearing out of nowhere? You don't want to get swallowed up by one of those, it'll turn you crazy."
Kenji, not a mon of many words, didn't really respond.
She eventually chuckled. "You're a good listener, Kenji." She smiled at him before gasping, "Oh! I know your name but you don't know mine! It's Shine." Shine closed her eyes with a bright smile. "Pops said I'm the light of his life, haha."
He smiled back. "Nice to meet you, Shine."
A smile was shared.
"So, what did Miss Audino want anyway?"
"Oh, she knew I was a human and wanted to ask a couple things."
Shine giggled. "Miss Audino knows everything. And if she doesn't know it, it's probably not true!" She hummed, reflecting on the day. "Wow, she's strong too. We didn't really fight Gabite much but she just came in like BAM and SLAM and he was down and out. I bet she really is Soothe! Ooh, and that'd mean she knows Sean and wouldn't THAT BE SO COOL?"
Kenji's smile faded a little as Shine rambled on excitedly about the idea. He wondered if he should have asked, but then again maybe not.
"You're not much of a talker, are you?" He shrugged and she laughed at him. "You could have said that you weren't! You're funny."
There were no other deep conversations to have, so they just spent the rest of the hour on the hill with the tree until the sun began to set.
Audino's pinky was poked out appropriately as she sipped at the hot tea Kangaskhan had served.
Their table was strangely private despite being in the middle of the cafe. No one was sitting near them and no one looked eager to try.
Across the table, her companion focused firmly on his cup of tea as well. His eyes were focused forwards, but he felt every eye and flicker of emotion around him.
He was an indeedee. And eyes were upon them.
"-and so cool," Audino was saying, chattering excitedly. "The way the Saviour just swept in, taking charge of the situation! You saw how everyone was when she turned up. They know, even if they don't know. Isn't she the coolest, Cornelius?"
Cornelius the indeedee flicked his eyes up to the pink audino rambling in front of him. He took another sip of tea with a slight nod. He knew he didn't need to say anything, she was already going off again.
Singing the praises of the Saviour. Tracking what she was doing. Following her every step.
"-and I bet we can start getting ready for the big thing, sound good?"
"Sounds good."
"Aww, you're the best, Corny." The gratitude filled him more than the tea did and he offered a smile to the audino who grinned wide and toothy back at him.
Cornelius nodded, lifting the cup as a toast. "You too, Smoothe. You too."