Chapter 9: Direction
Seated right at the southwestern tip where the Bright continent met the ocean, the harbor city of Verdant Port flourished from its advantageous position. With the bay to its right and the ocean beyond underneath it, Pokemon here often availed themselves of the opportunity for travel and trade with other lands founded by explorers from the Mienshao Guild. Being the largest port on the continent, the early morning did not dissuade the busy Pokemon here from beginning their days, many having left their squat, adobe homes to head to whatever establishments lined the docks, or to the ships themselves for a voyage.
The boisterous sounds of Pokemon and moored ships, combined with the feel of bodies moving past him on the cramped streets, filled Van with a sense of familiarity he didn't think he would feel after only being gone for a few months. It felt good to be back.
Damia did not share this sentiment.
The large Dragonite grumbled to herself as the Scrafty led her through the street. She carried a heavy bag, a bit wider than even she was, on her back. She did not appreciate the constant shoves from the smaller Pokemon that bumped into her, and the persistent noise from small shops on the side got on her nerves. A particularly belligerent Lilligant tried to tell her off for bumping into her, but a glare that promised pain from the dragon shot that down real quick.
"Scrafty!" Damia huffed. The weight of the backpack's contents, no matter how warped due to Aether, was still considerable, and she was the only one capable of lugging the thing. That didn't mean she could keep up with Van darting ahead so quickly.
"How much further?" she asked, voice raised to reach him over the crowd. She saw the back of his hooded head flinch, and he backpedaled to walk beside her.
"Uh, sorry. Shop's not too far. Gotta pick up the key before we can set everything...uh, everyone down."
She grunted in reply, head tilted down as she trudged forward. Van pulled the brown hood further over his head and gripped his arm.
"Do you maybe want some help with that? I could... help lift from the back or..."
She didn't respond, eyes stared straight ahead.
"I guess that's a no?"
"Focus on walking. We can't stay out here for too long," she muttered. He stepped a little closer to hear her over the ambient voices.
"You worried about being spotted? It's still early, and I'm the only one out here who was in the newspaper."
"Yes, but the manager at the Distribution Center saw all of us appear back there. He knows who all is affiliated with Absol's now."
She was right. It was only twenty minutes ago when the entirety of the Absol guild had been transported inside the Verdant Port Distribution Center. They were lucky nobody besides the Persian in charge of the site was there. Needless to say, it became very cramped very quickly before they arrived at the current solution.
"The Persian? He's with us though, so we're good, right?"
"Don't be stupid. Soon, we won't have access to a center. They'll be closed down either because the ones running them want nothing to do with us anymore, or because they'll be taken into questioning. I'm sure that Persian will rat us out as soon as he gets the chance."
"Ain't that a bit paranoid though?"
She glanced down,, and the way she looked at him made him feel very small.
"Unfortunately, we only have ourselves to depend on. Deal with it."
Trying to continue the conversation after that seemed pointless, so he pulled his gaze forward instead, a sigh escaping his lips. They continued on down the street, Van now much more cautious about who might have caught a glimpse of his face underneath his hood.
The walk became a blur of sharp turns and cramped spaces, but soon they emerged from the maze of small streets onto a wide wooden boardwalk, the docks only a little further beyond. He hung a right to walk along the path, a line of establishments from restaurants to general shops facing the water.
After a bit, they arrived in front of a quaint brick building, with some of the edges chipped on the side. A sign in bold black lettering above read "Peri's Parts!" with a drawn wrench thrown in for good measure. To its side was a large, grey warehouse that dwarfed the shop next to it. Van gestured to it as they approached the door.
"That's where we'll be staying. Bought that thing thinking we would turn it into a bigger workspace but, eh, ended up barely using it for storage."
As he expected, she merely grunted in reply, so he pushed open the door and held it open for her as she lumbered through. He walked in and saw nobody at the counter, yet voices could be heard from the hallway further back. While Damia stood off to the side, he dinged the bell on the counter a few times and then called out.
"Hey, yo, Lou! You back there?"
"...Coming!" called a female voice.
A grunt from Damia pulled his attention to the side, where the Dragonite shuffled off the supersized backpack. She seemed to be in a rush to get it off.
"Hey. Might wanna..."
Sure enough, instead of laying it down gently, she let it fall off her shoulder the distance to the ground, where it landed with a solid smack.
They both cringed at the sound.
"Oof!" cried out literally everyone.
They didn't get more time to react before footsteps down the hall snagged their attention. Van looked up to the sight of a taller Scrafty, this one with a spiked mohawk, coming down the hall. She gawked at him, and then booked it to the counter.
"Van!? Holy shi- what the hell are you doing!" she leapt over the counter at a retreating Van.
"Hold up sis. Chill!" he cried with his arms up. Lou paid no heed to his defense and snagged him by his crest, shoving a newspaper in his face as she did so. Damia snorted at his grunts of pain.
"You know I had to hide this from mom this morning? Damn, and here we were thinking we would support you in learning how to create new things, not being a flippin' terrorist!"
"Lou, I said chill! It ain't like that at all!" he wriggled to get out of her grasp.
"Look, you gotta understand that what it says on the paper isn't what had happened at all. My guild is legit, we were trying to solve an issue but got caught up in something way worse."
Lou crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"For real? I'm just supposed to believe that?"
"Yes," stated Damia as she stepped to the lizard. Lou looked up at her nonplussed.
"Van, who the hell is this?"
"Uh, she's also with Absols."
Lou scanned the Dragonite up and down, and then nodded.
"Damn. She fine." She looked at her brother and smirked. "She yo girl?"
Van's face bloomed red as he tried and failed to stutter out a response. Lou snickered a bit at his expense before she turned back to Damia.
"What do ya'll even want anyway?"
"We need a place to lay low. Van offered to use your warehouse."
"And what makes you think I want to risk housing criminals on our property?" she questioned as she stepped up and squinted her eyes. She was taller than an average Scrafty, so Damia only had to lean down a bit to meet her gaze.
"How about because we're not criminals?"
