Act 2

Changing Tides

Chapter 27:

Greed

~~Kricketune - Mining Town - Western Province~~

A few hours earlier…

Kricketune huffed as he exited the store. He stuffed his money purse back into his pouch and slung the sack of food-related items over his shoulder. It had taken longer than he thought, but he finally struck a nice deal on these supplies - even if he had to mention his ties to royalty.

He shivered from a cold wind that breezed through the town. He noticed just how dark it had gotten since he first entered the store. It would be best for him to turn in for the night, he decided. He had been away from his young master for far too long, anyway. He could only imagine how that encounter was turning out for his lord.

The darkness that overtook the sky would have been a problem to be wary of, but thankfully this village had installed streetlights. A rare sight for a small town like this, but a welcome one nonetheless. He whistled a soothing tune to himself as he made his way back to the Nidoqueen's abode.

"Oof!"

He staggered back as he had accidentally bumped into something. He almost fell down due to the imbalance of his center of gravity caused by the sack, but he gained his footing just in time. He calmly glared at the culprit of his troubles.

"I'm really sorry about that, mister!" A small Dwebble apologized looking up at him. "I wasn't looking where I was going!"

Kricketune observed the Pokémon for a second. He was obviously a young kid, maybe only one or two. It was most likely only a small mistake. Kricketune sighed. "I will let this go, but please watch yourself next time."

"Yes sir!" Dwebble nodded vigorously. "It won't happen again, sir! Bye!"

Dwebble turned around and hurriedly scuttled off in the opposite direction he was headed before. He was clearly eager to get as far away from Kricketune as he possibly could.

"Damn kid," Kricketune said to himself. He was about to leave the subject behind when his eyes lit up, noticing Dwebble dragging something behind him. It was a small purple bag. In fact, it looked awfully similar to…

"My pouch." He sharply inhaled and went on full alert, now noticing that his adventurer's pouch was missing from his waist. He glared at the retreating kid with noticeable irritation.

"Thief!" He shouted after the Dwebble, giving chase. "Stop right there!"

He followed the surprisingly quick Dwebble throughout the paved streets of the town for the next few minutes until he saw the small criminal duck into an alleyway.

He turned the corner. The alley was seemingly empty, with only a few barrels and boxes lining the walls. It led to a dead end on the far side. There were not too many places to hide. He left the sack of supplies at the alley entrance and stepped inside.

"Come out and we can make this quick, thief. I promise no harm will come to you if you reveal yourself to me now and hand back my pouch." He readied an X-Scissor for intimidation.

A shadow moved out from the furthest barrel, revealing Dwebble. The nervous child persona was dropped, and an arrogant smirk replaced it.

"Should have just let this go, Kricketune," Dwebble said in a voice completely different from the one before. This voice was much gruffer and cocky. Definitely not a kid.

"I do not take kindly to thieves." Kricketune took one step forward, blades at the ready. "My offer still stands. Hand over my pouch, and you will remain unharmed."

Dwebble chortled. "No can do, buddy. See, you've got something that we need." He nodded to something behind Kricketune. "We're not letting you go that easily."

Kricketune took notice of Dwebble's wording. "We?"

"How about this," came a voice now coming from behind Kricketune. He turned to look behind him, taking notice of the Spinda that now blocked his only exit. "Do as we say, and you just might live through this."

Kricketune noticed how the Spinda's paws were bandaged. "The very same Spinda from the group that attacked us earlier today I presume? So you decided to track us instead of freeing your compatriots?"

Spinda scoffed. "Like hell I would help those bastards. They got themselves into that mess. I'm not going down with them.

"How chivalrous," Kricketune responded sarcastically. "Spoken like a true lowlife."

Spinda snorted. "Don't pretend like you know us, lapdog. Now I don't mean to sound cliche here, but," he signaled something to Dwebble.

Kricketune's eyes widened as he witnessed the small Pokémon start to melt. The form and details became lost in a purple goo that was collected on the floor. And then the goo stared back at him with small, beady eyes.

