Chapter 63: Chasing Leads
Excited cheers rolled off the dockyards of Magmapool Town like waves on the beach, their source being a crowd rallied around a blue stag with rainbow antlers. Xerneas looked around proudly at the large gathering of Pokemon, every now and then settling his gaze on one particular creature or another, drawing enraptured attention from the lucky Pokemon. And so it was that when the deer's attention came upon Crom, the young Druddigon stared into the Protector's gray eyes in the short moment they made contact, being overwhelmed with awe that he was seeing none other than Mengir's lost guardian.
"Wow!" Crom exclaimed. "He really does look like those paintings from Mengir!"
Pleo looked at the blue deer, watching mesmerized as the stag peered out over the crowd with his head held high. Could this 'Xerneas' really be…
"From Mengir…?"
The Lugia's thoughts drifted back towards the green island and its stony spires, reluctantly returning to the time they discovered the Beautifly's nest… and from what he remembered, those carvings really did look like this stranger before him. The tree-like antlers, the tapered legs and graceful gait… why, if this 'Xerneas' been around at the time, they could've sidestepped the Company's trap just by drawing pictures of him!
But… how could he be standing right here all the way on the other side of Anyilla? Pleo beat his wings with a squawking start: if Xerneas could just get home for a moment… maybe he'd be able to make the ferals there settle down! Maybe he could even rally them into helping to keep the Company in line!
"Wait! Wait!" the young seabird cried. "But if you're Mengir's Protector, why are you here? Everyone misses you back there!"
The Riolu and Eevee on the stage shifted uncomfortably at the question, before giving an expectant look over to their Nuzleaf teammate. The Grass-Type hemmed and hawed, only for Xerneas to step forward and clear his throat in reply.
"I'm afraid I wouldn't know what you're talking about," the deer answered. "I've only known the islands that I've seen since my friends found my egg and took me along with them."
"That's right! It was Charlie and Marilyn who found him!" the Nuzleaf piped. "Perhaps it was none other than the Voice of Life's presence that called them back to this world!"
"But they look just like normal Pokémon!" a Marill complained, drawing a shake of the Riolu in response.
"That's because we were transformed into Pokémon!"
Puzzled murmurs floated among the crowd at the Fighting-Type's exclamation. It did seem a little overly convenient that a human would just turn into a Pokémon… but hadn't the old tales been riddled with similar stories in the past? Sensing the crowd's unease, the Eevee stepped up, eager nip the crowd's growing doubts in the bud.
"Charlie's right! Even though we've already been started to be called back to this world, it still has a curse around it that keeps us from assuming our true forms!" the Normal-Type insisted. "Xerneas took note of how we were trapped in these bodies and offered to help us break this curse!"
"But to do that, we're on a journey to try and restore the world to the way it was," the Nuzleaf said. "A grand adventure where the Voice of Life will beat back the decay and bring about an age of new gods and humans to help make things right…"
Nida thought back to the tales mami would tell her when she was younger, how once the gods began awakening, the humans would begin to return as the world was restored to what it once was. Could it be that some humans would come alongside the Legendaries as they returned? The Nidoran's idle wonderings were disrupted by a stiff clearing of the Nuzleaf's throat.
"Buuut… we need a little help with that," the Grass-Type said. "So what do you say? How about giving a little help to his lordship and us in our quest?"
The Nuzleaf fished out a drawstring bag, and with a flourish set it down on the stage before Xerneas' feet. The crowd peered curiously, before a Darumaka came up and deposited a small pawful of copper coins, followed by a Magmortar, and even a flopping Goldeen that had hopped out of the water for the momentous occasion, as the crowd surged forward depositing coins enthusiastically. From his spot on the docks, Crom watched as the bag quickly filled with coins, the Druddigon giving a curious tug at his team leader's feathers.
"Kiran, do we give something too?" the dragon asked. "I mean, this is a Protector…"
The Swellow paused and moved a wing to his chin, mulling the matter over before casting a glance at the bag and then back at Xerneas and his companions.
"Well… I don't suppose that it would hurt-"
"No!"
The crowd fell silent and turned around to the sight of a Marked Scyther shrinking back, holding out the tip of his blades defensively with a shaking stammer.
"G-Go away and leave us be!" Ander cried. "You've already taken enough as is!"
Xerneas and his teammates cringed at the outburst, as the crowd's silenced shock gave way to angry grumbles and shouts.
"Ib dagchyeo! No one asked you for your opinion, blotch-head!" a Whimsicott hissed.
"Yeah!" the Magmortar spat. "If you want attention so badly, why don't you bring your ugly mug to the front for some judgement!"
A few Pokémon began to advance on Ander, prompting Nida and Crom to hastily run in, waving their arms for attention.
"H-Hold on a minute! It was just an outburst!" Nida exclaimed. "He's not doing anything wrong!"
"Yeah! Just let him get to know the Protector a bit more!" Crom insisted. "I'm sure that he'll see that Xerneas is a nice-"
The young Druddigon was cut off by the sound of a panicked buzz, and turned to see Ander running away in a mad dash, flitting his wings to add a hasty spring to his step.
"Huh?! Ander, wait!"
Crom, Nida, and their teammates quickly ran after the fleeing mantis, following him down winding alleyways lined with cramped shops and shacks until they caught up with him under the shade of a black stone wall. The group slowed their gait, as the Growlithe among them shook his head with a disgusted snort.
"What on earth was that?!" Elty snapped. "We were supposed to try and lay low before pulling out of port, not cause a giant scene!"
"I- I- How can you be so calm around that thing?!" Ander buzzed. "You know nothing about its intentions or what it's capable of beyond a few paintings back at Mengir!"
Guardia shot a disgusted frown, before pausing and blinking puzzledly at the Scyther's exclamation. A few paintings on Mengir? Like the ones they'd gone to the Beautifly's nest to try and get references of? But, when they had gone to that place…
"Wait. The majū from that island said that their god was stolen as an egg," Guardia murmured. "Didn't Xerneas' companions say that they found him as an egg?"
"They… did," Kiran murmured.
A silence fell over the other members of Team Traveller. If this was truly Xerneas and the Company had stolen his egg, than why would that Nuzleaf make such a contradictory statement…? The group retraced their steps, making their way through the alleys and back into the square at the docks, where they watched as Pokémon drifted away.
"Hrmph, fine damper that bug put on things," a Darumaka grumbled.
"Well, the Protector said he'd go further into town to ask for more support with his human friends," a Marill offered. "Maybe we can still spot them today!"
Team Traveller blinked at the mention of 'go further into town', prompting them to look up and off into the square. There in the center, the makeshift platform that Xerneas had pranced upon was being dismantled by some local shopkeepers, with no sign of the deer or the humans with him to be found nearby.
"Ack! They're gone!" Pleo cried.
"They couldn't have gotten that far so quickly, could they?" Dimitri said. "If we look around town, I'm sure we'll find them again."
"Hrm… right," Kiran murmured. The Swellow looked around and thought to himself. The team would certainly cover more ground if they went their separate ways in search of Xerneas… but with both Lyn and Nagant on their tails, surely it was safest to remain in groups. There were eight 'mons between the lot of them right now, so then…
"Let's split into two teams to cover more ground," he offered. "We'll both search different halves of town and meet up back at the Siglo Swellow."
Nida folded her ears back and shifted uneasily, casting a sidelong glance at Crom. If they were splitting up again, there was one condition that she simply had to put her foot down about.
"Well if we're splitting up, I'm going with Crom," Nida piped. "We've been separated for long enough to just split up now."
"Oh! I wanna stay with Nida too, Kiran!" Pleo exclaimed.
Ander shifted uneasily as Nida's forming group brushed by and his gaze to fell on Pleo. The Scyther paused and squirmed a moment at the thought of searching for one Legendary alongside another, prompting him to quietly backpedal towards Kirans side.
"Er… I'll go with you, Kiran."
"Huh? But someone's gotta look after the kids!" the Swellow insisted. "It would be wise to give them a stronger partner to lean on if they got into trouble…"
"I'll handle that, Kiran," Dimitri offered. "If I could do it before underwater, doing it on land can't be that much harder."
The Kabutops made his way over to Nida's team, leaving Elty to trade a look with Guardia as the two realized they hadn't yet been sorted into a team, and that Nida's had twice as many as Kiran's.
"Looks like it's you and me on Kiran's team, bonehead."
"Hrmph, move your legs and not your mouth, Gardie," Guardia growled back.
"That should be good enough," Kiran piped. "Let's get going. We'll take the east side, you start on the west."
The group traded nods with each other, Nida and her companions veering west off towards a set of lowland neighborhoods, Pleo looking behind as Kiran and his teammates went east for the town's main hilltop. As Kiran's group melted into the crowds of Magmapool Town, the young Protector couldn't help but wonder why in the middle of Xerneas' grand mission he'd never bothered to go back home to where he was most needed.
Back on the Nektar Weide, the sun shined down on the docked ship, as Pokémon set about moving provisions onto the ship. Amidst the quiet drift of footsteps and chatter, Ellsberg sat behind a crude table on the ship's bridge, moving a charcoal nub as he drabbled out a letter updating the Board about their present circumstances after pulling into Buyeom… only to find himself at a loss again and again as to how to justify continuing Lyn's single-vessel mission.
