Wanted to make this one longer, but I didn't want things to drag on. Next chapter should come out sooner though. Enjoy
Chapter 10: Nova
Sat on a log, Lumi curiously inspected the small, dull orb in his paw, turning it this way and that in the light of the fire. The campfire lit up the dark night, illuminating the clearing made between a large boulder and a copse of trees. They had traveled sufficiently off the path into the more overgrown areas to avoid any Pokémon, hunter or otherwise, who might still be up at this late hour.
To his right, Damia was hunched over, reading from a book and taking notes with her other hand. Clara was leaned up against the Dragonite, eye swirls beginning to slow significantly in a sign of exhaustion. They had left the guild as soon as the cover of dark was enough to slip out of Verdant Port unseen, and had traveled north for as long as they could until rest was required. Their destination was the coastal town of Rowshore, where the plan was to hopefully find a boat of some sort to take them out to the Windy Spire Dungeon, settled on a small piece of land out in the bay. Urgency demanded they make as much headway as possible tonight, but it would still take until morning before they arrived.
Lumi could empathize with Clara, he was feeling his eyes begin to droop as well, but there was a reason he was pushing himself to stay up. A reason that made itself known when his nose picked up a delectable smell, and he perked his head up towards the small travel tent they had pitched. The flap was thrown open as Van walked out, carefully balancing a tray with steaming hot bowls on top. The smell of roasted vegetables and spices grew stronger as he approached, and Lumi's stomach growled in impatience.
Van heard the sound and chuckled.
"Alrighty, soups on!" he called. Clara perked up at that and heavily sniffed the air, and the smell made her moan lightly.
"Finally! It's been like thirty minutes. Van, feed us..."
"I'm with her. Any longer and I'll starve to death," piped Lumi. The Scrafty rolled his eyes.
"Ya'll are so dramatic. Here, take a bowl." He went around to let the two grab a warm bowl of soup from his tray. When he got to Damia, she made no move to look up from her book. Before they dug in, Lumi and Clara watched with light concern. Van shuffled his feet awkwardly and held out the tray a little further.
"It's, uh, just carrots, lettuce, and flecks of tamato berries, for some flavor. You're not, you know...?"
"No. I'm not allergic. And I'm not hungry," she muttered, eyes trained on the book. At Van's dejected look, Lumi met eyes with Clara, and a silent understanding was passed between them. At once, the two slurped loudly from their bowls, enough to gain the attention of the other two. Clara let out a content sigh and rubbed her stomach.
"Ooh, wow, that's delicious. Isn't it Lumi?"
"Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure Van moonlights as a chef when we're not looking."
Clara nodded and slurped some more, before jabbing an elbow in Damia's side.
"Trust me, you gotta try it."
"But I'm not-"
"Or do you want to walk into a potentially hostile situation on an empty stomach? Wouldn't that be a rookie mistake? Hmm?" questioned the Spinda, smugly.
Feeling the weight of eyes on her, Damia grumbled to herself and snatched a bowl from Van's tray. Clara nudged her again and she rolled her eyes, before turning to face the Scrafty.
"...Thanks," she stated, nodding once. Van's eyes widened as if he genuinely didn't expect this outcome, before he shook himself lightly.
"O-oh, yeah, forsure. There's, uh, more in the tent, in case anyone wants seconds." At her nod, he backed off to set the tray down. He picked up his own bowl and went to sit next to Lumi, and it was silent for a while as everyone enjoyed their meal. Damia took cautious sips at first, but accidentally let out a loud slurp that she tried to hide once she got going. Clara and Lumi shared a knowing smile with each other.
Eventually, Lumi took out the small orb he was fiddling with earlier and held it up.
"So," he started. "This thing is supposed to let us talk to the others?"
"Yes, but try not to call it a 'thing.' That's an Echo orb, one of Vert's projects that used to only be known by the Guildmasters. Let's them communicate long distance without waiting on a letter," answered Damia.
"How does that work?"
"My guess? He figured out some way to get some orbs to resonate with each other. You need to ask him what Energy pattern he infused it with. But, give it a try. Might as well sound off with the others and see how they're doing after we split earlier."
"Right, so I'll just..."
He put it between his paws and figured the best way to use it was like any other orb. Clara and Van leaned in closer as he poured a small amount of energy into it. He wasn't sure anything was working until the dull color lit up a bright green. His eyes widened in surprise when a feminine voice that sounded suspiciously like Pandora emanated from the orb.
"Greetings. If you would like to make an outgoing call, please designate a name from your contact list. If you would like to skip this message in the future, just say 'call' followed by a name from your contact list."
"What the hell?" asked a dumbfounded Lumi. Even Damia furrowed her brow in confusion.
"Designation 'What the hell' not found. Current contacts registered to this network are: Purl. Brook. Please say call, followed by a name from your contact list."
Lumi looked at the others, a bit lost at what to do. Clara urged him on with a paw however, excitement sending her eyes swirling. He shrugged and decided to just go with it.
"Alright. Call Purl and Brook."
Rather than the voice speaking back to him, a rather charming and nostalgic tune began playing from the orb. He thought something had gone wrong before it cut out, and a much more flamboyant voice could be heard from it.
"You've reached the elegant leader of Team Dazzle. Who am I speaking to~?"
"Are you serious? Team Dazzle, really?" snarked Damia. She came closer to speak into the orb. "Pandora, Esther, you actually let him come up with something that goofy?"
"Oh come now dear," came Pandora's voice. "I think it's quite memorable. And for the record, the name was Esther's idea."
Light giggling could be heard in the background and Damia sighed. Lumi caught the faint hint of a smile playing at her lips.
