"I... I want you to help me, Aundei. For me, for yourself, for all you've lost, for all who will lose. Will you help me better the world?"
Klyshio balled his fist as the ninetales spoke to Aundei. The simisage was peeking from around a corner, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Take over the guild?! Destroy love?! She's just as evil as I thought!" Klyshio thought to himself, glaring. His anger tempered a bit as he averted his eyes to see Aundei's conflicted expression. It then flared back tenfold. "And, she's trying to corrupt Aundei, too! That witch!"
The simisage watched with baited breath. Snute continued staring patiently, her features soft and compassionate as she awaited an answer. Aundei looked around, considering the offer. He let his eyes come to focus on the ninetales'.
"I'm not sure if I entirely agree with you, Snute," Aundei stared. Klyshio's shoulders sagged in relief, while Snute's eyes narrowed. "...But," Both Snute and Klyshio perked up as he continued. "I can see that you're a good soul. I can feel how much you care. I can sense the immense pain in your heart. I believe that you honestly do wish to make the world a better place. To help others, and end their suffering."
"Oh?" The ninetales seemed earnestly excited. The pace of her breathing quickened.
Aundei kneeled to the floor, bowing his head.
"I pledge to help you in any way I can, Snute. I... I definitely think you should reconsider the whole love thing, but..." The glameow looked up to her, smiling. Snute and Klyshio could both see a spark of life in those green pools that hadn't been present in a very long time. "Underneath that abrasive exterior, you have so much of Alena in you. Her and I: We started a team together to pursue the ideal of a world free of pain and suffering. I can see that in you! For that, and for sticking with me, for helping me when I was down, for being our friend, and for so much more... You have my unconditional loyalty! That's a promise!"
Snute nodded.
"Th-That's..." She turned away, refusing to meet the glameow's chipper gaze. "Whatever. Just do what I say." Despite her cold words, however, she was hiding a wide, beaming grin. Tears flowed freely from her eyes. Joy, sorrow, and everything in between poured down her face in a relentless stream.
Aundei hugged the ninetales. She returned it with vigor.
Klyshio couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did Aundei go mad? Did he not hear all of the vile ideals that witch was spouting just a moment earlier? Snute was using Alena's death as a weapon, and Klyshio was not pleased.
The moment was cut short, both Snute and Aundei's displays of affection as well as Klyshio's barely contained anger. All three explorers' APER Gears received a notification.
Snute and Aundei were both surprised. At the same time, they both realized that there'd been a third chime.
Just before he could be spotted, the simisage ducked back behind the corner and took off down the hallway.
Snute narrowed her eyes.
"Someone was spying on us."
Aundei looked up from his APER Gear.
"It looks like we won't be taking off again until something's done about... Draco-Shredder..." Aundei's voice shook with a mixture of rage and sorrow as he spoke the name.
"It looks like we won't be taking off again until something's done about... Draco-Shredder..."
Lustig hummed to himself as he watched the pair on the camera feed hooked up to his laptop.
"So, it has come to zis, my friend."
Lustig wheeled his office chair around in the dark.
A garbed figure sat across from him, their identity completely obscured by the robe with their back turned. It took a long moment before they responded.
"...So it has." They tapped their arm rest a few times in contemplation. "An ultimatum. Reveal, or lay down and hide until they figure out something we don't want them to."
Lustig nodded in agreement. He glared seriously at the ground.
"I think it is time for you to retire ze Draco-shredder identity. Go in and give zem one last hurrah."
The cloaked figure finally turned toward Lustig, their black, beaked mask catching a brief glint of the laptop's blue glow.
"You're right. Can I count on you to have my back?"
"Ja, ja! I vill stick viz you to ze end!"
Nodding, the Draco-Shredder hopped out of their seat. The shinx hopped out of his, giving the cloaked figure a firm hug.
"Mmm... Don't get caught, okay? I wouldn't want to have to live life without you," Lustig purred.
The Draco-Shredder returned the embrace, giving a few pats on the back.
"Don't worry, man. I have it covered. I'll just give them one last hurrah, then create the illusion that it's all over. I promise they'll never catch me."
Letting go, Lustig nodded firmly. He walked over to his laptop.
"Is zere anything you need me to do?"
The cloaked figure nodded.
"Tomorrow at three in the morning, shut down all the lights, lock the doors, and give me access to the P.A. system."
Minun had already left by the time Snute and Aundei had returned to their room. Peppy and Alfonzo were busy playing Connect 4 when their teammates walked in.
Aundei still felt a crushing sadness over what had happened, though it was lessened a bit by the almost euphoric feeling of committing his loyalty to his friend.
Regardless, Alfonzo immediately noticed that the glameow was still down. He placed his piece into the board, cementing his loss against his fennekin opponent before standing up.
Peppy excitedly yipped upon winning the match, though did her best to curb her enthusiasm upon noticing Aundei's blank expression.
The fire fox and the grass cat approached the ice fox and the normal cat.
"You still don't seem super stoked, Au'," Alfonzo commented.