"Sorry if I'm not gonna take you at your word, on account of my brother being wanted now."
They sized each other up, stone cold glares trying to find a chink in the other's armor. Van looked between the two with growing apprehension, but the rapid padding of feet on the ground drew everyone's attention to beyond the counter. In a second, a yellow blur slammed into Van's side and bowled him over, giggling being heard throughout.
"Vanny! You're back!" cried the small Scraggy in a young voice. He clung to Van tightly, and the older Scrafty chuckled and rubbed his head affectionately.
"Hey, sup Kip? Shouldn't you be at school right now?"
"I get to stay home cuz I'm sick!" as if on cue, Kip let out a loud sniffle, and giggled again. He hopped off his brother to let him stand, and looked up with wide eyes. "How come you're home? Who's that big lady?"
"Well, uh, I needed to come home because..." he groaned, and looked to Lou with pleading eyes. "Look, sis, can we just go to the warehouse? We can get everything explained once we get situated."
"...Fine. Damn, this is crazy. Kip, run upstair- aw, kid no!" she blurted. The Scraggy was currently in the process of trying to climb up Damia's leg. Without a word, she reached down to pick up the boy and set him on her shoulder.
"There. Let's just go," she muttered as she reached down to wrench up the backpack. She swatted Kip's attempts to play with the tendrils on her head, but besides that seemed to not be bothered by his presence.
Lou threw her hands up in surrender, and grabbed a set of keys from behind the counter before leading everyone outside to the warehouse. The entrance to the building was not on the side that faced the boardwalk, instead being located in the alleyway between it and the store. Van was thankful as they approached the large doors, having cover between both buildings would be useful for staying inconspicuous.
Lou fiddled with the key ring before she inserted it into a slot. With a heavy click, the doors were unlocked, and she gripped the handle on one of the doors. Van grabbed the other, and with some effort they both pulled back, sliding the doors to reveal the dusty, yet spacious interior of the building, streams of sunlight from the window lighting the otherwise dim space. Rather than concrete, the floor was instead made of heavily packed dirt, and its only contents were some toolboxes halfheartedly stuffed on some shelves in the back. Damia trugged in as the others closed the doors behind her with a heavy thunk.
"Alright," Lou huffed. "We're inside our warehouse. Now what, you gotta run back to let the others know where you're at?"
"The others are right here," stated Damia. She shrugged off the bag and set it down, gently this time, and opened the top flap to peek her head inside.
"We're inside, get ready to come out!" she called. Lou looked at her like she was crazy, but her eyes widened in surprise at the faint chorus of affirmation that escaped the bag. Van chuckled at her expression. She turned to ask him what just happened, but he held a hand up to tell her to wait.
Slowly, Damia tipped the bag over on it's side and held the flap up, Kip watching with interest. There was silence for a bit, before the opening distended and shuffled around. A second later, a white head topped with a blue horn popped out, and Vert pulled the rest of himself out of the bag. He stretched out and shook himself, letting out a groan as he did so.
"Never doing that again..." he muttered. Pandora crawled out soon after and stretched her arms high above her head. One by one, more Pokemon made their way out of the backpack, the space slowly growing more crowded. Lou's mouth opened in awe as the large Serperior, Willow, slithered out with Lumi, Clara, and Basil clung to her back.
"Van, I thought you joined a guild, not a circus," she said.
"Kinda hard to tell sometimes, to be honest," he responded. Lou held a fist to her forehead and grumbled.
"The hell am I supposed to do with all these mon in here..."
"Our deepest apologies for imposing on you in this way," stated a sophisticated voice. Lou looked up as Pandora approached her with a pleasant smile.
"Imposing is one way of puttin' it." She had her hands on her hips and frowned at the Whimsicott. She glanced up and scoffed at the sight of two Pokemon pulling out a seemingly unending tarp sheet that should not have fit in the bag.
"I assure you, we have no intentions of abusing your hospitality. I am Pandora, co-leader of the Absol guild, and I would love to discuss the lease to our housing arrangements for the foreseeable future." The tall Scrafty's eyes snapped back to the fairy at the word 'lease.'
"...ya'll paying?"
"We wouldn't have it any other way."
Lou stared blankly for a bit, before a wide smile grew on her face. She threw an arm around her brother and shook him playfully.
"Well shoot Vanny, you shoulda led with the rent! C'mon, let's go let mom know. Right this way Miss Pandora."
She grabbed Van's arm and rushed to exit the warehouse, Pandora shooting Damia a wave before she followed. The Dragonite turned to observe the rest of her guildmates, some still shaking off the rough ride, while others prepared the guild tent for set up.
She crossed her arms as she considered their position; the guild was entirely self sufficient, leaving would never be required, so the plan to hide it inside a location like this was actually quite brilliant. So long as nobody stalked them from the moment they left the Distribution Center, they would be able to stay here for as long as they needed, provided Pandora could broker an agreement with Van's family.
She should probably thank him for giving up part of his home for the sake of the guild. Maybe she would get around to it. Eventually.
"Wooooooah..." uttered a juvenile voice. She was reminded of her passenger, and promptly plucked him off her shoulder and set him down.
"You should go follow your siblings."
"Nah, I wanna stay here. How come so many Pokemon came outta this bag?" he wondered, curiously poking the thing.
"I... can't explain that in a way you could understand. Probably. "
"So, it's magic?"
"Sure."
He giggled at that and continued to play with the bag. She pushed him with her foot toward the back of it so he wouldn't get the idea to go inside, and was soon approached by a tottering Clara.
"I feel even more dizzy than normal! And here I thought you were careful, Damia."
"No idea what you're talking about," she replied, head turned to admire the rafters.
"Suuuuure. Hey, you weren't too mean to Van, were you? Lumi and I were a little worried."
"I was as cordial as always. Now, did Vert fill everyone in on what the plan is moving forward?"
"Not yet, he wants to get the tent up first before we have a guild meeting."
"Alright, I'll go kick things into gear so we can all get on the same page." She took a step forward, but then paused to look down at the Scraggy right at her heels. Kip looked up at her and smiled.
