Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: (Another) First Kiss

by Tanuki1029

Everyone wants a second chance, Max more than most. She thinks it's finally here, until it all goes so terribly wrong. All she can do is watch as a fresh start becomes an ancient catastrophe; a taste, so sweet, turns to ash in the mouth, as the hero who defeated Dark Matter finds out what happened when she didn't. (A Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Adaptation)

11. Chapter 11: Cirice

"Can you hear the rumble?
Can you hear the rumble that's calling?

I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart
I can see through the scars inside you"

—"Cirice" from Meliora by Ghost

Totodile scrambled up from the ground just in time for another vine whip to hit her across the back. The pain would've sent her careening to the ground again, but by some Arcean miracle, the electric terrain paralyzed her legs, preventing them from giving out. The paralysis passed, and she booked it before another vine could hit her.

"GET THE LEAD OUT, TAINT-BLOOD!" shouted the sawsbuck overseeing her 'training'. Totodile snapped her mouth shut, wishing she had his neck to gnaw on. "YOU DON'T PICK UP THE PACE, WE'LL HAVE THAT WHORE OF A FERAL EXILED BY TONIGHT!"

Totodile didn't have a choice. Her lungs burned. Her back stung. Nearly every inch of her body had scorch marks from electric 'encouragement', scrapes from vines and leaves covering every inch that didn't. She tried with all her might to pick up the pace, running in her awkward, wobbling hop of a gait that exhaustion and agony worsened. She couldn't get any faster, but she stayed upright. She stayed running.

A vine caught her ankle, sending her slamming into the electrified grass below. She breathed a sigh of relief that coughed out of her when her chest hit the earth. She made it.

"Well, I'll be," Electivire laughed above her. "He might make a private, yet."

Totodile swallowed a whimper. For mom, she thought to herself.

"Of course he can," Sawsbuck barked. "Anyone can, he's not special." He whipped Totodile across the back, and she hopped to attention. Her paw went above her jaw in salute. Sawsbuck paced around her while she struggled to keep herself steady. "It's all about finding the right motivation. Just look at him." He planted both hooves in front of her. "He can't wait to join the Expedition Society, can he?"

Totodile swallowed the bile that rose at the thought. For mom. "SIR YES SIR!"

Sawsbuck kicked her back into the electric terrain. "Oh, you CAN wait?!" he barked. "THEN GIVE ME TEN MORE LAPS TO PASS THE TIME!"

Totodile tried to choke down a sob. As she hopped up, a whip cracked across her back again and ripped an agonized cry out of her. For mom. Tears streamed down her maw as she ran. Luckily, they blended in perfectly with the sweat and blood. For mom.

"I feel your presence amongst us
You cannot hide in the darkness
Can you hear the rumble?
Can you hear the rumble that's calling?"

The town went about its business. Everyone had somewhere to go, a job to do, and a path to take. Those who could fly took the direct route, leaving everyone else to weave through the bustling every day life. It was mundane as a city of magical elemental animals could be. One serperior, without the slightest hesitation, coiled around a piplup and dragged her into a dark alley. After the defenseless yelp, no other odd sound came.

The town went about its business.

Serperior unceremoniously dropped Piplup to the ground. He wound around her location without touching her. He didn't need to hold her for the threat to work, not that he would threaten her. It was merely the implication that kept her paralyzed in fear.

"You must be Pip," Serperior said. Pip nodded between shakes, too horrified to let out a single squeak. "Good." Serperior ran a vine down Pip's cheek, teasing her beak as he did. "Nothing to be afraid of." He paused to sneer. "As long as you're not one of them." Then, just like that, he returned to normalcy. "We've simply had some reports, is all. It's merely routine, you understand."

"Y-yes sir," Pip squeaked. Every moment she looked at Serperior shook her with more terror, but she couldn't dare take her eyes away. She was only days away from escaping. The sound of pokémon going about their day was less than ten yards away.

Serperior nodded at her response, a sneer growing at the edge of his lips. "You sure took a while to speak," he hissed. His sneer shifted to a sinister smile. He shot down to coil around her once, placing his snout right next to her ear. "You know, it'll be so much easier for you if you just come clean." He squeezed a chirp out of her and grinned. "If it's the exile you fear, don't worry."

A vine slithered down her body while he licked his lips. "There are other ways you can atone for your Taint." He grinned while Pip buried her face in her wings in horror.

"Community service is a good one," some guy said. Serperior's eyes shot over to the cyndaquil walking casually over. Before he could threaten the hapless citizen, Cyndaquil pulled out a badge. "Sorry about that!" He grinned, tucking the badge back into his bag before patting his belly. "I just get so hungry."

"As everyone does," Serperior snarled. "But, if you couldn't tell." He squeezed Pip tighter. "I have things under control."

"Do you?" Cyndaquil asked, raising a brow. He crossed his arms and stared down at Serperior (despite the snake's head being bigger than his entire body). "Did you already conduct a cursory search of their person?"