Peppy nodded in agreement, nervously adjusting her jacket.
Aundei forced on a smile.
"Hey, I'm fine, really! I appreciate the concern, you guys."
Peppy shook her head, frowning.
"C-Come on, Aundei... You don't need to pretend to be tough for us..."
Aundei sighed, lowering his head.
"Sorry..."
The floragato of the group soon snapped his fingers, gaining everyone's attention.
"I know! We can go look around town! It'll benefit everyone!"
Peppy and Aundei seemed interested in the idea, though Snute shook her head dismissively.
"You lot can have fun. It's too hot, today." The ninetales began walking over to her bed. She yelped as her tail was pulled taut. She looked back to see Alfonzo gripping it in one hand.
"Ah, ah, ah, missy! Don't be a party pooper."
Snute growled, yanking her tail away. The other three giggled.
"I don't want to bother putting on my clothes right now," grumbled the ninetales.
"Oh, come on, Silly!" Aundei spoke. "We still know you're pretty under there, even if we can't see it!"
"And w-we can still see your pretty eyes!" Peppy added with a cheery squeak.
Snute growled, turning away with a blush.
"I'm not pretty..."
"Sure, you are!" Peppy corrected with a small smile.
"You're our pretty princess, Lucy!" Alfonzo declared. He pulled a tiara from somewhere nondescript, placing it atop Snute's head.
The ninetales sighed miserably.
"Whatever."
"Come on, Lucy! It'll be cool to see what's changed around town!" Alfonzo offered. "And we can cheer up Aundei while we're at it! And we can do... Uh... Whatever it is that Peppy wants to do!"
The fennekin smiled sheepishly, looking away.
"Oh, I j-just want to advertise my business, a bit."
Alfonso's brows raised. He knelt down to get more level with Peppy, gently taking her paw in his hand. She blushed a bit as he spoke.
"You've got a business, ay?"
Nodding, Peppy shivered just a bit.
"Uhm... Y-Y-Yeah...!" The fennekin's face went entirely red as the floragato leaned in. His nose pressed against her's. She could feel his hot, moist breath against her muzzle. It made her quiver.
"Well, well! I like a lady with some independence. What do you do, my fair maiden?" Alfonzo inquired. He traced a claw along the fennekin's chin, parting her soft furs with an angelic touch. He cupped her cheek in his palm, expertly caressing Peppy's plush face with his slender, maneuverable digits.
The fennekin shivered, stuttered, and squealed. Her tail flicked about erratically. Steam visibly puffed from her ears as her face only grew redder and redder.
"I... Um..! P-Pizza! Make! M-Make pizza! I do... That!"
Alfonzo suddenly yelped in surprise, leaping out of the way just in time to avoid the incoming snowball aimed for his head. Peppy gasped as well, scampering away. Aundei snickered lightly at the interaction.
"Stop flirting with everything lacking a Y chromosome," Snute grumbled. "It's bloody irritating."
Alfonzo took on a more serious expression, nodding.
"I believe understand exactly what you are asking of me, Lucille," the floragato confirmed. Taking on a more flirtatious expression, he turned to face Aundei. The glameow returned a friendly smile. Alfonzo leaned in close, gripping Aundei's paw. As the glameow smiled innocently, Alfonzo suggestively waggled his brows. "H-" Before he could start, Snute tackled the floragato with an annoyed growl. Alfonzo only laughed giddily in response, playfully swatting at Snute's titular bizarrely yet not unbelievably long snout.
The pair rolled around, grabbing, swatting, kicking, and biting at each other, Alfonzo laughing all the while and Snute only growing more irritated.
Alfonzo strode confidently down the boarding stairs of the S.S. Cryogonal, followed promptly by Aundei's calm gait, Peppy's nervous slink, and Snute's irritated slouch.
The floragato leading the group was fully dressed in his suit, tie, cape, and top hat, twirling his wand with a confident grin. Aundei wore a green cape in lieu of his usual golden one. Peppy was simply dressed in her chef's jacket, timidly adjusting it when she could. Snute was garbed once more in her black robes.
"It's... So... Fucking... Hot..." Snute panted. As her paw pads set into the hot sand, she yanked them back with a flinch and a whine. "How the hell do they keep these metal stairs cool, anyway?"
Aundei put on a weak smile.
"They have temperature regulation technology built into them, so they don't get too hot, cold, wet, or iced over."
"Okay, but why?" Snute grumbled, glaring back at the stairs. "If the ground's gonna be hot anyway..."
"Oh! That's, like, soooo no duh!" a third voice chimed in. The four looked up to see an emolga come to land gracefully on the railing. She smugly grinned as she addressed Snute. "It's so no one falls or anything. Arceus knows your hefty backside would make it hard to catch yourself." She then flew down and in a circle around Peppy, who backed away in fear. "...Or your freakishly long limbs." Deftly dodging Snute's swatting paw, she came to settle upon Alfonzo's hat, who looked up at her curiously. "I guess this clown could probably keep his balance, though. At least there's one thing he's good for."