Given the situation that the Protector was in, it was only logical that the Board would want to expand the mission beyond just entrusting Lyn to recover the Protector… and yet his and Ketu's mission would only be harder and harder to complete as soon as other crews entered the mix. The moth sighed, moving the nub back down to the paper and sliding it, only for the sound of a loud chorus of blathering and chattering from the piers to prompt him to jerk it awry and see a messy scrawl under his tarsal.
"Grr! Is it really so hard for Imperial peasants to keep quiet for a moment?!" Ellsberg hissed.
The Mothim slid a stone onto the paper and left his nub beside it before flitting up to the railing. There, he could see a crowd of Pokémon from further down the docks disperse along the waterfront, its cohorts milling out into the piers as various Pokémon returned to their work. The Bug-Type looked down the docks and noticed a lack of taverns and eateries by the water, dashing his initial assumptions of the crowd coming in from a lunch break. The moth twitched his antennae puzzledly, wondering what could have compelled the locals to be so excited earlier, before the words of a passing Whimsicott and Spinda filtered up from down below.
"Aww, things were just getting good!" the Whimsicott complained. "Why'd the show have to end so quickly?"
"Eh, don't worry about it," the Spinda reassured. "We got to meet a Protector and actual humans! Even some party pooper like that Srak can't ruin an experience like that."
Ellsberg shifted and felt his grip on the railing slacken, prompting him to hastily beat his wings to keep his balance. Surely he had misheard something, had that Spinda really claimed he'd seen…
"… A Protector and… humans?!"
Ellsberg blinked and fluttered in place wordlessly. Could the two Pokémon have been referring to Lugia? His companions passing themselves off as humans would be… unexpected given their behavior in past ports, but just what alternatives could there be? It wasn't as if there could be a second Protector here, or real living, breathing humans…
Or considering all the strange things that had happened so far on Lyn's journey, could such a fantastical possibility be the truth?
"Hah! That prize card's mine!"
The Mothim's train of thought was jarred by the sound of a throaty cheer from back on deck, prompting him to notice a Krokorok and Grumpig playing cards on a pair of overturned buckets from the corner of his vision. The Bug-Type left the railing, and stormed over huffing, flitting up to the two before letting out a sharp, annoyed buzz.
"Hey! What do you two think you're doing?!"
The pair looked up in surprise, before giving a shrug of their shoulders and turning away to fix their attention back to their card game.
"What's it look like?" the Grumpig scoffed. "We're taking a break."
"You were ordered to do an afternoon swab of the deck!" Ellsberg yelled.
"Yeah? Well the Captain isn't here right now and neither's his real first mate," the Krokorok retorted. "Last I checked they were the one who made us swab the deck and not you."
"Get back to work, you lazy oafs!"
Ellsberg's shout drew fierce glares from the truant sailors, prompting the Grumpig of the pair to hop over and stomp his feet against the deck's wood, leaning in with a belligerent scowl.
"Yeah? Well what are you going to do about it, Elmer?" the Psychic-Type demanded.
The Mothim seethed and readied a gust of silvery dust and scales in his wings, only to notice that the sailors all around him were shooting hostile glares. The Bug-Type shrank back uneasily, as smirks began spreading on a few of the sailors' faces, and jeering laughs came from others. Ellsberg flit his wings in place, quietly fluttering and looking down at the planks as a voice kept repeating in his head.
"Kinda hard to work with a doormat who doesn't stand his ground."
The Bug-Type's attention drifted a moment as he remembered Ketu's jeering words, before the sound of a mocking snort from the Grumpig reached his ears, who now shot a sneering grin down at the silenced moth.
"Hah, I thought so!" Hooke jeered. "You really can't do anything without someone to hide behind-!"
With that, the pig was launched back by a sudden Silver Wind, sending him pinwheeling into a mast with a startled squeal. With a hateful glare, Ellsberg dove and pursued after the Grumpig, only for the sound of running footsteps and a low snarl to draw his attention to Ken lunging from the side.
"You lousy little turd! Let's see you deal with this!" the Krokorok roared.
The Ground-Type leapt at the Mothim with his jaws opened wide, only for Ellsberg to fly up and leave his foe snapping at air. Ken yelped in surprise, looking up to see Ellsberg hovering over him before summarily flinging forth an overpowering buzz that churned the air up into a shockwave, sweeping up the crocodile with a pained scream and sending him sprawled out limply onto the deck. The moth hissed angrily, glaring daggers at the fallen reptile, only to notice a hexagonal glint of light from the corner of his eye and see Hooke readying a Power Gem with livid rage.
"I'll send you crawling back to your hideous bag of a mother, you lousy paper-pusher!"
The Power Gem shot out and struck Ellsberg, drawing a pained cry as he flopped out of the sky and to the deck with a crash. The Grumpig, satisfied with his work, bounded in readying a second blow to finish off the accursed paper-pusher, only to see the Mothim's eyes abruptly light up with a violet sheen and see him thrust his arm out.
Creeeeak
"Hey, what the-?!"
A thud rang out as a nearby crate suddenly fell on the Grumpig's head, knocking him to the deck with a loud crash. The nearby sailors stood stunned, watching Hooke's legs weakly twitch from under the crate as a lingering silence hung in the air, broken only by the churn of the waves and the haggard pants of a Mothim pulling himself back up to his feet.
"Don't just stand there!" Ellsberg snapped. "Get back to work!"
The defiant, mocking attitude of the sailors quickly dissipated as the lot quickly hurried back to work, whether real or concocted on the spot so as to avoid trouble. The moth wheezed, limping over to a seat where he fetched a small Oran Berry and tore into it. As the lumps of fruit flesh slid down his throat, Ellsberg thought back to his last encounter with the pesky Grumpig and Krokorok, how he'd felt so alone and overwhelmed without knowing he'd had allies behind him. Why, after taking a stand, the others fell in line quicker than those lippy flunkies from Tromba did in his last visit! As loath as he was to admit it, perhaps heeding Ketu's words here had paid its dividends…
The Mothim's musings were interrupted by the sound of water splashing and wet splatters hitting the deck, prompting him to look over and see Lyn pulling himself up a batch of netting that had been dangled over the side. The Samurott shook some seawater off his pelt, before noticing Ken and Hooke sprawled out on the deck with splintered wood lying around, casting a frowning glance at the pair before turning his attention over to Ellsberg and his perch.
"Apologies about the deck," the Mothim sighed. "Those two you assigned to clean it won't be able to finish their tasks for a while."
As soon as Ellsberg finished speaking, the sound of movements and groans rang out, which made the two look over and see Hooke uneasily groping to try and regain his footing with his head still lodged inside the crate.
"Ungh… lousy bug! This isn't ov-"
A low, dangerous growl filled the air, followed by the clack of chitinous blades being unsheathed. At once, the fight seemed to drain out of the winded Grumpig as a shiver went down his spine at the realization that he was far from alone, and had angered the worst possible member of the crew.
"v-ver- Ergh…"
Hooke slumped back over and relapsed into unconsciousness, leaving Lyn to sheathe his blades and size up the deck's condition with an annoyed shake of his head. Barring the seawater he'd tracked in and a damp spot by the Grumpig's legs, there was not a drop of water on the deck even though he'd ordered the two to swab it even before pulling into port. To top it off, its timbers now were flecked with fresh dents and scuffs from battle, prompting him to look over at Ellsberg and note that he appeared to be slightly battered.
"Hrmph, I can see that. I'll deal with these two later, but where's Ketu?" the Samurott demanded. "I would've expected him to not let things get so out of hand."
"He said that he needed a moment to go to the hot springs and left me to handle his duties," Ellsberg replied. "Not that I needed it."
Lyn pinched his brow as he looked down towards the deck underfoot with an irritated groan. While it was hardly unexpected for his first mate to slip off for a moment of amusement onshore, he had hoped that after he'd ordered Ketu to enter the tournament in Tidemill, that the Weavile would've kept his newfound sense of gravity towards the mission longer than their arrival at the next port.
"I can't imagine what would compel an Ice-Type to take a dip in warm water, but whatever," Lyn muttered. "As long as that schooner's been under watch and we've been ready to sail, everything that's needed has been accomplished. Besides, I've found some sites that could be useful for our ends-"
"Hoy!"
The pair turned and looked further down the deck, where they saw Maurier fluttering in and coming to a stop before them. The Fearow quickly gave a salute with a wing, before piping up.
"Captain, during surveillance we overheard the locals talking about a party with a blue deer collecting money from the Pokémon in town," the Flying-Type reported. "The locals say the strange stag is a Protector called 'Xerneas' and that a pair of humans are among his companions!"
Lyn blinked a moment, before turning his muzzle down into a frown and twitching his whiskers dubiously at Maurier's assertion. As improbable as their current mission had been, what were the odds that a second Protector would reveal itself now, let alone with multiple humans to boot? The Samurott turned, beginning to pace off for his cabin as he gave a dismissive wave back to the Fearow.
"… That sounds improbable to say the least. We already know of one Protector here," Lyn harrumphed. "If he wouldn't want to attract attention to himself, why would another Protector want to do so?"
"To be fair, I did hear some locals talking about a Protector and humans earlier," Ellsberg piped. "Even if it sounds hard to believe, doesn't it make sense to get to the bottom of what's going on, Lyn? These are strange times, and it wouldn't do any good to dismiss things out-of-hand."
