Chapter 53: Working Together

Lyn and Ellsberg's search through the Mystery Dungeon had proven to be a long, largely uneventful affair… or at least as much as a draining trek through a desert could be. Most of the local ferals shrunk back at the sight of the large, imposing Samurott, with the more strong-headed easily routed with a seamitar slash or a jet of water to cut them off. All the while, the pair had come up with no meaningful lead on the Protector's whereabouts beyond some Merchantry lackey claiming his dungeon mat had almost been robbed by them earlier in the morning… Far too long in the past to help get a good bead on where the youngsters were now as they exited a foggy passage into a smaller chamber lacking interior walls and corridors.

"Urgh... all this sand and ferals but still no sign of the Protector or his friends…" Ellsberg buzzed.

"Pipe down, Ellsberg," Lyn snapped. "We don't have much time before word of our presence filters out to Copperband Village, and the last thing we need is to lose the Protector because we failed to check some irrelevant corner."

"I know that, Lyn!" the Mothim insisted. "But aren't I allowed to make some commen-"

"Oh come on, it's gotta be around here somewhere."

"Gah, who knew those lousy half-pints would hit so hard."

Lyn paused and sniffed at the air, catching the scent of Pokémon ahead in the haze. The Samurott looked around, sensing that the voices were familiar from his crew but unable to put a bead on whose they were.

"Huh?"

Lyn twitched his whiskers at the sound of movement down the chamber and paced ahead, where before him he saw the forms of a Grumpig and a Krokorok kneeling and pawing at a Kangaskhan-shaped storage rock. There was a small pile of objects, evidently fished from inside, though the two's attention had been turned outside of it.

"Oh come on," Hooke whined. "My badge was just right here-"

"What are you two doing?" the Samurott demanded.

The duo jolted upright and turned around, flushing pale at the sight of their captain scowling behind them. In spite of their obvious unease, the two feebly tried to force a pair of smiles, hoping to put the mercurial Water-Type back at ease.

"Uh… j-just dropped my badge, that's all!" the Grumpig insisted.

"Y-Yeah, everything else is going great, Captain!" the Krokorok added.

Ka-chick!

The forced smiles abruptly melted into terrified grimaces as the pair watched as Lyn pulled his left blade slightly from its keratinous sheath. The Samurott lowered his head and shot a piercing glare, clearly finding the explanations the pair had offered to be woefully inadequate.

"I know when I'm being lied to," Lyn growled. "Spit out what really happened, or I'll beat it out of you."

Ulp

"Uh… well, you see, the matter is…" Ken stammered. "We kinda ran into the Guardian and his buddies earlier."

"And, uh… they overpowered us," Hooke added sheepishly, anxiously squirming while looking up at his superior's eyes. The Grumpig's remark visibly darkened his captain's mood, the Samurott glaring daggers at his subordinates as a low, seething growl rumbled out of his throat with each heavy breath he took.

"You what?" the Samurott seethed.

"Ugh… of course," Ellsberg sighed.

"N-Now hold on here! It wasn't our fault!" Ken insisted. "That bird- uh… He used his powers! Yeah, blew us clear across the room without brea-AAAAAGH!"

A sudden scream of pain filled the air as the Krokorok was cut off by a sharp slash at his belly. The creature whimpered in pain and bowled over weakly only for a paw to grab the back of his head and stomp it into the sand, the Ground-Type going limp and groaning muffledly.

"There's no sign of wind damage to any of the walls or the Storage Rock!" Lyn bellowed. "Do you expect me to believe that crap?!"

Hooke went wide-eyed and whirled away in a panic. The Psychic-Type sprang onto his tail, ready to bounce away, only to feel a heavy stomp on its end. He squealed and jerked up, his newfound tether sending him crashing down to earth facefirst. The pig coughed and spat up a mouthful of sand, just in time to see a keratinous blade come to a stop between his eyes

"A-AAH!"

"So, are you going to give me a straight answer?" Lyn snarled. "Or do I need to pull it out of you the hard way?"

The Grumpig quailed and clutched his stomach, his innards in obvious disagreement with himself over his terrifying circumstances. All the while, Ellsberg fluttered along, basking in his much despised seat thief's plight, before coming to a stop in front of the Psychic-Type as tauntingly blew wind with his wings in the pig's face.

"You know Hooker, none of this would have happened if you learned to respect your superiors," the Mothim sneered. "Alas, I suppose that some lessons in life just aren't learned until you have the scars to show it."

"Oh no no no- Please! They threw a Totter Seed at Ken and mobbed us!" the Grumpig squealed. "That's what's really happened, I swear!"

Hooke felt a weight lift off his tail, prompting him to reflexively nurse his tail and hastily curl up, expecting the piercing pain of a seamitar slash only to be left waiting. Shivering, the Psychic-Type warily cracked an eye open, looking up just in time to see Lyn pull his blade back to his side before giving a disgusted shake of his head.

"Well, I suppose that clears that mystery up-" Ellsberg began, only to be cut off by an incensed bellow.

"Enough!"

Lyn swung his seamitar and brought it to a stop in front of the Grumpig's throat. The Psychic-Type froze and paled with widened eyes, as a low growl from his superior filled the air.

"You, use your partner's badge and go back to base camp," the captain demanded. "Get your wounds treated, and when you're both able to move, I want the two of you scrubbing decks until further notice."

"B-But-" Hooke began.

"No buts!" the otter barked. "I've tolerated enough failure on this mission already! If I hear of you shirking work, I'll throw you from the ship so you two can swim back to port!"

"Y-Yes Captain!"

The still-quailing Grumpig set off to grab and drag his downed Krokorok teammate away. Lyn watched as the Psychic-Type made a grab for his partner's badge, and began to speak into it, leaving the Samurott to turn away in disgust. He began to trod off, only to come face-to-face with a contented-looking moth fluttering before him.

"Well that went well, didn't it?" Ellsberg buzzed. The chipper smile slid off his face the moment he noticed Lyn glaring right at him, obviously displeased with his unusually bright demeanor.

"Er… aside from losing the Protector, of course," the Bug-Type hastily added.