"Hi, Yaddy," Aundei greeted with a forced smile. "If you'd kindly not criticize my friends, I'd appreciate that."
The emolga scoffed, shrugging. She took off from Alfonzo's head, deftly avoiding a flying snowball to instead land on the railing once more.
"Like, what... ever..." She dismissively waved a paw.
It was then that a purrloin made his presence known, striding down the stairs.
"Yaddy, what have we discussed about first impressions?" he sighed, giving her a disappointed look.
The emolga frowned, then grimaced.
"Ugh... Right... Fine, I'll compliment them." She turned to look down at Peppy, who cowered behind Alfonzo's legs. "Your pizza was fine, last time I had it." She then looked up to meet Snute's steely glare. "Your huge ass is pretty hot. More attractive than that dumb long snout, at least."
Snute's cheeks flared red in anger.
"Hey! That's-"
Yaddy had already turned to Alfonzo, who had his arms crossed. "Honey likes you, so you're probably cool, I guess."
"I'll have you know," Alfonzo began, "that dumb long snout is pretty divine for kissing! And other things."
Snute's face only turned redder, and she gritted her teeth. She didn't know whether to be a bit pissed off, very pissed off, flattered, or exceedingly pissed off.
Aundei smiled chipperly, nodding.
"Hey, he's right! It's a great snout!"
Aundei reached up to tickle Snute's nose with his tail, whilst Alfonzo poked at her muzzle. Peppy giggled, leaning upward to press her little wet nose against its underside.
Snute felt overwhelmed by the attention. She was trying her damnedest not to lash out.
"Stop touching me," growled the ninetales.
Peppy ducked back with a squeak, whilst Aundei and Alfonzo ceased their torment with smiles in varying degrees of mischief. Mostly just in the latter cat's expression.
The purrloin smiled.
"That's all well and good!" He gestured to himself. "My name is Mopey!" He then gestured to the emolga. "This is Yaddy! We're members of Team Mopey! Who may you three be?"
"I am..." The floragato dramatically held his cape over his face, chuckling. He then threw out his arms with a passionate flare. "The Amazing Alfonzo!" He raised his arms straight upwards, shooting confetti from his sleeves. He then pointed his wand toward Yaddy, blasting her with a third round of confetti.
The emolga shouted in alarm as she fell off the railing, only the be caught in the nick of time by her teammate.
Peppy and Aundei both laughed heartily, whilst Snute cracked a smirk for about half a second.
"And I-I'm Pepperoni! Everyone just calls me Peppy..." She bowed politely, receiving a bow in return from the purrloin, and a scoff from the emolga who was picking shreds of colored paper out of her fur.
"Snute," Snute answered simply, fidgeting with her bag.
Aundei stepped forward with a smile. "So, did y'all need something?"
"Just passing through, Au'," Mopey replied with a smile. "What are you all up to?"
"Oh, we were just out for a day of fun."
It was a long and eventful day before Team Stop Calling Me That arrived back in their room. They'd thoroughly accomplished all they'd agreed upon before departing.
Snute was about to collapse into her bed, but soon jolted in surprise as their room was jolted into complete darkness. They were greatly unnerved as the doors locked with a loud click.
"W-W-What's going on?!" Peppy squealed, hiding under Alfonzo and quivering violently. He shivered as well, hugging the warm fox close.
"That's... No good," Aundei mumbled.
Snute let out an irritated sigh.
"Bloody brilliant. Some sort of power outage?"
They all jumped in alarm as a voice crackled to life over the P.A. system.
"Hey, hey! I'm sure there were some morons out there who thought this was just a normal power outage." The voice paused just long enough for the offended ninetales to growl in annoyance. "Well, think again! It's your best buddy, the Draco-Shredder, here. You've all issued me an ultimatum, so I respond with a challenge. Come and get me, explorers, before I get you! Kahahaha!"
They waited in silence for a good five minutes. The voice never continued.
"What a pest," Snute grumbled, shaking her head.
"We can't just let them taunt us, like that! We should go show them what's what!" Alfonzo punched one palm with his fist.
"Oh, no no no," Snute shook her head violently. "I am not going out there with that violent fiend again. The fucker almost ripped my throat out." She reached out a paw, blindly feeling around for Alfonzo. When he felt it brush against him, he took hold of it with a cheeky grin, placing a kiss atop it.
"M'lady."
Snute sighed, yanking her paw away. "You're disgusting,, mate."
Peppy shivered in place, looking around, ears perking, jumping at every little sound.
"G-G-G-Gonna have to a-agree with Snute! I'm not going out there!"
Aundei stood up, glaring toward the door.
"Well, I can't just stand idly by and let them take more friends away!"
"Maybe you don't have a choice!"
The four explorers screamed in terror as a fifth pokémon dropped from the ceiling.
Peppy shrieked.
"No! W-Why us?!"
The room lit up in a red aura as the Draco-Shredder activated their dragon claw attack. Its expressionless mask was literally up, purple eyes shining behind.
The three explorers' terrified faces were illuminated as well, plus Aundei's vitriolic glare.