"We're figuring out this Echo orb Vert gave us, and we wanted to check in with everyone. We've set up camp and are still a few hours out from Rowshore. How are you on the way to Viola?" Questioned Lumi.
"Oh, how thoughtful! We've set up camp ourselves and were just about to tuck in for the night. Viola's not too far away though, so we should be there by the early morning. Have you already called Brook?" asked Purl.
"I-I'm right here, actually." stammered Brook's raspy voice through the line. "Our team is on the...oh, what was that?"
A youthful voice exclaimed something, and there was a muffled exchange on the other end before Brook spoke again.
"Sorry. Um, T-team Overgrowth has also stopped to rest. The way to Sapphire Pond is still pretty far, so it might be another day of travel. Make sure you're all p-pacing yourselves, okay?"
"Of course," stated Damia. "We're making good progress, but make sure not to get hasty, especially when you get close to any towns. Every one of our guild members is registered in a master database, so bounty hunters from the Haxorus guild will know which species to look out for to detain. Try not to draw too much attention, and we should be fine."
At the chorus of affirmations, Damia continued.
"Alright. We'll check in with each other in the morning. Stay safe."
After everyone left a goodbye, Damia engaged the orb again, and it returned to its normal dull color. As Van got up to stretch and began to collect the dishes, Lumi grinned up at Damia.
"So, team name?"
"Are you serious? "
"Ooh-ooh!" Clara waved her arm frantically. "How about Team Spark! No, Team Renegade, because we're on the run!"
"Eh, Team Renegade might give the wrong impression. Not tryna build a worse reputation. Can't we just go with Team Dynamo?" offered Van as he finished collecting the dishes. Damia shook her head.
"Boring. None of the others used the name of their Branch. And besides, if we're going to have a name, I want it to be something badass," muttered the Dragonite as she rested her head on her chin, eyes closed in thought.
Lumi also took a moment to think, and on a whim glanced up. The dark night sky was blanketed with soft clouds that drifted serenely. Despite their cover, the white of shining stars cast a deep contrast against the almost black heavens above.
His eyes were stuck on the stars, and a thought popped into his head when he considered how they shone all the more brightly the darker it was.
"...How about Team Nova?" he asked, gaze still fixed above. At the lack of response, he brought his head down to glance around at the others and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"What, too much?"
"No, actually, I kinda dig it," said Van, as he rubbed his chin with a smirk. "Nova...might as well go all out, huh?"
"Yeah! Makes me feel like some kind of superstar!" agreed Clara. Attention turned to Damia, who continued to stare into the fire. She tilted her head up in thought before she let out a huff of air.
"It's corny, but it definitely sticks. If we were a real hunter or explorer team, everyone would remember Nova. I'm fine with it."
Clara 'squeed' and clapped happily.
"That means she loves it! Okay, now we just gotta think of a cool catchphrase, maybe make some matching scarves when we get back and-" she was cut off as a claw wrapped around her mouth.
"You can dream up a catchphrase or something, but right now I think it's time to turn in," muttered the Dragonite, allowing herself to release a yawn that spread to the others. The large Dragonite reared up from her sitting position, Spinda in hand, and simply stomped down on the fire with her feet until it was snuffed out, flapping her wing lightly in a minuscule Hurricane to ensure it had fully petered out. With visibility reduced and the outside sufficiently cleaned, the others followed her inside the travel tent.
Inside, the tent was a bit larger than it looked on the outside, about as large as a bedroom. The presence of a simple stove and other supplies reduced available sleeping space. With Damia being a seven-foot-tall dragon, the only realistic course of action was to make do on the floor in the center.
Wordlessly, Damia plopped the Spinda down and made herself comfortable on her front, curling slightly in a draconic resting position. Clara hopped over to snuggle against her stomach. Lumi approached and, after receiving a quick nod from the Dragonite, curled up next to Clara and smiled when she eagerly cuddled up to one of his tails. The Meowstic motioned Van over, but the Scrafty looked hesitant to approach.
"I could, uh, grab a cushion and..."
"Just," started the Dragonite, interrupted by a yawn. "Just, don't get too handsy."
With a nod, he shuffled over and, after some repositioning, settled for resting the back of his head on Lumi's side. With the arrangement of the Poképile firmly established, the sounds of snoring began to be heard.
Before he drifted off to sleep, Lumi's last thoughts were of his parents.
He smirked.
Running around to fight unknown terrorists could be dangerous, but at least he wasn't stuck at home dealing with the shop. With him gone, he was sure his parents were taking things nice and easy with just their family's tiny business to think about.
Damn, it felt good to be out of the house.
"Damn, it feels good to be out of the house!" exclaimed Opal. Beside her, Clement grunted as they walked through the cramped hallways of the Low District. Despite the late hour, the place seemed to only be more lively, the interior street packed with Pokémon. Light music could be heard playing from somewhere as they made their way past shops and stalls whose bottom line rested on the night owls of the city.
"Oh come on!" she said, voice raised over the surrounding clamor, "Don't tell me you miss the shop already?"
"Trust me, I made my peace when we closed everything down yesterday. Just trying to get back into the swing of things, is all," he replied. He was careful to stick to the sides, eyes scanning the throngs of bodies.
"It'll come back to you. We're just gathering info right now, easy."
"Yeah, easy. You said you had a contact that might help? Who is this guy?"
"An old fence who used to supply us with items and stuff before I went legit. He turned a new leaf too and opened his own place here in Lumbell. I've been able to visit occasionally, but it's been a while."
"How come he didn't set up shop up top?"
"Rumors and info spreads easily in the Low District, and he likes to keep an ear to the ground for any movement in the criminal world. He's a good guy though, you'll like him."