"Are you going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"

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~~Rainbow(Espeon) - Village Mine - Western Province~~

"Greyson! Mr. Greyson!"

Rainbow's desperate calls for the missing Pokémon rang through the crumbling tunnels. The moans and groans of the mine only increased in their frequency as every second went by. Rainbow knew he didn't have much more time to find Greyson.

Rainbow checked every nook and cranny he came across, his psychic power helping him sense nearby objects. He didn't know how long he had been looking- maybe only a few minutes- but the stress was getting to him; both his mind and body.

The pain in his back had not been alleviated since it had been hit. Rainbow was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on his task. At some point, he should back out for his own safety. But he will not. Not until he was able to reunite Preem with her husband and Brent with his father.

"Ooooouuughgh" a pained sound met Rainbow's ears.

Rainbow stopped in his tracks and gasped. Double-checking to make sure he was right, he extended his limited psychic sense out to cover a specific tunnel. A few dozen feet down the tunnel… he saw it. He saw him.

"Greyson!" He bolted down the tunnel, finally finding his target. He energetically slid to the downed Rhydon's side, taking care not to run into him. "Greyson, are you okay?"

Greyson seemed out of it. His eyes were foggy and his head could not keep still. His body was mostly free from any sort of obstruction, all but his left arm. Taking one look at the appendage gave Rainbow the answer to why Greyson had not been able to evacuate. It was trapped under a large section of rubble. It didn't seem to be crushed, but it could not be so easily retracted from where it lay.

Rainbow wiped some sweat from his brow before propping Greyson's head up with his foreleg. "Greyson, can you hear me? Are you alright?"

"Whazzat?" Came the slurred response from the trapped Rhydon. Clearly, some falling rubble had hit him in the head.

Rainbow stressfully exhaled. "Crap. I'm gonna try to lift some of the rubble off your arm, okay?"

The question elicited no legible response from Greyson, so Rainbow decided to go through with it anyway. He gently lay Greyson's head back on the ground and turned to the rubble pile. He had managed to keep a ceiling from collapsing before, so how hard could some rocks be?

Rainbow's eyes flared with Psychic and he focused his mind on the objects he was trying to lift. A faint glow surrounded some of the rocks. With care, Rainbow started to lift them one by one. It would take a little longer than he would like, but it was the safest option.

The cave shifted once more, but Rainbow tried not to let it get to him. Right now he could not worry about anything else. It was just him and his task. He managed to get a few rocks out of the pile. Now just this big one…

Crack!

As soon as Rainbow moved the large rock a little, the cave wall gave way and crumbled. Even more rocks than when he started fell roughly onto the pile, squishing Greyson's arm even more.

"Aaaarggh!" A scream of pain came from the Rhydon, feeling new pain as his arm was crushed further.

"Shoot!" Rainbow quickly canceled his Psychic hold on the rocks and went back to check on Greyson. The haze had disappeared from his eyes, being replaced by panicked pupils. "Sorry!"

Greyson tightened his fist in his other arm and painfully contorted on the ground. He was trying to bear the newfound pain. His eyes locked on Rainbow. "Who…are you? What happened?" He said through gritted teeth.

"I came to help. The cave is collapsing and everyone's already evacuated. We need to get you out of here." Rainbow answered the confused Pokémon's questions.

Greyson noticed the bruises adorning Rainbow's dirty lilac pelt. "You're banged up… go save yourself."

Rainbow glared. "I'm not leaving you here. Especially when you have people waiting on you outside."

Visions of his family swept through Greyson's mind. His heart wept at the sight of their faces if he couldn't get out of there. He frowned. "Alright then, do what you need to."

Rainbow nodded, setting his sights back on the rubble. "I'm gonna try lifting the big rock in the center. Can you pull your arm at all?"

Greyson winced as he tugged on his trapped arm, but was relieved that he could still move it. "It's a bit numb, thankfully, but yeah."

"Good." Rainbow used Psychic, this time focusing on the large rock he felt before. "When I move the rock, the small ones are gonna fall. You need to move that arm out of the way before they do. You ready?"