"Isn't it obvious? I just need to finish the job. Only one member of Team Northstar remains." They turned to face Aundei for emphasis.
Aundei's own claws lit up. They extended outward, glowing a brilliant light blue. He pressed his tail against the wall, building compression.
"You three get to safety. I have business to finish."
Nodding, Snute shot an ice beam into the ceiling, displacing one of the tiles. Alfonzo grabbed both her and Peppy, then slinging the three of them up with a yo-yo.
The two pokémon stared each other down, claws alight with their respective aura. Their eyes narrowed on each other.
"Stand down, Draco-Shredder! We don't gotta end this with blood!"
"No."
"I was hoping you'd say that." With a snarl, Aundei released his tail, springing forward at high speeds. He slammed into the Draco-Shredder, sending them crashing into the wall. He then pounced forward, slashing through the bottom of their robe, leaving a large gash as well as revealing some silver fur underneath.
The Draco-Shredder struck back with a slash of their own, claws crashing against Aundei's. The robed figure somersaulted into a kick, knocking Aundei backwards, before grabbing him with their dragon claws. They swung the car around in circles, before violently chucking him through the door, eliciting a pained yowl as it was forcefully unlocked and opened by the force of his body alone. The serial killer's mask was soaked with the first blood of the evening.
Sparing no time to recover, Aundei hopped up, raising his shining claws to block another slash. Both pokémon wildly slashed, swung, and parried each other, the halls lighting up in brilliant flashes of red and blue as their empowered claws repeatedly impacted each other. They both fought to suppress their pain as they bled a bit from their wounds. A rapid flurry of cuts flew from both parties, each expertly deflected with almost uncanny reaction time.
Seeing this was going nowhere, the Draco-Shredder solidified their tail until it resembled metal. They took Aundei off guard as they swung it into his chin, sending him stumbling backwards.
"Catch me, if you can!" the Draco-Shredder taunted, taking off down the hallway.
Growling in anger, Aundei gave chase.
"Come on, little kitty!" teased the killer. "I saw how you were earlier after you killed that poor dog. You don't have it in you to strike me down. What would Alena have said about that, by the way?"
Aundei flinched, letting out a small whine.
Smirking at the mental torment, the Draco-Shredder used Aundei's brief distraction to cast a lightning bolt over to him, knocking the cat off from his feet. By the time Aundei had gotten up, his target had fled to whereabouts unknown.
A good thirty of the pokémon that were present aboard the S.S. Cryogonal were gathered within the cafeteria. Various sentiments of dread, anger, and sadness filled the room. Of the large crowd, only two of them could be considered anything close to calm.
Yei was cooking up a meal, with the help of a few other explorers. Among them, she was doing the best job ignoring her fear. She had a duty to fulfil.
Near the entrance to the large room stood a gardevoir. She remained entirely serene, mentally scanning the other side of the door at all times. She stood with perfect posture, hands clasped in front of her. Ooka and Klyshio stood nearby. The door was barricaded with various objects.
"What do ya' think, Klyshio? Figure we'll catch 'em, this time?" the lopunny asked, pounding a fist into her palm for emphasis.
The simisage shook his head, shrugging.
"I mean... Maybe? I guess?"
"Well..." Ooka turned her head. "How about you, River? What do you figure?"
The gardevoir opened one eye. She thought for a moment, then shrugged, before letting her eye fall back closed.
The entire cafeteria, save for the gardevoir, all jolted in alarm as a pounding came at the large metal door. Everyone fell silent, looking at the gardevoir.
"W-Who is it, River?" A frightened ekans called from across the room.
The gardevoir focused her senses on the outside for a moment. After a tense minute of silence, she captured the presence within her psychic grasp.
Everyone jumped back as a flash and a pop filled the room. Snute, Peppy, and Alfonzo all fell on the floor, dazed from being teleported in.
"Oh, it's just the newbies!" an emolga called from the ceiling, snickering.
Inu and Yuku were the first to rush over and help them up. They were soon joined by Ringue and Zowt, who came to check on Peppy specicically.
"Oh, Peps, are you okay?" the slurpuff asked worriedly.
"Did the Draco-Shredder hurt you?" inquired the ekans.
Peppy shivered.
"I-I-I'm fine..."
The meowth of the group cleared his throat, garnering everyone's attention.
"Where's Au'?" Inu asked.
"He's fighting the killer," Snute answered flatly. Alfonzo nodded in confirmation, setting his tophat on the ground.
The various pokémon close enough to listen to the interaction each elicited surprised reactions. Even River quirked a brow, though kept her eyes closed.
Inu smirked.
"Figures that old chump would try to take all the glory." He turned to the gardevoir. "Come on, Rivs! Let me at 'em!"
Shrugging, the gardevoir focused her mind.
Yuku's eyes widened.
"Inu, wait!" She placed a paw onto his shoulder. Before he could respond, however, both the meowth and the absol disappeared in a flash.
Kysen approached, grumbling.
"Okay. Let me out so I can make sure my daughter stays safe."
The ever-silent gardevoir nodded, teleporting the older absol out of the door.