The Samurott stopped in his tracks, looking over at the form of the Siglo Swellow docked at the other end of the harbor, before looking back at the stone walls around Magmapool Town. The otter paused a moment, until he turned back and cast an expectant glance at Ellsberg.
"… Keep an eye on that schooner and update me if anything happens to it," he ordered. "I'll go in and investigate a bit to see what's going on."
Lyn shuffled off, making his way down the gangplank and slipping out into the bustle onshore. Back on deck, Ellsberg watched as Lyn disappeared into the crowd, before the moth made his way back to his table where he picked up his stone paperweight and took the charcoal nub back into his tarsi. The moth beat his digits against the nub a moment, before looking over and seeing Ken and Hooke still sprawled out on deck. The Bug-Type paused, before shuffling and grabbing a clipboard, attaching his letter to it and fluttering down, settling down atop the crate still attached to Hooke's head. There, the Mothim rested, giving a beat of his wings and turning his attention back to his letter as a satisfied smile crept over his face.
"Now, where was I…?"
Back in the corridors of Aleria's palace, the queen Altaria and her Archeops Chancellor made their way stone-faced down a hallway lined with portraits lit by sunlight poking in from windows in the ceiling. All the while, their passage was followed by a a series of thumps against the ground as Nagant followed from behind, coming to a stop in front of the doors leading to the royal chamber. The shrimp watched as Osborn moved a claw to a pull latch, twitching her barbels uncomfortably as the Chancellor pulled the door back.
"Your Highness," the Clawitzer protested. "A matter this important to the Empire is just going to be handled between the three of us?"
"No," Aleria answered. "Osborn sent for some others to come along, I know Walpole and Thalez will definitely be present as they're both potential Prime Ministers…"
Osborn's mouth curled down into a frown at the mention of 'Thalez', prompting him to shake his head and mutter under his breath.
"We can wait on them inside," the Archeops grumbled. "We'll start by going over what we know-"
The Chancellor pulled the door open, letting Aleria and Nagant through where they discovered a Venusaur, Lucario, and Haxorus with red armbands in place of scarves, waiting inside impatiently much to their surprise. The Venusaur scowled, tapping a foot irritably against the ground.
"All due respect, Your Highness, but where have you been?" the Grass-Type demanded. "I was scheduled for an audience three hours ago!"
The Venusaur's frustration made Aleria shuffle uneasily for the throne, as both Osborn and Nagant followed after and trained unamused glares back at the armband-wearing party.
"… Have you really not bothered to look out a window at all for the last three hours?" Nagant scoffed.
A harsh crack split the air as the Venusaur shot out a whip-like vine and slammed the ground, baring his teeth as an indignant scowl settled over his eyes.
"Well of course! Why do you think I asked for an audience in the first place?! The word is that Her Highness' Empire has been abandoned by an awakened Protector!" the Venusaur huffed. "As the Ambassador of Garanza, your ally, I need something to pass back to the Bureau about what's going on here-!"
"And over here, we've got the best digs in all of Anyilla! Her Majesty's throne room!"
The lot turned at the sound of the door creaking open at the end of the chamber, where a Rotom zipped in followed by a team consisting of a Gallade, a Blastoise and a Goodra. The interrupting strangers stared blankly for a moment, as Thalez pointed ahead at the throne, before blinking and looking back and forth uneasily.
"Uh… did we walk in on something important?" the Rotom asked.
Nagant hissed, twitching her barbels irritably as she pointed with her large claw at the three strangers in the room. Weren't these contestants from the tournament earlier…?
"Why are they here?!"
"We were supposed to have our audience with the Protector for winning the tournament," the Goodra growled.
"Yeah, but that's obviously not happening," the Blastoise harrumphed. "So we were promised to get an audience with the Queen instead."
The turtle's comment drew an irritated squawk from the Archeops Chancellor, as he glared and extended out a claw at the Water-Type.
"That's a privilege for Her Majesty to bestow!" Osborn snapped. "Not some random performer!"
"But Osborn, I told Thalez to bring them here!" Aleria insisted, much to the Archeops' spluttering dismay.
"Your Majesty, this is a moment of Imperial crisis!" he cried. "We don't have time for such nonsense right now!"
The bird's squawks of protest prompted the Gallade to fold his arms over each other, before giving a harrumphing shake of his head.
"Yeah, yeah, we get the point. I was saying it was a bad deal myself, coming from the 'mons who drove away our prize," the Gallade grumbled. "Especially since we couldn't even get a private audience! Come on guys, let's get out of here."
One after the other, the members of Team Surveyor drifted out the door, leaving the room to fall back into an awkward silence. The Venusaur raised a brow, before shaking his head and shooting a scowl back at Osborn.
"… I see that you obviously have a lot going on," the Ambassador harrumphed. "But as for that explanation-"
"It can wait another time," the Archeops interrupted. "Please leave Her Highness' quarters at once."
"But you can't just-"
"Guards!"
At the Chancellor's shout, a small band of Pokémon in indigo scarves and cerulean cloth and mail hurried over, ringing the three Pokémon. The Venusaur spluttered in protest, as the guards brusquely shoved him and his two bodyguards off with an audible rattle for the door from behind, prompting the Venusaur to wheel his head back and shout back for Aleria's throne.
"Gah! This insult will not be the end of things!" he fumed. "This conduct towards a diplomat coming from an ally will be reported to the Bureau!"
WHAM!
Aleria watched wordlessly and moved a wing over her face after the guards slammed the chamber door behind them. With everything that had happened over the past day, having to sort out a diplomatic incident with one of the Empire's only allies was about the last thing she needed to think about. But despite that, strained alliances would mean precious little if the crisis that the fleeing Protector had thrown the Empire into wasn't resolved! But…
"… Where do we even start?" Aleria murmured.
"This would be easier were we not missing a major figure from the court," Osborn sighed. "To say less of the chaos that any inquiry into how far Coil's conspiracy extended will inevitably dredge up…"
"I knew that the Admiralty had a mole since that escort mission to Buyeom two years ago, but I never imagined that the mole would be someone as esteemed as Admiral Coil…" Nagant muttered. "What is going to happen to him anyways?"
"He's been implicated in treason against Her Highness' realm and will be rewarded as a traitor deserves," the Archeops harrumphed. "I doubt the Cradle will pine for his absence much."
"Really, I'm surprised that Her Highness didn't decide to make more of a show out of it!" Thalez crackled.
Aleria hung her head, her wings and feelers drooping and serving to quickly silence the Archeops and Rotom. Evidently, even with everything that had happened, the Flying-Type still couldn't fully reconcile how the guardian of her family had been undermining her realm all this time…
"But then what can we do?" Aleria asked. "Coil was always so reliable for taking daring missions such as these."
"We don't have the time to dwell on that, Your Highness," Nagant insisted. "The same Company crew that was searching for the Protector in the first place was there at the tournament and attempted to snatch the Protector during those ruffians' escape."
Thalez threw out his arms and let a blue jolt of electricity escape his body, his eyes widened in stunned surprised.
"Bzzt?! There was a team of Company spies in the tournament?!" the Rotom crackled. "Who?!"
"I believe they called themselves 'Team Blue Sun'," the shrimp replied. "They went around in white scarves with a blue sun design, and I saw Commissioner Lyn in the same attire when I fought him."
"I'll pass word onto the other islands about their pattern, and of those kidnappers as well," Osborn said. "But for now, focus on what you can do to get the Protector back. Whatever you need, whatever means it takes, Her Majesty and I will support it wholeheartedly if it means returning with the Protector."
"Da, Chancellor," Nagant remarked, giving an impatient twitch of her barbels. "But just how are we supposed to accomplish that?"
Creeeeeak
"Uh… hi?"
The Queen and her audience turned to the throne room's entrance and saw Cabot, Berecien, and Niilo warily peeking past the the door. The Cranidos in their ranks gave an uneasy wave, before a Kecleon sporting a red cravat walked in, prompting the three to follow as he made his way to Aleria and gave a humble bow.
"Apologies for my tardiness, Your Highness," Walpole said. "It took me a while to track down your tutors in the midst of the unrest outside the Citadel."
"Hrmph, I suppose there's nothing that can be done about that," Osborn said. "Though I wish things could have moved along quicker. Those three tutors may hold the key for the Empire to recover the Protector, so the sooner they can help us piece things together the better."
Nagant blinked and clicked her claws out of surprise. Cabot and his friends had a history of proving full of surprises, but surely being 'key' to recovering a Protector was aggressively overselling things…
"… I'm not sure if I follow, Chancellor," Nagant said. "How are a few of my subordinates supposed help us recover the Protector?"
"Because, they spent the most time with him," the Archeops answered. "As such, they'd be the most likely to know where he would've sought to flee to."
Osborn turned and stared insistently at the three sailors, prompting them to fidget and squirm uncomfortably a moment before Niilo leaned over towards his companions.
"Uh… are we getting paid more for this?" the Sandslash whispered. "Since I honestly don't know what sort of lead that bird could've given us."
Berecien shot a sharp frown at his sellclaw teammate's preoccupation with pay at a time like this. Even so, as crudely as he'd gotten his point across, there wasn't much he could say against it.