Greyson puffed air in and out of his system, steeling his nerves for the reckless plan. "Do it."

Rainbow locked onto the rock and gently started to lift. The pile shifted freely to make way for the rock to the surface. He got it just high enough to the point where Greyson should be able to draw his arm back. "Pull it out! Hurry!"

"I-I can't!" Greyson avidly shouted back. "It's not going to squeeze out!"

Rainbow's mind couldn't take the strain anymore. The connection suddenly split. The rock dropped back onto Greyson's arm, causing another trembling scream from the Rhydon. Rainbow winced and panted with fatigue.

"Are you okay?" He asked the convulsing Pokémon.

After a few seconds, Greyson regained some of his composure. He growled from the ever-increasing painful discomfort coming from his left arm. "What do you think?"

Rainbow was perplexed. "I don't get it. I was sure I lifted the boulder high enough for your arm to fit."

Greyson took his eyes away from Rainbow, who in turn could see a look of shame form on Greyson's face. "It was…if it was only my arm under there…"

Rainbow looked incredulous. "What? What do you mean?"

Greyson scowled. "I can't let go, not after everything I put into it. I need it."

Rumbling overtook them. More rocks fell. The ground shook. Rainbow could not believe what he was hearing.

"You're holding on to something? Is that why you couldn't get your arm out?"

Greyson mumbled. "I won't leave it here. No matter what I need to get it out. I'm sorry, but that's the only way."

"You can't leave it…?" Rainbow echoed softly. His eyes sharpened in perplexed anger. "What could you possibly be holding on to that's worth your own life…?"

"I know what he keeps, Shifter." Rainbow stared in surprise as Polelto appeared out of nowhere down the hall. He was huffing in exhaustion and was more than ticked off at the situation.

"Polelto!" Rainbow exclaimed, actually relieved to see his fellow Champion. "You came! How did you find us?"

The Milotic scoffed. "It was not very hard to follow the screams. And do not get the wrong idea. I did not come here for his sake," he disdainfully pointed his tail towards a shocked Greyson. "I came here to make sure you do not get yourself killed."

Rainbow could say he was flattered at the statement, but they just did not have the time for that now. "What do you know?" He questioned him.

Polelto slithered down the tunnel, his attention on Greyson. "I had a talk with that Geodude fellow, and he had a surprising little detail that would explain everything."

All of a sudden Greyson flailed in a panic. "Don't you say anything! It's mine! I found it!"

Rainbow backed away, a little fearful of the Rhydon's manic state. "Greyson, stop! You might cause more rocks to fall!"

But Greyson did not stop. His thrashing was disrupting what little structural integrity was left of the cave. Rainbow swore and activated his Psychic, this time on Greyson. He stopped the Pokémon from moving so as to not risk any more damage.

Rainbow strained to keep Greyson still. "What could he possibly need that badly that would make him like this?"

Polelto glared at the unmoving Rhydon. "This dullard managed to find a Plate of Arceus down here."

The shock Rainbow felt from the statement caused him to drop the Psychic hold. He sharply glared at Polelto. "A Plate? Are you sure?"

"Please, get me out!" Greyson pleaded. "I need it! Please!"

"I believe his pathetic cries all but confirm it." Polelto said plainly.

The sound of Greyson's begging penetrated deep within Rainbow's psyche. It was a Plate. Whichever Plate it was, they had no idea. But it was an incredible find for their journey. Something like this would progress them even further ahead to stopping Giratina's return.

Polelto spied Rainbow's quiet demeanor with curiosity. In all honesty, he had expected more of an outburst from the Espeon. He at least thought that information would rile Rainbow up even more than he already was, but all he did was stare at the begging Rhydon without much emotion.

But then Rainbow's blank stare turned sour, then disappointed, and then downright furious.

"I know," Greyson said. "I'll give you two a cut! Get me out with it and I'll pay you whatever you want, I promise! Just please-"

Rainbow crashed his skull straight down onto Greyson's in a splitting headbutt that stopped Greyson's pleading. Rainbow recoiled from the immense pain of headbutting a much sturdier Pokémon, but he ignored it and instead vigorously shook the Rhydon.