"Yeah, well, let's just get inside. I don't want to be recognized."
"I would say you're being paranoid, but I get it. It's just right up here."
They swung a left at an intersection and made their way to a door with a placard depicting a diamond next to it. Clement opened the door for Opal, who waltzed in like she owned the place. The lights were on, and the furnace behind the counter still had a flame in it, but no Pokémon was present. That didn't stop the Espeon from leaning on the counter and yelling at the top of her lungs.
"Excuse me! I need drugs, alcohol, and hookers, in that order!" She grinned as she rested her head on a paw. Her mate side-eyed her and lifted an eyebrow.
"Classy."
"I try."
After a bit, a ruckus could be heard from a door to the side of the room.
"I only got one of those things, and you might not like which one!" called a boisterous voice. The door was kicked open, and out walked a Gengar, clutching a crate of metal bits and pieces. His eyes met Opal's and his mouth took up his whole body in a wide smile. He set the crate down and walked in front of the counter to crush her in a hug.
"Good to see ya, pink! Can't say I was expecting a visit, especially so late."
"Woulda come earlier, but had some things we wanted to check out. I know you though, you hardly ever sleep, always working on the next thing." They separated, and Mudo casually leaned back on the counter.
"Yeah, what can I say. And I see the Mawile, the 'Jaws of Vengeance' of the legendary Team Nimbus!"
"The one and only! Clement, meet Mudo. We go back."
With his arms crossed, Clement threw up a light wave of a hand.
"Pleasure." Was all he said. Mudo blinked and snickered.
"A 'pleasure'," he mimicked in an exaggeratedly gruff voice. "Real piece of work, this one, eh?"
"Give him time, he'll warm up."
"Quickest way to warm up is with drinks! Come on, I know a joint."
"Actually," intercepted Clement, "I'm afraid we didn't come here just to chat. Opal thinks you might have some insight into what's been going on with the Dungeons recently?"
"You mean with the spread?" he asked. Opal nodded.
"We took some time to go inspect the site at Match Quarry," she started. "It's not good. That weird haze is spread beyond the pit the Dungeon is located in, and it's growing slowly but steady. Some of Havok's mon are stationed at a checkpoint to keep tabs on it, but at the rate it's going, it might creep up on the city's borders within at least a month."
"There's reason to suspect that there are Pokémon behind this disaster. You read the news a couple of days ago, right?" asked Clement. Mudo nodded.
"Who hasn't? Saw it on the front page, Absol's guild is suspect number one. According to the paper, it was him and two of his apprentices that started that whole mess in the first place. Your son better be careful if he wants to travel anywhere, by the way. They'll be keeping tabs on Meowstics now, don't want him being misidentified or anything."
The two shared a look, and Mudo furrowed his eyes when they both shrugged.
"It's a little late for that," said Clement. The Gengar's eyes switched between them before a lightbulb went off in his head, eyes widened.
"Wait. You mean...that was the same-oh shit," he muttered, hand pressed to his forehead. "Damn, he even said his name and everything too. Why didn't I connect the dots sooner..."
"Lumi came this way?" asked Opal as she grinned. "Glad he finally got to meet you. Don't worry about him though, he's fine. I think. I'm pretty sure he's okay."
"Our son, and by extension Absol's, is innocent. We want to help clear his name, and to do that, we need to know who's really behind these attacks," stated Clement.
"If you say so, I know it's true. Kid didn't look like he had bad intentions anyway."
"I know you got ears on stuff that goes on under the eyes of the law," started Opal. "Have you heard anything at all that might point to a lead?"
"You know all kinds of junk floats around, little rumors and gossip here and there. Haven't heard anything concrete that's directly related to this recent trouble." Clement stepped forward and fixed him with a level look.
"Then we'll start with rumors. They tend to circulate when a big player hits the scene. They make waves, even if they prefer to not be seen. Manipulating the very behavior of Dungeons, and doing that without a trace? Someone like that is way too powerful and capable to not have a story around them."
Once he finished, Mudo 'hmmd to himself, claw tapping the counter as he closed his eyes in thought. The Mawile and Espeon waited patiently, Opal letting herself fiddle with one of the odd metal bits in the crate.
"There've been whispers," started the Gengar, eventually. "Of some kind of phantom, vigilante, whatever. Got the whole underworld spooked for more than a year now. Like you said, they're strong, but nobody's seen em'."
"What do they do?" asked Opal, leaning in with interest.
"A while back, started to get word of the occasional bandit or two that would go into a Dungeon, and then get knocked out and tied up in a nice little bow for authorities to come pick up. At first, we all just thought it was some hotshot hunter team being cute. I blew it off as some urban myth, but the stories kept coming. Pretty soon, whole groups would enter a Dungeon, and be left out unconscious. Whoever was doing it was good. Way good. Got even some high profile outlaws to steer clear of trying anything in a Dungeon. Scary part is, nobody from Haxorus' has seen 'em either, which means they're flyin' solo with just their own resources to back them up."
"...Clem, doesn't that sound familiar? There was that period of time when the Haxorus guild boasted about all the marks their apprentices had captured."
"Guess they weren't being entirely honest about their skills. Does this mysterious figure have a name?"
Mudo smirked.
"You know how we do, we get corny with names. Some fool called them the 'Dungeon Master' and it stuck. Can't say it's my first choice."
"Blegh," uttered Opal. "God, what are we, playing Dungeons and Dragonites? You'd know all about that, wouldn't you Clem?"
"H-hey, don't hate on the classics! Besides, while the modus operandi is there, we still don't have a motive. Why would they go to the trouble of detaining all those Pokémon and not want to be known for it? Goodwill?"