"And, watch him for me," she finished before walking off. Clara looked at the young Scraggy and squeed, snatching him in a hug.
"So cuuuute!"
With steeled faces, the group of Pokemon stood in a line facing the wide windshield. The sight of clouds drifting past in front and beneath them provided ample lighting to the room they were in, cushions spaced apart in neat rows for comfortable seating.
Lines of pink energy ran in embedded wires on the floor and walls, the only color in the otherwise steel grey space. In the very front, behind a complicated looking console, was a chair so large that even bigger pokemon could sit comfortably in it.
The Weavile, Mauve, stood a step ahead of the others, back rimrod straight with claws to her side. Behind her, a motley crew of Pokemon also waited; a Thievul, platoon of Falinx, Scolipede, Machamp, and Swampert, all stood in assembly. Since dawn, they had dutifully stood in silence, minds tempered for action as they contemplated what the day would bring them, and ready for their orders.
Content, they waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited...
...
...waited some more...
"...To hell with this. Mauve, if you would?" huffed the Thievul.
"Master was up late last night. It's good if he gets rest," smoothly replied the Weavile without even turning to look. As if a spell had been broken, the others slumped out of their upright positions, a collective groan sounding out. The Machamp rubbed his temples with two arms while he threw his hand out with another.
"Just...wake him up," he grumbled in a deep baritone.
"I don't want to disrespect him."
"We've been standing here for an hour. I think he's been pretty respected."
Mauve huffed to herself, but aquiested to the others' complaints. She walked over to the chair and grasped the back with a claw.
"Boon? I think we're ready to start the..." she trailed off, and her orange eyes closed hard in exasperation. She looked over her shoulder back at the others and slowly, as if she was embarrassed, turned the chair around on its wheels to show that it was empty.
She stared at the ground as the others wore blank looks. At that moment, the silence was broken by a loud crunching from the back. Mauve's eyes flicked up to watch Boon walk in from the hallway, a bowl of cereal in one hand and a spoon in the other. He threw up a wave as he made his way to the front, and everyone's eyes followed him as he continued to crunch on his corn flakes.
Mauve decided to simply stand straight at the chair's side, and Boon sat heavily in it a moment later. Only the sounds of his chewing and swallowing could be heard for a while, the chair moving from side to side as he pushed himself slightly with his foot.
After a bit, he set the bowl down and leaned his head over toward Mauve. She leaned in on reflex.
"Why's everyone here right now?" he whispered.
"You called a meeting," she whispered back, eyes flicked briefly to the other Pokemon.
"I did?"
"Yes, last night. About the Dungeons? Moving forward?"
"Yeah I'll be honest, at the end of the night I got wasted to celebrate. Dipped into Nook's stash."
"Damn..." mumbled the Thievul.
"I just woke up from a massive hangover," continued Boon.
"Do you...not have a plan then?"
"Wait." He held a claw up and closed his eyes. He nodded his head for a few seconds, 'hmmd' a bit, and then opened them with a wide smile.
"Yeah, there it is. Alright, thanks," he patted her on the shoulder and nudged her to go stand with the others. When she faced him again, Boon gave a loud clap and stood up to spread his wings wide. His violet eyes were as wild as the smile on his face, and everyone straightened up in response.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The time for waiting is finally over. Now that Mauve has broken that Keystone, we can finally move on with our plan to save the world!"
His enthusiasm bled over to the rest of the Pokemon present, previous awkwardness forgotten as they gave him their full attention. With a wave, he motioned for them to stand to the side, and with a few button presses on the console, a holographic map of the continent blipped up from the ground. Once they all stood around it, he pressed a claw tip on the location of the Match Quarry Dungeon, and it lit purple.
"From here, it's just a matter of seeing which Dungeons get unstable enough to have their Keystones revealed, and from there, a Leyline!"
"Do we know which Dungeons though?" asked the Machamp.
"Where? Where!?" exclaimed the Falinx as they hopped up and down.
"I had a great conversation with our patron last night after I blacked out, they helped point us in the right direction. These..." He pressed a couple more points on the map, highlighting the Moonlit Manor, Sapphire Pond, and Windy Spire Dungeons respectively.
"Are apparently the Dungeons that have started getting unstable next, they'll be our next target."
"Wonderful," stated the Thievul. "We can simply hop over today and take care of them."
"That would be a great idea! If it happened that quick."
"What do you mean?" asked Mauve.
"It takes time for a Keystone to reveal itself, Aether has to build up before that can happen. Not too long though, anywhere from two to three days. Which brings me to my next point! Mauve, how many Spatial Pearls did you use on your trip to the Dungeon?"
"Three, I believe."
"Yup, can't have that. We only have so many, and our patron is hesitant to make us any more. So, we'll just walk to where we need to go."
"No! No fair!"
"What's the point if we don't use them?"
"Are you certain, Master?"
"Come on..."
The Swampert grunted heavily, while the Scolipede just rolled her eyes.
"Hey, easy! Relax. It saves us pearls for later, it's not super necessary to get to places instantly at this point. Besides, level with me for a second." He put a claw out to steady the group, and flicked his eyes to theirs individually for a split second.
"Think about it. This might be one of the last times you're able to walk on the earth as it is for a while. Do you really just want to skip over it? The more we do this, the more Dungeons will spread and throw everything out of wack. Take some time to sightsee!"
He held his grin even as the others looked to each other with unsure faces.
"Well, sightsee as much as you can, anyway. That's what I'm gonna do."
"Beaches, mimosas?" questioned the leader of the platoon of Falinx. The other's in their squad looked to Boon with hopeful eyes.
"Damn right Aurum! If that's what you feel like doing, you'll like this next part. I'm gonna pair some of you up to go to these Dungeons. Who's ready to see some action!"
Each replied an affirmative in their own way, causing Boon to let out a laugh.
"Hell yeah! Alright, Vox."
The Scolipede perked up and raised her head.
"How do you feel about going with Aurum to Sapphire Pond? I think you could use some sun."
She mulled her head side to side, and almost imperceptibly nodded.