"Are you kidding me!" Rainbow growled. "This is all for just a damn Plate!?"

Greyson, who's manic state had subsided from the sudden headbutt, tried to argue back. "'Just a Plate'? That thing is gonna finally give my family a better life! I need to get it outta here!"

"You're going to die!" Rainbow fired back.

"I have to take that risk! If it means giving my wife and son the life they deserve, I'll gladly give my life!"

Rainbow's vicious tone cracked, revealing a mournful one underneath the rage. "What good is that life if your son won't have a dad to live it with?" He stopped shaking Greyson. His forelegs limply fell to the side. "Do you think they would be okay with killing you just to be rich?"

Greyson lost a little steam as well. "This is for their sake!"

"What if it was Preem?" Rainbow asked. "If your wife gave up her life for something like that?"

"No!" Greyson shouted, offended at even the idea. "Absolutely not! I would never let that happen!"

"Then how do you think they feel?" Rainbow moved away from Greyson. "They're waiting outside for you- right now. They want nothing more than to see their husband and father walk out of here safe and sound."

Greyson looked shameful. "They are?"

Rainbow nodded. "Of course they are."

"..." Greyson stared at the rock pile that crushed his arm. He thankfully couldn't feel anything anymore, his brain had long numbed the area. He wasn't even sure his left arm was even still in one piece.

They were waiting on him. Right now they were staring at the entrance to the mine with the same intensity as he was staring at the rocks. They wanted to see him. He wanted to see them. But the Plate…

"I can't…" he vigorously shook his head. "I can't, I'm sorry. I won't pass this up!" His pupils lost focus once more. His body started to flail around aimlessly. It would seem his moment of conscious clarity had passed and given way to a manic state.

"Get me out! I need it! Please! I'm begging-!"

Polelto swiftly chopped Greyson's neck with his powerful tail, knocking the poor Rhydon out cold. "Quiet, simpleton or your floundering will kill us all."

Rainbow did not speak out against the violence. In fact, he could barely fathom how Greyson had acted. He barely even registered Polelto starting to leave.

"Come, Shifter. This fool is not worth our time." Polelto slithered a few more paces, but Rainbow had yet to move. "Shifter?"

Rainbow could only look at him with a pain-filled expression. Once more, the greed from the Plates had twisted someone good into an ugly creature like this. His parents died because of that greed, his little sister was beaten up for it, and many Pokémon died in Glass City for it. Azaelia was almost killed, too.

Far too many times the Plates had led to injury and death. Too many times were families and lives torn apart because of the wealth they brung. Too many times had Rainbow thought of the consequences and dangers of seeking the Plates, especially for normal Pokémon like Greyson.

He was sick of letting people die because of these damn Plates.

"I won't leave him."

Polelto rolled his eyes. "And just how do you plan on rescuing him? You must realize how fruitless your effort will be."

"Of course I do." Rainbow frowned. "But that doesn't mean I can stop trying. I came in here to rescue him. I refuse to leave him to die."

"No matter how vain he is?" Polelto spat. "Even after seeing just how ugly this Pokémon is on the inside? Is common scrap like this really worth saving for you?"

Rainbow met his fellow Champion's eyes with unwavering resolve. "A life is a life. Each and every one is worth saving."

Psychic energy blazed to life from Rainbow's eyes. He focused once more on the rock pile, attempting to lift it one more time. "Get out of here while you can. I'll figure something out."

Polelto growled in annoyance. He mumbled something only he could hear. "Why must I have been stuck with some altruistic twit…" He approached the other two now with a newfound purpose. "Move aside, Shifter."

Rainbow felt sweat go down his brow. "What are you going to do?"

Polelto raised his tail up. Energy collected at its tip. "I should have ended this as soon as I got here."

Rainbow gasped at what the Milotic was about to do. He dropped his Psychic. "What do you think you're doing! I'm trying to save him!"