Serperior glanced at the penguin in his coils and looked back with a baffled expression. "I was getting to it," he said.

"Did you read her charges to her?" Cyndaquil asked.

Serperior loosened his coils and brought the tip of his tail to his forehead. "She knows," he said. "It's obvious, just look at her eyes." He flicked a vine down to her, and she used her newfound freedom to flinch away. Despite her terror, though, she couldn't take her eyes off Cyndaquil. Why was he smiling? The sheer glee he had doing this would've been more disturbing than Serperior if he wasn't needling technicalities instead of tormenting her.

"Hmm," Cyndaquil said, tapping his chin. Pip could feel his eyes on her, watching her, but the weight wasn't so heavy as Serperior's. In fact, Serperior wasn't looking at her at all. "Actually, now that you mention it, I'd like to see your eyes."

"Excuse me?" Serperior hissed. He slithered over to Cyndaquil with disdain dripping from his scales. "You really want to say I'm Tainted, little rat?"

Pip glanced at the ground. He wasn't blocking her off anymore.

"What? No!" Cyndaquil said, shaking his head. For a moment, Pip thought he was looking at her again, but his gaze was just off when she looked. He gave a meaningful nod before looking back up at Serperior. "I just think they look pretty." He licked his lips just like Serperior had and winked. "Handsome."

The compliment took a moment to register. When it did, Serperior's face contorted into a visage of blind rage. He swung his tail around to slam into Cyndaquil, but Cyndaquil effortlessly leapt out of the way. "Tainted sack of filth," Serperior hissed. He shot his vines out, grabbing Cyndaquil's every limb and tearing him over. Even staring at his back, Pip caught glimpses of the blind hate in his eyes. "How'd a degenerate like you get that badge?"

A paw tapped Pip on the shoulder. She hopped around to see a pikachu in a purple scarf holding her paw up to shush her. After a quick smile, Pikachu leaned in to grab hold of her wing. "Did he say your name was Pip?" Pikachu whispered.

Pip stared for a second—did Pikachu know the penalties for intruding on an arrest?! It took a while for the question to register, some more whining from Serperior snapping her out of her confusion long enough to make sense of it. She nodded; Pikachu winked.

"Great!" Pikachu said. "Now." She gripped Pip's wing tighter and leaned in. "Run."

With one tug, Pip stumbled after Pikachu while trying desperately to keep up. A loud fwoosh sent a wave of heat that stole her attention as they turned the corner. As she ran out of the alley, she watched a huge wave of flames engulf Serperior, a loud thud shaking her feet as she ran away. She had no idea where they were going, what was happening, or who any of these pokémon were, but she had to follow.

As she ran, Pip could feel his scales around her again. She shivered at the memory; Pikachu squeezed her wing tighter and glanced back with a quick smile. In that moment, she realized she was safe. As sick as it made her, she even wanted to thank Cyndaquil.

Pikachu gripped her tight again and slowed them both to a stop. "Goddammit," Pikachu gasped. She leaned against the nearest wall, shaking her head. "I don't miss having to run like that." Despite the complaint, she seemed less winded than Pip. Pikachu looked up at her with a comforting smile. "Ready to blow this shit-ass continent?"

"G-Goodness," Pip gasped, a bit taken aback by the language. It only lasted a moment, though, before she threw her arms around Pikachu. "Thank you!" she chirped. The instant she heard herself, she stiffened, but Pikachu pat her back.

"Ka, ka, chuu chupi," Pikachu said. Pip jerked her head to the side and saw Pikachu winking at her. She didn't know what that meant, but she knew it was Tainted Speech. "Yeah, there's a reason we do this." Pikachu pat her on the back and pulled away, leaving Pip to wonder what she meant by 'we'. "How's Ash, Ithos?" Pip watched Pikachu turn around to face a charmander (Ithos, apparently) behind her.

Pip's eyes shot to Pikachu's tail, and her eyes went wide. A black heart at the end.

"Max, great job!" Ithos cheered. He yanked Pikachu up into a hug, making her babble squeaks of laughter as he spun her around before setting her back down; the sight made Pip's stomach turn. How—how could someone like that just… laugh? This was supposed to be an unfeeling monster. Why was she kissing Ithos, now? She caught a glimpse of Ithos' eyes watching hers, and he pulled Pikachu tighter.

He knew. She knew, and he knew that she knew. He kept a firm grip on Pikachu until she let out a sigh, tapping him on the side. Reluctantly, he let go so she could turn around.

Pip felt all the horror from moments ago return tenfold. She wasn't saved, she wasn't saved at all. Any exile or punishment from the Expedition Society would have been better than this. She felt more like prey than she ever had before. She couldn't bring herself to look into that 'Pikachu''s eyes.

"You wanted to get out of here, right?" Max asked. Her voice, why did it sound so soft? She let out a sorrowful sigh. It was just enough to get Pip to lower her guard for the instant it took to look up at Max again.

