Chapter 76: Pick a Card
BOOM!
The sound of cannonfire rang out over the frigid waters east of Haipheh, as the Siglo Swellow tore along in the waves pursued by five ships in indigo sails. All the while, the ship's crew remained in a hubbub as sailors threw back attacks and missiles towards the Imperial vessels, along with errant fliers and swimmers who ventured to harry them. Every now and then, the flash of a Protect would be visible as one of the escorts narrowly stopped a beam from finding its mark on the hull or the rigging, and haze would come from the stern as a few sailors tried to kick up cover with Smokescreens. The crew's efforts had thus far been to little avail, much to the frustration of the ship's increasingly bedraggled Illumise captain who'd spent much of the past fifteen minutes zipping to and fro on her ship frantically barking out orders.
"Keep making that haze and keep those Protects up!" Beatrix shouted. "If those Imps can get around us and fire at our flanks, we're sunk!"
Almost as if in reply, a blast abruptly pierced the air followed by the smell of smoke. The Illumise turned towards the sound, where she saw a pockmarked patch of the deck smoldering from an errant Hyper Beam. A Golduck ran up and swiftly stamped out the embers, only to be struck by an errant Shadow Ball that sent him crumpling to the deck with a pained groan.
"Aguanta! We're coming!" a Nidorina's voice cried.
Nida, Crom and Guardia ran up, the Nidorina of the three hastily pushing an Oran Berry into the Golduck's mouth. The Water-Type bit down and chewed, as Crom and Guardia helped him shamble back up to his feet and hurry back off to aid the rest of the sailors. The three hurried along to avoid exposing themselves as a target, when Crom looked off at the water and noticed the plumes rising from stray attacks were slowly rising further and further away from the Siglo Swellow.
"Looks like their aim must be getting worse from the smoke!" Crom said.
Over by the stern, a wide-eyed Pladur paused beside Ander, warily poking his tusked head out as he saw the Imperials' attacks were becoming less and less frequent, prompting him to let out an uneasy sigh of relief.
"Thank the stars," the Fraxure gasped. "They're finally falling behind…"
Nida darted up to the railing and saw that sure enough, the pursuing ships had indeed grown smaller and hazier for her eyes to see… only to notice that Haipheh was far enough in the distance that she could merely see it as an unclear green and white patch. The Nidorina's eyes shot wide, as she realized that even with her kind's vision as nearsighted as it was, there was no reason for Haipheh to look so distant unless…
"E-Eh?! What's going on?! Why are we sailing so far away from Haipheh?!" she exclaimed, prompting Vicente to peer over from the railing of the rear deck and call out to her.
"Because it's our best hope at the moment, of course!" he insisted.
"But Pleo and the rest of the team's still there!" the Nidoran protested. "We can't just leave without doing anything!"
"If we get sunk or boarded, there won't be anything we can do for them," the Hitmontop retorted. "Haipheh's crawling with Pokémon from the Royal Navy even on normal days, so how long do you expect us to hold out around here? Just help us get to safety and then we'll worry about trying to help them!"
Nida grimaced and shrank back from the Fighting-Type. On the one paw, it was hard to argue Vicente's point about their odds… b-but they were leaving their friends behind! Was there really nothing else to do other than give up?! The Nidorina's conflicting thoughts were pierced by the sound of cannonfire, prompting the lot to drop to the deck as a spray of Apricorns zipped overhead, and the attacks from the pursuing ships thickened once more.
"Gah! They're catching up again!" Vicente yelled.
The first mate hurriedly darted off to rally the sailors on the stern, as Nida and her companions crawled off for the cover of a small stack of crates, looking off blankly at the sight of Haipheh's fast-vanishing ice and peaks in the distance. An impatient shout rang out, prompting the lot to look further down the deck and see a Sentret scowling over at them.
"Oi! Get out and help us here, kids!" Scout snapped. "I've already gotten sunk once so far, and I'm not getting mouth-to-mouth from a fish again if I can help it!"
"Right! Hang in there!" Guardia replied.
Team Traveller's members broke cover, once again returning to their prior routine of running about supplies and healing items to the Siglo Swellow's crew. All the while, Nida couldn't help but find herself looking off again and again at Haipheh, as she lowered her ears and muttered under her breath.