"...alright." Her voice came out as a whisper that could barely be heard. Nonetheless, Boon nodded in response.
"Bring us back a couple souvenirs. Next, the Moonlit Manor. Next to Viola?"
"Oh," exclaimed the Thievul. "If you would be so kind, it would be marvelous to experience the fine culture of Viola. I would relish the opportunity to be amidst a more refined atmosphere...erm, no offense," slyly offered Nook. Their haughty voice did not reveal any particular gender, and their androgynous figure kept many of the others guessing. Boon returned Nook's coy look with his own.
"Yeah, I figured your boujee ass would want to head over there."
"I'm simply a mon of class."
"That was bottom bin alcohol," he chuckled as Nook 'hmphed' in reply
"In that case, Mauve! You can go with Nook to the Manor."
"Of course. But..." Her eyes glanced briefly to the smirking Thievul before returning. "Is there a reason?"
"I think it'd be funny. Plus, you could stand to loosen up a little, and Nook could use some of your discipline."
"As you wish, Boon," Nook slinked up to her side, and she sighed. The Machamp spoke up next, arms crossed.
"That leaves Windy Spire to us?" he gestured to himself and the Swampert. Boon rubbed his chin with squinted eyes before he shook his head.
"Actually, I want to handle that one. I hear there's a tourist ship that takes you right out to the tower, gives me the chance to try out this bad boy!" From nowhere, the Noivern whipped out a straw hat, and donned it with a grin. Everyone was only mildly confused.
"I actually want to place you two where the Leyline should appear if all goes to plan..." he pointed to a dot at the very north of the continent, a long ways above Lumbell City. Machamp leaned over to look and snorted.
"Hollow Garden? That's the toughest Dungeon in the region."
"Exactly Cole, it's a Leyline. Channels of the world where Aether flows the strongest. As far as the rest of the world is concerned, they're just stupidly tough Dungeons. Don't worry, we'll back you up when the time comes. You and Pads can just head over that way and prepare."
"Got it boss. When are we heading out?" asked Cole.
"Let me run the plan by our patron later. We'll regroup tonight, but plan to be out by tomorrow. Take time today to prepare yourselves however you need. Ooh, also, I saw this awesome karaoke place last night, so let's plan to hit that up later today too."
They all gave nods of agreement.
"Alright. Avengers, disassemble!" he held his head high with his hands on his hips. Mauve sighed and spoke up.
"Wait, I thought we were the Magnificent Seven?"
"That was a couple weeks ago," interjected Nook. "I was under the impression we were The Expendables."
"Bad name! Not expendable..." muttered Aurum. Vox looked at them and patted the leader's head.
"We gotta keep it fresh. It's important for branding. Now, if there aren't any questions, I'll see you all later this evening?"
With various goodbyes, the others filed their way out of the main cabin. Only Mauve remained at her leader's side. He looked down at her and quirked an eyebrow.
"Somebody's got something on their mind."
"Have you had a chance to read this morning's paper?" She asked, making her way to the side of the room, where a table was set up.
"Hangover."
"Right, well I took the liberty of setting the ship down to retrieve it this morning, and I think you should see this." She grabbed the paper off the table and held it up for the Noivern to take. He read the headline and huffed.
"Well, that didn't take long. Is that the Meowstic you folded?"
"Yes, along with the others who were there when I destroyed the Keystone. I'm just...concerned, is all."
"About what?"
"Absol's guild researches Dungeons, and they were also the only ones to see me when I attacked the Keystone. If there was anyone who could possibly get in our way, it would be them. Nobody else even knows the cause of the Dungeons acting strangley."
"From the looks of this, they don't have long until they'll be arrested."
"Even still, Absol's is a necessary component in the relationship of the Guilds. It's possible they might still be in operations despite the negative press." She looked at the ground, pensive, but the paper was shoved back in her face.
"Idea, let's just swing over and ask."
"Ask?"
"Pose as a reporter, journalist, or whatever. Nobody knows who we are, so it's no problem to walk in and ask about the situation. Right?"
"...Yes, you're right. And it would give us an idea of how careful we need to be."
They made their way to the large chair, and Boon set himself down in it as he fiddled with the controls.
"Do you know where they're at?"
"Their headquarters is on the east, below the mountains."
A small jolt from the thrust rocked the cabin as the ship picked up speed. The clouds floated idly by and began to woosh past as the craft zoomed over the sky, and soon water sped past. Boon leaned back with his arms over his head, a content look on his face.
"Have any nice dreams, lately?" he started, abruptly. Mauve's eyes flicked to him and she processed the question.
"I haven't dreamt in...a while. I don't remember my last dream," she answered.
"What, you get Dream Eater'd?" he asked with a grin. "But seriously, if something's on your mind and you can't rest, let me know. I'll always listen."
Her eyes widened slightly, and she averted her gaze to the ground, face warm and an unfamiliar feeling in her chest.
"Thank you. That's...very kind. To be honest, what we're about to do has been weighing on me. I hope we can accomplish what we need to soon so others don't suffer too long. We've already caused problems for the Absol guild."
"That's why we're gonna try and move as fast as we can. I want us to pace ourselves, but we'll get there soon enough. The world will look like a different place when we're close to done, but it won't stay like that for long."
"Right..." she trailed off. Boon stared at the controls as he thought of something else to say, but she beat him to it.
"Do you dream, Master?"
"Do I dream?" he huffed out a small laugh. "That's...hmm." His eyes got a faraway glint to them as he stared out the window, up at something only he could see. Mauve waited patiently for his answer.
"...Not sure if you could call it dreaming. Imagine that you have a bunch of cans of different paint that you splattered on a wall, and you watched as it all bled down and molded into each other. Just a meaningless, multicolored mess that never stops moving. That's what stays in my head anytime I close my eyes for a while."
"Oh. That doesn't sound...pleasant." Was all she could offer. He shrugged in response.
"It's not all bad. Sometimes, our patron visits me in my dreams. Helps keep me company, and gives us some direction!"
"Our patron visits you in your dreams? How long have you known them?"