"Admittedly, Niilo is in the right here… for once," the Ponyta sighed. "The Protector was homesick for much of the time we were together, but he didn't really say anything about what his and those Trombans' original plans were."
"Maybe… he went back to his home."
All eyes settled on Cabot, making the Cranidos shift uneasily a moment as the Queen craned her head down, giving a puzzled tilt.
"Huh? What do you mean, Cranidos?" Aleria asked.
"Well, Pleo did seem to talk a bit about Tromba and how he missed it," Cabot murmured. "Wouldn't it make sense that once he had the chance, that he'd try and go back to it?"
The Altaria paused, raising a cloudy wing up to her beak in thought. Of course! If both kings and peasants were prone to feel attachment to their hatching spots, wouldn't a Protector feel similar impulses as well?
"It does seem to make sense," the Queen mulled. "So then… we should be trying to find him on the ways that he'd take back to Tromba."
"Sounds like this is where you would come in, Captain Nagant," Osborn added. "You'll be the tip of the spear for the interception mission."
Nagant raised her voice in protest, tripping up over one word after another. 'Interception mission'?! Meaning she was supposed to try and beat the Protector back to Tromba without a single hint about his course?!
"H-How am I supposed to search every possible route those buyany could have taken on my own?!" she demanded.
"You're not."
The gathered Pokémon looked up at the sound of wind rushing through the doors and watched as a Salamence flew in, coming to a trotting stop and brimming with determined confidence. Osborn gave a passing glance at the dragon, before ruffling his plumage and turning his attention back to the Clawitzer Captain.
"Ah yes, I forgot to mention. Given the sensitive nature of this mission, I requested Commodore Valan to help you cover ground," Osborn explained. "That way searching will not be a matter of choosing one direction or another."
The Salamence drew near beside Nagant, batting his wings and kicking up a small gust in the Clawitzer's face as he addressed the waiting Queen and Chancellor.
"Hmph, with how long we've known each other, I certainly wasn't expecting Coil of all Pokémon to be working against Her Majesty, but I think that I should manage just fine with Captain Nugget here," the dragon said. "I may be of younger stock than her, but I'm sure that she'll find that I've learned a few tricks since climbing the ladder that will be useful to her as a subordinate."
Nagant bristled her barbels and hardened her gaze into a harsh glare back at the Salamence. She'd heard that Commodore Valan could be hard to work with, but Travellers above, the last time she'd been treated this disrespectfully, she'd promptly laid into the offender with a Water Pulse! Alas, the dragon was her superior, and before Her Highness, all that could be done for now was to sit and bear with the arrogant whelp's behavior.
"I'm… sure they'll be something to see, yes," she growled.
"Then we have no time to lose! From what I've heard, the Company's already searching for him in our waters!" Valan cried. "Let's hit the seas now and start pursuing those smugglers to get our Protector back!"
Osborn motioned with a wing for a stop at the Salamence's reply, before raising his voice to address the Commodore.
"That's something that you and Captain Nagant will need to coordinate between the two of you," he insisted. "Her new vessel hasn't been fully provisioned yet."
The Commodore frowned back a moment, leaving Nagant to grumble under her breath, only to catch herself and twitch her barbels as she realized something strange with Chancellor Osborn's order.
"… My new vessel?"
"Well, I'm sure you're aware that Admiral Coil had his own ship in the navy," Walpole began, only for Thalez to cut in with a buzz.
"He's not going to be using it again anytime soon, so…"
Nida and her companions carried on into the flatlands of Magmapool Town, hugging the contours of the town's black walls. The four fruitlessly flagged down one Pokémon after another for any sign of Xerneas, only to find that while word had filtered out, none of the Pokémon had seen the blue deer yet. After a failed attempt questioning a Magcargo guard, the four trudged along, rounding the corner as they made their way into a market lined with noisy stalls. Nida and Crom led the way, carrying on deeper where they noted one stall riddled with colorful glassware set out for display, and then another further along by a tailor's shop, and yet another that had been set up near a busy-sounding tavern.
"Strange that there'd be so many Pokémon selling glass all in one place," Nida said. "Aren't they worried at all about a drunk accidentally breaking their stuff?"
"Well, maybe they're all together here because it's safer," Crom suggested. "And with all the Fire-Types around, there'd bound to be more glassblowers anyways."
"Ahem."
Nida and Crom blinked and looked to the side where they saw a stern-faced Furret scowling at them, gesturing over at their Lugia teammate over by a display of mirrors of various sizes. There, the seabird was poking his tongue out and making faces in them, giggling amusedly at their distorted appearances. The pair gave sheepish smiles back to the Furret, watching as Dimitri quietly sidled over to Pleo to tap his shoulder, prompting him to turn and hurry back to the rest of the group.
"Oh? Aren't you also going to look at the glass?" Pleo asked. "I thought that all markets basically did the same thing as each other, but this one feels a bit different!"
"I mean, wouldn't that be expected?" Nida replied. "Not every island is the same, so why should every market be?"
"I suppose… but why are they different in the first place?" the Lugia wondered. "Aren't markets places you get things like food and drinks from? Or scarves from a tailor? They had that back in Bluewhorl…"
"Well, yes…" the Nidoran began. "But different markets usually have different things they specialize in. For instance back home around el Año Nuevo, the market in town sells…"
Nida trailed off as the sound of sharp sniffs pricked her ears, prompting her to look up. There, Crom had stopped, sniffing at the air and moving his claw over his brow, seemingly searching for something.
"Eh?" Dimitri asked. "Did you notice something, Crom?"
The Druddigon failed to reply, who instead wandered off towards a corner shop with a yellow awning and windows of colored decorative glass on its second level. Nida hopped along, clambering up Crom's back sniffing at the air above, where the familiar scent of baked flour reached her nostrils.
"That's bread!" Nida cried. "And it smells fresh too!"
The pair continued on, Pleo and Dimitri following them out to the corner shop where they found a bakery built into a small shopfront. There behind a counter, a Delphox churned up fire along a wooden wand, throwing it at the base of an oven that smelled of bread, with the displays lined with loaves and a small assortment of donuts. The group glanced over the shop's wares, Crom's attention drifting from one clump of baked goods to another, until his eyes settled on a small platter of loaves shaped after its proprietor's head in the corner.
"Oh! They make bread shaped like Pokémon just like my mom does!" the Druddigon exclaimed.
Crom trailed off, staring down at the Delphox-shaped loaves as his expression dimmed and his wings drooped, a wistful look coming over his eyes.
"Something the matter, Crom?" Dimitri asked.
"It's just… it's been a while since I last saw her," the dragon murmured. "Do you think we're worrying everyone back home by being away for this long?"
"But isn't that why we're going to Pioppo?" Pleo insisted. "To get that book thing so that way we can see everyone again and let them know we're all okay?"
"Yeah, it can't possibly take us long to get back," Nida added. "Anyilla may be big, but Beatrix didn't make it feel like it was that big. We'll be sharing bread from your mom's bakery before you know it!"
Crom lifted his head, his eyes brightening as he gave a small wag of his tail back.
"I… I guess when you put it that way…"
"Just take in the town while you can," the Nidoran reassured. "The sooner we find Xerneas and find out what's going on with him, the sooner we can go to Pioppo to get that ledger and go ho-"
Nida abruptly trailed of as she spotted a Vaporeon walking by in the background in a red scarf with a white pattern depicting an opened book with a horizontally divided circle on it. She turned her head and followed, recognizing the design to be familiar… but from where?
"Nida? What's the matter?" Crom asked.
"Yeah," Dimitri added. "You're awfully quiet all of a sudden."
"It's that Vaporeon's scarf…" Nida answered back. "I've seen it somewhere before, but I can't place it."
The Vaporeon carried on, flicking his ears uncomfortably at the sound of chatter before looking back and noticing Team Traveller staring. The Water-Type shifted a moment, before shaking his head and approaching the party, raising a paw curiously.
"Hé daar, have any of you seen a group of Pokémon in red scarves like mine?" the Vaporeon asked. "I'm supposed to meet up with a group of teammates around here."
Nida, Crom, Pleo, and Dimitri traded puzzled looks with one another. Pokémon in red scarves like his? Although the design looked vaguely familiar to Nida, she'd never seen this Vaporeon before in their life! It wouldn't be as if she'd run into his teammates before… would it?
"We haven't, sorry," Dimitri answered. The Kabutops' answer drew a disappointed sigh back from the Water-Type, who grumbled under his breath with a shake of his head.
"When I said I'd stay behind to help with some unfinished field work, I didn't expect the others to be gone for this long," the water fox muttered. "Why, I wound up studying a strange Pokémon that was completely unrelated while I was waiting on them!"
"A strange Pokémon?" Pleo asked. "What was so strange about it?"
"It wouldn't have happened to be a blue deer, would it?" Nida pressed, prompting the Vaporeon to raise an ear puzzledly back in response.
"Blue deer? No, it was a small, green snake of some sort. I found him traveling with a Gliscor, a Talonflame, and a Sneasel," he explained. "At first when I saw him, I thought he was some variation of Dunsparce, but none of the field notes I had seemed to match up. I was actually thinking of going back to the fringes further west to try and find him again since that's where I last ran into them, but…"
The Vaporeon trailed off, as he spotted Pleo sticking his beak under a wing to preen at his feather. The Water-Type's eyes lit up and his tail wagged excitedly a moment, before turning back curiously to the Nidoran.