"Or recruitment," stated Opal. At the other's stares, she elaborated.
"I'm thinking back on those news stories. It's bad for their reputation, so Haxorus probably paid to keep it on the down-low, but there was a story that would pop up every once in a while about a criminal's cell that was found empty, not a trace to be found of how they could have escaped. Sound familiar?"
"You're saying our guy might have been scoping out talent that whole time?" asked Clement. She shrugged.
"Who's to say? But if I could bust out whoever I wanted for a large scale operation without being seen, that's what I'd do."
"But why put them in jail in the first place? Unless it was to prove a point..." The Mawile rubbed his chin as he stared at the ground. "Things still aren't adding up, but maybe it'll become clear if we knew anything about the ones who disappeared. Do we have their species, at least?"
"Oh, uh. It was a while ago, so I don't remember..."
"You're thinking of a Swampert, Weavile, Scolipede. Maybe some others, yeah?" interjected Mudo. At their questioning glances, he smirked. "Yeah, I remember those stories too. Those lucky bastards were the talk of the to-"
"Wait, a Weavile!?" exclaimed Clement. He whipped his head to Opal. "Lumi mentioned a Weavile, didn't he?"
"Damn, you're right. It was a Weavile who caused the Dungeon to go haywire. If we assume our 'Dungeon Master' had something to do with the disappeared convicts, then it might not be a stretch to assume they're connected to this Weavile. Worth a shot right?"
"Right." Clement nodded. "Mudo, do you know anything about that Weavile? Who she is, where she's from?"
At the Gengar's shake of his body, Clement sighed.
"Well, I don't know much, but I can tell you where to go to find out. You won't like it though."
"Let me guess," muttered Opal, ears dropped. "Skull Roost?"
"Bingo."
She visibly flinched and sighed. The Mawile placed a hand on her back, but he couldn't help a low chuckle.
"What's wrong? Not excited to announce our return to our biggest fans?"
"Clement, it's going to be so awkward. Literally everyone there is going to want to kick our asses. Every. One."
"Sounds like good exercise. Besides, you hate doing subtle work. At least this way we might be able to just beat the information out of someone. Show these young thugs a thing or two."
"Aw. You know I love it when you get violent," she purred. "Sounds like we have a destination in mind. Want to head out?"
At his nod, she plodded over to wrap Mudo in a light hug again.
"Thanks again for everything Mudo, you don't know how much this helps."
"What, leaving so soon? You know it's like, one in the morning. You even gonna sleep?" asked the Gengar. She shrugged in response.
"We'll nap on the way or something. Kind of in a hurry."
"Well, let me treat you two while you're here."
"Like we said, we really don't have time for drinks," said Clement. Mudo held a claw up with a devious grin on his face.
"Not that kind of treat. You two are heading into dangerous territory. You might be legends, but you've been out of the game for a while, right? Why not make it easier on yourselves?"
Opal made a thoughtful noise and leaned back on the counter.
"Ooh, I know that look. What have you got for us?"
The Gengar chuckled darkly, and for a brief moment his eyes shone all the brighter as his body melted down into shadow. Clement looked around in confusion, before turning to his mate for answers. She just waved for him to relax, a knowing grin on her face.
Click
The sharp sound resounded throughout the room, and in a moment the view of the furnace and anvil behind the counter was obscured as a white wall descended from a slot in the ceiling. The wall was marked by grooves spaced intermittently that held all manner of items. Clement's eyebrows rose a bit when he noticed that most of them were weapons of various kinds; wands, spikes, offensive orbs, and what caught his eye were ones he had never seen. What looked like claws, various forms of brass knuckles, and other metal coverings were also on the wall.
Before they could speak, Mudo rose upwards from the counter in an eruption of living darkness and hunched over the counter, teeth gleaming like daggers in the light.
"As you can see, I might not be an apprentice of Absol's, but I got my own brand of crazy."
He reached back and gently removed a bracelet from the wall to set down in front of them. A few of what looked like tiny, dull spheres were inlaid along its rim.
"Actually, I gotta thank your son and his friend. They gave me some ideas for new toys that I've been itching to see in action."
He raised up his arms in a grandiose display, backed by the dangerous spread behind him. Opal had stars in her eyes as she oogled the weapons like they were candy. Clement had a hand pressed under his chin, eyes scanning each piece in cool calculation.
Mudo grinned.
"You can be the first ones to play with 'em."
The saving grace of Rowshore was the sheer amount of tourism it generated. Rather than travel and trade with other continents like Verdant Port, Rowshore took advantage of the serene, idyllic waters it rested beside. Guided rides out into the bay via boat were a common draw, and the place was packed tight with gift shops and restaurants ready to take advantage of the crowds of Pokémon who flocked here for a good time.
Lumi looked out at the throngs of Pokémon passing him by from the safety of an alleyway, one of many thanks to the numerous colorful buildings that made up the town. He leaned from around the corner of a trash can and waited, breathing slowly to even out his heart rate. He waited. Just needed to make sure...
There.
He counted himself lucky that he could spot the Pidgeotto and Sableye that walked past in the crowd, their serious faces a stark contrast to the jovial midday atmosphere. The deep red scarves around their neck marked them clearly as members of the Haxorus guild, and he was glad he was able to spot their approach in the crowd before they got too close. There were more than even Damia had anticipated upon their arrival an hour ago, and he had needed to take caution while moving through the town.
Lumi exhaled and sat up against the wall to gather his thoughts, paw grasping one of his tails to fiddle with. The moment they had slunk into town, things got...complicated. The original plan was to slip into the crowds and try to not draw attention as they made their way to the pier, where they could hopefully pay for a boat ride out to Windy Spire, and not get recognized along the way. Damia figured that as long as they kept moving, even the odd guard here or there couldn't pay too much attention to them with the shield of bodies around.