"Oh, as long as I can remember. They've been there for me ever since...erm...since...a good while," he finished with a smile, smaller than usual. She didn't comment on it.
"They must be as kind as you, to help with this task."
"They're pretty chill," he agreed.
They spent the rest of the ride in silence as the ship zoomed over the water. About half an hour later, the land appeared underneath them, and Boon slowed the ship down some. Mauve stepped forward to place a claw on the glass and squinted.
"There," she said, pointing to the small collection of buildings far on the ground.
"I believe that is Thistle Town, so the guild should be just ahead of it. Try and follow the path."
Boon brought the ship closer to the ground, and combed over the ground as they followed the dirt path from above. Mauve pressed both claws to the glass when she failed to find what she was looking for.
"Something wrong? Did we miss it?" asked Boon. She ran off to grab the paper and then came back, frantically flipping through it until she came to the map of the continent that came with every issue. She looked at it, and then at the space down below multiple times.
"...It's gone."
"What?"
"The guild. It's...not there anymore."
Indeed, where she was certain the Absol guild was supposed to be, now all that remained was a circle of off colored land at the end of the path, where it once was. Boon leaned forward to look as well, and chuckled at the sight.
"Damn. How'd they pull that off?"
"It's possible they may have already been detained, but...no that doesn't make any sense, there would have been an announcement if Absol was arrested. And they wouldn't have just removed the guild so quickly..."
"So, what, our guys pulled a Houdini and disappeared?"
"I don't know what a Houdini is, but it looks like that's the more likely solution. That guild is the only one that actively utilizes Aether. It's possible they could have used it to avoid capture," she mumbled. She held her head in a claw and frowned in thought. Boon nodded slowly.
"Alright. This...is good!"
"Good?"
"We can make this work. If they're out there, that means if they do try and come after us, authorities will focus all their attention on them. Leaves us some more room to breathe."
"But if they do manage to pursue us?"
"Then just handle it how you did the last time. Or..." he held up the newspaper and grinned. "Do you not want to beat the crap out of this cute Meowstic again?"
This time, a full blush bloomed on her face, and she turned away slightly.
"I will do whatever's necessary."
"Just sayin', they say true love hits you like a kick to the head." He snickered as she stiffened up and walked away.
"I will go inform the others of this news, thank you for your time master." she called as she walked.
Laughter was her only response.
Setting the tent up again was not the hard part. With the combined effort of everyone involved, it only took around fifteen minutes to get the main Absol shaped tent and the two side ones stood up proudly in the center of the warehouse.
It was the interior that was a disaster.
The tradeoff for the quick transportation of an entire facility via heavily exploiting it's flexible dimensional properties is, surprisingly, a giant mess. The main room with the job board was spared the most, on account of it not containing much to begin with. The Development and Residential Wings on the other hand gave everyone pause, the chaos that came with shuffling everything around much more apparent.
Purl had bemoaned the fate of the Tailor Branch. The large cauldron on the Crafting Floor had spilled a significant amount of liquid Aether onto the ground, and the oversized spools of thread had been knocked from their places and pooled around the ground, crafting materials for accessories also knocked around haphazardly.
The Bio branch was only slightly better off, most of the trees and plants having remained intact, but unfortunately a good portion of the fruits growing had been knocked off, some even squished by fallen branches. The adolescent plants that grew in the personal greenhouse workshops of those in Bio suffered the most, having been shoved off the grow tables and damaged in the fall.
Willow didn't move as she stared into her wrecked workshop. Nor did she react as Brook attempted to get her mind off of it.
Compared to the others, the Dynamo Branch only suffered minor inconveniences. Most of the floor consisted of the Proto Dungeons built into the floor, so the most damage came from orbs, wands, and other things being knocked to the ground. Damia ensured that those who had cleaned their stations in Dynamo were to go assist wherever was most needed. It was silently agreed upon to not go tend to everyone's personal rooms until the Development Wing was taken care of.
Nobody wanted to be set back on their own projects any longer than necessary.
Lumi admired this sentiment as he scrubbed the floors of the Tailor branch and squeezed the liquid out into a bucket. It had been a few hours since they had come in and began repairing the guild, and this was the only branch that still needed work before it could be considered operational.
For as laborious as the process was, Lumi found he didn't mind the work. It gave him the chance to do something he had been meaning to do since he arrived; actually meet more of his guildmates. Besides the guild heads and some of the mon working in their branches, he hadn't met many of them before the events of yesterday. Because so many were busy cleaning in one location, he was finally able to properly introduce himself to those around him and engage in conversation.
Being wanted didn't bother a lot of them. This was the common theme that he noticed as he listened to them speak. A rather calm Audino named Bell summed up the general consensus pretty well when he asked how she was taking the news.
"We're pariahs by nature. We court daily with things most Pokemon don't care to understand, so in a way we've always been outsiders. The only real difference this makes to me is now I have even less reason to go outside."
"Aren't you a little worried you might not see your family again?" asked the Meowsitc. She shrugged in response.
"I have a family here, so I'm not concerned about that. If my home away from here chooses to believe what they read in the paper, well then won't they feel stupid when we prove them wrong?"
Her words echoed in his mind as he continued to clean. Did he think of the guild as a family? He would like to, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't have much choice but to get closer with the Pokemon who shared these walls. Vert hadn't given a rundown yet of what the plan was moving forward, but he was confident it had something to do with that Weavile and the Keystone.
A tap on his shoulder jogged him from his thoughts, and he turned to look up at Damia. He got to his feet.
"What's up?"
"Are you about finished here?" she asked, gesturing to the area. The Aether had left a stain on the floor, but besides that, most of it had been soaked up, and the tailoring materials had been salvaged as best they could. He nodded.
"Alright. Walk with me," was all she said. She turned to go, and he hurried to follow after her longer strides. She led him out through the main room and through the Residential Wing. He glanced up as he pattered after her, but she made no indication that she wanted to say anything.