"Though since you're here… perhaps I should introduce myself! The name's Opdahl and I go around helping to document Pokémon and the way they live. That's why I couldn't help but notice your friend," the Water-Type said. "I think I might have seen a Pokémon like him in a book before and I was wondering if he'd let me ask a few questions."
Nida shifted uncomfortably, thinking back to the earlier encounter with Team Sentinel. She already felt uneasy when they questioned the team about Pleo earlier, and with him already being revealed in Tidemill, in all likelihood someone on this island had already heard of him… and the more he was talked about, the more likely it was that such a Pokémon would discover that none other than the same Protector was in their midst! With Nagant and Lyn both after them, it was perhaps for the best to err on the side of silence, including to this stranger.
"We're a bit busy right now," Nida piped back. "Maybe another time?"
"Aw… I suppose it can't be helped," the Vaporeon murmured. "Good luck with your errand, though!"
The Water-Type turned and carried on down the lane, quickly slipping from view as a cart drawn by a Meganium passed by, prompting Nida and her companions to hastily move along and breathe a sigh of relief once the stranger departed.
"… Where do we go now?" Pleo questioned. "That Pokémon didn't know the first thing about where Xerneas went!"
"I dunno, he did seem insistent it was a 'strange' Pokémon," Crom insisted. "Could the two really be unrelated to each other?"
"There's only one way to find out," Dimitri replied. "Let's stop by the fringes and see if we can find that Pokémon. We haven't found any sign of Xerneas so far, and maybe by doing this we'll find him along the way."
"Alright, but let's try and hurry it up," Nida said.
"Huh?" Pleo asked. "But why would we need to hurry?"
"I'm worried that the Pokémon here are finding out more about us than we'd like."
A quiet silence fell over the group as Nida's words sank in with an uncomfortable realization. If the way things had gone on Tidemill was anything to go by, time really wasn't on their side. The youngsters of the group looked around anxiously, set on edge by the thought, prompting Dimitri to nod his head with a sigh.
"Right, then let's make the most of the time we have."
The group set off, making their way towards the fringes. That was right, they still had time to work with before Beatrix would be ready to sail on. So then, for now at least, it made sense to make the most of the temporary calm and try to get to the bottom of this strange Pokémon lurking around, and see if he could help at all with their hunt for Xerneas.
While Pleo and his friends made their way towards Magmapool's fringes, Kiran and his teammates spent the bulk of their time searching around the town's central hilltop. There, the four scoured the streets and alleys for any sign of Xerneas and his companions, though failed to encounter anything they hadn't already seen in their prior visit…
Fwoooosh!
… with the marked exception of a troupe of an Infernape, a Monferno, and a Chimchar who gave an impromptu show of their firebreathing prowess in front of a small row of Juice Bars near the hill's summit. The monkeys' performance drew impressed cheers from a small crowd of observing Pokémon, with Elty among their number wagging his tail excitedly at the show from beside Kiran as Guardia and Ander stared at him puzzledly from behind.
"Heh, looks like backtracking to this part of town was totally worth it!" Elty piped.
"How so?" Guardia asked. "Aren't you already a fire-breather?"
"Well, there's something to be said about the form…" Kiran murmured, before turning his attention back to his Growlithe pupil. "Though surely you've already seen your share of islands before, haven't you? You've never seen anything like this before?"
"Well yeah, but the places I saw were usually on fire and had attacks zipping around," the dog answered. "Kinda hard to catch a show that way."
The Growlithe's reply made Kiran frown and furrow his brow distastefully, Ander giving a roll of his eyes at Elty's… most particular reasons for having not been able to see the islands he'd been to in the past.
"I suppose we certainly can't argue that point," Ander grumbled. Kiran ruffled his feathers nonplussedly, prompting him to shake his head as he reminded himself of just how far his new charge had come.
"Thankfully you've since come to your senses and decided to leave your life of crime behind to enjoy a more respectful life…" the bird sighed.
"Eh? What makes you say I did?"
A pregnant silence fell over the group as Guardia, Ander, and Kiran stared at their Growlithe companion. Aware of the overly keen attention placed on him, Elty shuffled his paws before raising his voice to speak up.
"I mean, I am on Community Service right now," the Puppy Pokémon insisted. "I didn't choose to leave the Iron Fleet to be with you guys."
"Weren't you the one who tricked the Bossgodora though?" Guardia retorted. "If you really wanted to be a sea-walker again, why would you go through all that trouble?"
The Growlithe blinked and paused a moment, pulling his ears back and fidgeting as his voice came out in a flustered hem and haw.
"Er… I… uh… well…"
The Puppy Pokémon shrank back uneasily, taking a few faltering steps backwards along with the crowd. Ever since Tidemill, Elty had decided that he wanted to be there for Team Traveller to get that ledger to hold back the Company and Empire… but hadn't thought of what would come afterwards. He'd just assumed that things would fade out and that with their future secured, there wouldn't be much for him other than to drift back to his old role out at sea. The freedom of a pirate's life still tugged at him, so why did he now have doubts about seizing it when his temporary companions wouldn't be caught up in the process?
Elty zoned out a moment, only to notice a blue shape in the crowd down the street behind them. The Growlithe paused and felt his blood run cold as he noticed the shape was a Samurott checking around the nearby buildings, with the exact same features of none other than…
"A-Aah! Psiakrew! That's Lyn!" he yelped. Guardia, Kiran, and Ander froze at the Growlithe's cry, whirling around to see Lyn perk his head up, before hurriedly huddling together and speaking in low voices.
"Wh-Why's he here?!" Guardia demanded.
"Quick!" Kiran whispered. "Find some cover!"
The four hurried along, brushing past passing Pokémon who grumbled and complained about their erratic flight. Ander looked behind him and spotted Lyn turning his attention towards the Pokemon they brushed aside and pick up his pace. The Scyther hastily pushed his teammates along into an alleyway where the lot broke into an open sprint, weaving between doorstops and clutter as they charged down the lane.
"Where are we supposed to go?!" Ander cried. "If Lyn spots us, we don't have anywhere we could turn to hide!"
Kiran bobbed his head over the eaves of the surrounding rooftops, only for the guild complex to catch his eye in the distance. Realizing that their safety lied in numbers, the Flying-Type's eyes lit up, as he cried out to his teammates.
"Oh yes we do. Come on!"
The Swellow led the way, leading his teammates in a mad dash through the gates of the guild where they came upon a wide courtyard surrounded by covered hallways built in the shadow of a wide, short pagoda. The four looked around, spotting teams milling about when they caught the sight of a Kommo-o's head crest at the far left end, where they saw Team Sentinel waving off a Dhelmise that drifted off in high spirits. The lot exhaled in relief, hurrying over to Sorge and his teammates as they waved for attention.
"Oh thank goodness, it's you again!" Kiran said. From their places, Team Sentinel traded looks with one another, before Sorge stepped forward with a puzzled raise of his brow.
"Hm? Team Traveller, right? Or at least half of you," the Kommo-o murmured. "Is something the matter?"
"There's an emergency here in the town!" the Swellow squawked. "You must inform the rest of the guild about it at once!"
"An emergency?" Aldrich pressed. "What's going on?"
"There's a Samurott going around town stirring up trouble!" Elty yipped.
"What is he?" Sorge demanded. "An outlaw? A pirate?"
"He's a Company spy! He's right in the middle of the street just down the hill!" Ander exclaimed, pointing off for the gates with a scythe.
The Scyther waited to hear some response, only to be met with silence. The Bug-Type turned back, seeing the three members of Team Sentinel shifting idly with increasingly skeptical frowns settling over their faces, seemingly unconvinced about the notion of there really being a spy just around the corner.
"Uh… are you sure? It'd have to be a pretty bad spy if any Rescue Team could just recognize him," Zelle replied.
"We've seen him before," Guardia insisted. "He's caused trouble for us no matter where he's been!"
The Cubone was answered with a clattering rattle as Sorge batted his scaly tail back and forth, who looked down at the young Ground-Type with a small, reassuring smile.
"Look, if that 'mon's really a spy, he's not going to be causing any trouble here in town," the Kommo-o said. "Or at least nothing that would catch anyone's eye."
"Huh? What makes you so sure?" Ander wondered.
"Well, this is the most fortified settlement in the Empire after Tidemill City," the dragon explained. "Would you want to cause a scene here in broad daylight when you can set up an ambush right outside of town?"
Kiran and his teammates fell silent and traded looks with one another. Lyn was a reckless 'mon, but after everything that they'd been through in Tidemill… would he really want to push his luck again so soon?
"Well… no…" Elty admitted.
"Then you've got nothing to worry about while you're in here," Aldrich insisted.
"We'll pass things on to the guards and try to make sure that Samurott doesn't slip off," Sorge added. "In the interim, just keep your distance and don't stir up any trouble."
"I… suppose that's fair enough," Guardia murmured. "Though with him prowling around, what'll happen to that Protector and those humans we saw earlier?"
The Cubone's words visibly made Team Sentinel's members shift as they fell silent. Sorge and Aldrich paced forward, as Zelle shot a piercing look forward at the group.
"… Protector and humans?" Zelle asked.
The four fell quiet as Ander shifted uneasily, tapping his scythes together before finally speaking up in response.