"Shut up, Ellsberg," Lyn spat. "The Protector and his friends had to have made their way into the second half of the dungeon by now. At this rate, we'll have to wind up searching Copperband itself for him."

"Eh?" Ellsberg asked. "But surely your subordinates would be able to handle the matter with just a little regrouping to prevent embarrassments like that back there."

Lyn gave a dissatisfied grunt before sheathing his blade and began to walk off ahead. The Water-Type paused, and gave an exasperated scowl back at the Bug-Type, clearly eager to move on.

"… We'll see," the Samurott sighed. "Though I'm starting to suspect from this mission that if I want anything done, I'm going to need to do it myself."


"This is our space, and by time we're through with you, you won't forget it for the rest of your lives!"

Back in the exit chamber to Sormus' Mystery Dungeon, Team Traveller backpedaled further and further back from the center of the room as the snarling Hippowdon and his three Hippopotas underlings kept advancing. The three watched as the Hippowdon expelled sand from the pores of his body, whipping up a sandstorm in the room that forced the quartet to struggle to keep their eyes open. Sensing that things were going nowhere good, Elty hastily cried out, hoping to try and get a reprieve from the Ground-Types.

"Z-Zaczekaj chwilę!" he protested. "We don't need to fight, we just want t-"

"Eat sand!"

The Growlithe pitched back with a yelp as the Hippowdon expelled a clod of sand into the dog's face, making him grope around blindly. Seeing the other Hippopotas coming to pounce, Nida, Guardia, and Pleo hastily eased into battle stances, darting ahead to intercept Elty's attackers.

"Hang on, Elty! We're coming!" Pleo cried. The Lugia and his companions charged forth, grabbing the Growlithe and turning to retreat. Before the group could make any progress, the Hippopotas charged into Team Traveller's path.

"Oh no you don't!" a dark-nosed Hippopotas shouted.

The Hippopotas lunged forward, gnashing her teeth and scattering the team as she snapped fiercely at the empty air. Pleo made to take flight to avoid their aggressors, only to be forced into a hasty retreat back to his friends as a clump of sand struck him from behind. A sense of dread fell over them as they realized that their foes had shepherded them with their backs against the wall, hemmed in in a semicircle by the angry ferals. The Hippowdon at the front took a menacing step forward, wearing a fierce, cocky smirk.

"Now!" the Hippowdon exclaimed. "Our scouring sandstorm combo!"

The hippo sent a whirling vortex of sand forward, scattering the team as it sucked up Guardia with a yelp. Not to be outdone, one of the Hippopotas flung a clod of sand into the vortex while the others skirted the edges to throw some of their own at the other members of Team Traveller. Nida and Elty were swiftly struck, being knocked to the ground by the sandy projectiles, staggering up just in time to see Pleo gusting away the vortex and Guardia stumbling out…

"Get them!"

Followed by the sight of the four hippos charging ahead, gnashing their teeth and kicking up clouds of sand to herald their thundering approach.

"Agh!" Nida squeaked. "Fall back! Fall back!"

Team Traveller hastily fled back, avoiding clods of sand and dirt all the while. Every now and then, one of the four would attempt to throw a counterattack back, only to be driven backward by another Sand Attack or a lunging bite.

"Gah! There's too many heavy hitters on their side!" Elty cried. "We'll never be able to make it past them with them hogging the ground like this!"

Guardia blinked, and a proud grin spread across her face as a solution occurred to her. She made a mental note to thank the Fire-Type for his inspiration when they found themselves in less dire straits.

"Then let's get off it!" Guardia exclaimed.

Guardia hastily clambered onto Pleo's back, much to the surprise of the wide-eyed seabird. The young Protector craned his head back, eyeing his passenger with a confused look.

"Huh?!"

"If we ride you, we can get out of their reach!" Guardia explained. "Come on, everybody!"

Nida and Elty followed suit, vaulting atop Pleo just as he took off for a flapping run at the sight of the Hippopotas burrowing under the ground. The Lugia took off just in time to dodge a series of sand plumes as the smaller hippos burst from the ground, taking to the air above the chamber.

"It- It worked!" Pleo chirped. "They can't reach us!"

"Gah!"

Nida spotted a milky-white bubble floating for Pleo, spewed out by one of the Hippopotas with a loud yawn. The Nidoran flicked a spike at the bubble, lancing it and sending the fluid of its membrane dripping into the sand, hastily turning her attention back to the young Legendary.

"Pay attention!" she cried. "They can do things other than fling dirt around!"

"Okay! Okay! I'll- GWARK!"

Pleo jerked back, jostling his passengers unexpectedly, and let out a startled squawk as a Hippopotas sailed by, mouth open and snapping for any bit of him on which he would find purchase. Having missed his initial attack, the hippo kicked his feet to stall in the air and angled himself towards Pleo's tail as he began to fall. On reflex, Guardia swatted the Hippopotas away as it passed her, clocking the feral across the side of his head and sending it tumbling in freefall towards the ground.

"Gack!"

Before the recoiling hippo could hit the ground, Pleo sent a glowing orb of light at the feral, striking him and sending him pinwheeling into the oasis with a loud splash. The water churned and oscillated until it settled around the dazed form of the Ground-Type weakly staggering up, only to squeal out of pain as a spiky barb and a gout of fire struck him, sending him slumping over in the shallow water.

"We got one!" Elty cried. As her teammate barked excitedly, Nida peered down at the felled Hippopotas below, and then at his very much lucid teammates. All this time, the Ground-Types had proven to be particularly ineffective at hitting Pleo when he was high off the ground like this… So then all they had to do was just to keep it up and potshot the lot from above!

"Wait, if they're this bad at attacking Pleo from here," she murmured. "Then we can-"

"ENOUGH!"

Pleo squawked out of terror as he saw a gaping Hippowdon maw come at him from underneath. He lurched up and pulled up, just as Nida was rooting through the bag. The Nidoran lost her grip, fell backwards into her Growlithe teammate and tumbled off their Lugia mount with a frightened cry before hitting the sand with dull thuds. Nida weakly twitched and stumbled to her feet, seeing Elty lying on his back stunned and the contents of the bag strewn about a trail behind her.