Her eyes looked hurt. She watched Pip trembling in horror for a second before she had to look away. After taking a breath, Max looked back with the resolve from earlier.

"Serpentine Mountain Trail," Max said. "If you make it there tonight, you'll find the team coming to help you escape."

"Y-you," Pip whimpered. Max didn't react to the slip at all. Her gaze remained entirely unchanged, as if she didn't even notice. Could she… understand? It didn't matter, didn't change who she was or what she'd done. "K-murderer."

"Do you believe that?" Max asked. Pip blinked. She looked… down at Max. Pip didn't expect to be taller than a monster. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you what that Serperior was planning, do I?" A hint of a bite cut into her voice, but it sounded no different from the hurt earlier. "Those are the people Fara employs." She narrowed her eyes. "Do you really trust someone like that?"

"I-I… They're just taking advantage of the authority," Pip stammered out.

"Do you think he's the only one?" Max asked. She stared at Pip from below, yet made her feel so much smaller. "Do you think you would've been his first?" Pip flinched, and Max crossed her arms. "Do you really think Fara doesn't know?"

Pip stared back, beak open without any more words to say. This was a monster, she was talking to—why was she even talking to her?! Anything she said had to be a lie. It was all a trick, right? Yet, the more she spoke, the less Pip found herself trembling. Even while her heart raced in horror, she started to steady. Max… had saved her.

"Y-you," Pip whimpered again. Her voice came back. Again, Max didn't so much as blink. The more she watched, the less certain Pip felt. "You… did you do it?"

Max let out a sigh with a sad smile. "You won't take my word for it, will you?" she asked. Pip looked away in embarrassment. Of course she wouldn't admit to something like that. Although, if someone did that, why would people knowing hurt so deeply? "Do you want Fara to have her way?"

Pip's eyes shot back to Max. "What?" she asked.

"What Fara's doing," Max said. "Her plan. Everything she's saying. Would you let her succeed if you could?" Pip froze. She couldn't answer, but she didn't need to. "You've heard the rumors, haven't you?" Pip flinched at the mere thought, and Max nodded. "If a single one was true," Max crossed her arms, "would it matter if this worked out?" She stared Pip down while she tried to think it through.

"You're terrified, aren't you?" Max asked. "Every single day. We just pulled you out of your worst nightmare, and you're fine." She took a step closer. Pip didn't feel any less safe. "You're okay." She smiled as she took another step forward. "Tell me." She placed a paw on Pip's shoulder, smiling.

"If you knew you could save someone else," Max said. Her smile shifted to a knowing grin as she shook her head. Before she'd even asked the question, she already knew the answer. It was the same question Max had asked herself, and she could already see the same answer in Pip's eyes.

"Would a single thing in heaven or hell be able to stop you?"

"Now there is nothing between us
From now our merge is eternal
Can't you see that you're lost?
Can't you see that you're lost without me?"

"Serperior said that?" Infernape scoffed. "Please, him? He's probably just making it up! What kind of idiot lets an uprising like that build overnight?"

Totodile stared blank at her tags. They came in her box alongside two letters. She was starving, but she couldn't bear to look at the food in front of her. Even gray mush had looked appealing mere minutes ago.

"Maybe," Sawsbuck mused. He ate off Totodile's plate. She didn't even think of protesting. "I thought the same thing, but have you heard of Poliwrath River?" He adjusted in his seat, watching Totodile's despondent gaze with a vindictive smile. "There've been a lot of stories like that popping up. Every rebellion, it seems, rallies around that Human."

Human. The worst thing anyone could be in the world. Totodile remembered reading the letter her mom sent about this human. She'd heard a rumor her name was 'Max'. According to her, she didn't care if she took every single dog of the state out in Lively Town if she kept this work up. That letter came yesterday.

Opened before Totodile got a hold of it, like all the rest.

"Come on, private!" Sawsbuck heckled, shoving his knee against her side. His eyes darkened as he stared down at her with a disdainful grin. "Aren't you proud? Put your collar on."

Totodile did as she was told without question; that's all she did anymore. It's all she knew how to do anymore. It's all she ever thought of doing. Obey, or else. It didn't matter if it hurt, it didn't matter if it killed, it only mattered that she did without question. Obey, or else. For all of her training, that else was a black envelope in her box.

Like the one sitting underneath her letter of congratulations.

Infernape reached over and yanked her tag over so he could read it. Totodile hung from the hold, but Infernape didn't seem to mind. She tried not to struggle too much so he could read. "Congratulations, Cody," he sneered.

A human name. She wasn't safe after all. What did she expect, though? Her Mom was tainted. Of course she'd hold the same curse within her. The Expedition Society couldn't risk taking any chances.

Infernape let her fall to the ground. She didn't so much as wince. She walked back over to climb up her chair. It was far too tall for her to hop on top, but it was the perfect size for correctly sized pokémon. She stood on her chair and started to eat in celebration. Cody. Her name was Cody. A name. What an honor. Familiar bile tried to climb up her throat. She swallowed some thin, gray gruel to choke it back down.