"Please, just hold out a little longer for us…" she pleaded.
After the Siglo Swellow was forced to flee out of Whitepalm Town, the rest of Team Traveller snuck out of town and deeper and deeper into Haipheh. The group dutifully shadowed the main route into the island's interior from the surrounding brush, following its course at enough of a distance to avoid being spotted. As they made it further inland, they noticed that the air around them began to change. Little by little, the air warmed and the ground grew denser and greener with plant growth, until the icy chill of Whitepalm Town was completely displaced by damp, tropical weather. The five continued trekking along under the shade of tall palm groves, the bushes around them rustling quietly as they crept along, occasionally stopping and casting glances off at the main route whenever they suspected someone passing. After continuing on for a ways and seeing Whitepalm Town far behind them and hearing nothing but quiet on the nearby route, Pleo began to grow restless, turning his head over to Trizano with a low, unsettled murmur.
"… What do we do now?" Pleo asked. "Can we fly back to the ship yet?"
Trizano fell silent at the young Lugia's question, before flitting up onto an overhead branch. The Skarmory stared off into the distance for a moment, before giving his metallic feathers an uncomfortable rattle.
"I… don't think that's possible, Pleo," he replied, prompting the Lugia to tilt his head puzzledly.
"Huh? Why not?"
Pleo jumped and followed Trizano up, the Skarmory motioning off into the distance with a wing that Pleo followed by craning his neck. There, he saw the forms of Pokémon in the air and among the fields closer to town circling in neat, repeated patterns. Even from their distance, the perceptible presence of indigo scarves about their bodies evidenced that they were with the Empire. Pleo grimaced and cringed back at the sight, as Trizano shook his head with a low sigh.
"They must have already started moving out of town and posting guards to fly around the island."
Trizano hopped off the branch back for the ground below, prompting Pleo to follow suit and look back at his companions with wide, alarmed eyes.
"B-But what can we do then?" the Lugia squawked. "We can't just stay here!"
"I say let's go to the Mystery Dungeon and lay low for a bit," Elty said. "On the Iron Fleet, we were taught to do that if we ever couldn't make it back to the ship so that they could come back for us after things had settled down."
"But if it's that common of a pirate tactic, wouldn't the guards already have that in mind?" Dimitri rebutted. "I mean, Nagant's cover story for us says that we're pirates."
Elty bit his tongue before hemming and hawing uneasily. Yes, it would only be reasonable that Nagant and the Empire's underlings would head for the dungeon if only for the fact that their cover story depended on it. But on the other paw, without their tracks constantly being wiped away by the likes of a Mystery Dungeon's Distortion, it would be a matter of time before the guards found them!
"Hey, are you all alright?"
Pleo and his companions jolted up with a start, turning over to the main road to see a Rhyhorn with a pair of large bags hanging at his sides. The Rock-Type gave a puzzled tilt of his head, giving a wary glance over the five strangers.
"You all have just been standing around there in the bushes," the Rhyhorn asked. "Are you alright?"
Kiran and his teammates traded cautious looks with each other, before the Swellow ruffled his feathers and spoke up in reply.
"We're fine," he insisted. "Just took a bit of a wrong turn earlier and were trying to regain our bearings."
The Rhyhorn blinked back at the supposedly lost strangers, finding their predicament to be as strange as the white bird amongst their midst. After a moment's hesitation, the Rock-Type shrugged the matter off and started to head off when Elty's eyes noticed a glinting badge on the Rhyhorn's scarf.
This Pokémon was from a rescue team! So if anyone were to know of some less-traveled way into the local Mystery Dungeon, it'd be a 'mon like this!
"Actually, hold on a moment. You wouldn't happen to know a thing or two about the Mystery Dungeon around here, would you?" Elty asked. "We got a job in town to bring up some supplies to a 'mon who works at the Secret Bazaar. He told us there was an entrance to it on the far side of the island, but didn't describe what to look for all that well."
"I mean, I don't know if the 'mons at the bazaar use it, but I do know there's a way to get onto the eighth floor near the frozen waterfall on the north side of the fog," the Rhyhorn replied. "From what I've heard, the Distortion usually opens the entrance to the bazaar below that floor, so if nothing else, it ought to save you some time."
"Right, thank you," Trizano said. "We'll go ahead and take our leave here."