"N-Nrgh…" she groaned. "Talk about your hard landings…"

"Grr…"

The pair blanched as they heard the sounds of the approaching growls and stamping feet, turning around to see two Hippopotas running for them. The youngsters went wide-eyed, and hastily dragged themselves up into a limping run, desperately trying to stay ahead of their pursuers.

"A-Agh! Seriously, can't we catch a break here?!" Elty whined.

Nida bounced back after the Hippopotas lobbed another clod of sand at her, prompting her to. whirl and see the slender shape of a seed lying in the sand. The Nidoran hastily scooped it up and whigged it at the closer of the two Hippopotas, causing a faint crack to ring out, followed by the sound of bodies tripping over one another and startled yelps.

"Hey!" the dark-nosed Hippopotas cried. "Herätä! You can't just fall asleep on me like that!"

The female Hippopotas nosed and pawed at her partner, trying to shake him awake only to catch an orange glare from the corner of her eye. The Ground-Type whirled around just in time to see Elty somersaulting towards her with fire dancing on his pelt, and striking her with a burning blow. The hippo recoiled, and struggled against the burning pain to open her mouth and clamp down on his hindquarters to intercept.

The Growlithe howled out of pain, and thrashed around in an attempt to desperately pull away. The Fire-Type wildly tried to spit up embers and bite back, only to be dragged along in the sand by his attacker, unable to get a clear shot at her.

"Hey, tubby! Over here!"

The Hippopotas' ears perked up before feeling a stiff kick at her rump. The Ground-Type yelped and let go of the fire dog in her jaws to whirl around, only to see a spinning kick come at her from below. The second kick caught the hippo in her chin, sending her flying back facefirst into the sand, out cold as Elty panted and licked at some ruddy streaks in his leg's fur.

"N-Nice save there!" the Growlithe panted, only for his words to be joined by a dazed-sounding yawn.

"Ngh… Wha?"

The pair looked over to see the last Hippopotas stirring and rising to his feet. Nida's barbs stood on end and she dug her feet into the sand, bracing herself for a hasty rush of attacks.

"We're not out of the woods just yet, Elty," she grunted. "Come on!"

On cue, the Growlithe spat up a clump of cinders at the dozing hippo, prompting Nida to follow up with a pair of spinning kicks at the Ground-Type's heavy head. The second kick knocked the Hippopotas back and stirred it awake, tottering and dazed from his blows. The Ground-Type went wide-eyed out of abrupt realization of his predicament, and dug his feet in, opening his jaws for a sharp, crushing bite. The hippo lunged forward, only for Elty to barrel into him with a flaming somersault. A pained yelp rang out, followed by a dull thud against the sand as the hippo tumbled to a groaning stop, unconscious and weakly twitching. The dog looked on, panting, and upon the realization of his victory sinking in, he began to puff his chest out in satisfaction.

"Heh," Elty chuckled . "I'm on fire today-"

"GYAAAAH!"

Nida and Elty's blood curdled at the sound of Pleo's screams, prompting them to look behind just as the Hippowdon pulled the bird out of the air with an electrified bite to his wing. Guardia lost her balance and fell from her place on Pleo's back, the Cubone dropping down to the ground with a thud and a plume of sand. The sand swirled in the air for a moment, only for Guardia to burst out of the sand plume in a panic, the Hippowdon pinning Pleo down against the ground and biting at his back with an audible crunch.

"PLEO! Hang in there!" Nida cried. "We're coming!"

Nida and Elty flung forward a venomous spike and a cone of embers respectively at the Hippowdon's rump, prompting him to open his mouth to growl out of pain and whirl around. The Ground-Type stormed along at the two backbiting pests, leaving Pleo to flop forward feebly in the sand, panting and shaken from his ordeal.

"N-Nrgh…"

Pleo shifted, twitching his wings when he felt a small hand tugging at it. The Lugia craned his head, turning to see Guardia pawing at his wing, pulling at the little Protector with wide, anxious eyes

"Kamome, can you stand?" she asked. Pleo stumbled up, tottering and struggling to stay on his feet.

"Everything hurts…"

"I know that," Guardia insisted. "But if you can fight at all, we really need you-"

The Cubone was cut off by the sound of a rabbit's squeal and a frightened yelp coming from the distance. Guardia turned and much to her shock, saw Nida swept up in a sandy vortex, with Elty being chased off in a panicked haste by the Hippowdon stomping along after him.

"Gah! Look, find a safe place to hide if you can't fight!" she exclaimed. "It's not safe to just stand here like this!"

Guardia bolted after the Hippowdon that hounded Elty, feet pounding on the ground carrying her as fast as they could manage. She tightened her grip on her club, winding one arm back for a crushing blow, only to realize that Elty was losing ground fast and that the Hippowdon would soon be upon him. Try as she might, there was just no way she could make that distance in time. Finding little other option in her situation, Guardia lifted the club above her head and - against her better judgment - took aim to throw the bone instead.

"Hey, yajū! Heads up!"

Guardia sent her bone into a flying spin, the club twirling along until it struck the side of the Hippowdon's head. The feral gave a loud bellow out of pain, and much to the Cubone's astonishment, her projectile bounced off of his head and remained airborne, starting to follow an arc coming back to her...

"Ah! It's coming back!" she cried. "It's-!"

Only to plant into the sand a little ways away. The Cubone, jolting up out of alarm, took off in a mad dash for her club, only to feel heavy vibrations in the ground. Guardia turned to her right, and much to her horror, spotted the Hippowdon lumbering for her, the hulking Ground-Type knocking her back into a rolling tumble on the ground. The lizard staggered up panting, pawing at deepening bruises and trying to regain her bearings. Just then, the earth rocked under her feet a second time, making her freeze out of terror. There, charging directly for her was the Hippowdon once again, his cavernous maw swung open wide and ready for a crushing bite.

"Leave her alone!"