Her tune changed pretty quickly when a large Charizard swooped down from above, and called an entire mob of red scarf-wearing Pokémon to stand at attention as he barked orders at them.
Lumi had never seen anything quite like it, but Damia had looked simultaneously annoyed beyond belief and downright mortified. She didn't even make words at first, just an agitated growl that rumbled in her throat as she shoved the team behind a hat shop. She cast frantic looks behind her to the commanding Charizard the whole way, and immediately split the team into two pairs that would take different routes to the pier, to make it easier to maneuver.
"Okay, but do you know who that guy is? Things went from zero to a hundred real quick when he showed up." He had asked.
"Don't worry about it. Just for the love of Arceus, don't get caught." She had replied. A bit too quickly for his tastes.
Still, he was fine with experiencing a bit of what the town had to offer with Van, even if they did need to keep an eye out for the red scarves that began to show up with alarming frequency. The Scrafty had the bright idea to duck into a clothing store and perhaps purchase some kind of disguise. Lumi was in the middle of inspecting a pair of sunglasses when he spotted Van gesturing wildly to him from behind a coat rack, only for him to turn and jolt when a couple of hunters walked in. He could tell from the sound of their footsteps that they were heading in his direction, but before they rounded the corner, a loud noise from Van's direction led them his way instead. The Meowstic poked his head around to make sure he was okay, but only received a frantic nod towards the door in an effort to slip out of the store unnoticed.
Lumi wanted to protest, but Van had already made enough of a ruckus to draw the hunter's attention towards the back door, where he had slipped out. He hated being separated so soon, but figured it was smart to not stick around.
An hour of diving into shops to hide and using his size to his advantage in crowds had helped him to evade capture so far. It had led him to his current position of hiding behind a trash can, eyes on the lookout for Pokémon out for his arrest.
He huffed to himself. This wasn't exactly the on the job training he was thinking of a week ago. He glanced up from his position on the wall, and saw on the opposite side of the alleyway a wanted poster, an identical image of him from the newspaper plastered on. Instinctively, he reached up and grasped a paw around the pearl around his neck, his parent's gift to him. The same pearl was present right in the center of his fur in the wanted poster, and he realized that, besides his species, this necklace was a dead giveaway for his identity. He made to take it off, but grimaced at the lack of familiar weight around his neck. Against his better judgment, he let it hang where it was, and took a moment to look into its cloudy surface.
Without even realizing it, staring into the pearl had become a habit, almost a ritual when he had a moment to himself. The ivory clouds and smooth surface had a way of calming his thoughts. They reminded him of lazy mornings leaning on the shop counter, passively observing people going about their days. Before he knew it, any fog of doubt he had from the situation had cleared, and he breathed in deep as a sense of peace settled over him. It was his own, but he suspected that this pearl helped in some way.
What even was this thing? Next time he saw his parents, he'd ask where they got it. At this point he had a feeling it was more than just a pretty jewel. Now that he had a grasp of Aether, maybe he could examine it further when he got back to the guild. Of course, before then, he'd have to play hide and seek with dangerous Pokémon, in a town he'd never been to, on a way to a Dungeon that he knew held its own distinctive brand of stupid.
He sighed, but smiled softly. The day was just getting started.
With one last careful glance, he hopped up from behind the trashcan and melded with walking Pokémon on their way to the pier. The large form of a Kangaskhan seemed like good enough cover to walk beside, so he let himself go with the flow of the crowd along the tiled streets. While keeping an eye out for red scarves, he allowed himself to marvel at just how colorful and varied the buildings were. He had read about open air malls, but it was a whole other thing to walk past a plethora of dive bars, clothing shops, restaurants, and whatever knick knack stores Pokémon chose to erect.
The bright sun in the sky and the promise of crystal blue waters in front threatened to make him forget about the gravity of the situation, something even he was still trying to grasp. Perhaps the reason so many people were here was to try and distract themselves from the new threat Dungeons now posed.
Unfortunately, his idle musings were cut short when a problem presented itself in the form of a wide open plaza. The circular space, adorned with a rather impressive fountain in the middle, encouraged the crowd to disperse to whatever establishments lined the perimeter, or to take a break at a nearby bench.
The thinned crowd revealed the burly forms of a Rhydon and Nidoking stood in front of the fountain. Lumi had enough time to register the bright red scarves on their forms before his eyes briefly met the Nidoking's.
"Aw, damn..." he muttered as he covertly slipped to the other side of the Kangaskhan, who was thankfully still heading in a straight line. Her cub looked at him in interest as he leaned forward around her bulk to view the two large Pokémon glancing in his direction. He held a digit up to his lips for the baby to be quiet, but let out a frustrated hiss himself at the sight of them beginning to take steps toward his position.
Thinking quickly, he sped walked as casually as he could to the closest shop to the side, which just so happened to be a bar. He did his best to keep the Kangaskhan in between the two hunter's line of sight as he made his way to the establishment, and pushed open the glass door. The sound from outside was muffled by dark, rich wood walls. Only a few Pokémon were seated at polished wood tables and booths next to the window. Lumi didn't give himself time to appreciate the stylish interior as he made his way as far from the door as he could.
He walked to the far end of the bar and climbed up onto a stool. The Lopunny cleaning glasses behind the counter handed him a menu without looking, which he snatched up and opened as wide as it could go to shield his face. He processed none of the information on the menu, mind racing to come up with some kind of solution. There might be a backdoor? He didn't see one on the way in. It might be worth getting up to look, but then that would risk being seen fully in the wide window behind him. Would hiding in the restroom be stupid? That would just be cornering himself.