"Xerneas came into town and seemed to be making a show of himself with a pair of Pokémon who claimed to be transformed humans…" he murmured. "These three wanted to seek them out, but we haven't had any luck so far."
A noticeable, awkward hesitance fell over Team Sentinel after the Scyther's response, Aldrich giving a bat of his tail before offering up a reply.
"Well, I don't know about any such Pokémon passing by here…" he began. "But if they're looking for attention, maybe try the plaza near the southern gate. It's a popular gathering spot around these parts."
The four breathed a sigh of relief, their spirits lifting as the threat of Lyn pursuing them ebbed away. Now that they'd finally found a lead for Xerneas, they could at least ensure they weren't wandering around town mindlessly searching the wrong places.
"Thank you," Kiran replied. "We'll be sure to check."
Kiran and his teammates shuffled off, Team Sentinel giving a friendly wave as the four slipped off into the crowd. After losing sight of the blue-scarved team, the three's demeanor instantly took a more serious turn, their cheerful smiles being replaced with suspicious scowls.
"Sorge, I wasn't aware we had company around these parts," Aldrich said. "But if it's really a Samurott, I doubt that could be a coincidence…"
The Kommo-o paused a moment, giving a shake of his head before casting a dangerous look out down the street where Kiran and the others had headed off.
"We can check it out later," the Dragon-Type answered. "First, let's see what's going on with this 'Protector' and these 'humans' those four found."
From the fifth floor of the Company's Head Office in Vollezee, Farn sat at a desk with a view of a square outside the window, anchored by a fountain built around a Manaphy statue. Inside, the clicking of a set of metal balls on wire served to bring a small sliver of her home environs to her office in the capital. The Luxray moved her paw over a sheet of paper, leaving black runes behind on it with a charcoal writing pad before setting it aside, dipping a paw into a pad of black ink, and stamping the bottom.
The lion drew her paw back, wiping it clean as she slid a candle under a small basin of wax. The Electric-Type set about folding up the letter, and slid it into an envelope as the door creaked and a Togedemaru entered warily, prompting Farn to look up for a moment, before turning back the basin and its now molten wax. The Luxray poured a small glob onto the cover of the envelope, taking a metal seal and stamping a set of Administrator's Squares overlaid by a thunderbolt into it, before sliding it across her desk to the waiting Togedemaru.
"Have this sent over to Parcel Processing and have it sent to Commissioner Marsden's post in Mossaisle," Farn ordered. "It's top priority."
"Yes, Administrator," the Togedemaru answered.
The notary hurried down the hall, passing the letter onto a blue Meowstic, who went down the stairwell and gave it to a Garbodor in an office below. The letter continued bouncing along from paw to paw under the note that it was for "Commissioner Marsden, top priority" carrying along to Skiploom, a Lilligant, until it finally reached a Purugly in the office's underlevels where a space dimly lit by basement windows had been set aside as a mail room. The Normal-Type unceremoniously threw the letter through a mail slot in a ratty door, before a rumbling of the creature's stomach prompted her to get up and drift out the room for a meal.
On the other side of the mail slot, the letter sat on the floor of a cramped room, where a large shadow with a pair of antennae and small wings fell over it. A Dragonite's claw scooped it up, its owner returning with the letter to a desk fashioned from a beaten crate, where he brought it up to the glow of a moss lantern and peered down at Farn's seal.
"Hrmph, let's see what we're dealing with here."
Darzin lifted the letter up, carefully breathing an ember of fire onto the wax before wedging a claw under one end. The dragon carefully peeled it up, emptying out its contents to see a letter crammed with freshly inked runes. The Dragonite's eyes bobbed back and forth, reading the paper's lines, before reaching the end with a harsh scowl.
With Commissioner Marsden as Farn's chosen emissary to Tromba, there was little hope of simply exploiting mistakes or ineptitude to snatch Lugia out from under him to trade with the Empire. All that remained would be to somehow transfer the assignment onto a more controllable Commissioner, and to do it somehow without making the Board all the wiser. Darzin looked over the letter again trying to piece together how he would even begin to make a forgery, only to pause and realize its author had made a serious oversight. Unlike the envelope, the letterhead merely sported the design of Administrators' Squares without the thunderbolt marking of Farn's personal letterhead, prompting a devious smirk to spread over his face.
"Tch, she's getting too lazy at writing these."
The Administrator set the letter onto his desk, grabbing a sheet of matching paper and a charcoal nub along with a trio of paper files from a dingy cupboard in the back. Darzin slid a sheet of paper over it, carefully tracing runes over while dutifully omitting the ones addressing Commissioner Marsden and replacing the names of the Board members Marsden was to relay news to with his own. Eventually, the Dragonite reached the end of the letter while transcribing, leaving him to carefully paint in a cover of Farn's footprint and leave his forgery out to dry as he turned his attention to the files.
"Hrm… who to pick?"
The Dragonite fanned out the files, revealing them to be personnel files for a Breloom, an Aegislash, and a Charizard,… along with some evidence of past indiscretions that could suitably blackmail them.
On the left was Commissioner Konrad, who'd had developed a taste for Lansat syrup after poking about Andaku closer than he should've some years ago. The Dragonite mulled the Breloom over, realizing his weakness against Flying-Types would bring certain failure to any attempt to stop the Protector in Tromba… but in spite of his taste for contraband, the Breloom had always been a staunch partisan for the Company, and with him developing his addiction on Farn's island of all places, was it really safe to assume that Konrad wouldn't just approach her about attempted blackmail?
Darzin frowned, and shook his head, before turning his attention to the center file, for Commissioner Seax. As one of the few Marked Commissioners within the Company, the Aegislash had… obvious handicaps to her ability to remain calm and collected were the Protector to appear, and with the 'mon engaged in taking bribes from smugglers, she wouldn't have the luxury of a potentially forgiving member of the Board to turn to. But then again… as both a Steel and a Ghost-Type with years of experience in battle, would it be safe to assume that fear would get the best of Seax to the point where she would lose to a fledgling Lugia?
Even with the Protector having spurts of strength every now and then, it felt like far too much of a gamble. Darzin harrumphed, before turning his attention to the last file, for Commissioner Bunsen, who from what he'd gathered from the harbormaster's latest batch of records, should've pulled into port just past noon. Like Seax, he was a fellow Marked, and had been flouting Company law by quietly violating the Settlement Protocol that employees of a Third-Rank and higher were to adhere to. In his earlier years, Bunsen had apparently accumulated scattered notes from his superiors of being particularly yellow-bellied. Although his belly was now a shade of cream and he'd since grown stronger, if he was still the ingratiating tail-kisser he'd remembered him to be towards Administrators at past Company gatherings, just how much resistance could be expected from him towards one of his much-feared "demons"?
"Commissioner Bunsen. He's the one for this mission."
Darzin moved his charcoal nub, carefully piecing together Bunsen's name through copying pieces of other runes done in Farn's handwriting before folding the letter up and slipping it back into the envelope. The Dragonite carefully reheated the wax seal and pressed it shut, before breathing out a small burst of fire that swallowed up the original letter and reduced it to ash. Satisfied with his work, Darzin threw the tampered letter into his satchel before lumbering up for the door. The Administrator made his way up the corridors of the office, passing a few guards who shot dismissive scowls before he reached a balcony on the third floor, where he leapt up and took to the air headed west.
Darzin's flight took him over gabled rooftops of tall, spindly houses, crammed canal-streets where swimming Pokémon and crude watercraft jostled for space, and over a square where a sprawling market had been set out. The Dragonite continued for the sea, where a complex of docks filled with ships bearing lavender sails came into view. Darzin carried on, glancing from one pier to the next until his eyes caught the sight of a Charizard resting near a galleon, glaring over at an agitated looking Ursaring and Frogadier as they accosted an unmoved Munna.
"Two weeks. Two weeks!" the Ursaring fumed. "Do you know how much scum those lousy bugs made us scrape off while we were waiting on you lousy paper pushers to bail us out?!"
"Where's Commissioner Lyn?" the Frogadier huffed. "We're going back to our posts and making sure that he hears about this!"
The Munna rolled her eyes before looking down at a paper on a clipboard held aloft in the air. The creature's eyes darted back and forth as she scanned it, before turning back to the pair.
"Uh… according to this, you two were both taken off the roster after you got caught as 'combat losses'. So… yeah, good luck with that," the Munna said, as the Company grunts' jaws flopped open in shock.
"What?!"
The pair flew into a storm of protest, loudly whining to the Munna as Bunsen tapped a nearby crate with his claws, shaking his head with an unimpressed snort
"Pah, what a bunch of ingrates!" the Charizard growled. "Next time I'll let that Lyn handle his own diplomatic missions!"
"Commissioner Bunsen!"
The Fire-Type heard the woosh of an approaching flier, prompting him to turn his gaze up just in time to see a Dragonite in an Administrator's scarf swoop down and come to a stop before him. The Charizard jumped back a moment, taken aback at the drake's sudden appearance.
"Darzi- Er… Administrator Darzin?" Bunsen asked. "What's the occasion?"
"I have a mission for you," the Dragonite answered. "Top priority."
"… Wait, Administrator Darzin still hands out missions?" a nearby Roserade asked. "I thought he lost that when he- Agh!"