A blur of vibrant blue in the vague shape of a dragon tore through the air towards the Hippowdon, slamming into him with a massive impact and sending the beast tumbling back with a pained roar. Guardia panted, wide-eyed and white-knuckled, scanning the room frantically for a place to hide away.

"Tutaj!" a yipping voice cried.

The Cubone turned to see Elty standing beside her, the team's tattered bag on his shoulder and her bone in his mouth. She spluttered a moment, torn between surprised relief and an overwhelming urge to yank her bone out of the Fire-Type's maw.

"E-Eh?! Gardie?!" Guardia exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

"Giving you a Helping Hand!" the dog barked back, muffled somewhat by the bone locked between his teeth. "My paws are gonna be full with the spike ball, so make the most of it!"

Elty sidled up against Guardia with her club firmly locked in his maw, a charge of blue sparks building on his pelt as he ran. He dropped the bone into her waiting hand and tagged her on the back with one paw, sending the sparks of energy flowing into her in turn, and bounded back to pull Nida from her sandy vortex. The Cubone jolted upright as she felt the invigorating current of energy course through her and gripped her club tight, grimacing somewhat at the feeling of dog slobber on her precious club, but shook the worry out of her head for now. Instead, she focused on the battle at hand. Glowering at the Hippowdon rising back to his feet, she pulled her helmet snugly against her snout and lowered her head to charge like a raging Tauros.

"Right!" she grunted. "Come on Pleo! Let's make this count!"

Guardia darted for the Hippowdon as Pleo arced around above the ground, the Cubone jumping down with a lunging overhead smash against the hippo's rear leg. She felt her club land with a thud and brought it up for another blow, and another. The Hippowdon snarled and reared up to counter the little pest, only to be sent tumbling back by a stiff whirling wind from Pleo's wings.

"Grnk?!"

For a fleeting moment, the Hippowdon flailed as he felt his body leave the ground and sail through the air, followed by a headfirst splash into the water. The Ground-Type tumbled under the surface before finding his footing and staggering up. The hippo panted from exhaustion, coughing up water and blowing out globs of wet sand from his pores disgustedly. The feral paced back to shore seething when he felt a sharp kick on his chin, seeing a blue blur weave back by his feet. Instinctively, the hippo lifted his legs and stomped down, feeling spikes lodge into his feet amidst the wet sand and hearing a loud, terrified squeal of pain. There, underfoot was the culprit of the blow, a wide-eyed and thrashing Nidoran desperately trying to pull herself free.

"You!" the Hippowdon snarled. "You're going to pay for thi-"

The Hippowdon was cut off by a burning kick across his face, crying out with a pained shout. The Ground-Type tottered back into the oasis, his strength rapidly leaving him as his vision ran muddy and black, collapsing into the water. Back onshore, Elty pulled himself and Nida out of the oasis, shaking off some water off his pelt as Pleo and Guardia rushed over, the Nidoran shifting weakly before looking up at her teammates.

"U-Urgh…" she groaned. "Did… Did we make it?"

"Yeah… we won," Guardia panted. A tired smile crept over the Cubone's muzzle as she slung her club over her shoulder, her face marked with the satisfaction that followed a hard-won battle.

"Heh… looks like it's finally over."

"Not just yet," Elty grunted.

"Huh?!" Pleo squawked. "What do you mean-?"

The Lugia opened his beak to protest, only to see Elty point off tiredly with his paw. The little Protector turned and followed it and saw that it was pointing at the foggy passage from earlier, the paw's owner giving an impatient snort and shake of his head.

"We weren't just planning on staying down in this dungeon, were we?"

"… No, come on," Nida sighed. "Let's hurry up and get out of here."

The four Pokémon set off, trudging tiredly against their fresh wounds for the exit ahead of them. One by one, the youngsters slipped off into the fog, leaving behind the grueling gauntlet of the dungeon behind, and off to unknown environs outside.


Back on the waters south of Orleigh, the Siglo Swellow remained under an oppressive atmosphere of shock from the Khranitel Rod's sudden invasion. The sea nomads held the ship hostage under threat of a volley of powerful Water attacks, the captors glaring out at the crew as they waited for the command to open fire. With every movement one of their would-be assailants made, the ship's crew squeaked and whispered amongst themselves, a few braver or perhaps more desperate types trying their luck at pleading their case with their accosters.

"H-Hold on here," Philips stammered. "You've got the wrong idea-!"

"Shut up, Company scum!" a Kingdra from the water snarled. "You're gonna do exactly what we say, and you're gonna like it!"

The crew aboard the Siglo Swellow shrank back and traded nervous glances with each other at the sea Pokémon's snarls. A few crewmembers here and there attempted to maintain a battle stance, but there was no disguising the predicament the ship was in, which didn't elude Crom. They were all surrounded and at the mercy of hostile faces, ones which were undoubtedly up to no good.

"D-Dad?" the Druddigon stuttered. "What do we do now?"

"Maybe- Maybe we could calm them down?" Pladur gulped.

The Fraxure inched along waving his claws to try and motion for calm, but all the while betraying a deep anxiety over his current predicament.

"Lo siento! Lo siento! We really don't mean any harm or want to start a fight!"

In the midst of the sea of glares, a slight change stirred. It was only a few faces here and there, whose hardened scowls began to show signs of unease. The most obvious of them was a Kabutops towards the front, who blinked at the foreign tongue, and swam up warily to press for more information.

"Huh? What's with that accent?" Dimitri murmured. "Why you're talking just like that Nidoran did when she passed through with her friends-"

"Dimitri!"

The Kabutops flinched and sheepishly turned back to his Dragalge superior, sinking a little at the sight of the seahorse's scowl. All the while, the crew of the Siglo Swellow had been listening and growing increasingly wide-eyed at the realization that this Nidoran was...

"Eh?! You saw Nida?!" Crom exclaimed. "Was Pleo with her?!"

"And how would you know about them?" Viktor demanded. "You're with the Company!"

"They probably just overheard their names, this means nothing," a Relicanth close to him spat.

"You're wrong!" the Druddigon exclaimed. "We're their teammates!"