"Cody, I like it," Sawsbuck said. "It certainly fits him." The implication was obvious—a human name fitting you was a noose fitting your neck—but his voice didn't drip with venom like it usually did. She must have earned that sliver of respect he promised all the would-be recruits.

"Sure, sure," Infernape said, already bored with the fresh meat. "Poliwrath River? Really?" He shook his head and took a bite from her plate. "How'd those fish even manage to walk long enough?"

"They didn't!" Sawsbuck laughed. He stamped his hoof while cackling at the failure. "After that human came through, those tainted sons of bitches dug themselves a new river!" Infernape's jaw dropped, lips pulling into a similar grin.

Totodile squeezed her spoon so hard it started to bend. If Max could save people, why couldn't she save her? Why couldn't she save Mom? For all the hate in her empty heart at the State that exiled Mom, she had a special bit of rage for Max. No amount of hope could've saved her Mom, but Max gave it to her anyway. Her hope got intercepted. She died. All hope did was kill her.

"Don't waste any tears on that tainted whore," Sawsbuck said. "Be grateful!" He chuckled, smile growing wider when Totodile's spoon snapped in half. "Now, you don't need to waste any more head space on a wild animal. Isn't that right, Cody?"

"Sir yes sir," Cody answered. It didn't even take a thought. It was an instant response. Her superior said something, and she agreed. She continued to cry, but her superiors didn't bother her about it anymore.

This was the point, after all. All that time, hope for her mother had been the carrot. Inevitability was the stick. She'd do anything for family—anyone would. Now, she didn't have any. She didn't have anyone. She had her fellow soldiers. She could only do what they needed. It was always going to end like this. She wished she'd given up on hope from the beginning. At least then, she wouldn't have to suffer the loss.

She wouldn't be there to.

"Why?" she asked the air. At some point, she'd made it to her bed. Her collar was in her paws, staring at her name. Her death sentence. Cody. It was who she was, now. That's what they did. They took you, killed you, and redefined you. She wanted to give up and accept it.

She couldn't. She'd spent all of her life rebelling against what everyone else defined her as. She knew who she was. What she was. If they wanted to think they'd redefined her, she'd let them. They already lied about her all the time. She'd take this in stride, like she always did. They wanted to call her Cody? Okay. They could.

That bitch of a pikachu's tail clawed its way into her mind. Its signature black patch connected with the totodile as she dug a claw into her name tag. It was a stretch, but she had to wonder if she had a reason to accentuate that aspect of herself like that? Did humans have any say in the forms they came in? If so, she found herself wondering if Max had a reason to declare to the world her heart-shaped tail.

She shook her head. A fun thought, but she doubted it.

Tears streamed from her eyes as she looked at her work. It was such a simple change. She'd scratched the 'y' into an 'i'. Everyone would call her real name, whether they liked it or not. She defined herself, whether they liked it or not.

After one more adjustment, Codi pulled her collar on.

CODI
TOTODILE
PRIVATE
for MOM

"Fine," Codi whimpered. It was too late for her. "Save who you want. Don't waste your time." She left the unopened letters on her nightstand. She wanted so badly to hate Max for what she'd done, but the memory of her Mom wouldn't let her. "It's too late for me." Her Mom had let her faith kill her. "But don't you dare let this happen to another soul." Codi would do the same.

"Do it all again." Mom had wanted Max to save them. Codi didn't waste her time. She could only imagine Sawsbuck's face draining of life. It made her smile.

If she happened to find herself on the receiving end, too, oh well. At least she'd see her mom again.

"I know your soul is not tainted
Even though you've been told so
Can you hear the rumble?
Can you hear the rumble that's calling?"

The town went about its business. A chestnaught and a trevenant oversaw the town of poliwag, whirl, and wrath with bored disdain. One poliwag who was having trouble walking down the street got a harsh nudge from the poliwhirl next to him. Most, if not all, of them were just as exhausted, but that poliwag was the only one not to forget that once he entered the view of their foremen. He tried to perk up; a vine ripped his legs out from under him.

The town went about its business.

Poliwag leapt upright in the same instant he hit the ground. "S-sorry!" he chirped. The chestnaught laughed as he pulled his vine back. Poliwag tried to shake the dirt off of himself while hurrying to get back to his pace, relieved Chestnaught hadn't waved him over.

He swallowed his gasps and stayed upright as he could while he followed the same trail he walked every day. The meager crowd thinned out even more as each poli found their right path and took it. Everyone used to live roughly together, but according to The Expedition Society, individual dwellings were more secure.

Poliwag ran into a pillar of smoke and bark that wasn't there until he hit it. "Hey, WATCH IT!" Trevenant barked at him.

"S-Sorry!" Poliwag whimpered. He tried to jump up again, but a slurry of leaves sliced his legs out from under him. Without any arms to catch himself, he fell flat on his face. He tried to ignore the sting and roll back up when a branch whipped across his back, slamming him back down to the ground.

