After the rain had settled, the skies immediately got clear. But even though the sun should be scorching hot, the climate was chilly and windy, like it was about to hail.

"Seriously, what is up with the weather here? Is it always this hectic?" Asked Inkay, who was being carried on Eagan's their similar sizes, the Cyndaquil was much stronger than he looked.

"Not r-really. It started a few months ago." Eagan answered, still entirely focused on the way forward. "It was very rainy and sunny all year around. We never had super cold days, and s-snow was pretty much a m-myth."

"Hm. It was equatorial, then. Fascinating." Inkay pondered, rubbing his beak with one of his tentacles, "if I were to guess, I'd say it's about 15°C or so. That is not the average for Equatorial, not one bit."

"Mhm." Eagan mumbled.

"And how about your local culture? You mentioned a town, are all pokémon like that? Do you guys have a mayor? A military? A monarch?" Eagan's mind was working double-duty to satiate Inkay's endless curiosity, as well as investigating and tracking amongst the damp forest.

Eagan's ensuing silence forced the dark-type to speak more, "Do not worry, I have no intentions of staging a coup or anything of the sort. A coup is like. A forceful takeover. Which I have no intention of doing. At least not at the moment."

The fire-type chuckled, "I-I'm n-not worried (To do something like that you'd have to be able to move around by yourself at least). Just… t-too many questions. Too quickly. And I'm… you know. D-Doing a thing."

"Hah! Fair." Said Inkay, crossing his arm-tentacles. "I suppose I may leave you to your thoughts."

"Finally. I thought Inkay would never stop talking…" Eagan thought with a sigh, "such a blabbermouth..."

"Screw you too." Eagan jumped, not used to having his private thoughts invaded. "If you were in my shoes, I bet you'd be very chatty!"

"S-Sorry…"

"Bah. Stop with the apologies already!" Inkay rolled his eyes in annoyance, "besides I can be VERY quiet if I want to."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"I d-doubt it…"

"Oh, wanna bet on it?" Inkay smirked.

"Sure." Eagan shrugged.

"Fine! I'll be silent as a grave until we reach wherever the hell those dumbasses went. You'll see!" He crossed his tentacles and closed his eyes.

Eagan continued doing his thing, following the faintest scents, looking for the coldest trails. He was making progress very fast, the two bullies weren't exactly trying to cover their tracks or anything. Mankey's in particular were super easy to follow even after the downpour.

These last few footprints were more clear. They led towards-

Clomp! Clomp! Clomp!

"What-"

"Shush!" Instinctively, the fire badger ducked, hiding behind a bush. Inkay did as he was told and kept his beak shut.

Jumping from one of the trees, an enormous white mongoose with deep red, scar-like markings on her face, chest, and forepaws landed just inches from where they were hidden. This pokémon wore a purple scarf, and her red eyes scanned their surroundings.

Both pokémon held their breaths, the sheer presence of the Zangoose sparked a primal fear in both.

"Tch. Pesky kids." Inkay heard her thoughts, "don't know what the hell they're getting themselves into. There shouldn't be anyone this deep in the forest."

Inkay kept listening in, his pink eyes focused on her. "Boss ain't gonna like this. Probably will want to get rid of 'em…"

Eagan felt as Inkay started to shiver on his back. "What's wrong?"

"She wants to kill us!" He projects his thoughts on to Eagan, "She is some sort of gang member!"

Much to their surprise, the normal-type's ears moved, as if she had just heard a faint whisper. "That scarf… look, there's a symbol…"

As soon as Eagan saw it, he had to hold back a gasp. "She… she is a…"

She then turned around and looked straight at them, seeing the Inkay's dots shinning from the bushes.

On instinct, Eagan threw Inkay from his back, as his flames burned intensely, and he spat a puff of intense smoke, blinding the Zangoose.

"Inkay! C-Come on!" He picked him back from the floor, and started dashing on all fours, using a single paw to keep the squid close.

"Goddamn it Eagan!" Inkay panted, barely able to keep up as he slithered on his tentacles, "I CAN'T RUN FOR CRAP!"