Crom's protests elicited nothing but a dismissive scoff from the bulk of the gathered crowd of nomads. The Kingdra in front seemed particularly unimpressed, as he rolled his eyes and glared back at the Druddigon before growling out a response.

"Sure you are," Kuda snorted. "And I fly around in the sky in my spare time."

"I'm serious!" the young dragon insisted.

Hurriedly, Crom dug through his father's bag until he felt his claws make contact with soft cloth. He tugged out a corner to check and, upon catching sight of the familiar blue and white-starred scarf, he pulled the cloth out of the bag and presented it for everyone to see.

"Look, was this the scarf she and her friends were wearing?"

A dead silence fell over the gathered sea Pokémon, as uneasy murmurs and puzzled glances flittered here and there among their number. Their Dragalge leader seemed less persuaded, though still was unable to find a convincing way to reconcile why the Druddigon ought to have one of Team Traveller's scarves, prompting him to slap the water for attention.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Viktor demanded.

"Like we said, we're their teammates," Kiran answered.

"We're from Tromba looking for our Protector after the Company took him away," Beatrix said.

As soon as the Illumise's words left her mouth, the demeanor of the nomads took a skeptical turn. The story seemed far too implausible, especially to the Kingdra bobbing impatiently in the churning waves. After all, if they really weren't with the Company...

"Then why on earth are you sailing around in Company sails, huh?!" Kuda prodded.

"We did it so we could sail into Company ports and ask questions without attracting too much attention," the Hitmontop first mate explained. "How else were we supposed to find leads on where they might have taken our Protector?"

"And the Company told you to go here...?" a Dewgong pressed.

"Er… I know it sounds fantastical," Ander murmured. "But we ran into some escapees from Orleigh earlier, and they said that they saw him on that island."

"Hrmph," Scout harrumphed. "You could have just said it was me, you know."

Some blinks and idle splashes filled the air, as the Siglo Swellow's crew watched the surrounding nomads eased their expressions. Even so, there was still not the expected sheepish hospitality that comes from discovering a friend in strange places, but rather some sort of solemn and overpowering somberness, which a Relicanth towards the front put into words:

"Well you're a bit late," the fish sighed. "Our own scouts couldn't find any sign of them on that rock when we looked for them."

Crom's heart sank, and his wings drooped as the sea Pokemon's explanation sunk in. He'd hoped perhaps these nomads could finally point them towards a reunion with Nida, Pleo and Elty, and yet... they hardly had any better leads than he did regarding their whereabouts.

"Do… Do we really have no other idea of where they could have gone?" Crom asked.

"Well… I don't know for certain," Dimitri murmured. "But I think I might have an idea of where they tried to go."

"Eh?" Kiran chirped. "Where would that be?"

"Before we got separated, the kids and I were making our way to Sormus to try and get to some island they were after," the Kabutops explained. "It's close enough to Orleigh to make it there if they knew which way to go."

"But what would keep them from just going back into the Subway?" Kuda countered.

Dimitri opened his mouth to retort, raising one scythe in protest, but his words failed him as he realized that Kuda had a point. Pleo did seem to take naturally to the water, so it wasn't unreasonable that he could get down there on his own once his wing had healed...

"Er… I hadn't thought about that," the Kabutops admitted.

"It's nothing that our rod can't handle," Viktor grunted. "We'll take the Subway tunnels around here, and the ship can handle going to Sormus. We can always meet up there later on to regroup."

"Er… right," Dimitri answered. "So then we should get-"

"You're staying with the ship," the Dragalge ordered.

"H-Huh?!"

"Someone's gotta keep an eye on that crew and keep them focused on their task," the Poison-Type insisted. "And you're the one who's the most chatty with airbreathers anyways."

Viktor sighed and shook his head, sinking lower into the water before rising up. Much to his puzzlement, Dimitri noticed that the Dragalge's expression had softened, with the faintest outlines of a smile visible on his snout.

"Besides," the seahorse continued. "I thought you were the one who always wanted to see more of what was up here on the surface."

Dimitri floated stunned for a moment, his eyes lighting up and his mouth forming an ever-widening smile at the Dragalge's words. The Kabutops gave a salute with his scythe, and cheerfully bubbled back a thankful answer to his superior.

"Right!" Dimitri replied. "I won't let you down Ataman."

The nomads ducked under the waves and began to swim off into the deep, leaving Dimitri behind in the care of the Siglo Swellow's crew. A rope ladder was thrown over, prompting the Fossil Pokémon to clamber up it and onto the deck where a crowd of curious sailors had gathered.

"Er… thanks for sticking up for us back there," Crom said.

"Yeah, if you didn't, who knows where we'd be right now," Pladur murmured.

"What name do you go by?" Ander asked.

"It's Dimitri, and I was just pointing out an observation," the Kabutops insisted. "You guys handled the rest fine on your own."

"Well, handling it or not, we're going to need all the help here we can get," Beatrix buzzed. "So let's get going, and we'll talk the details over as we sail."

The Kabutops gave a small wag of his tail and a smiling nod back to the Illumise. Perhaps he could've had it in better circumstances, but this felt like the sort of mission on the surface he'd been looking for for years, and a ray of enthusiasm cracked through his face's exoskeleton.

"Heh, sounds good to me."

The escorts stirred up a moving current in the sky and sea, pushing the Siglo Swellow westward. All the while, the crew's spirits lifted again, having gotten a bead on their Protector's whereabouts, and gotten the aid of some new friends.


Copperband Village was a sleepy village of adobe buildings, characterized by a mix of flat and gabled roofs. Every so often, a building here or there made entirely of timbers would stand out, including a shrine that glistened with the shine of metal rings. At the seaside, the port was busy much as it always was, if packed with carts and crates laden down ores and a few with glinting bars of tawny metal; the normal rhythm carrying on as Nagant and her Vasilek neared the piers.

The frigate slowed and began to pull to the dock, prompting the shrimp to hop from the deck into the water and swimming the distance over to the pier, pulling herself out in front of a waiting Mudsdale with a white scarf with six orange crystals radiating outwards. Bobbing along in the air to the horse's side was Faraday, the Drifblim messenger who'd notified the official of the ship's approach.