"C'mon," Trevenant snarled. The branch whipped across his back again. "You're not too weak to get up, are you?" Poliwag started to whimper, which spread a wide smile of glee across Trevenant's 'lips'. "If you are, you know where you'll move, don't you?"

"But DAAAAAD!" some whiny girl squeaked, walking down the path. "You said there was a RIVER HERE!" Her voice sounded intentionally shrill, like she was trying to annoy her father. She distracted Trevenant enough for Poliwag to tilt to the side and see a pikachu covered with a towel, walking behind a… charmander? "I wanna SWIM!" How was that her dad?

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Charmander cooed. He pet her through the towel, shaking his head. "I forgot! They had the poliwrath fill the river to make transportation more efficient."

"Really?" Pikachu asked, peaking just her muzzle out of the towel. "For a town made up of almost exclusively water types, the young of which are known to struggle to walk until they evolve or otherwise mature?" Charmander gave one solemn nod which, despite her eyes still being under a towel, Pikachu somehow registered. "Well, that seems needlessly cruel."

"HEY!" Trevenant barked. "Name and business, you two!"

The towel covered pikachu hopped up and turned to face Trevenant in one smooth motion. "Okay!" she said, then jogged comically over (what kind of pikachu runs upright?). Despite having the towel completely covering her eyes, she didn't stumble in the slightest.

She trotted right past Poliwag before stopping on her front hindpaw and shuffling backwards to look at him. "Here," she said. She effortlessly grabbed hold of him and hoisted him up to his feet. After a few light pats, she stuck her paw out from under her towel and gave him a thumbs up before shuffling back to face Trevenant.

Trevenant glowered down at her and repeated, "Name. And business. Child."

"Who, me?" Pikachu asked. "I'm the boss California." Trevenant's bark crackled in rage while ethereal smoke fought against his physical form to escape. "All right, all right." Pikachu put her paws (still covered by the towel) up in surrender. "Well, my name is Pikachu, and my business is annoying you."

"That's it," Trevenant hissed. A hiss of smoke inhaled and annihilated the towel in less than a second, revealing Pikachu beneath wore a purple scarf, and had a black mark at the end of her tail. Poliwag's eyes shot open in surprise—helping him of all people?—while Trevenant's eye burst into flaming rage. "HALT, MONSTER!"

"WAIT!" Pikachu screamed, throwing both paws up in the air. For some reason even he didn't understand, Trevenant actually did. Perhaps he thought she was ready to surrender for her crimes. It became immediately apparent, though, that she felt no remorse as an overacted curiosity raised her brow. She tapped a paw to her chin and mused, "Shouldn't you arrest the guy attacking you from behind, first?"

Trevenant reeled his fist back to slam it straight for her when a burning blaze of flames slammed into his back. Pikachu snatched Poliwag up and ran them both to safety, and Trevenant slammed into the ground they'd stood on. He writhed for a moment before succumbing to the flames.

"You all right?" Pikachu asked, plopping Poliwag back to the ground. She was practically half his height, yet she didn't even seem winded. Of course, that wasn't remotely the most impressive thing about her.

"I-I—yes!" Poliwag cheered. His eyes glued to her tail. Every wound and scrape still burnt and ached, but he could stomach it. Seeing his excitement, Pikachu seemed to let out a breath she'd been holding and smiled. "Thank you! I-it's you!"

"That's me to you," Pikachu corrected. After a chuckle, she gave him an oran. "The name's Max, yours?"

"N-nme?" Poliwag muffled behind the oran. He choked it down as fast as possible. She could help—she could save them! "S-sorry! I don't have one." Max's smile suddenly became more strained, but Poliwag didn't understand why. No one really had names, anymore. "Can—are you here to help?"

"In a sense," Max said. Behind her, the cyndaquil that burnt down the tree tossed a pure white and silver badge to Chamander. "You should have a name, though. Ever thought of one you like?"

"M-me?" Poliwag asked. This was pointless—they needed to stop the Expedition Society from tormenting this town! He couldn't tell her that, though. "I'm, well, why would I?" Max raised a brow, and the deep cut he'd tried to ignore throbbed. "I-I'm just." He had older coworkers with names. It certainly made things more convenient, but he'd done nothing to earn one. "C-Can I?"

"Up to you," Max said with a shrug. She looked him over, sizing him up for a moment. "How does Paul feel?"

"P-Paul?" Poliwag asked. That—it almost sounded human. If it was anyone else, that would've been an insult of a death sentence, but from a human? The human? Was that—maybe he'd simply died, and this was some sick dream to comfort him in death.

"Sure," Max said with another shrug. The nonchalance, though, felt forced, and she betrayed her true feelings when she gave a meaningful glance to gauge his reaction. Whatever she saw made her smile. "Disciples are always fun, well." Her mouth twisted as she looked up. "He was already dead for that one. Is that a bad omen?"