The Skarmory began to pace off, prompting the Rhyhorn to start off in his own direction, before hesitating and calling back to the metal bird.
"Actually… are you sure you want to head into the dungeon right away?"
"Why, what's wrong?" Pleo asked.
"Well for one, you all seem a bit worn-out. Going straight into a Mystery Dungeon like that is just begging for trouble normally," the rhino explained. "Surely your clients would understand if you took a moment to rest, wouldn't they?"
"I mean, perhaps, but there's only so much rest to be had here under these trees," Kiran replied. "It's not as if we have time to backtrack into town."
"Well… what if you had another place along the way? The name's Neil and I share a small cottage with a friend of mine from the guild not too far away," the stranger explained. "If you need a moment to catch your breath on your way to your client, we wouldn't mind having you over for a bit of tea."
Pleo and the others wavered a moment. After everything they'd been through, it'd be a leap of faith to just follow this stranger back to this alleged cottage… not that it'd be any less of one to wear themselves out rushing up to the Mystery Dungeon just to be ambushed. At the very least, if the Rhyhorn kept his word, they'd be refreshed and hidden from prying eyes inside his cottage before they carried on, which couldn't possibly be that much more dangerous than taking their chances getting spotted in broad daylight…
"Uh… sure? I suppose the tea couldn't hurt at least, but how exactly do we make it to your place?" Elty asked.
"Just follow me," Neil insisted. "I'll take you there."
The Rhyhorn set off, heading northward along the dirt path among the trees. After a moment's hesitation, Pleo stepped forward, followed by Trizano, then Elty, Dimitri, and Kiran, the lot sticking close to the rightward edge of the road lest they had to flee on short notice. All the while, the five carried on after their newfound guide with guarded, wary steps, wondering who this stranger was and whether they were making the right choice trusting his hospitality.
As the separated halves of Team Traveller continued their flight away from Whitepalm Town, the sound of chitinous thumps rang out over the town's docks. There, Nagant made her way down the battered pier where the Siglo Swellow had been moored, carrying along with a visible scowl followed by a flustered-looking Walrein and Bronzor along with Berecien, Niilo, and Cabot trailing from behind at a healthy berth. The Clawitzer picked up a chunk of damaged wood and threw it into the water with a disgusted hiss, turning back to the Walrein and Bronzor with a furious glare.
"How on earth did this happen?!" Nagant fumed. "We were supposed to be ready to accost their ship at a moment's notice and yet they somehow got away again?!"
"They came in with false sails and the description we received wasn't clear on the target's size, Captain," the Walrein explained. "It's unfortunate, but it's only natural that it'd take a while for someone to notice them."
Cabot, Berecien, and Niilo traded puzzled looks with one another at the walrus' reply. If the Siglo Swellow truly came in with false sails, they would have been able to avoid detection for longer just by trotting out some less notorious faces from its crew. In that case…
"Wait, but then what gave them away?" Berecien asked.
"Gah! That stings, pal!"
The group turned at the sound of a sharp yelp, seeing a Pikachu in a brown hat being tended to by medics beside the sopping forms of a Marked Combusken, Grotle, and Scraggy at the entrance of the pier to their left. Nagant stared in disbelief for a moment, before the Bronzor motioned forward at the lot.
"That Pikhachhiau and his fellows from your crew were the first to find their ship," the Steel-Type said. "I'd imagine that they'd know something about it."
Nagant let out a sharp hiss and twitched her barbels irkedly, hopping over with loud, angry thumps until she reached Cardino, and clamped onto his scarf just as he turned to face her.
"You!" the Clawitzer seethed.
"Aah!"
The shrimp jerked Cardino up into the air, leaving him to flail against her grip as she shot a piercing glare at the hapless detective.
"This was a mission of paramount importance to the Empire! How could you just charge in without backup?!" Nagant snapped.
"Hey, I did bring backup, pal!" Cardino piped. The Pikachu hastily pointed off at Eric and his companions, who meekly inched away and waved back their disagreement. The Electric-Type's attempt at defending himself was met by Nagant tightening her grip and sharpening her glare at him, prompting him to gulp and try to calm his superior.
"L-Look, I know that this wasn't how things were supposed to go, but we can still work with it!" he insisted. "I spotted the Protector in town, but when I came to the ship he wasn't there! It's only logical to think he's still on this island somewhere!"