"Welcome to Sormus, Captain Nagant," the Mudsdale said. "I trust your journey went well?"

"My journey isn't done just yet," Nagant grunted. "I believe you two had somewhere to be taking me?"

"… Right, the Duke and Duchess have been waiting for you," the Drifblim murmured. "Clyde here will show you the way."

The Mudsdale gave a swish of his tail and set off down the narrow and dusty streets, leading the visiting captain along. The village was a meager settlement, lacking the flash of the capital and as meager as the desert itself. Even so, there were signs of life to be had: there were the Gible and Numel youngsters playing cards with each other, shifting pebbles onto their cards as imaginary volleys of attacks rang out between the Pokémon depicted on them. Further ahead, there was a lively bar, with a Camerupt regaling listeners with obviously exaggerated tales of his time as a "soldier of fortune".

As the journey wore on, scenery began thinning out after Clyde led Nagant towards an oasis on the southern outskirts, where a stone bridge snaked over the water towards the local bastion, a simple fortification made of adobe that ringed the manor of the Duke of Sormus. The pair were waved through the spartan front, and whisked along a series of courtyards to the fortified entrance to the manor where a Nosepass clad in cerulean armor with the telltale rattle of a mail layer let them in. Inside, the dusty and simple exterior melted away and was replaced with sumptuous corridors lined with red carpeting and portraits of nobles from bygone ages.

Clyde's guidance ultimately led Nagant to a rock garden with a few fire pits for warmth at night. At the center, a male and female duo of Volcarona waited along with an attending Blaziken: Duke Atlas, Duchess Agila, and Governor Orloff respectively if her memory served her right. The Mudsdale stopped at the door and bade Nagant to go ahead of him, the male Volcarona giving a buzz and flitting his wings at the sight of the shrimp as she drew near.

"Ah, Captain Nugget!" the Bug-Type greeted. "We've been expecting you!"

Atlas' cheery buzzing carried on as the Blaziken beside him quietly noted the barely stifled agitation on the Clawitzer's face. Sensing it would be better to start the meeting with their guest on a less grating note, the Fire-Type cleared his throat and hastily corrected his superior.

"Eh... your Grace," the Blaziken whispered. "I believe it was 'Nagant'."

"Ah right… Nagant," the Duke slowly corrected himself. "So, what brings you to our fair island?"

"Some recent developments," she answered. "During my assignment to Boisocéan, I discovered that Tromba Island's Protector has awakened."

"Eh? But Tromba's halfway across Anyilla from here!" the Duchess exclaimed. "How does that involve us?"

"Because the Company's pursued it into our waters, and my tracking has led me to conclude that he's come here for shelter," Nagant insisted.

The gathered Pokémon traded dubious looks with one another. Were they truly to believe that an esteemed Protector had come to their island, with them none the wiser of his presence? The four simply found that too hard to believe, as evidenced by the Blaziken Governor who stepped forth with a skeptical look etched on his face.

"… I believe some validation is in order, Captain," Orloff scoffed.

"We already do have quite a bit on our plates keeping the town and the mines humming as they should," the female Volcarona insisted. "We can't tend to every little matter on a whim."

"Tell me," Nagant demanded. "What do you know of Lugia, the Guardian of the Seas?"

Atlas, Agila, Orloff, and Clyde glanced to one another once again, Orloff and Clyde seeming to have racked their brains in thought while the Duke and Duchess had already come up blank. Nevertheless, no one seemed really knowledgeable about this 'Lugia'. Even the ones who didn't seem totally lost looked as if they could hazard a guess at best. A few uncertain murmurs floated throughout the gathering before Atlas fluttered his wings uneasily.

"Er… admittedly I haven't really done much research into the Protectors of foreign islands," the Duke said. "But I do remember it is supposed to be some manner of bird with silver feathers."

"You mean like one of these?" Nagant asked.

She fished out a silver feather from underneath her scarf and held it up high for her audience to see. The sight was met with audible gasps, the small audience stammering and tripping over their words in stunned surprise as they attempted to press the Clawitzer for more details.

"Uskomatonta!" Atlas exclaimed.

"Where did you find that?" Orloff questioned.

"I encountered the Protector back on Orleigh yesterday," Nagant explained. "While there, I learned a bit about his habits and tendencies, which may be valuable in capturing him."

"… What do you have in mind and what do you need from us?" Atlas asked.

"I propose that we post the guards at places the Protector and his entourage are likely to pass through if they're here. The entrances to the town, the guild, and the local hostels," the Clawitzer said. "My crew will be ready to assist the local guards. From there, just pen them up and my crew will handle the rest."

"… I think that that can be arranged," the Duke mulled, before turning to the Blaziken beside him. "Governor Orloff, send word to the Sheriff to meet Captain Nu- Ah… Nagant on her ship for further debriefing."

"So be it," Orloff grunted. "I think that this meeting can be adjourned."

Nagant gave a respectful bow and made her way hopping for the door. All the while, thoughts and fantasies of finally restoring her house swirled in her mind... along with a nagging exasperation over how much longer she'd have to put up with hearing others butcher her name on the job. Whenever this settled down, she'd have to find some land to retire and unwind. Someplace along a coast with plenty of stones for target practice, perhaps…

But those plans could wait for later. For now, the fate of the Empire was still undecided, and in the wings of the Protector lurking somewhere out there under the big blue sky.


"Oi! Be careful with those!"

At the seaside, the Mistral Marauder had been pulled into a drydock for repairs, so much so that the space behind the iced wall had yet to be fully drained. In spite of that, the caravel and its surroundings were aflutter with activity, with Pokémon darting between repairs and loading cargo. Hess didn't know if it was the haste, or else just the crew being... the crew more than usual, but the process of overseeing his ship's preparations had been one headache after another for himself and his first mate. The latest of such headaches were a Kricketot and a Pawniard he'd caught dragging barrels aboard by their flats.

"Well, I suppose you can't fault them for keeping busy..." Rodion sighed.

Hess, wholly unpleased with how the state of affairs were going, turned and barked at the two deckhands.