Where was Van? Or Damia and Clara? His paws subconsciously tapped the counter as he ran through scenarios in his head, tails waving in agitation. Sheesh, living as a criminal was stressful.
He heard the door open.
He probably looked extra suspicious as he leaned the front half of his body into the raised menu, but he couldn't bring himself to look.
"They won't fight me, right?" he thought, eyes dilated. "They'd whoop my ass in an instant. I could pull something out of my bag, try to throw the first punch...no that's a stupid idea, it'd just cause a scene. Aw damn, I'm going to jail, aren't I? Does Absol's have a legal team, do I get a lawyer?"
The image of Purl in lingerie, trying to plead his case in court popped into his head, and he laughed sadly.
"Oh Mew, I'm screwed. Welp, it was a good run while it lasted."
A heavy weight settled next to him, and he braced himself to have his rights read to hi-
"Oooh, damn it's hot out there! Hey, kid, you want a drink?" asked a jovial, if loud voice.
Lumi peeked out from behind the menu and exhaled in relief. There was no danger, The one next to him wasn't either of the guards from before.
He was a Noivern.
Foregoing a stool to sit back in front of the counter, Lumi still had to crane his head all the way up in order to meet the bigger than average Noivern's gaze. The room suddenly felt much smaller, and he realized that the bats' wing membrane, even when not splayed to their full span, still encompassed his form, shielding him from view from the back, and from the entranceway.
At this moment, he wasn't thinking about the hunters anymore. He was transfixed by the Noivern's eyes. They were a slightly darker shade of purple than Damia's eyes. But unlike her steady amethyst pools, Noivern's were akin to a violet storm. Just looking into them set his heart racing, the Noivern's slit pupils giving focus to the wild energy that exuded off of them and his whole body. Lumi was no Lucario, but his fur raised on instinct from the latent Power that emanated from this Noivern's whole being. He felt hints of something similar from Vert and Pandora, but this felt different.
Unrestrained.
"Hey, kid, you hear me?" asked Noivern, snapping a claw in Lumi's face. The Meowstic blinked and attempted to meet his gaze.
"...Anyone ever tell you, you have pretty eyes?" he blurted. Not the classiest opening, but true enough. Those wild eyes blinked once, before their owner threw his head back in a solid laugh.
"Smooth! If you were older, I'd ask you out to dinner for that. I was serious about that drink though," he offered, gesturing to the wall of liquor in front of them.
"Oh, uh, I don't actually drink. I just came in here to..." Lumi trailed off as he leaned back slightly to check the doorway. He spotted the purple tail end of a Nidoking exiting and breathed a quick sigh of relief.
"To, get out of the heat," he finished. Noivern shrugged.
"Suit yourself. I'm getting me a Leppa on the rocks!" At his exclamation, the Lopunny began dutifully mixing said drink.
"Isn't it a little early for that sort of thing?" asked Lumi.
"Too early? For alcohol? There's no such thing!" declared Noivern putting a claw to his chest in dramatic fashion. Despite wanting to keep his guard up, a smile etched its way onto Lumi's face.
"Besides," continued Noivern, "I haven't checked out this place since I've been here. Thought I'd snag me a little vacation before work starts, so I've been hittin' up whatever looks neat here in Rowshore."
"A vacation? You some kinda hunter, or something?" Lumi had a hunch, but the lack of a red scarf threw that into question.
"Something like that, I got a little experience," he replied, offering a fanged grin. "Speaking of hunters though, man, they're such a drag aren't they? I wanted to take a nice ride out by Windy Spire, but ever since Damon showed up, they've been restricting boat rides."
"Damon?"
"The bigass Charizard out there pushing around all the guildies. I guess he's one of Haxorus' lieutenants or something. This area's in his jurisdiction, and he's been running this place tight to look for the ones that messed up the Dungeon."
"Ah," was all the Meowstic said, nodding. He cursed inwardly, the information presenting a major problem. Things were already derailed enough, he really needed to find the others and figure something out. He didn't let his concern show however, and glanced back up with a curious tilt of the head instead.
"I still can't figure out what those criminals want," continued Lumi. "I mean, screwing around with Dungeons and making things dangerous for everyone. It all seems kind of pointless, doesn't it?"
The Noivern received his drink with a nod and took a quick sip, then shrugged.
"I'm sure they have their reasons."
"Really? I don't think there's a good enough reason to do what they're doing."
"Sure there is. Sometimes, a reason is all someone has. Helps make those hard decisions nobody wants to make," responded Noivern. Lumi watched him let out a content sigh from his drink, as if what he said made any sense to the situation at all.
"What's yours?"
"...What?"
"C'mon, you heard me. It takes alot to waltz into town knowing you could get sacked by hunters any second." Noivern chuckled a bit, "You got some balls kid."
Lumi's mouth opened and closed as he struggled for a response, ice seeping into his chest and heart rate increasing. In his addled state, he noted that the Lopunny was, thankfully, on the other side of the bar serving a customer, so she hadn't heard what was said. Noivern continued to stare at him as he chewed his lip.
"I'm...I'm not..." On instinct, his paw gripped his necklace. "You got the wrong guy." He went with, cringing inside at how that is exactly what someone who was in fact 'the guy' would say. Noivern raised an eyebrow, and reached a claw over to grasp the pearl on Lumi's necklace. The cat hissed lowly as he was dragged forward, Noivern inspecting the jewel with interest.