"He raises a good point, Captain Nagant…"
Nagant blinked as she saw an orange figure plod his way to the front of the group of guards, who in short order revealed himself to be Darzin disguised in his purloined Imperial scarf. The Clawitzer's eyes furrowed into a disbelieving scowl for a moment as the Dragonite continued on with an impatient huff.
"The Protector obviously didn't plan to be separated like this, otherwise he'd have brought more of his companions along," Darzin said. "If you ask me, the best route to take would be to let the guards here pin the Protector down on this island and sail after his friends. If we capture them, I'm sure that we'd be able to force him to show his face before us."
Cabot, Niilo, and Berecien tensed up and grimaced as the Dragonite waited for a reply with an impatient tap of his foot in full view of the other sailors. Back in Nagant's grasp, Cardino tilted an ear back and raised a brow at the stranger, giving a confused look over to a still-silent Nagant.
"Wait, who is this guy again?"
Nagant's face fell and her claw's grip slackened, leaving Cardino to drop to the pier and her to hop ahead and train a pair of glaring eyes back at the interrupting Dragonite.
"There's no shortage of ships chasing after that pile of driftwood already!" Nagant barked. "We're better off forcing a confrontation here on our own!"
The Clawitzer's rebuttal drew a sharp frown back from Darzin, making him shake his head as he continued with his protest.
"But you must understand that-!"
"That I'm the one with seniority here, so I'm the one who makes the final calls about how to pursue the Protector!" Nagant snapped. "And don't you forget it, sailor!"
Darzin flashed his teeth and let out a low growl, bracing his claws. After a long, tense silence, the Dragon-Type turned with an offended snort and skulked off back through the crowd, leaving the other sailors to stare after him before Nagant called their attention back to herself with a sharp hiss.
"Go around the town and flush the Protector out! Go door to door if you have to!" she barked. "Tell the fliers and swimmers to strengthen the cordon around the island and that not a single Pokémon is to pass them without being questioned!"
The gathered guards saluted and shouted back in affirmation before hurrying off, leaving Nagant to turn with a low grumble. The Clawitzer glowered towards the water, as Jun flitted up beside her and prodded uneasily at her.
"Are we sure that that's enough, Captain?" Jun asked. "An island is more than just a town and the sea and sky surrounding it, after all…"
"I'm aware of that," Nagant replied. "That's why I want you to get backup from the base and have them start searching the interior. Let Valan know we've found the Protector while you're at it."
"Aye, Captain."
Jun gave a swift salute before turning and flitting off for the naval base. Nagant watched Jun slip out of her field of vision, before giving an annoyed huff over the turn of events and starting to make her way deeper into town, unaware that all the while Darzin was watching her with a sharp glare from an overlooking alleyway.
"Impudent hag. Perhaps it's time to start hedging my bets…"
About an hour after running into Neil, the Rhyhorn led Pleo and his companions to a small stone cottage built along a round foundation, with cross-braced windows and a simple wooden door at the front. Team Traveller's members paused and looked curiously at the house, noticing that it was built next to a pond that hugged along the right side of the structure, with a set of wooden posts at the bottom evidencing that it opened up inside… hardly features that a Rhyhorn like Neil would ever seem to need.
"Egh… I was hoping for someplace a bit less damp, but at least it's a step up from a hole in the ground," Elty said. The Growlithe's comment prompted Pleo to tilt his head puzzledly, before chirping back in protest.
"Eh? But Nida lives in a hole in the ground!" he replied. "Aside from being a little small, it didn't seem so bad!"
Elty rolled his eyes at Pleo's insistence about Nida's home when he heard the wooden door get pushed open and saw a Greninja exit. The frog paused for a moment with a surprised blink, before turning over to Neil with a wary glance.
"Neil, who are these 'mons?" the Water-Type asked. "You didn't mention that we'd be having guests today."
"They're some 'mons who took up a job for the Secret Bazaar and were looking for pointers, Chan-iu," the Rhyhorn answered. "They seemed a bit out of it, and our place was on the way, so I invited them over for some tea before they set off."
The Greninja turned back to Pleo and his companions, letting his gaze settle on one member after the other. After a moment's pause, the Water-Type shook his head with a small smile.