"If I see another broken barrel, I'm taking it out of your share of the loot!"

"Oi, Captain!"

"Hrm?"

Hess lifted his head up at the sound of the buzzing voice and turned around as the noise of whooshing air caught his ears. There, behind him were Kichiro and Wilhelm, coming to a rest on the dock with the buckets of pitch he'd sent for, visibly tired from having flown over in a hurry.

"Eh, Kichiro?" the Aggron asked. "What are you doing here? I thought you were back and tarring the hull already!"

"It's Keiichiro..." the Ledian corrected irkedly, before shaking his head and shifting the conversation. "Anyway, while we were gathering supplies, we overheard some goons from the Shadow Brigade talk about that Lugia, so we followed them and found something big."

"Yeah, Captain Sibich can hide stuff in his body!" Wilhelm chimed in, much to Kichiro's exasperation.

"Anta baka?!" the Bug-Type snapped. "What did I say about that?!"

Hess and Rodion gave skeptical tilts of their head at the pair, watching as Wilhelm flitted back with a start. Kichiro gave an exasperated sigh and shook his head before continuing on with his explanation.

"Captain Sibich is looking for that bird too, and he was talking about 'the haul of a lifetime' on Giotto," the Ledian explained. "My guess is that that's where that Lugia must have gone off to, he even hold out one of his feathers!"

"Huh?" Hess murmured. "But Eltenios said that they were originally headed for Sormus and then Pioppo."

Kichiro gave an irritated buzz and glared up at the Aggron, grumbling under his breath. Hess could remember the name of some tubby mutt who fell off the face of the planet, but not his?

"Oh, so you get his name right…"

"Hrm… that means that the Imps must have already brought him back?" Wilhelm suggested.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Rodion asked. "We were both tied up on the deck of that crab's ship, and hers was the only one with Imp colors that came into port. Who else would've captured that Protector other than her?"

Hess blinked as a dawning realization came over him. If the Empire really had another crew capture the Lugia and the brats, it would've logically been to cover the shrimp's bases. For the bird to be found so soon, the ship couldn't have possibly been apart from that Clawitzer, and would have accompanied her into port during the raid. On top of that, the very fact that the Empire sent only one ship to Orleigh would mean that someone wanted to keep the matter under wraps, even among other Imps. Based off that, there was only one possible conclusion to make about the report of Lugia being on Giotto right now...

"… No one," Hess muttered, "Meaning he's not there."

"What- What do you mean he's not there!" Kichiro spluttered. "It's Sibich! He must have some intel we don't have! Since when has he ever gotten anything wrong?"

"I don't know, but it just doesn't match up, alright?" the Aggron insisted. "And as long as I'm captain, I say we stick to my original plan!"

A long, tense silence followed Hess' words. In spite of his advantage in strength and size, his' scolding had failed to erase the scowl on Kichiro's face, who still glared up at his superior.

"… Just be careful," the Ledian murmured. "Keep pushing like that, and you won't be captain for very long."

Kichiro's words drew a low, deep growl, prompting the Bug-Type to dig his feet into the dock. There in front of him, Hess was glaring, the Aggron captain lowering his head and flashing his horns threateningly. Rodion seemed little better, with a fierce scowl entrenched on his face.

"What was that, Kichiro?" Rodion growled.

"He was saying that you wouldn't be captain for-" Wilhelm started, only for Kichiro to clamp his mouth shut and hiss at him under his breath.

"Shut up, you stupid hayseed!"

Rodion glowered at the exchange, only to pause as he noticed a shift in the demeanor of the neighboring crew members. A number of them had begun to glare during the whole exchange, and not at Kichiro as the Floatzel would have hoped. Instead, their frustration was trained firmly on the hulking captain of the ship, prompting the Water-Type to clear his throat and make an attempt at de-escalating the matter.

"Look, we've all obviously been through a lot," he offered. "But at least make yourself useful around here so we can get out of port already."

"Alright, alright!" Kichiro snapped.

The beetle hurried off with his pitch buckets, dragging the Hoppip with him by his leafy wings, leaving the dock and waters to return to their normal business as the crew's expressions grudgingly softened. After seeing the two get a suitable distance out of earshot, Rodion sighed and shook his head, before turning to his superior.

"Are you sure about this, Hess?" the Floatzel asked. "I mean, you saw how all those Pokémon reacted at first, and it's not any less common behind your back…"

Hess faltered a moment at his first mate's question and racked his brain. It was true that Sibich was part of the Council and privy to things that he wouldn't know… but he'd heard Eltenios' words come from his own mouth before anyone else knew the importance of that mutant Wingull being on the island. It sounded implausible, yes… but Sibich had to be in the wrong here, and checking Sormus was still their best bet. It just didn't add up otherwise!

"… I'm sure, Rodion," Hess insisted. "You heard Eltenios too that night, they didn't have any plans of going to Giotto."

"… Then let's stick with it then, and hope for the best," the Floatzel muttered. "We've only got until sundown to get everything together anyways."

The two carried on chattering as the work preparing the ship carried on. Meanwhile, at the base of the drydock, Wilhelm and Kichiro set their pitch buckets down on a floating raft, sizing up the work to be done caulking the hull.

"Hey Keiichiro...?" Wilhelm piped.

"For the thousandth time, it's Keiichi-!" the Ledian snapped, only to catch himself as his eyes adopted a surprised sheen.

"Oh wait, that's what you said."

The Hoppip had shrunk back and uneasily fluttered in place, waiting expectantly on the beetle. Kichiro huffed and his expression gradually melted into a grumbling, unamused stare. He'd probably regret asking, but...

"Hrmph, what is it?" Kichiro grunted.

"Uhm… I was going to say, maybe it doesn't really matter where that Protector is…" the Grass-Type said. "Won't we have a great adventure no matter where we go?"

The Ledian stared blankly as the Hoppip flitted expectantly in place, prompting him to bury his head in a hand and pinch his brow.

"… What did I ever do to deserve this?" the Bug-Type groaned.


Team Traveller followed the path through the dungeon fog, eventually exiting out the other end in a burnt-orange desert filled with rolling dunes. The four limped along the sandy waste, passing the occasional large stone and clump of cacti as they tried to make sense of where they were.