The Grass-Type was cut off by Darzin sidestepping and shoving her aside with his hip, sending the Roserade pitching off the dock and into the harbor's water. The Dragonite glared back at the bubbling patch of water with a low growl, before turning back to Bunsen with a stern scowl.
"Administrator Farn asked me to forward it to you," he harrumphed. "We'll discuss the details someplace quieter."
A flash of unease came across Bunsen's face, before the Charizard shook his head and warily replied to his Dragonite superior.
"Alright…? I suppose that I've got a moment or two."
Darzin marched along, leading Bunsen past the harbor's teeming piers and stacks of barrels and crates until he reached a warehouse with an office door left ajar. The Dragonite clambered up, pulling the door open to let Bunsen in before following his guest inside. The pair made their way to opposite sides of a cluttered table in the center, which Darzin cleared and set pair of stump-seats around, opting to sit nearer to the door. On the other end, Bunsen looked about anxiously and pulled his wings in tight, appearing unnaturally cagey from the summons. The Charizard, realizing that Darzin was watching him intently, hastily threw his wings out and shook his head before growling back with hastily-summoned impatience and irritation.
"I was under the impression that I was getting time for some shore leave," the Fire-Type huffed. "So what's this about me suddenly getting a mission out of the blue?"
"Something's come up," Darzin answered. "Administrator Farn's summons will explain."
Bunsen warily reached out for the letter, peeling away the seal with a claw and pulling out a sheet of paper. The Charizard's eyes darted back and forth as he skimmed the letter, apparently an order to set sail for Tromba to lie in wait for a crew of pirates. Immediately, the Commissioner's tail fire danced with visible irritation, as he threw the letter back onto the table with a sharp glare.
"Hrmph. I don't see anything here that can't be handled by another Commissioner," Bunsen growled. "And I specifically scheduled to have shore leave after that run out to Boisocéan."
"Well, the Company needs you," Darzin said. "I'd encourage you to do your duty and put that leave on hold."
WHAM!
Bunsen slammed his claws against the table and shot up from his seat, craning his head across the table with his teeth bared in a fierce snarl.
"Listen, buddy! I've got plans here!" the Charizard roared. "And if you think I'm letting some fat newt that sits around the Records Department all day mess them up, you've got another thing coming!"
"Oh? And just what plans would those be, Commissioner Bunsen?"
As soon as Darzin's words left his mouth, Bunsen abruptly bit his tongue, his bellicose attitude quickly melting away into wide-eyed stammering.
"I- Uh… you know, just some time at the local taverns, a chance to sunbathe… some time to recuperate?"
"With your family, I presume," the Dragonite finished. Bunsen visibly cringed, tripping over his tongue as he hastily spluttered out a denial.
"I- I don't know what you're talking about!" the Charizard insisted. "I've only had a few shore flings so far in my life! Nothing to get me settled down!"
Darzin fell silent, giving no response other than a small raise of his brow followed by a disbelieving snort.
"Shore flings, you say?"
The Dragonite reached into his satchel and unceremoniously threw out Bunsen paper file, spilling out a small collection of letters including a few with colorful drawings of a pair of Charizard alongside three Charmander. Darzin watched as the color drained from Bunsen's face, a small smirk creeping over the Administrator's face.
"I was beginning to wonder why you kept getting mail from youngsters," Darzin said. "Turns out that having a mate and three children out on Gestirn Island leaves a bit of a paper trail, especially when you don't teach them to be careful about their correspondence."
Bunsen grimaced as a frightened, bewildered look came over his face, prompting Darzin to lean in with a smug, knowing sneer.
"I believe that the Settlement Protocol dictates that all employees of the Company above Second-Rank are to house their families here on Vollezee," the Dragonite reminded. "Would you care to recount to me what the consequences for violating that would be?"
Darzin was answered by a cutting gust of wind, sending him tumbling to the floor with a pained howl. The Dragon-Type growled, moving a claw over a ruddy scrape on his shoulder as he looked up and saw Bunsen readying a gout of fire in his maw over the now-unguarded table.
"Why you-!"
The Dragonite sprang up, raking the Charizard with a ferocious swipe of his claws that sent him into a pratfall and sent his fire up into the ceiling with a pained yelp. Darzin looked up quickly to see that the fire had singed the timbers above and put out the embers with a hasty gust, when a loud roar alerted him to Bunsen lunging for him. The Administrator hastily weaved out of the way, before giving an uppercut crackling with sparks to the Charizard that sent him flying headfirst into the wall. Bunsen lay there stunned a moment, groaning as he tried to regain his bearings when he heard a low snarl above him, before feeling pointed claws dig into his neck and yank his head up.
"E-Eyaaah!"
The Charizard watched as Darzin's livid face filled his vision and screwed his eyes shut trembling in anticipation of the coming blow, only to feel the grip on his neck slacken and collapse onto the ground. Bunsen shot his eyes open, panting and gasping for air when he raised his head up at the sound of the door being thrown open, looking up to see Darzin at the doorway with the file firmly in his claws.
"I was hoping we could come to an understanding and I could help bend the rules for you a little," the Dragonite snarled. "But since you insist on being uncooperative like this, I have no other choice but to stick to protocol."
The Dragon-Type began to step through the door, putting a claw on the pull latch to slam it after him when a pleading whine came from behind him.
"W-Wait! Please! Me and my mate were barely getting by when I joined the Company because almost nobody would give us work!" Bunsen cried. "And then after I got promoted to Second-Rank we evolved, so we had to rework our food budget- a-and the kids came along, and-"
"Tell it to someone who cares!" Darzin bellowed. The Dragonite paused a moment, before looking back to see Bunsen scrambling behind him, propping his body up on his foreclaws and knees.
"I-I'll do whatever you want! Just don't tell anyone about my mate and the kids!" Bunsen begged. "They'd be ruined if I lost my position!"
The Charizard hung his head, grovelling and pleading in weak, incoherent tones as Darzin peered down. After a moment's pause the Administrator stepped away from the door, closing it as his eyes hardened into a serious glare.
"Then get up for your debriefing," the Dragonite snapped. "And don't try my patience any further."
Bunsen hastily threw himself up, pulling in his wings tight against his body and craning his head downwards, the creature doing all within his power to make himself appear small and unthreatening to the stockier dragon who held his livelihood in his claws.
"I- I can do that! I'm a great listener!" Bunsen insisted. "Even when I was still a First-Rank!"
Darzin threw the files back into his bag and rolled his eyes, walking up to the Fire-Type and leaning in with a bellicose snarl.
"Wonderful. In that case I'll give you the basics and let you read over the details," Darzin harrumphed. "There was a serious disturbance in Tromba just under three weeks ago while collecting tribute, serious enough for the Board to re-evaluate the present state of affairs on the island."
"B-But then why am I the only Commissioner being sent out there?" Bunsen asked.
"Because, the Board has decided to keep things limited to a tit for tat for now. You will be with two smaller ships to apprehend a local smuggling crew that's turned to piracy on their return to port," the Dragonite explained. "While you're there, you will also arrest a few troublemakers and serve some resettlement notices to set an example to the locals. The Captain of the Guards is among those who are set to be detained, so you will be responsible for restaffing the garrison as needed to ensure the local leader becomes a bit more… compliant in his duties."
"I… I guess I can do that?" Bunsen murmured. "I'd need some time to get everything together before sailing out, but-"
"Tonight. You have until tonight to leave port," the Dragon-Type interrupted. "This is a time-sensitive operation and Administrator Farn will not be pleased to be kept waiting. Are we clear?"
Bunsen eagerly nodded his head back, a bit much so for Darzin's liking. But, as distasteful as it was, blatantly sucking up was far from a bad thing in these circumstances, and a sign that this Commissioner would be suitably controllable for his scheme to interfere with the Board's plans.
"Good," Darzin harrumphed. "Neither of us has an interest in letting what happened in here become known. I would strongly suggest you forward all reports to me first if you intend to keep things that way."
"Huh? But isn't this Administrator Farn's mission-" Bunsen began, only to be cut off by the sound of a loud stomp and snort.
"Administrator Farn isn't the one who knows about your private affairs," Darzin interrupted. "It'd be better to keep it that way, wouldn't it?"
"R-Right!" the Charizard stammered. "No sense dragging anyone else in!"
Bunsen forced a nervous laugh out, hoping to play into the Administrator's graces, only for the Dragonite's scowl to prove as unyielding as ever. The Dragon-Type harrumphed with an unimpressed frown, before turning his body for the door.
"That's about all from me, since I have a meeting off-island to make in a few hours," Darzin said. "Though there was one last thing I wanted to say before I left."
"What was tha-?"
Before he could finish, Bunsen was abruptly cut off by Darzin wheeling on his heels, sending a beam of fiery, bluish light square at his face.
"A-AAH!"
The Charizard jerked his head down, screwing his eyes shut and quivering as he felt the Dragon Pulse woosh overhead. The Fire-Type quailed a moment, expecting another blow, only to look up uneasily at the sound of departing footsteps and see Darzin at the doorway, baring his fangs threateningly.
"Try and pretend to be imposing when you're on Tromba," he sneered. "Knowing the islanders, you'll need it."