Marco walked up after. The zorua had a steely glare.
"That maniac has taken too much from us! I have to show them what's what!"
River levitated a few of the barricades out of the way, allowing the dark-type to walk through the door. She then sat them back down.
Ishe, Honey, and Pea walked up next.
"Aundei is a friend to all!" Ishe proclaimed.
"Would you be a dear and let us go return the favor?" Honey asked, suggestively dragging a hoof down River's side.
"I've had enough excitement lately. I'm just here to see these dorks off," Pea droned.
Honey and Ishe turned to smirk, striking matching salutes before they were teleported out. River was beginning to visibly sweat from the exertion.
"Look, folks! The poor girl's getting tuckered out!" Ooka stomped a foot for emphasis as she spoke to the rest of the room.
Klyshio nodded.
"If anyone else wants to go, gather here within five minutes so she doesn't have to teleport you one by one."
The simisage then stepped forward, himself, intent on assisting with the take-down.
Vanilluxe spoke into the microphone up on the stage.
"Please, take great discretion in your choice!" Lefty urged. "The Draco-Shredder is dangerous! You may lose your life! Some of our strongest have faced them down and not returned!"
The room erupted into murmurs, all making their choices. By the end of the five minutes, several pokémon stood in front of River.
Snute, Alfonzo, Peppy, Klyshio, Ringue, Lodiyo, and Kasey stood before them. As well, there was a rockruff, chespin, ponyta, umbreon, delcatty, shinx, and buneary.
Ooka waved goodbye to the buneary, who returned it with a confident nod.
Taking a deep breath, River concentrated intensely. With a silent shout, she teleported the entire crowd outside, save for the umbreon, who she once more levitated the barricade for. Once they were out of the room, the gardevoir relaxed. She began to fall toward the floor. In a flash, a raboot darted over at high speeds, catching her before she hit the ground. He sat the gardevoir down carefully against the wall.
Ooka sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank you for catching her! Um..." She looked down to scrutinize the rabbit. "I don't think I recognize you." She thought for a second more. "Or... Maybe I do?"
The raboot saluted.
"Popple! At your service, ma'am!"
"Uh, he wasn't in here, before," the emolga on the ceiling pointed out. She swooped down and landed on the raboot's head. "Where'd you come from?"
Popple pointed to Alfonzo's discarded hat. This raised questions from everyone except Ooka, who's eyes widened in realization.
"Oh, I remember! Fonzy summoned you from his hat!" The lopunny then paused, considering the information. "Wait, I thought that was just a magic trick. Do you actually, like, live in there? Is that how you escaped our custody?"
Popple smiled, tipping his own hat.
"A magician never reveals his secrets, my lady! Now, ta-ta, for I have a friend to assist!" He quickly grabbed Alfonzo's hat, then left through the door.
"Huh," a raichu said, walking up with Vanilluxe. "We should probably get that barricade set back up."
A meowstic helping Yei prepare food snickered.
"Poor River just had to teleport the entire population of West Alapsta."
"You said it," a lucario agreed from across the room.
Slowly, the pokémon inside picked back up in conversation as Ooka set the barricade back up. She then got a bottle of water for her dazed gardevoir friend.
"Stay hydrated!" cheered the bunny.
River accepted it gratefully, beginning to dizzily chug the drink.
Snute, Alfonzo, and Peppy had reunited with Aundei at some point, leaving the quartet of explorers walking in an uneasy silence. All they had to light their way was the flashlight on Alfonzo's APER Gear. Anything outside of its small cone of vision was pitch black.
Peppy sat on Snute's back while Aundei rode on Alfonzo's. The ninetales and floragato's paw steps came light and careful, yet each soft touch of their pads on the floor seemed to fill the dead silence of the hallway with a faint scratching.
Every little noise set the four on edge. Aundei was the only member of the group remotely feeling anything approaching calm.
Snute felt her ears perk up and alher furs stand on end as a scratching noise filled her senses. She stiffened, stopping for only a brief moment to peer back into the darkness, before gulping and rushing back to catch up with Alfonzo. Not even the ambient background noise of the ship's various systems were audible.
An ominous figure lurked directly above the four, shrouded in darkness. The Draco-Shredder expertly crawled along the ceiling. They made sure to brush, tap, and scratch the tiles occasionally, just enough to keep the team's blood running cold.
They took in a deep breath, filling their lungs with air. After a moment of hesitation, they let out a loud, shrill cry, activating their dragon claw and lunging down toward the group.
Snute, Peppy, and Alfonzo all hollered in pure terror, scrambling to get away.
Peppy kicked off from Snute's back with surprising strength, throwing the ninetales briefly off balance. She fell over completely as Alfonzo ran into her, the both of them falling, sending Aundei crashing down onto the floor whilst the APER Gear flashlight tumbled away and turned off.
Aundei quickly hopped over to the discarded light, picking it up and shining it around. Their assailant had vanished as soon as they appeared. He turned the light over to Snute and Alfonzo's collapsed form, the two hugging each other for dear life. Peppy was nowhere to be seen.