They made their way up the great staircase in the center of the room, and he found himself in front of one of the only flaps he hadn't been in yet. The only word he could use to describe it was grand; a rich blue material was embroidered with purple and white designs. Motifs of the sun, moon, and stars decorated its surface, and he found himself transfixed by the stylized representation of the world on its center, held aloft by engravings of what looked to be Legendary Pokemon.
Damia opened the flap to walk through, so reluctantly he tore his gaze away to follow through.
Books. That was the first thought that popped in his head when he saw the interior.
It wasn't the size of the immense space that stood out to him. By now he had become accustomed to such things from this place. Nor was it the absurd amount of books strewn about on the floor and placed on towering oak bookshelves, although it was more literature in one room than he had ever seen in his life. No, to Lumi, it was the silence that spoke the most to him.
This place was hallowed.
An ethereal light illuminated the place from stained glass windows on the far walls, azure luminescence bathing the atmosphere from the lit glass frescos of Pokémon. They were the same types as the ones seen on the top of the dome in the Development Wing. He stepped forward on soft carpet, and marveled at how high the ceiling was, purple ribbons streamed down from nowhere in the ceiling to kiss the tops of tall bookshelves. Looking left and right, the space was more akin to a great hall that led down a far way beyond. Stairways led up to a higher level with even more bookshelves embedded into the sides.
Despite the grandiose nature of the library, the silence and high ceilings did not feel overbearing. There was a calmness here, an invitation to walk amongst its shelves and allow yourself to get lost. Lumi's mouth was opened slightly as he turned his body around to take it all in.
"First time in the Library?" asked Damia. Her voice pulled him from his observations to her, stood off to the side with her arms crossed.
"Yeah. It's...it's something alright," he breathed, unable to put into words the feeling.
"There's alot here. Everything our line has studied in regards to Dungeons; history, theories, stories, even general knowledge. It's all stored here. I haven't even gotten through half of it."
"You think there's anything to do with what's going on with the Dungeons in here? I'm guessing Vert already told you."
"There is, but we'll worry about that later. Right now, I just wanted a quiet place to talk."
"About what?"
"You," she stated, gesturing with a claw for him to follow her. They ventured deeper through the Library, paths of bookshelves branching out on either side. At one juncture, Damia threw up a wave to the side, and he followed her claw to see Vert and Pandora. The two were busy picking up and slotting books in from the ground, and he guessed this is where they went to assist in the cleanup. He locked eyes with Vert and exchanged greetings, before continuing on his way with Damia.
Eventually, they reached a long sitting area, a wide path in the middle of the bookshelves. Thick, heavy cushions big enough to crawl and sleep in rested across from each other, adjustable tables in between them. They walked down a bit until Damia apparently found a set of cushions she liked, before she sat down on one of them. Lumi took the other one, and his whole body almost sunk into the plush pillow. He chuckled as he adjusted himself.
"Cozy."
"We spend a lot of time here, it helps to be comfortable when you study."
"Study huh? And here I thought I had graduated," he joked, sarcastically slumping himself over the table. Damia snorted in response, and he was glad.
She sat with her back straight and eyes locked onto him. She could be quite intimidating without trying.
"Ideally, we would have assigned you a beginner's curriculum while you adjusted to small tasks and life here at the guild. From there, well, learning never stops."
"I would have loved that, honestly. Too bad this whole wanted thing kinda threw a wrench in that plan."
"Maybe, but from what I've seen and heard, you're quite adaptive."
"Uh, thanks."
She nodded, hunched forward a bit. One of her claws tapped her leg as she glanced off to the side. Lumi's head tilted a bit as her eyes flicked to him a few times, mouth opened as if she wanted to say something. Her eyes shut briefly as she shook her head once, and he leaned back when she faced him again, curious.
"...I like to know who I'm dealing with when a Pokemon joins our guild. It looks like you're spending a lot of time with Van, so that means you'll most likely be under my watch."
"Sounds about right, I'd like to learn more about Dynamo."
"So then, you won't mind if I ask a couple questions? Just to get to know you more, is all," she asked. Lumi shrugged in response.
"Go for it. Not much to tell though. Grew up in a boring town, helped my parents run the shop, read alot of comic books..."
"Grew an interest in the least popular guild," offered Damia. He grinned in response.
"That too. Couldn't, uh, join until I was older because my Dad was big on me finding a job that wasn't anywhere near Dungeons. Hard to stay away when you guys were right there shooting fireworks up every morning."
"Hmm. Your parents always try to keep you away from guilds?"
"Yeah. Well, mostly Dad. Mom never seemed to care all that much. She used to sneak me out to go near the Dungeons back home, and even snuck me super complicated books on orbs when I was younger. Now that I think about it, they probably came from here... that stopped though when Dad found out," She nodded slowly as she processed his answer.
"Your Dad sounds hesitant when it comes to Dungeons. Do you...know what your parents have done? They haven't always run the shop, did they?"
His eyebrow raised slightly.
"It's common for older Pokemon to have done multiple things, is all," she tried. Lumi saw through the attempt at backpedaling, but kept that to himself.
"...Sure. I mean, when I asked they told me they used to be bounty hunters. Small time, before they decided to settle down. Mom likes to tell fight stories, sometimes."
"Small time. That's it?" his eyes glanced up in thought, before a small laugh escaped him.
"I doubt Dad could handle anything scarier than a Parent-Teacher Conference. Why, do you know something? You seemed pretty thrown off when they came by this morning."
"Just cautious is all, you can never tell sometimes with bounty hunters," she answered quickly. Before Lumi could comment, she moved on.
"You don't have to answer this next part if you're not comfortable, but, I couldn't help but notice your mom..."
"Is an Espeon? Yeah, I've gotten that a few times, it's no big deal."
"Oh?"
"Trust me, I had the whole "Am I adopted?" talk a while ago. But, they're really insistent that I'm theirs. Mom was...adamant about that."
"Can't say I've heard of something like that."
"They said I have some weird 'inherited genes' or something. I don't know. Doesn't really change a whole lot, does it?"
"No. I suppose it doesn't," she agreed, eyes cast to the side. Lumi spoke up suddenly, blue eyes trained up at her with both paws on the table.