"Max!" Charmander called. He waved her over, but Max held a paw up, telling him to wait a minute. Charmander deflated a bit before nodding with a sigh.

"Anyway," Max said, turning back to Paul (he… did like the ring of it, admittedly). "So, we've gotta go."

"What?!" Paul balked. "But—you can't!" The little bit of hope he'd finally mustered up shattered. It's not like Trevenant was dead! He was going to wake up, and he'd be enraged! "You—but you have to save us!"

"I already did," Max said. Despite his panic, she had a cool smile on. What was she possibly so certain of? The way she looked up at him, that knowing grin, Paul had no idea what she could possibly be thinking. Postponing his torment a few hours was far from saving him! "One person can't save a town." A shine sparked in her eye. "But, even with a type advantage, two can't doom it, either.

"How many poliwag alone are in this town?"

"A candle casting a faint glow
You and I see eye to eye
Can you hear the thunder?
How can you hear the thunder that's breaking?"

"Name, business," Codi said. She'd said it more times today than she'd said hello and its variants in all of her life. They'd bumped up security on every checkpoint entering and between towns and added many, many more to try and intercept the Treasonous Trio. Codi had eagerly volunteered. Anywhere south of Poliwrath River was a lost cause, so they stationed her North in Glitterion, a mining town between Sheer Mountain Range and School Forest.

They'd cross paths sooner or later.

"Chimchar," Chimchar said. "Charch-" He snapped his mouth shut. Codi glanced dispassionately up from her notes. "Ch-Traveling."

"Traveling where?" Codi asked, Chimchar flinching at her voice. It was just a simple question, though, and he realized that after a second. He looked timidly up with a bit of hope in his eyes. She winked at him. "WHERE?" He flinched again, and she offered an apologetic smile.

"F-Forest!" Chimchar stuttered. The low rumble of impatience in line behind him quieted a bit at Codi's yell, but it still remained. "Foreboding Forest." Codi stared him down a moment, pretending to scrutinize him. Even the one second stare left him trembling.

"I hear it's rather Foreboding this time of year," Codi said. She held his papers out to him with a smile. "Hurry up, though." When he grabbed at them, she tightened her grip for a second and lowered her voice. "No time to wait." Chimchar stiffened, and she let go. He whispered thanks as he ran off, but she'd already turned her head back to the mass of people still waiting.

It was going to be a long day.

Codi got into a rhythm, though. It was a simple job, really, but that didn't make it easy. Her superiors would notice if she didn't mark anyone. She tried to only mark people who could make it through investigation, but she had no way of knowing for sure.

Her paws trembled for a moment after she waved a family on. What if she sent someone to exile just because they could mask better than the others? She might never know, either.

She'd marked a woman half an hour ago. Did she have kids?

Her stomach turned like it always did. She'd learned to ignore it. After all, she deserved to feel sick for doing this. Even if she had no other choice, she'd never forgive herself. It was one thing to suffer in Hell, but that's why it has circles. Recruit the higher circles from the lower to torment the only people they know. It's an ingenious strategy; it's more horrible than anything she could ever imagine.

Hell is other pokémon.

Codi looked to the line again. It was a bit shorter now, at least. Its length didn't concern her, though. She had to keep it discreet, but it was hard after a whole day of disappointment. It was a long shot, anyway, since there were dozens of trails they could take, but she couldn't help hoping.

Maybe it was just her Mom's memory, but she had a feeling something was coming. She'd thought it was Max, despite the ridiculous odds. After so long, though, it was hard to hold onto that hope.

Exploud blared its siren before suddenly cutting off. Codi knew the sound from the first note, though. Training drilled it into her to the point her response to it came more naturally than shooting water. She started her dash to the city center before the second it took her to realize it was a drill. They couldn't have an uprising on their paws. She'd kept an eye out for that pikachu all day.

It frustrated her enough to slow to a jog. Even her superiors didn't care about being late to a drill, as long as you showed up. Of course Max wouldn't come.

She hadn't before.

It was odd that Exploud cut the siren off, though. Maybe it was a joke? Could be a trap, too. She'd get in big trouble for abandoning her post like this. No one cared if it was a superior that told her to. She should know better. Not that Taint blood like her could ever question a superior and live.

There was another oddity of the drill, though, that she realized as she meandered over to the city center. Usually, at least, lining up didn't cause a hail of vines, flames, rocks, and earth. It could be a combat drill, she supposed.

Although, she didn't remember any grass types being stationed here. She'd let an unexpected number through in the past hour, though. That could pose a bit of an issue since the soldiers stationed were mostly built around keeping fire types at bay.

The sight of fourteen individual fire types quite literally toppling an onyx shook her out of her thoughts.

It wasn't a drill. This was a real uprising—wait, but who the hell started it? There was no way a pikachu of all pokémon could've made it into this town unnoticed. Codi was far from the only one with every reason in the world to look for Max. She must've somehow made it in, then. No one but a human could start a rebellion like this.