"If this inane attempt at a rescue continues any longer, we'll all be subjected to the coldness of the earth! Now move!"

Rainbow put himself in between Polelto and Greyson. "I'm not letting you do this, Polelto! I'll figure something out, just give me more time!"

"Move!" Polelto swung his tail down in a fast but powerful arch.

Rainbow gasped at the incoming attack, but he did not move away from trying to cover Greyson as best he could. But he wasn't big enough to cover everything. The attack struck true to its intended target.

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BOOM!

The crowd all turned with fear and worry as the cave shook much more violently this time around. The entrance was cracking and breaking at an alarming rate. It wouldn't be long before the whole thing collapsed completely.

"Everyone clear out!" Someone shouted from within the throng. The congregation hurriedly moved further away from the mine, carefully relocating the injured as well. They looked on in horror as the entrance was steadily closing up from the debris.

"I think I see something! In the cave!" another voice came suddenly in disbelief. Everyone looked carefully past the fracturing rock and into the creeping darkness.

There was a yellow light. Dim at first, but growing brighter by the second. They watched in wonder as a small trio of Pokémon broke out of the darkness just as the cave entrance crumbled behind them. They were mere seconds from being eternally entombed within the maze.

"Is that…?" Someone gasped in fear.

"The royal…"

"And that criminal, too!"

"We have an injured! We need a healer!" Rainbow desperately called out to the crowd.

The crowd remained quiet in their presence. They didn't know how to respond. Rainbow looked at their fearful faces. It was disheartening, to say the least. But his feelings didn't matter right now.

"He needs healing right now! He's already lost a lot of blood!" He motioned towards the limp Rhydon, currently hitching a ride on a more-than-annoyed Polelto's back. "Please! Someone!"

"Cowards, all of them." Polelto slid Greyson off his back and threw him over to the townspeople. "Too afraid to speak up to us?" He asked no one in particular. "Be thankful we went back for him at all."

"Is that…?" The crowd parted as a Nidoqueen broke through in disbelief. She knelt down by the Rhydon's side in tears. "Grey… it's really you…" She tenderly held his hand in hers. "Thank goodness!"

Brent also broke through and joined his father's side. "Daddy!"

Like they were following the Nidoran's lead, healers quickly approached the newly rescued Pokémon and got to work. The gathering shifted their attention from the Champions and went back to tending the wounded. Now that everyone was accounted for, they could finally start cleaning up this mess.

Preem stayed by her husband's side as long as she could while the healers could work their magic. Things like healing moves were not miracles, however, and he would need to rest in bandages for a long time afterward. Most notable, however, was the inability to heal a missing arm.

When he was pronounced stable, she could breathe a heavy sigh of relief. She patted Brent's head, who was snuggled up to his father's side, and rose to her feet. She looked around for the saviors of her husband, hoping to thank them with all she had. But they were no longer there.

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The pair of Champions silently trudged through the abandoned streets of the village, retracing their steps back to Preem's house. Most of the inhabitants had gone to the mine entrance or stayed in their homes. Rainbow could hear Polelto grumbling to himself.

"Ungrateful…should have left it be…damn commoners…"

Rainbow stopped for a second to rub some pain from his back. "Why did you do it?" He asked the grumpy Milotic.

"I told you already," he responded. "I have a mission and I will not fail it. Nothing more."

"Is that really it?" Rainbow asked unconvinced.

Polelto glared. "That's it."

"You cut his arm off. You seemed entirely ready to let him die."

Polelto slithered along. "And how about you?" He asked accusingly. "Our mission always comes first. Yet you decided to save that Rhydon without even thinking about that Plate. In fact, the Plate came secondary to that Pokémon's life."

"Of course it did." Rainbow responded matter-of-factly. "No amount of greed or money should come before someone's life."

"That Plate could have propelled our journey immensely." Polelto shook his head. "Now, who knows how long it will take for it to resurface. We do not have the time to wait around for it."

"What mattered was reuniting Greyson with his family. We can always get the Plate later." Rainbow tightened a paw. "But a Pokémon can never get their loved ones back, no matter what."