"Hey, what the he-"
"Where'd you get this?" asked Noivern softly. Lumi was thrown off briefly by the one-eighty in demeanor, the large bat staring intensely at the jewel as if it was the most complexing puzzle he'd ever seen. Shaking his head, Lumi gripped the string and tried to pull back, but huffed at the strength of the Noivern's hold.
"Yeah, I really don't need to tell you that. Let go. Now." he demanded. The Noivern didn't respond for a few moments, but eventually his purple eyes locked with Lumi's.
"I'm still waiting for an answer."
"Are you for real? Let go of the necklace!" he exclaimed, trying to keep his voice low. He hissed in anger when the Noivern roughly tugged him forward by the pearl, and his world briefly became those violet eyes. They looked at him with piercing intensity, and flitted down to the pearl between them before looking back with expectation.
Realizing that he was not, and probably never was, in control of the conversation incited a frustrated growl to rise in his throat, one that surprised even him.
"...I'm not a criminal," he pushed out. "I'm doing this because the things that I care about are being threatened by the ones that are, and I've waited too damn long to just sit around and let that happen. Is that good enough for you?"
Noivern held him in his gaze for a second later, before he abruptly let him go. Lumi's breath was heavy as he held the pearl again. The bat leaned back with a smirk on his face, a clawed hand rubbing his chin.
"Alright, you got me interested now."
"Dude, screw you," muttered Lumi, making to hop off the stool. He let out a surprised yowl as he was snatched up in a claw and pressed into soft, white fur. He blinked in confusion before he realized that he was pressed into the thick neck ruff of the Noivern, who grinned wildly down at him. The Meowstic blinked up at him, before his eyes creased in incredulation.
"Noivern, what is actually your problem? I am not trying to cuddle right now, especially not with you."
"You're not about to turn down a free ride, are you? Just hide in there and I'll take you where you want to go."
"I don't even know who you are!"
"Funny, I feel like you and I could get along great," responded Noivern, grin annoyingly affable. Lumi sighed, and was about to protest, but then thought some more. Honestly, he didn't have many prospects. It was either risk getting caught again, or trust this weirdo to carry him. Even though there was a chance the Noivern could just turn him in anyway, he had a strong feeling that the guy didn't care to do so.
He sighed. All he wanted right now was to just reunite with the others.
Begrudgingly, he clung to the fur and used it to pull himself to the back of the Noivern's neck, where it was thick enough to obscure his whole body.
"Alright! Where to?" asked Noivern as he headed toward the door.
"Uh, the docks," muttered Lumi into the bat's large ears. "Whichever boat was heading towards the Dungeon."
"Didn't I say those rides were shut down?"
"We'll figure something out."
They exited the bar, and continued down the pathway. From his vantage point, Lumi found it easier to observe his surroundings, and spotted a few more members of the Haxorus guild prowling around town. His dignity aside, he had to admit that the ride was convenient, present company aside. It was hard to get a read on the Noivern. It was obvious just from their conversation that he was powerful, but he got sidetracked easily, and his head turned like a child in a candy store at whatever caught his eye. He tried to ignore him at first, but eventually Noivern's endless comments on their surroundings drew him into light conversation as they made their way down to the pier.
A ways down the boardwalk, boats stationed at their own decks floated on the water. As expected, instead of people lined up for a tour, the stations were being guarded by more hunters. Lumi pushed himself even further down into Noivern's ruff as they walked past, biting his lip as he wondered where the others were. The bat didn't seem the least bit concerned as he whistled a tuneless song while walking at a casual gait. They passed by the boats and turned left back onto a quieter street, before Lumi felt that they had stopped.
Lumi perked his ears up at the sound of someone clearing their throat.
"Excuse me, uh, citizen. Have you seen a Meowstic around here?" asked a familiar, deep voice.
"Can't say I have. But try shining a big red light on the ground to attract them. They love chasing it around," responded Noivern.
Lumi would have called him out on the mostly untrue stereotype, but chose to peek his head out of his alabaster cover to view who was speaking. A Scrafty stood in front of them with a red scarf around his neck, looking confused as to how to respond to the stupid answer. Lumi brought his head out fully and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.
"Van!?" he called. The Scrafty looked up and took a step back at the appearance of his friend from a stranger's neck.
"Holy shi-Lumi? Wait, uh. I mean," He straightened up briefly and addressed Noivern with a bit more authority. "That is the Meowstic I was referring to. Please hand him over for questioning."
"No, it's fine. He's cool," remarked Lumi, hopping down from Noivern's neck. He smiled at Van, but turned to address Noivern.
"Um, thanks for helping me out I guess, I can take it from here."
"If you say so kid," responded Noivern with a shrug. A fanged smile grew on his face. "I'll see you later, good luck."
With that, he chuckled to himself, before sauntering away. Lumi watched him go with a furrowed brow, but an arm around his shoulder brought his focus back. He grinned up at his friend.
"Sheesh mon, had me worried. Been looking around for you ever since we got split up. But who was that guy anyway?" Van guided Lumi over to the side of the street, in between the space between a couple of buildings.
"Some weirdo I met at a bar. He didn't turn me in or anything, and even offered to carry me around to not get caught by any hunters." Despite his laid back tone, he still clasped his necklace to feel its weight. Van's eyes widened at the news.
"Damn, lucky you. Wish I got a free ride, I had to hide in the back of a cabbage cart for thirty minutes before the coast was clear."
"And then what, you knocked out a couple guards so you could impersonate authority?" asked Lumi, voice tinged with amusement. Van rubbed the back of his head.
"Close, Damia knocked out a couple guards. She gave me this so I could go out and look for you with some kind of disguise."
"That's definitely illegal."
"Well, we're not done yet. C'mon, let's go meet up with them."