Aundei felt himself shaking with barely contained rage.
"You're a coward!" he shouted. "All you have is stupid scare and ambush tactics! You can't fight with honor!'
Peppy panted and whined as she ran and ran for her life. The fennekin had no clue where she was going, or even where she already was. She blindly rocketed down hallways, her particularly long legs serving to carry her at high speeds.
She felt herself smack into something, knocking her back onto her rump. It was something warm. Soft. And it grunted with her impact.
The fennekin shrieked in horror. Her pupils dilated ash she tried shuffle backward, away from the figure as far as she could.
Inu's eyes widened as he recovered from the impact. The meowth shined his light over onto the retreating Peppy, waving his free paw frantically.
"Woah, woah, woah! Take it easy, gal!" he frantically spoke. "It's just us!" He angled his light to the right, illuminating the sparkling white and red fur of his absol friend.
Yuku was catching her breath, a paw on her chest. Peppy's scream had startled her greatly.
"U-Uh... Phew... It's just you... Peppy..."
The fennekin soon caught her breath as well, slumping over in relief as Inu and Yuku closed the distance. They helped her shakily stand on all fours once again.
"S-S-Sorry..." Peppy whined, looking down guiltily. "I p-probably shouldn't b-be this scared, even if you w-were the killer... I'm such a coward... I'll never be fearless like Aundei..."
Inu crossed his arms, tapping his foot. "Hey, now. 'Nough of the downer talk! It's making me sad!"
Yuku gave Peppy a warm smile, delicately cupping the fennekin's cheek. Peppy looked up shakily into the absol's eyes as she spoke.
"Hey, now. You don't have to be fearless to be brave."
Peppy shakily tilted her head.
"Y-You don't?"
Inu raised a brow as well.
The shiny absol gave a chipper grin.
"Of course not! Being brave isn't the absence of fear; it's the ability to act in spite of it! Like me!"
Peppy shook her head sadly, looking down.
"Easy for you to say... You look so big and strong! I doubt you're scared of much..."
Inu smirked at this. Yuku was about to respond, but she yelped in alarm as the meowth suddenly clapped in her face. The absol promptly fell onto her side.
Peppy couldn't help but giggle a bit.
"O-Oh! I see..."
Inu nodded, helping Yuku up.
"Ay, listen to my partner, here. She's got some good wisdom. Maybe you'll always be afraid, but if you put your mind to it, you can overcomes that!' He exclaimed. He then looked over to Yuku, muttering to her. "Was that right?" The absol nodded in confirmation, eliciting a smile from the meowth.
Ishe and Honey walked with eachother, glancing around the dark corridors of the S.S. Cryogonal. The deerling crept more carefully to prevent her hooves from clacking against the floor.
Ishe abruptly stopped, causing Honey to do the same. She squinted at the growlithe in the dark, who appeared to be sniffing at the air.
Without warning, Ishe tackled Honey to the side. She cried out as a flash of red light struck down where she'd been just a second prior.
The Draco-Shredder raised their dragon claws, waving mockingly at the two. The deerling and growlithe quickly hopped back upright, the latter growling and the former batting her eyelashes.
"Now, now,' Honey began, "We don't have to be violent about this, now do we? There's... other ways we can settle disputes, if you catch my drift!~"
The Draco-Shredder scoffed, advancing forward.
"You always were a floozy. There's only so many problems you can fuck away, and I'm not one of them."
Ishe's whole body caught ablaze, lighting up the hallway in a brilliant orange as he darted forward. He began skidding to a halt as the Draco-Shredder leapt over his attack.
The killer let out a shout as Honey turned to buck them brutally, her solid, brightly glowing hooves knocking their smaller frame through the air. Ishe then leapt forward once more, his flame-charge making actual contact that time, knocking the Draco-Shredder into a wall.
Undeterred, the killer hopped up again, though they stopped briefly to cough, with some blood spilling from below their mask. They patting down the fire building on their black robe. Some of the fabric burned away near the bottom to reveal silver paws and a fluffy tail. They quickly leapt forward toward Honey, somersaulting and tearing their dragon-claw attack through the side of Ishe's neck. The growlithe growled in pain, falling on his side.
Before Honey could react, she received her own share of the Draco-Shredder's claws. The deer shouted in seering agony, bringing her hooves up to clutch at her burning face.
The killer began to funnel more and more power into their attack, making their claws glow, bathing the scene in an ominous crimson glow. Before they could finish the two off, however, they noticed two pokémon approaching from the distance. A ponyta and an umbreon strode up confidently.
The two each had elegantly flowing red capes. The former stood tall and proud, confidently stroking his long, pink beard. He stared the Draco-Shredder down with a grin filled to the brim with "I'm better than you" energy.
The umbreon was poised with complete calmness in her demeanor. Her shiny red eyes remained fixated on the killer before her. They were the only part of her body visible to portray expression, yet still none was present.
The Draco-Shredder snorted, waving passive-aggressively with their dragon-claws.
"The Aalder. Selena. So nice of you two to join us."