"He would have deserved it. His greed almost cost him not only his own life, but the well being of his peers." Polelto spat.

Rainbow was about to argue, but held against the urge. He was just too tired to deal with this right now. But still, in the back of his mind, he still held one action that spoke more than whatever elitist hot-air his companion said.

"But you still saved him."

The statement was left in the cold late-autumn air as the two continued on. After everything, they were exhausted from the night's events. They just wanted a good night's sleep. Rainbow hesitated upon reaching Preem's house.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay here anymore." He said.

Polelto groaned in response. "Why would that be?"

"I don't know…" Rainbow shifted on his sore paws. "I think we should give them some space."

"Do what you wish, but we were offered this house to host us, and I am too damn tired to care about something trivial such as 'giving them space'." He brushed aside Rainbow's concern and entered the house.

Rainbow sighed. "Well, I tried." he followed along.

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It had been a few days since the events of that night. The energy had finally died down and things went back to normality.

The quartet of travelers could be seen stocking their new cart with the necessary supplies for their remaining journey to Prismarine City. Well, Kricketune was stocking. Polelto had long since mounted the cart and was waiting for the work to be done. Rainbow, meanwhile, was conversing with Preem.

"Thank you so much." She lightly hugged the smaller Espeon. "I don't know what would have happened without you there."

Rainbow smiled. "It's no problem, Preem. Honestly, I should be thanking you for letting us stay for so long."

She let go of him. "I must say, I was skeptical of you all at first. But after what happened a few nights ago," she wiped a tear from her eye. "You're welcome back here whenever you like. That applies to all of you." She finished, looking at the cart where the other, more recluse, Pokémon lay.

"I'll let him know." Rainbow smirked. "Although, he's already pissed that we're leaving so late."

Preem put her hands on her hips. "I wasn't just going to let my husband's savior travel when he got so hurt doing it. You did not look too good, you know."

Rainbow winced, rubbing his slightly bruised back. It had mostly healed, but the pain was still there. "True, I guess. Still, I'm going to get an earful on the road."

Kricketune called out, breaking the conversation. "It's time to go, Shifter."

"That's my cue." Rainbow turned away. "Tell Grey to get better for me."

"Oh- hold on!" She shouted before Rainbow could get too far. Rainbow was confused when she handed him a small bag with some weight to it. Upon his pondering, she explained. "Please give this to Sir Gracia. It's a gift from Grey and some of his peers."

Rainbow…was a little speechless. "Really?" He asked, stunned that they had done something for Polelto. He warmly smiled at the gesture. "Don't worry, I will."

Preem gratefully nodded. "Remember, if you're ever around here my door is always open."

"Right." He waved as he retreated to the cart. "I'll see you later! Say bye to Grey and Brent for me!"

She smiled and waved back for a few seconds before turning away. Rainbow felt light and happy on his paws as he entered the cart, sitting across from Polelto.

"Finally finished, Shifter? We are running a few days behind, you know." Rainbow plopped the gift in front of the coiled snake, surprising him.

"It's for you." Rainbow answered upon seeing Polelto's questioning gaze. "From Grey and some others, apparently."

Polelto stared blankly at the object, not knowing what to say. He used his tail to open the bag and take out what was inside. It was a small box, with an opening at the top. A note also rested on the side. He placed the box aside for now and opened the note.

Some of the guys stayed up for the past few nights to dig this out. After everything that happened, I don't deserve it. This belongs to you for saving my life. Thank you.

He blinked at the note before setting it aside and opening the box. He pulled out a pearlescent jewel on a string. It was a makeshift necklace. The jewel itself was entrancing, a swirl of beautiful colors coming together to create a unique piece of the earth.

Rainbow could get lost in the prettiness. "What's that?"

Polelto snorted with slight amusement, putting the necklace around his neck with a certain tenderness that could easily be missed. "Not a Plate, that's for sure."

A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but Rainbow was certain he could see the smallest of smiles curve up from the usual frown.