"Well, this got a lot more personal that I was expecting, but that's fine. Means I get to learn more about you then, right?" he offered with a smile. He was casual, but the intent in his eyes and the clear expectation in his voice told Damia that he wanted this to be a fair exchange.
She'd allow it.
"Of course. Go ahead."
"Why so interested in my parents?"
The question gave her pause, and he watched her eyes widen slightly before she steeled her features.
"I just wanted to get an idea of your upbringing is all."
He 'hmmd' and then shrugged.
"Nah. You seem more interested in the whole bounty hunter thing. Is that gonna be a problem? I'm just trying to figure out why you recognized them on sight," he responded, head leaned on one of his paws as he looked at her.
"I have...prior experience with bounty hunters."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yes. Around seven, eight years ago? Before I came to Absol's, I was part of the Haxorus Guild, the guild where a majority of bounty hunters go to train and take missions. There are records of past hunters, and I recognized them from those, is all."
"You must have a really good memory, to recognize small time hunters from like, thirty years ago," he said. She gave a noncommittal shrug, but his eyes remained insistent.
"Damia?"
"...If you have questions, you can ask your parents. I don't want to overstep. More than I have, anyway."
"Ah." He leaned back in the cushion to stare at the table. He had a pensive look for a split second, but it was washed away with a smile.
"Weird. I just might do that. At the risk of overstepping myself, how come you decided to leave the Haxorus Guild?"
"A difference in perspectives. Power is important to me, and I felt I could find more of it here by studying all the possibilities Dungeons have to offer. That, and life there could be...stifling. I wanted something that could let me be creative."
"I don't think I've thought about items in terms of power, besides the ones that blow stuff up."
"Power comes in different forms, explosions are simply the most gratifying. There's untapped potential in everything we make, no matter how obscure it might sound. With the right application, anything can be possible with them. Have you thought of anything you'd like to create?"
"I've just made Quick Orbs so far...wouldn't know where to start with anything original."
"A little study and time in the field will give you an idea. Speaking of, there is one last thing I wanted to ask you."
"I'm all ears," he remarked, flipping an ear up for effect. She rolled her eyes and continued.
"Vert might mention it later, but we're planning on having a few teams go out to try and get a handle on the Dungeons, and-"
"Say no more, I'm in," he interjected, paw raised. Damia blinked in response.
"...just like that?"
"Oh yeah, that Keystone stuff sounds way too interesting to pass up. Plus, I kind of need to redeem myself for getting my salad tossed so easily last time," he said as he scratched the back of his head.
"I can respect that. But, you do realize there's a chance you could be arrested on sight, we don't have much of a plan for when we get there, and we will most likely run into dangerous Pokémon that most definitely outskill you, right?"
"My hurt feelings aside, yeah that all sounds about right. If all that's true, why ask me to begin with?"
"You were there when this whole mess started. Besides Vert, you have the most first hand experience with what we're dealing with."
"Well, me and Van."
"Scrafty can stay here."
"Oh riiiiight, you and him have a whole thing. Welp," He leaned back with his arms folded behind his head, eyes closed with a smug look.
"Nevermind, I'll just stay here." She sighed and rubbed her eyes with a claw.
"You're not serious."
"Pretty serious. Look, Van's my guy, I can't just leave him out of something like this."
"You met him like, two days ago."
"And in that time, he's been a good friend, and a dependable partner when we've gone to Dungeons.
"You two have already decided to be Partners?"
"Well...I have to bring it up to him, but I don't see why not. A Partner is someone you agree to cooperate and confide in long term, and I think we're a good fit. To be honest, I was surprised when I heard that the mon here also practised it."
"Oh, we do. I just think there might be better candidates, is all."
"You might be surprised, he really pulled through for us last night. Vert and I were unable to battle, and if it weren't for him we wouldn't have lasted nearly as long, I think."
"...Fine," she exhaled a breath. "I'll think about it."
"Awesome! When are we leaving?"
"You really don't slow down do you? If you haven't noticed, we need time to regroup. Hopefully we can be out by tomorrow night, once we get a plan together for moving about undetected."
"We could just hide in some bags again. Although, are you even able too..." he trailed off, before his ears flicked and he shut his mouth.
"Am I able to what?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. He licked his lips in apprehension.
"Uh, nevermind. Hey, so now that we're almost done with cleaning, do we just go back to how things were before? I doubt anything's going to be posted to the notice board for a bit."
She squinted at him, but chose to continue.
"Don't underestimate the guild, we can bounce back pretty quick from this. For you though, I had something different in mind." She leaned down to shuffle in her own bag for a bit, before she pulled out a thin, green book. She laid it on the table, and Lumi looked at the title; "Aether and You: The Novices' Primer to Item Creation!"
"The circumstances aren't the best, but that doesn't mean we can't get started on your education. That was written by a prior Guildmaster a while ago for those new to our guild. Your assignment is to finish that before dinner."
He picked it up and flicked through the pages. It wasn't terribly long, and seemed to be made up of mostly diagrams and short paragraphs. Damia picked up another book from her bag, significantly thicker, and set it on her lap.
"You're not going to head back?" He asked.
"Studying is always easier with someone else, and plus I can answer any questions you might have," she replied. She opened to a page in the middle of her book, eyes trained on the words. He opened the first page and glanced at the opening remarks, before glancing at her one more time.
"Thanks, Damia."
"Mm-hmm."
For the next couple hours, the two sat in comfortable silence, focus enhanced by the soothing silence of the Library. Pandora peeked her head from behind a bookshelf and smiled at the sight of them.
Dinner was an interesting affair.
Due to some of the equipment needing to be repaired, the Guild had to make do with being served a humble meal of salad topped with berries, and crackers on the side. If he were honest, Vert was just happy to eat anything at all, cleaning the library had taken the majority of the day, and he struggled not to fall asleep as the food was served to everyone at the table.
A part of him did wish they had something more impressive for their 'special guests' however.