The ponyta scoffed, visibly offended. He turned his nose up, stomping a hoof onto the ground.
"Spare us your futile niceties, vile spectre of the underworld! You stand as an affront to the sanctity of our sacred realm, and as it will be, we avatars of peace and justice will purge this existence of the abhorrent likes of you!" His horn lit up with a brilliant aura, extending a lance of pure white aura. He lowered his stance to point it threateningly toward the Draco-Shredder. "However! As a reasonable and just executioner, I will provide you one last chance! Surrender, or perish by my light!"
The umbreon continued to stare blankly, though she nodded politely in agreement once The Aalder finished his speech.
The Draco-Shredder shook their head, sighing.
"Are you about done, old man? I don't have all night, here."
"Then your choice is made. May Arceus spare mercy upon your soul, where I shan't."
The ponyta charged forward with immense speed, though the Draco-Shredder was ready for it. As the pony seemed to almost teleport, the killer raised their dragon-claws to block the piercing lance of light. They over-estimated their own defense, allowing the attack to pierce through and send them flying backwards.
Before the Draco-Shredder could recover, the umbreon was already coming down toward them. They just barely rolled out of the way as four black paws smashed into the floor, denting the metal beneath them. She turned and swiped the killer up in one paw, then violently throwing them down the hallway.
The Draco-Shredder tumbled once upon landing, but managed to regain balance quickly. They settled into a sprint, before springing straight upwards and through a tile in the ceiling, laughing.
"After them!" The Aalder shouted, his voice sustained and full of range. Upon receiving a nod from the umbreon, the pair took off down the hallway, following the noise in the ceiling.
Inu, Yuku, and Peppy had met up with the rest of Team Stop Calling Me That. Aundei was relieved to see Peppy unharmed.
Their little gathering was cut short, however, as they heard commotion coming from down the hall. They turned to see the Draco-Shredder crash down from the ceiling and begin scampering away on all fours, trailed shortly after by Selena and The Aalder.
Snute's eyes widened. They appeared to sparkle with awe, fixated on their long red capes.
"W-Woah! Is that the Team Just Is?!" the ninetales squealed, holding her forepaws to her cheeks. Her tails began to wag in excitement. Her enthusiasm quickly vanished when Alfonzo lightly smacked her in the back of her neck.
"Quit fangirling, Lucy! We have a killer to chase!"
"Oh, piss off," Snute grumbled, shaking her head. With that, the group of six pokémon darted forward to help persue the Draco-Shredder.
The killer was breathing heavily as they rounded the corner, eying a specific door near the end of the hall. They skidded to a stop in front of it.
The explorers soon came to a stop as well, glares fixated upon their cornered assailant.
Having heard the commotion, several other of the explorers out scouring the halls went to join in as well.
Aundei stepped forward first, eyes narrowed.
"You. This ends now."
"It ain't over, 'till it's over," the Draco-Shredder growled back. Abruptly, they charged toward Aundei, not even bothering to charge an attack.
The glameow, however, channeled a piercing blue energy into his claws, extending them quickly. Much to his surprise, he tore across the Draco-Shredder's face without even an attempt by the assailant to dodge the attack.
The cloaked figure was knocked backwards, their mask shattered into pieces by Aundei's attack. Many present were surprised upon seeing the face of a minccino hop up. Appearing startled, they quickly opened the door behind them, before rushing inside and locking it.
"Oh, hell no!" Marco shouted, stepping out from the crowd. The zorua was glowing with a white intensity as he gathered all of the pure aura into his body that he could. With a blindingly fast dash forward, he smacked right into the metal door, Knocking himself backwards but sending the offending object flying off from its hinges and impaling itself into the drywall.
The crowd of explorers walked in to confront the Draco-Shredder once and for all. They laid their eyes upon the panicked form of Taffy, looking frantically around the room.
"I-"
Thr minccino was cut off as a pair of feet impacted her face. A buneary had leapt into her, kicking her onto her back.
Taffy cried out in pain, holding her nose.
"You!" Aundei hissed, stepping forward. It made him sick to admit it, but he took great joy on the look of fear crossing Taffy's face as she backed away. "You! You! You?! You..." He felt a multitude of emotions flooding his brain. The glameow looked like he was going to snap. "WHY?!"
"W-What?!" Taffy squealed, backing against the wall. Her eyes shrunk to pinpricks as the forms of several pokémon towered over her.
"Why did you do it?!" Aundei pleaded. His face was red with anger, tears flowing down freely. "You of all pokémon! The sweet, innocent little receptionist and mystery dungeon researcher was our killer all this time, eh?"
Taffy shook her head vehemently.
"No, no! I-It wasn't me! I swear!"
"It all makes a load of fucking sense, in hindsight!" Aundei shouted, exasperated. "After all, you were the last one in that cave-in with Alena, and you just so happened to have survived a one on one with the dangerous killer!"
"B-But..."
Marco stepped forward next, smacking the minccino down with a paw. She yelped, curling into a ball, yet she couldn't help but meet his fiery gaze.