A storm of vines interrupted her jog as they lashed towards her from every direction; Codi snatched the nearest few out of the air and ripped them around with a harsh yank. She didn't think. She fought. This was what her training had taught her. It didn't matter that she wanted the uprising to succeed.

Her paws trembled in horror as her jaw clenched in rage. Vines slashed across her back. She could only see Sawsbuck. She ripped the vines into the air and slammed the pokémon attached to them into their fellow fighters.

In one swing, she took out half of them. The other half froze. One set of vines started to retract, and the rest followed suit. On her right, the fourteen fire types crashed over each other with the rumble of an earthquake. Most managed to scatter, but one didn't escape before the Ursaluna snatched him up by his neck. Codi's eyes went wide.

It was Chimchar. The one she'd let pass through.

"YOU!" Ursaluna screamed. He ripped Chimchar into the air to slam him into the earth. Chimchar stopped struggling. "TREASON!" He brandished the limp body to the crowd, all staring on in horror. They'd toppled so many troops already, though! What were they doing?! There were only two left!

Codi froze. The grass types that had attacked her were still staring at her in terror.

"YOU FOOLS LET THIS TAINT LEAD YOU ASTRAY?!" Ursaluna roared. Wait, but that meant—no. Chimchar—how could he have started this? What would have… oh no.

Every story of an uprising began with one encounter. One constant. Max would come, give some random pokémon hope, and then, they used that hope to lead them to freedom. It happened without fail. No matter what, the Expedition Society couldn't topple that hope. It's why Soldiers didn't go South of Poliwrath River anymore.

She'd given Chimchar hope; she killed him.

Ursaring showed Chimchar to Codi. "WE'LL SHOW YOU WHERE THIS HOPE LEADS YOU!"

It was her fault. Her pitiful act of kindness had damned every single one of them. No pokémon could inspire a rebellion, obviously. She'd even been the one to stop the grass types assault. She started this rebellion, and she'd ended it, too. Chimchar stared at her with a glassy-eyed stare, but his eyes weren't empty. He was smiling, like he didn't know.

It was her fault. Even with so many pokémon around them, they were all too tired and scared to fight, now. Of course they were. What else could she expect? She was just a pokémon. She'd inspired some hope, but it was too little.

And it was all her fault. Those grass types would have easily made it through Ursaluna if she didn't scare them off. It was her fault. It was all her fault. Because of her, this rebellion had begun, and because of her, it would fail. In two attacks, she'd turned the tides. Her heart ached. How many mothers would be exiled because of her? She was the deciding factor in this rebellion's end.

… hey, wait a second.

"PRIVATE CODY, NOW!" Ursaluna screamed at her. He clutched Chimchar's neck tighter, bulging the fire type's eyes out for a moment before they dimmed. Even still, though, he looked at her with the echoes of a smile. Was she imagining it? Ursaluna lowered to the ground and grinned. "Soak him until his flame goes out."

Codi heaved every bit of water she could summon and more into Ursaluna without another second's thought. She made good use of Hydro Pump, the move Sawsbuck had spent weeks tormenting into her. It had never been enough before. It sent Ursaluna flying.

Codi ran over to pick Chimchar up off the ground. "Ch-Chimchar!" she screamed. He wasn't moving—she put a paw to his neck to feel for a pulse and let out a sigh of relief. She turned to the crowd and shouted, "He's okay!"

"Um," a litwick nearby mumbled. Codi looked up and saw the entire crowd staring at her. "W-was that on purpose?"

"What?" Codi asked. She didn't understand the question, did she say something funny? Was what on purpose? As she looked around, though, it started to make sense. The whole crowd gave her a wide berth, everyone staring at her with visible fear. It wasn't hard to see why with most of the grass types that she'd fought hobbling to others for first aid. "Oh."

They were afraid of her. There had to be fifty pokémon, but if nothing else, Expedition Society soldiers were known for their combat prowess. That was the whole point, after all. Still, this many pokémon at once could easily take a totodile, no matter how well trained.

Wait. She was getting ahead of herself. Her eyes shot open as she leapt up, looking all around for any other soldiers. None. There were none standing. They did it! "W-wait, where is she?" she asked. No, that was a stupid question. She'd probably saved whoever got this going yesterday. "Okay, no, Max is probably gone, uh." She looked out at the horribly confused crowd around her. "Who started this?"

No one spoke up. The only one remotely close to her was the litwick, and they seemed just as lost as everyone. Why?! They should be ecstatic! They won! Then she heard the rattle of her collar.

Right. They didn't know. They probably thought she wanted to know who the culprit was to make an example out of them.

Codi ripped her badge off her collar and threw it to the ground. Looking to the crowd, she threw a fist to the air and screamed, "WE DID IT!" There was a second's pause. Everyone was still staring at her.

Then, the whole town erupted into cheers. All at once, they screamed, cheered, hugged, jumped for joy. She started jumping herself, and the crowd started rushing her. Wait—did they not—she panicked at the stampede, but held her paw. Her training pounded against her chest to stop them, but she didn't let it. This was their victory. She wasn't going to stand in the way again. She shut her eyes and accepted her fate.