"I guess that Neil has already introduced himself then," he said. "The name's Chan-iu, and I'm his buddy from the Haipheh Island Guild. You could say that this is our team's base."
Pleo shuffled his wings at the mention of the humble abode being a 'base'. Why, even back on Pioppo where the Pokémon were short on resources, Team Phantom's base had clearly been styled after the head of its leader! This 'base' however…
"… It looks more like a house," Pleo murmured.
"Well, beggars can't really be choosers when you're not doing as much guild work as you used to," Neil replied. "Splitting the cost of land between us helped get us out of guild lodging a bit faster than it would've if we both tried to go it alone."
"Heh, well it's good that your guild has such strivers in its ranks!" Kiran cheered. "I'm sure your clients are in good wings with a mindset like that."
Chain-iu's features eased a bit as a small smile came over his face at Kiran's reply. The Greninja pulled the door back, motioning at the other Pokémon to enter.
"Well, I guess we shouldn't keep you all waiting then. Though you brought the groceries from town, right Neil?" Chan-iu asked. "Why don't you get that sorted out while I boil the water. By the time you're done, your friends' drinks should be ready."
Neil turned his head back to Team Traveller's members, shuffling the bags on his shoulders as he motioned towards the door with his head.
"I'm not sure what you all are used to for accommodations, but just go on in and make yourselves at home for a bit," he said. "That tea will be done before you know it."
"Right," Dimitri answered. "Thanks again for taking us in like this."
Chan-iu walked up and helped unload the bag from Neil's back, before carrying on past the doorway. The Water-Type led Team Traveller into a small entrance hall with an open doorway ahead, along with one each to their sides. To the left, a small firepit had been set out with a few scattered gummis evidencing its use as a kitchen, with the doorway to the right leading to a room partly filled with water with some straw bedding set out. The five watched as Chan-iu headed into the back room, Pleo and his companions following along into an open, stony room with a few chests tucked in the corner and a simple, squat table with four legs made from lacquered wood set out in the center with reed mats around it.
"Neil shouldn't take too long with those groceries," Chan-iu explained. "Go ahead and make yourselves comfortable here, I'll be back with some tea for you."
The Greninja walked off, leaving Team Traveller's members to settle down around the table, trading wary glances about their surroundings as Dimitri tapped his scythes and raised his voice in a low whisper.
"So what exactly is our next move here?" the Kabutops asked. "We know a way into the Mystery Dungeon from here, but just how long are we supposed to wait out there?"
"Until they come back for us?" Elty offered. "That's how things always worked when I was a pirate."
Trizano gave a sheepish ruffle of his feathers before forcefully prodding the Growlithe with his wing.
"Need I remind you that your friends are from a merchant ship?" Trizano sighed. "Even if their free-trading sometimes puts them at odds with the law, I can't imagine they'd have the exact same thought process as a pirate crew in this situation."
The five paused and mulled the matter over a moment, when Kiran's eyes caught the sight of a glint coming from Pleo's scarf. Of course! Kelly had sensed their badges back on Pioppo! So then if they merely needed a friendly teleporter who could sense them, then…
"We need some way of contacting the ship," Kiran said. "Kelly was ready to teleport us back on Pioppo, remember? So if she had an idea of where to look for us, she'd be able to get us out."
"Oh? But we've got our badges and everything. If that's all we need to do, can't we just call her right now?" Pleo asked, prompting his mentor to shake his head back.
"I'm afraid it's not that easy," the Swellow explained. "Go ahead and try it now."
Pleo blinked puzzledly for a moment, before shifting a wing over his badge and pressing it. Why, this was little different from how things had worked in the past, so then all that was left was just to speak into it, right?
"… Kelly? Can you hear us?"
Pleo waited, expecting to hear Kelly's voice answer back from the badge, only to be met with the sounds of Neil and Chan-iu in the background working on their groceries and tea respectively. The Lugia pressed at the badge once more, speaking Kelly's name into it again supposing he'd perhaps not pressed down properly, only to be met again with silence. The Lugia looked up in worried surprise at Kiran, who shook his head with a sigh.
"It's just as I thought," he said. "A badge only can be sensed from about an hour's walk away even by an experienced teleporter, and Kelly must be further out than that."