"We- We made it," Nida panted.

"Yeah," Elty huffed. "But to where?"

"I'm not sure… but I see lights," Guardia said. "Here, mite!"

The Cubone bade the three to follow with a wave of her club, leading them along to a tall ledge over a large, expansive pit. There in the distance was a smattering of lights, in the mix of warm oranges of fires and cool blues of glow-moss against the twilight hues of the setting sun, sure signs of a nearby town.

"So then we must be getting close to a tow-"

The Ground-Type's breath hitched as the earth heaved underneath her and the ledge crumbled away, sending the whole of Team Traveller into freefall down towards the inky blackness. Pleo beat his wings furiously as the screams of his teammates rang out, only to connect with a gravelly surface on his side and fall into a roll, tumbling down a slope before finally coming to a rest flat on his back in a pile of loose, rough earth. Dazed, the young Protector laid there with his eyes screwed shut in pain. The sound of his friends groaning and staggering to their feet nearby hit his ears, and Pleo shifted his body as he weakly followed suit.

"Eh?! What was that?!" a startled-sounding exclaimed .

"Another debris slide?" a deep voice fumed. "What on earth are those Water-Types doing with stabilizing those slopes?"

"No it sounded too small for that," a feline voice countered. "Like it was someone falling."

Pleo opened his eyes and craned his neck up to discover a trio of watching eyes. The young Lugia flapped back with a start, seeing that the Pokémon were a dusty-looking Golem, Meowstic, and Excadrill, the lot sporting hardened scowls.

"Oi, these aren't work scarves!" the Golem exclaimed.

"They must be some kids from town trespassing," the Meowstic growled.

"T-Trespassing?!" Nida cried.

"But that's not what we were-" Elty began, only to be cut off with a snap from the Excadrill.

"Hope your trip taught you a nice lesson about sticking your craw where it don't belong-"

"Hey! No one said that you could take a break, you lazy bums!"

The gathered Pokémon staggered and struggled to keep their balance as the ground shook underfoot, prompting them to look back and see a towering green lizard with a stony hide and a mouth full of sharp fangs. Team Traveller watched as the three strangers visibly flushed pale, prompting them to shrink back at the sight of the visibly irate Tyranitar.

"Just because it's half an hour until closing hour doesn't mean that you're allowed to slack off on the job!" the Armor Pokémon snarled.

"A-Aah! Anteeksi! Anteeksi!" the Excadrill squealed. "We didn't plan this, boss!"

"Yeah, we caught some trespassers here!" the Golem insisted.

"Eh?"

Team Traveller paled as the hulking lizard made his way to the front and stopped before them. The Tyranitar growled irkedly, peering down at the little intruders with a harsh glare.

"… Who are you, and what do you think you're doing in my dig site?" the Rock-Type demanded.

The four gulped in sequence, keenly aware of the towering, stony-faced lizard's presence as he hovered over them threateningly. As if that weren't enough, would he really take their word for the situation even if they explained everything? One after the other, the young Pokemon blurted out a hasty explanation, each of their attempts delivered in a stammered, squeaky tone.

"Ah… we're… we're Team Traveller," Nida stuttered. "And we just got out of a Mystery Dungeon up this ledge."

"C-Chotto matte! We weren't trying to trespass here!" Guardia protested. "Our ledge gave way underfoot!"

"Yeah," Pleo added. "We were just look for a place to- Nrgh!"

The Tyranitar scowled down at the strange white bird and noticed that he was holding his foot up awkwardly, as if he'd sprained it. On further examination, the other youngsters seemed similarly bruised and battered, far more than should have been the case from their fall Although the rocky reptile's stony-faced demeanor didn't budge an inch, Team Traveller noted his silence as he almost seemed to be mulling the situation over in their favor.

"I take it that's where all those scuffs of yours came from?" the Tyranitar asked. "You do look a little more beat up than I'd expect from rolling down the hill here."

"Uh… yes?" Elty answered.

"… Then let's get you patched up."

The Tyranitar shook his head and turned to the other Pokémon, giving an impatient stomp of the ground. The earth shook and the three miners jolted upright and wide-eyed, grimacing as the Rock-Type shot them an impatient glare.

"Get back to work," he barked. "I'll handle the rest from here."

The trio each shot their boss a hasty affirmative before bolting away as instructed. As the Tyranitar turned his attention to Team Traveller, the four froze in place and grimaced up at him, bracing themselves for the heavy blows the Rock-Type was certainly capable of. Team Traveller watched and waited uneasily as the lizard glowering down at them as his tail swaying to and fro dangerously, waiting and waiting for the first strike to try and bolt away.

"Are you just going to sit there?" the Tyranitar demanded. "I'll let your trespassing slide this time. Joutukaa, you're going to need a guide anyways. I'll take you into town to get patched up."

"Oh!" Pleo exclaimed. "Er, thanks… Uh…"

"It's Aulis," the Rock-Type answered. "But let's worry about life stories after you're patched up."

The Tyranitar motioned for Team Traveller to follow and set off, making his way for a winding path up the pit overlooked by scattered adobe buildings. The four looked at each other warily before following along. They were on a strange island, following a strange Pokémon to a strange adobe town... but in the midst of it all, a reassuring sense of calm asserted itself. For now, they were safe... hopefully.

"Welcome to Copperband, kids."


Author's Notes:

- Herätä! - Finnish: "Wake up!"
- Tutaj! - Polish: "Here!"
- Lo siento! Lo siento! - Spanish: "Sorry! Sorry!"
- Uskomatonta! - Finnish: "Incredible!" / "Unbelieveable!" (interjection)
- Anta baka?! (あんたバカ?! / あんた馬鹿?! ) - Japanese: "Are you stupid?!" / "Are you an idiot?!" (Hepburn romanization)
- mite! - Japanese: "Look!" (Hepburn romanization)
- Anteeksi! Anteeksi! - Finnish: "Sorry! Sorry!"
- Joutukaa - Finnish: "(You all) Hurry up"