"And you must've killed Amethyst because you were mad at her for what she said about you that morning! Yeah, it's definitely a coincidence that the Draco-Shredder miraculously chose to stalk us in a dungeon while you were on your 'walk', the very same morning you had an argument."
"And thems purple eyes!" Inu growled, extending his claws. "I was just pulling' ya' leg about it back when youse was interrogatin' me, but it was true all this time!"
"And that's another thing!" The Aalder declared, pointing a hoof toward the minccino. He stomped on her tail, eliciting a cry. "You were assisting with that investigation so that you could hide your own evidence, weren't you?! Despicable deceit!"
"And that signature dragon-claw move," Snute added. "The doctor told me that you were one of the pokémon he gave that aura-enabling APER Gear addon to, and I've seen you use that particular attack with it."
"You know, I'm not usually one for revenge," Aundei admitted, gazing down into Taffy's frightened eyes. His eyes only narrowed as she shrunk further away. "And, I will make no exception here. The others, however? I will not spare you from what they may do to you." With that, the glameow backed away.
"No! No! Wait!" Taffy pleaded, beginning to hyperventilate. "I c-can explain, darlins'! This is all just a big misunderstandin'!" She was soon getting crowded on all sides by her once-friends. Her heart sank as she spied expressions of malice, hatred, neutrality, betrayal, and complete defeat.
Angered shouts, roaring flames, humming energy beams, crackling bolts, slams, crashes, bangs, and Taffy's screams of agony all echoed from down the hall and into the room.
Amongst this, Lustig heard a shuffling noise. He turned to see a figure drop from the ceiling.
Yuja let her minccino disguise melt away, slumping against a support beam. She tried her best to shut out the borderline rampage from only a few rooms over.
The smeargle put her paws together, eyes closed. She looked pained.
Lustig walked over and embraced her tightly.
"I am sorry, my dear sister. It had to be done. If she knew wat ve are doing, she vould understand."
Yuja squeezed the shinx tightly, sighing.
"Why couldn't we have framed just about anyone else for this? She's so innocent..."
"Circumstance has simply lined up zis way." Lustig gave Yuja a comforting pat on the back, then pulled away to gaze into her eyes.
Yuja looked almost empty inside.
"I guess I should retire the Draco-Shredder identity, for now?"
Lustig nodded.
"Ve shall, yes. Ve have all ze bodies ve need for ze experiments, so a new identity vill also not be necessary."
"This had better be worth it," Yuja sighed. "No one will understand..."
"Oh, it vill," Lustig assured her with a grin. "And, I vouldn't be so sure. I vas spying on a particular new recruit earlier today, and she was expressing some beliefs quite in line with our own."
A/N
Initially, I didn't really plan to have an author's note this chapter. Heck, I was debating not even uploading it at all. There were some thoughts I exposited about this in the Christmas spinoffni did. But, change of heart. Some new things I felt needed to be said.
2022 and 2023 have been my two best years ever in terms of writing fanfiction. I've become more skilled, I can write longer stories, and I have so many good friends I've made along the way! But, with growth, you start to be able to see your flaws more. Not just with old works, but with new works, too.
I had a very productive first few months of the year, but writer's block struck long and hard after that. Every single mistake I've made in VU and AS has become visible to me. Every mistake I'm currently making. Every domino forty chapters down the line that will unceremoniously topple over incorrectly because of seemingly innocuous details now that no one else will even notice until it's too late. I can see the hole I'm digging myself.
I've done so much I regret with this story. I've committed to plotlines I no longer wish to commit to. I rushed character development and motivation. I ran out of time to set up things that needed to be set up ages ago. So many things I should have done differently, so many things I should have done better, so many things I should have done sooner, or later, or maybe even not at all.
Some good friends of mine, VG especially, have been doing their best to push me to relax about it. To just enjoy myself and my writing. For that, I thank them immensely. It's been hard, and I've not ever quite been able to accept it. I've been being pushed closer and closer to that edge with each encouraging word, but I just couldn't jump.
Crunchy's review on the Christmas special couldn't have come at a more perfect time. A week earlier and it might not have done anything, but it's the perfect time now for everything to click and push me over that edge. It just makes so much sense, now. I've come so far, why turn back now?
Rewriting the whole story in my new vision would be a doubting task, and who is to say I would do it right the second time? Or the third? Or the fourth? Failure is the best teacher, but you don't truly fail until you commit to failing. And, I think I'm ready. I'm ready to see this story through to the end. Whatever, whenever that might be, I'm not going to turn back! I will crash and burn with this story if I have to. It ain't over 'til it's over.
I'm not saying I'll never rewrite this, but hey. I won't know what mistakes to avoid until I make them, right?
So, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me to this point, and especially thank you to everyone who has encouraged me to keep going. I'm in some of the darkest days of my life right now. But, when things are most bleak, that's when hope shines the brightest!
I'm afraid. Very afraid. I'm afraid of how badly I'm gonna continue to fuck up this story. I'm afraid of committing to a fruitless vision. It's time to face that fear, head-on!