"Where are they at?"
"Closer than you think. Had to get a little creative but, we might have found another way to hitch a ride to the Dungeon."
"Are we gonna steal a boat now or something?"
"You catch on quick, you know that?"
Van chuckled at his surprised expression, before he leaned out of the alley to look both ways. Seeing that the coast was clear, he motioned for Lumi to follow, and they headed back towards the pier, towards one of the empty decks. Lumi wondered why they were going toward a boat landing with no boat next to it, before he felt a weird sensation pass over his body once they walked onto the platform. He rubbed his eyes as a sleek boat stylized in the form of a Sharpedo popped into existence next to him, along with Damia crossing her arms and tapping her feet anxiously next to it.
Her eyes snapped in their direction and her wings flared in alarm, but settled once she recognized them.
"It's you two. Were you followed?" she asked, arms crossed.
"Not that I saw. And it's good to see you too, you know." Lumi shot back, with a grin. She just rolled her eyes.
"We ain't got much longer on the Camouflage Orbs. Did Clara finish?" asked Van. The sound of sparks could be heard from the boat, before its motor rumbled steadily in the water. The dotted head of Clara peeked out from over the boat's side, and she smiled.
"Good to go! And hi Lumi!" she waved to him, and he threw a paw up in greeting, before a thought gave him pause.
"...You know how to hotwire a boat?"
"What? A girl can have multiple interests. I can work magic with more than just wands. Heh, get it?"
"Nice."
Damia groaned loudly, so they took that as a queue to file into the vehicle. Lumi and Van hopped into the padded seats just fine, but the Dragonite caused the boat to tilt uncomfortably far from her bulk before it settled. The two smaller mon ended up squished to the sides of the craft while she took up the majority of the backseat.
Neither of the males said a damn thing about the arrangement.
"Okay, are we all ready?" called Clara from the front.
"Yup. Team Nova of the Absol guild is ready for its first heroic act: grand theft auto," replied Lumi with a smile. Van chuckled in response.
"Don't forget assaulting and then impersonating an officer of the law. That's, uh, thats a big one."
"I left a thank you note and some cash in the drawer up here, so I think we're good. Besides, if we save the world, they can't arrest us!" cheerily exclaimed Clara.
"They can't arrest us if we don't get caught. Now drive," muttered Damia.
Clara pressed a few buttons on the dashboard and pulled a lever, before the rumbling increased. The boat drifted forward before it picked up speed, and soon the four were sailing over the open waters toward a tall structure in the distance.
Boon watched the boat drive off with a raised eyebrow, not expecting them to actually find a way to leave so soon. A glance to the side showed that the other guards were far enough away to not have noticed the craft leaving, so it looked like it was smooth sailing for them.
That was fine. He'd still hold to giving them a little bit of a head start. Walking off, he thought to himself. Letting the kid and his group enter the Dungeon might complicate things, but it felt like a good opportunity to see just how much of a threat the Absol guild could be. Who knows, he might even learn a thing or two.
If nothing else, it would make things interesting. That kid was a riot to mess with.
As he continued down onto a main street, wrapping his mind around finally getting around to his task, he spotted the burly form of a large Charizard in the distance, flanked by two hunters without their scarves. A thought popped into his head, and he smirked.
A little insurance never hurt.
The sky above the islet grew progressively darker and more turbulent as they approached, with a slow-moving cyclone of steel grey clouds swirling high in the air above the Dungeon. The Windy Spire transcended its name as turbulent winds buffeted the side of the boat, the sound of howling gales only growing louder by the time they docked on a tiny beach. Trees and bushes were in a perpetual state of submission to the squall, and as the group trudged up the incline toward the Dungeon proper, the fur on the back of Lumi's head raised as he arched his head back as far as it could go to catch a glimpse of the peak of the tower.
There was none.
What could be seen of the simple architecture, dark grey stone erected into an innocuous tower, disappeared into the hypnotic clouds above. It was strange. Here, the presence of the clouds above was unmistakable, its looming eye swallowed up the Spire and attention alike, yet from afar it took the appearance of some kind of lighthouse. It wasn't until they crossed some threshold on the water that its true nature began to reveal itself.
Pondering this mystery almost distracted him from the purplish haze that covered the entrance of the tower. Standing in front of the rampant Aether called to mind the purpose of their mission, and Damia looked down to address him and Van.
"Alright. Anything important we should know before we dive in?" she asked. Van and Lumi glanced to each Scrafty gave a helpless shrug.
"Only that nothing is how it's supposed to be. Layout's not as simple as it usually is, not as easy as goin' through some corridors to find some stairs. It's gonna be a funhouse in there, we'll just have to be flexible and adapt."
"Still kind of the same idea though," continued Lumi. "Only last time we had to go up a mine shaft elevator, so we'll have to find whatever this place thinks makes sense to ascend with, and keep using that."
"...That's not a whole lot to go off of," she muttered, crossing her arms. "And the time dilation? Is that different too?"
"Last one was about the same, one hour to three out here. Maybe that won't change," guessed Van.
"This whole thing sounds like a crapshoot, doesn't it?" commented Clara.
"Even if it does, that doesn't change our mission," stated Damia, stepping forward. "Our goal is to reach the Keystone, collect data, and hopefully intercept anyone that comes to cause trouble. Everyone, scarves on."
On queue, the team reached into their bags and donned the purple guild scarves they kept hidden. Clara hopped forward to walk beside Damia, and Van glanced down to hold a fist up to Lumi. The Meowstic happily bumped it.
"Let's do this," he said with a giddy smile. It spread over to Van and caused him to grin, and together they stepped forward into the mist.