"You have to f-float!" He pants, flames burning on his back as he kept running as fast as he could, whilst holding Inkay's arm tentacle to drag him along, "let your instincts take over! Don't think like a human!"

"Easy for you to say!" His heart beat like a drum, as he clumsily tried to run, but was dragged instead. He closed his eyes, trying to use his thoughts like he did before.

"Hey! Get back here!" They heard the Zangoose's growls, and soon her heavy footsteps were after them.

Due to Inkay's clumsiness, they both were not fast enough to outrun her. "Inkay! P-Please!"

"Damn it, damn it!" He gulped, trying his hardest.

"Grrr. I said STOP!"

His heart only beat faster, and he could detect Eagan's worried thoughts too.

"Fly! FLOAT! LEVITATE!" He desperately thought… desperately trying to get his body to work. "Abra! Cadabra! Alakazam! Prestor! SHIT!"

Eventually, the Zangoose appeared in front of them. Growling in annoyance. She brandished her claws. "Got you."

Eagan threw himself in front of Inkay, shielding him from the bigger pokémon.

Her claws moved in to grab the duo, and Inkay's heart rate spiked.

"STOP!" He mentally shouted, and his pink eyes shone a vibrant light…

Eagan turned around, still hugging Inkay tight.

The once-fierce Zangoose was now snoring peacefully, in a deep slumber.

"H-Hypnosis!" Eagan jumps for joy, "I knew you could d-do it!"

"WOO-HOO! I'M SO COOL! HAH!" Inkay mimicked the fire-type, with similarly starry eyes. "NOW SHUT UP AND CARRY ME BEFORE SHE WAKES UP!"

"R-Right!" He tightens the hug, and clumsily runs with the Inkay in his arms, "there could b-be more."

As the fire-type carried him, the squid desperately looked around, but Eagan kept his mind focused on the tracks. The tracks are still clear, he still can follow it. They lead straight towards-

"OH MY GOD!" Inkay pointed desperately towards a cave entrance, one which was like a small black portal, covered in shadow, that seemed to suck the very color from the environment. "WHAT IN THE FUCK IS THAT!?"

There. The tracks led There.

"Oh no…" A cold sweat rolled from the Eagan's brow, "t-that's a… m-mystery… dungeon."

He could swear he saw small flickers in the darkness as it danced around the light, as if it was a paw beckoning Eagan to enter.

Eagan kept staring blankly at the cave entrance, shivering slightly. "They… actually went there… that's why there's a… purple neck… in here."

"SNAP OUT OF IT, MAN!" Inkay shook Eagan with all of his might, "UH. SPEAK ENGLISH, PLEASE!"

"M-Mom… she… never l-let me in those places. Said they're… d-dangerous." The Cyndaquil said, whilst shivering.

CLOMP! CLOMP! CLOMP!

"Guess what! We don't have many options." Inkay kept shaking Eagan, "we stay, she kills us. We go in, we maybe get killed! Which you prefer!?"

The fire-type can only nod, letting impulse take over, he charges forward, carrying the Inkay as they are both swallowed by the place.

"Wait!" Zangoose reached out, but it was far too late. Her eyes widened. "Fuckin'... ugh."

She puts both her claws on her forehead. "These idiots are gonna get themselves in even more of a mess! I gotta…."

She looks around, seeing that there is no other soul in this desolate part of the forest. "Tch…! I gotta get to them before the boss arrives…!"

She dashes forward, also entering despite her mind screaming at her not to.


For a moment, he was no longer in his body. He was floating in what seemed to be a dark river, yet he was not drowning.

His consciousness was not his own. He was in a coma. Yet he was awake. A paradoxical existence.

Once his eyes opened, he was in what seemed to be a waltz, various faceless shadows spinning in unison, their voices a distorted chorus like whispers from a far away memory.

He looked, and saw his body. He was blurred and shadowy, as if he was made of both ink and static.