In order to further ingratiate themselves to their hosts, Pandora had offered Van's family the opportunity to dine in their guild, in an effort to show that no, the Absol guild was not a band of immoral thugs hellbent on world domination. Vert agreed to the idea, but he was unprepared for just how many guests they would be entertaining.
At first it was normal. A trickle of his apprentices would take their seats, then a steady stream before they began their meal. It just so happened that once one Scrafty walked in, more just kept coming.
A whole train of the lizards filed into the room, some taller, some shorter, some with different crest styles. A whole table was set out specifically to accommodate them all, and the noise of the room increased significantly as they all made comments to each other. That noise was doubled when an older Scrafty was pushed in on a wheelchair and proceeded to reign in her children. Van dutifully pushed his mother down the length of the hall.
"Kip! Stop wandering off! Boe, stop flirting with that Furret! Lou, get your sisters before they get lost! Hey, which one of yall still hasn't finished your homework, don't think you're getting out of it!"
And so on.
Thankfully, once everyone had their food in front of them, the noise levelled out significantly, and he was relieved to see that, for the most part, everyone remained in high spirits despite the events of the day. A glance at the side table showed that Van's mother, Periwinkle as he was told, was also rather pleasant to be around when her children were all in one place.
He was already feeling himself begin to dose off when a shove in his side jolted him back to the waking world. Everyone else's plates looked clean, and Pandora drew his attention, the approaching Van pushing his mother over.
"So, you're the Absol I've heard so much about," she started. He could tell she was suspicious, her aged but spunky voice tinged with distrust.
"That would be me. I hope I'm not as scary as the papers make me out to be."
"Not scary, but you got suspicious written all over you. Just what have you got...got," a series of coughs interrupted her tirade, but she stubbornly fought through it."...my boy doin'? I let him come here because I thought he'd learn to be less clumsy, not to fight terrorists!"
"Mom, we've been over this..." tried Van.
"Your son was brave enough to fight against those terrorists that would attack the balance of our world. We're planning on doing something to stop it, but unfortunately, the world seems to have it backwards."
"Yeah, yeah, I heard it from her." She pointed to Pandora. "If what yall's is saying is true, then just do me a favor and keep this one safe? He's the oldest boy I got."
"Of course, I'd protect him with my life," responded Vert without hesitation.
"See that you do. And as for you..." She reached behind and pulled Van down by his crest. He grumbled as she held him down to her level, and she fixed him with a smirk.
"Try and use your head every now and then, yeah? Sometimes you come up with good ideas when you remember it's there."
"This is why I don't visit..." grumbled Van. His mother released him, and another Scrafty came to take his place. Soon, the entire gang of Scrafty filed out, leaving the dining hall surprisingly silent. Pandora turned to a red-faced Van.
"She was rather pleasant, all things considered," he sighed in response.
"She never gives me a break."
With the guild all in one place, Vert figured now was the time to address them all in a more comfortable environment.
Quickly though, because he was tired.
"Everyone, attention please," he stated, stood up at the head of the table. All eyes turned to him.
"First off, I want to thank all of you for your cooperation in our abrupt departure from our usual location. Without your timely execution and adaptability, I don't know if we'd be eating dinner together like this."
He paused to let the praise sink in, and also to figure out how to word the next part.
"To address the Donphan in the room,"
Jade the Donphan perked up from her spot on the side, and eyes briefly flicked to her before Vert continued speaking.
"...we received very surprising news this morning. I understand if many of you are scared and unsure about what this means for our Guild. Unfortunately, I can tell you that stepping out of these walls is not advised. You are a target now by association. I think I can speak for all of us here when I say that this is not surprising, but it is surely disappointing. We do all in our power to provide useful tools to assist others in their exploration of Dungeons, and yet still we are not given the benefit of the doubt."
"Of course we'd get blamed for this," groaned an Elektrike from the back.
"I guess it doesn't matter how long we help, Pokémon are still ungrateful..." chimed in a Noctowl.
Other guild members provided their own irritated remarks, and soon the whole hall had erupted into a mass of Pokémon crying out in frustration. He understood their bitterness, so he let them go on for a bit, before he raised his voice again.
"Nevertheless," his voice quieted the room in an instant. "That won't stop us from doing the right thing. We were framed for the meltdown of the Match Quarry Dungeon, which means the true culprits are still out there causing trouble. Seeing as we're the only ones who know the truth, it's up to us to set things straight. Some of you might be asked to accompany our guild heads out to combat whoever is causing trouble, and I encourage the rest of you to do what you can to support them. This is our show, now."
"Always searching," he started
"Never lost!" finished the rest of the guild at once. He nodded
"Remember that, and we'll get through this just fine. Now, get some rest, you've earned it."
At the end of the speech, his apprentices filed out of the room. He sat back down next to Pandora, who gave him a polite round of applause.
"Couldn't have said it better myself, dear."
"I'm sure you'd think of something. Still..."
"Hmm?"
"I feel like I forgot something."
At that moment, his eyes flicked to the Pachirisu approaching from the side of the table. Vert and Pandora shared a glance.
"Oh, there it is. Hey Patty, enjoy your dinner?"
"It's Pepin! And yes, it was quite nutritious," remarked the squirrel. He still had on his bowler hat. It was still charming.
"I do hope you enjoyed your stay in the broom closet last night," offered Pandora with a sharp smile. Pepin simply put his paws on his hips.
"I'll have you know that I turned that smelly closet into my own personal office! Your attempts to thwart my quest for the truth has been turned on its head."
"You're determined, I'll give you that. Find any truth while you were scrubbing the floors?" asked Vert.
"As a matter of fact, yes! In talking with your apprentices, I realized each of them are newsworthy in their own way. Everybody has their own views on just who the Absol Guild is, but I wanted to go ahead and do you the favor of setting the record straight! Everyone loves a good underdog story, after all."
"Do us a favor? How do you plan to do that?"
"By scheduling you!" said Pepin as he whipped out a small notebook from his tail. He opened it and put a pen to the page.
"Scheduling us for what?"
The Pachirisu looked at him with a glint in his eye and smiled wide.
"Your interview, of course!"