Codi yelped as they threw her into the air. An odd attack, but gravity was a formidable force, she supposed. After a few cycles of throwing and catching, though, she realized that they didn't intend to hurt her. They were celebrating with her.

It was her victory, too.

"HE'S UP!" several voices screamed. All at once, the crowd volleying caught her one last time and ran over. She did the same and found they'd left a path for her.

Chimchar, the poor guy, barely had his eyes open. He looked blearily around at everyone watching him with bated breath. Codi especially. What were the odds that she'd run into the person Max helped? Well. One in four, considering there were only four entrances to the town.

Everyone stared at him, but nobody said a word, all waiting in eager silence. Codi couldn't take it anymore. "Come on, what happened?!" she asked. Chimchar shook the rest of the way out of his stupor, smiling when he finally made her form out. It was very sweet. However, she was physically unable to keep waiting. "You met Max, right?!"

"What?" Chimchar asked. "No?"

Codi froze. That was strange. Did he not know Max's—no, what rebel didn't know? "Then, wait," Codi asked. Looking around, she was surprised that she was the only one that looked confused. "Who inspired this?"

"Uh, I don't know," Chimchar mumbled. More and more, people gave Codi confused looks. A few started to give suspicious glances to her collar. "Just, I guess it was after you waved me through." He chuckled with a shrug. "I thought, 'if even they hate this, what're we doing,' y'know?"

Codi just about had an aneurysm. "M-me?" she asked. That couldn't be right. "B-but." She shook her head, trying to make sense of what never would. It ground right up against everything she knew. It didn't make sense. She'd given up on hope. It couldn't have been her, but it'd not like there was anyone else. No, it was just Chimchar, then, but even that didn't make sense.

"Hey, Codi?" Litwick asked. They nudged against her scales with a bit of a smirk. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

"FUCK no," Codi barked. Half the crowd flinched away hearing her shout. She'd accidentally screamed about as loud as she could. "S-sorry." She grabbed the top of her snout and turned down, eyes staring along the ground.

"Here," an oddish said, hopping over with an oran in her leaves. Codi watched in confusion as Oddish walked over and looked up at her. After an awkward silence, Oddish said, "Take it, you're hurt."

"What? Why?" Codi asked. She got even more strange looks, though most seemed to be worried instead of suspicious, now. She looked herself over and noticed all the ripped slashes the vines she hadn't intercepted left on her. She could feel a warm trickle down her back. "O-oh." She nervously took the berry and started nibbling on it while the crowd got to tending the wounded and restraining the soldiers. "I am, sorry."

"You really didn't feel that?" Litwick asked. Codi paused mid nibble to glance away, the scales on her cheeks turning a faint indigo.

"I-I guess not," Codi mumbled. That must've been weird. Was she freaking these people out? What was she thinking, of course she was freaking them out. She was a soldier. Everyone was supposed to be afraid of her. "I had to get used to it."

"Necrozma's Dawn, Codi," Litwick swore. "What did they put you through?"

"M-me?" Codi stammered. She froze and grit her teeth before she could think about the question. No. Now wasn't the time. They needed to celebrate right now. "What any soldier goes through, I guess." Another warm trickle started down her cheeks. She didn't feel any wounds there, though. She smiled down at Litwick and Oddish as she got up. "Thanks."

"Whoah, where are you going?" Litwick asked. They floated slightly in front of Codi to stop her. "You need some rest."

"I will," Codi lied. Litwick narrowed their eyes at her. Codi averted her own. Where was she going? Nowhere near the Expedition Society, that's for sure. The second anyone heard of this, they'd send orders to execute her on sight. Maybe South, but that only worked if no one recognized her for what she was. "Maybe I should rest up a bit."

Litwick said something she couldn't make out. She agreed and went along with her, eyes glassy and distant. She made conversation with whoever Litwick brought her to, but she had no idea what she said (something about a broken spine—no, not the vertebrae). It didn't matter. With a slow, dark chuckle, she realized she was right. No one ever would come to save her.

Codi lay in a bed, curled up around her own tail with bandages all over. The only light came in from a window above her. It was nighttime. She had no idea when it became night, or when she became the only one in the room.

She ended up saving herself, and now, she had no idea where she would go. She had nowhere to go, really. She didn't have anyone. Not anymore.

Tears dripped down her muzzle. She was free, and she felt more trapped than ever. Is this what everyone felt like after Max came through? No, no it wasn't, because Max hadn't. Codi grit her teeth through another sob. Max.

At this point, she couldn't think of any reason she shouldn't. Where else could she go? Might as well continue what she started. Everyone in and out of the Expedition Society probably wanted her dead, now. She might as well go hunting, even if she had no idea what she'd get out of it.

Her paw clenched her tag, thumb pressed against where she'd inscribed for MOM. She made up her mind.

She had a score to settle.