Suddenly, gentle hands touched him, and guided him into joining the dance. All others froze in time, and for that moment, only him and this other shape mattered.

"Remember who you really are."


It flashes, like in a dream she is somewhere completely different, a building on fire. This time, the same presence is caressing her head. She can't breathe.

She can't breathe.


"Ssshh. Shhh." Inkay heard Eagan break him from that nightmare. "It's okay. It's okay. We're okay."

Inkay panted, taking many quick breaths, heart beating like a drum.

Inkay could breathe. Here, in Eagan's arms, they were breathing.

"I… lived before. Twice…" Inkay's eyes were wide, their tentacles were feeling up his body, to reassure themself. Once more they felt like they'd puke. "And I… died."

"... Most of the l-legendary humans of the past were said to have b-been reborn too." Eagan patted the Inkay, further comforting them, "b-but twice… that's new…"

Inkay rubs their head, feeling as their mind spins around, "It only gets more confusing the more I think about it… my identity, my memories…"

Inkay could picture that strange waltz so perfectly, as well as the sensation of being cradled whilst unable to breathe, who exactly was… them?

Inkay looked at their tentacles. This was yet another obvious thing of their identity that he had seemingly forgotten about. Their name, their family. This vision had just shown how empty they were inside.

"H-Hey, Inkay." Eagan broke them out of their thoughts, "look… I can't say I understand what you're going through… b-but you're feeling b-bad…"

Once more the affectionate fire-type wrapped them around in a hug. "When I feel b-bad… mom gives me hugs. They make me feel better."


He came back home with a black eye, once again he had tried hard to make a friend, doing anything to fit in. But instead they had spat at his face.

Yet once his mother had wrapped her arm around him, and with that single gesture, the fire on his back burned brighter than ever. "Even though you feel alone, it can't rain everyday."

Her soothing words were like fuel to his fire, "Your sunshine may be gone, but after the hurricane comes the rainbow."

He never stopped trying, and he never would.


Inkay had a single tear running down their pink eye, he felt similar to how Eagan had felt after his mother had hugged him. Energized. "You are very huggy, aren't you?"

"Hah. Hugs… are nice."

Inkay wrapped a single tentacle around, to reciprocate the gesture. "Yours are."

"Thank you. Yours are good t-too! (Seriously, I don't dislike yours as much as I think I should, considering those tentacles.)" He smiled.

Inkay giggled, losing himself in the ocean of complicated feelings that assaulted them. "It just… feels like there's two people in my mind. Yet I don't know either of them fully."

Eagan examined the squid's words carefully, before answering. "W-Well… which of them is you?"

"I. I don't know. I feel like I'm neither, it's like they're aliens." Said Inkay.

"Then… don't be them!" Eagan smiled. "B-Be you!"

Such a simple answer. But so... complicated.

"Pf. And who am I? Like, you're Eagan. Your mother's son, hugger extraordinaire and terrible at writing CVs. But who am I?"

Eagan was quiet for a moment, until he replied with a smile. "How about… Rose?"

Inkay's eyes widened.

"Yeah! You're Rose, of the pretty pink eyes!" Eagan giggled, "you don't have to be anything else!"

"I. yes." Rose joined the Cyndaquil's giggling, "Rose! I can work with that!"

With them both smiling, they started to spin around, paws entwined with tentacles as they laughed together.

It was then they realized Rose was floating at last. Not out of thought or desire, but out of pure joy, having now just a little more peace thanks to Eagan. But that somehow became secondary to their mindless celebratory spin.

Rose and Eagan's joy kept the darkness from the dungeon at bay. But the dark presence kept staring at them both, the only light in sight. "You will remember, in time… this charade will be short-lived."

Silent laugher echoed through the forsakened walls of every dungeon, but it only tormented those tahat were unfortunate enough to hear it. "You will reach your potential, mirthless soul."


A/N: Hello, Bencharmanderb! To answer your question... if you refer to Inkay, then it's a bit complicated. 'Neither' would be pretty appropriate for their case, and especially after this chapter I am using them/their to better illustrate it!