Darzin slammed the door behind him, leaving Bunsen alone in the room panting. The Charizard drooped his wings with a sigh, grumbling bitterly over how his visit to his mate and children had been snatched away by a fat newt that spent the bulk of his day shuffling papers. Even so, it was one mission, so a delay couldn't be that bad could it? It was just a matter of setting sail to Tromba and putting his foot down for a week or two…
On the island of unruly peasants that had driven Darzin out…
With only his crew and a pair of brigantines for support…
"Ulp… why me?"
True to Sorge's prediction, Xerneas and his companions had drifted over to the plaza in the shadow of the southern gate. There, they had once again put on a performance in front of the townsfolk, drawing a large crowd of eager Pokémon and less attentive guards from the wall above, that the lot plied with tales of a grand journey to save the Cradle. Unbeknownst to the blue deer, on the other side of the plaza, Team Sentinel looked on from the front of a small shop styled after a purple Meowth's head. Sorge tapped his claws idly as he watched Xerneas' antlers pop in and out from among the top of the crowd, while the shop's proprietor added a pair of Slumber Orbs onto a counter riddled with seeds and wands.
"And finally, two Slumber Orbs," the Meowth said. "Heading back into the Mystery Dungeon already?"
"No, not today," Sorge answered. "Just getting a few items out of storage for a mission tomorrow morning."
The Kommo-o put the items in a bag and slung it over his shoulder and began to drift off for the gathering with his companions. As they neared, they came upon a thick throng of Pokémon of every size and shape, crowded around a makeshift platform as Xerneas pranced around, with a number of guards in indigo scarves watching from the sidelines, their presence catching Aldrich's eye and making him pause skeptically.
"So what's the best way to go about this?" the Noivern asked. "We obviously can't do anything directly in front of an Imperial garrison."
"We'll scout for now and make our move once we're certain what we're dealing with and there's fewer prying eyes around," Sorge insisted, when a voice abruptly spoke up from behind.
"And what move would that be?"
Team Sentinel's members stiffened up, bracing for battle, only to realize that the voice felt strangely familiar. The three turned around, where behind them was a Weavile smiling from under the awning of a shuttered shopfront, whom they all recognized as…
"Ketu!"
At once, the three crowded around the Dark-Type, the world around them melting away as their eyes lit up at the sight of their unexpected company. Sorge stepped forward, pulling Ketu's claw in for a shake as he gave a playful sway of his tail before speaking up.
"Heh, it's been a while!" Sorge chortled. "Still getting your work done, I hope?"
"Don't I always?" Ketu answered with a smirk.
Further behind, Aldrich gave a bemused shake of his head. In all the years since Ketu had transferred off their team, it seemed that he hadn't lost his spark for taking his tasks on at his own, lackadaisical pace.
"Pretty sure that's a 'no', just saying," the Noivern snickered.
"So what are you doing here?" Zelle asked. "Last I was aware of, Lyn didn't have any reason to be this deep in Imperial waters."
"His current mission led us to make a call in port. That's actually why I'm here," Ketu explained. "I could use some help with the mission Administrator Elilan gave me."
"We'll be more than happy to help," Sorge replied. "But let's go someplace quieter where we can talk more openly."
The Dragon-Type looked off over his shoulder, where he noticed a shaded alley and bade his fellows to come after. One after the other, the Kommo-o and his companions made their way down, stopping by the awning of a shuttered shop where Aldrich looked around and listened closely for any following Pokémon. After a moment's pause that convinced the bat they were alone, he turned back satisfied to Ketu, giving an impatient beat of his wings.
"So what do you need help with exactly?" Aldrich said.
"Yeah, what sort of mission could Lyn have in Imperial waters?" Zelle piped.
"Four weeks ago, Lugia woke up, the Protector of Tromba Island. The Board activated their contingency plan for such an event and as expected, assigned Lyn to nab and deliver it to them," Ketu explained. "Obviously, the Administrator doesn't want anything like that happening without getting his claws on it first. Which is where I need your help."
"'Lugia'? We didn't do a mythological study for our cover like you did," the Sylveon scoffed. "What sort of Protector are we talking about?"
"A bird with silvery white feathers and blue plates on its back and head," the Weavile answered. "Looks kinda like a spawn of something between a Swanna and a Wingull if you didn't know any better."
Sorge's eyes widened at Ketu's description. A silvery white bird that looked like a cross between a Swanna and a Wingull? That sounded exactly like Pleo from that Team Traveller they ran into back at the guild!
"Come again?! We encountered a group of 'mons with a bird just like that a few hours ago!" Sorge exclaimed, taking Ketu aback with a surprised blink.
"… Well that's… unexpected… I suppose it really is a small world," the Weavile murmured, before giving a shake of head. "Whatever's going on, let's not waste any time. I was gonna ask you for help ambushing those kids so we could capture that Lugia, but if you've already encountered them then that should make things a bit easier."
"Hold on, Ketu," Aldrich insisted. "We might have found another Protector stomping around this island. That's why we were headed over to that crowd in the first place."
"Yeah, and that Team Traveller was looking for it as well," Zelle added.
Ketu gave a puzzled tilt of his head at his teammates' replies and thought of who Aldrich and Zelle could be referring to. He knew that the Protector of Vollezee had vanished years ago, but nothing had come of her beyond sporadic sightings. The Weavile's mind turned to his previous assignment for Administrator Elilan… It seemed like a daft coincidence but could the Protector be…
"… Subject Red?" Ketu asked. "But after all those years with his trail gone cold, why would he draw attention to himself like this now?"
"It's not him, Ketu," Sorge answered.
Ketu raised a brow, since aside from that Lugia, the only Protectors in Anyilla that were awake could be counted on one claw. If the Protector his friends ran into wasn't any of them…
"Eh? Then who are you all talking about-"
"And that's just some of the stuff this Protector can do, folks!" a Nuzleaf's voice interrupted. "The Voice of Life! The Rainbow Stag who brings new beginnings! Xerneas!"
A rousing cheer came from the end of the alleyway, prompting Ketu to poke his head out as Team Sentinel followed along. Sorge pointed off with a claw at the stage, where the crowd grew excited and animated over something the Weavile failed to see from his shorter height.
Ketu frowned as he attempted to stand on his toes, only to find his line of sight still thwarted by the crowd. The Weavile gave an irritated grumble, before clambering up Sorge's shoulder and peering out into the crowd, discovering much to his surprise, the form of a blue stag with rainbow horns strutting around at the center of the crowd.
"… What…"
"We were honestly a bit surprised ourselves," the Kommo-o explained. "To top it off, two of the Pokémon with him claim to be humans transformed into Pokémon."
The Weavile dropped back down to the ground, exiting the alleyway as Sorge and his teammates followed along carefully. Ketu paced forward, hopping atop a barrel near the edge of the crowd, where he stood on the tips of his toes just in time to catch a glimpse of a Nuzleaf bowing with a flourish in front of the surrounding Pokémon.
"And with just a little bit of help, your newfound Protector will be able to carry on with his journey!" the Nuzleaf cheered. "To help restore the world-that-was and hasten the return of the humans!"
On cue, an Eevee on the stage bounded up with a drawstring bag, and set it out at the front of the stage. Ketu folded an ear back puzzledly as he watched Pokémon from the crowd leave money in the bag. The Weavile paused, wondering to himself why Xerneas seemed to be more insistent on demanding a tribute of Bezants and Poké as opposed to the bows, prayers, and other nonsense Pokémon who put stock in Protectors made a big deal over. The Dark-Type raised a claw over his brow, watching Xerneas lower his head to address a young Sunkern before pulling it back up, which gave Ketu a clear look at the deer's face, where the sight of a gray eye with a rounded pupil caught his attention, leaving his muzzle to curl downwards with a disgusted frown.
"Hrmph, you're wasting your time," Ketu harrumped. "I can't say anything about those 'humans', but if this 'Protector' is anything to go by, they're a pair of frauds."
"Huh?" Aldrich said. "What makes you so sure?"
"Aside from how unlikely it would be that Xerneas would reappear like this after its egg fell off the face of the earth in the Great Calamity, based on what we've seen, Protectors don't mature fast enough in that amount of time to already be fully grown," the Weavile explained. "Besides, Xerneas has blue eyes with cross-shaped pupils, not gray ones that look like a Deerling's."
Team Sentinel paused a moment, blinking before looking off at the blue deer and his companions in the distance. Now Ketu mentioned it, Xerneas' eyes did look a bit strange compared to the rest of his body. Sorge looked on, before turning back down to Ketu slowly with a puzzled raise of his brow.
"… Then what are we dealing with here?" Sorge asked.
"… I'm not sure, but I think I might have an idea," Ketu answered. "Either way, this changes the plans I had. Especially if those kids are also looking for this fake Xerneas."
"How do you suggest we approach this then?" Zelle pressed.
"We need a little pre-planning," Ketu replied. "Come on, I've got a place back at the ship, we'll talk on the way back."
The Weavile set off, slipping off from the crowd as Sorge and his companions followed along, pacing along the stone and dirt lanes for the harbor by the blue sea in the distance.
Author's Notes:
- Ib dagchyeo! (입 닥쳐!) - Korean: "Shut up!" (South Korean Revised Romanization)
- Srak (스라크) - Korean: "Scyther" (Official Romanization)
- Hé daar - Dutch: "Hey there"
- Bossgodora (ボスゴドラ) - Japanese: "Aggron" (Official Romanization)