"Hrm, so we will need to pass word along somehow," Trizano mulled. "If we got that squared away, it'd just be a matter of waiting for the ship to get close enough so we could contact them through our badges."
"How are we supposed to manage that though?" Elty demanded. "The skies are being watched, and it's not as if I can just walk over to the ship!"
"No, but I can swim to it," Dimitri offered, prompting his teammates to cast surprised glances back at him.
"Eh? On your own?" Pleo murmured. "With all those Pokémon looking for us?"
"I mean, yes, it's a risk… but I'm still wearing my old scarf which is more likely to get overlooked by the guards around here," the Kabutops insisted. "And under the sea, there's a lot more options for moving around, and you can't see as far in the water as you can in the air."
Dimitri paused in thought for a moment to glance out the window, before shaking his head and letting a determined expression settle over his face.
"If there's any way of getting past that cordon and back to the ship, me swimming out there is the best way of doing it."
"But surely you'd need an ally to come along, wouldn't you?" Trizano insisted, prompting Elty to raise his fur and flatten his ears uncomfortably.
"Blaugh… going underwater and just waiting for a bubble to pop over me all over again?" the Growlithe muttered. "I'll pass on that, thanks."
Dimitri fell silent and grimaced at the Puppy Pokémon's reply. While Trizano had a point about not going it alone, after sizing up his options for an allies… why, the only one who would fit him well was the very one who needed the strength of numbers to protect him!
"Elty… raises a bit of a point, unfortunately. Air-breathers that can't swim would be a bunch of sitting Psyduck just staying on my back the entire time," Dimtiri said. "Probably worse than that since at least Psyduck can move around underwater. I mean, Pleo could do it, but he's the most wanted 'mon on this island right now!"
Pleo, Kiran, and Trizano hesitated a moment, before trading uneasy glances. As loath as they were to admit it, perhaps this really was the best option they had…
"I suppose that we don't have many other choices," Kiran sighed. "We'll keep trying to see when Kelly can hear us and come over to teleport us back to the ship."
Dimitri nodded before he got up and turned to leave, when he felt a soft sensation prodding at his leg. The Kabutops looked down, where he saw Pleo looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Just… be careful out there, okay?" the Lugia insisted.
"I will. Just hang tight for a bit."
Dimitri gave a small wave of his scythe and made his way to the doorway. There, Chan-iu was returning holding a tray filled with steaming porcelain cups, with Neil following at his side, the pair staring back at Dimitri with surprised looks.
"Huh? Headed off so quickly?" Neil wondered. "Chan-iu just finished up the tea!"
"Yeah, sorry to blow you all off, but I just realized that our team left behind some of our supplies in town," Dimitri said. "We kinda needed that before moving on."
"Are you sure that you can't wait a bit?" Chan-iu asked. "This tea will be ice cold by the time you even make it into Whitepalm Town."
"It's alright. I'm used to being in cooler water anyways," the Kabutops answered. "A cool drink won't be that much of a difference."
Neil and Chan-iu traded puzzled looks with one another, before the Rhyhorn of the pair gave a nonplussed shrug of his shoulders back at the Kabutops.
"If you say so," Neil said. "Though don't keep your friends waiting longer than they need to!"
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Dimitri carried along, making his way for the door when he noticed a chunk of silvery metal hung on the wall. The Kabutops paused and looked at it, giving a curious poke with his scythe and noticed that it glinted much like a Poké coin around its edges. The Water-Type's thoughts drifted back to his earlier conversation with Pleo about the meteor fragment, prompting him to look back and listen as Neil and Chan-iu started to set out tea in the living room, and then back at the metal lump with a wary pause before shaking his head.
"Eh, it's probably nothing."
With that, the Kabutops pried the door open, slipping off down the trail away from the stone cottage to search for help. All the while, in spite of his self-assurance, Dimitri couldn't help but wonder about the little metal piece hung on the wall, and why Neil and Chan-iu of all 'mons would have it.
As Dimitri made his way towards the sea, back in the fringes of Bluewhorl Town, a female Scyther with a five-tailed blotch on her head labored dutifully in the dim backroom of a small hut among the trees. The Bug-Type stooped down over a reddened stone slab, taking and placing strips of meat on a string hung tight between the rafters overhead before going over to a soapy bucket in the corner where she dipped her blades in, stirring them around as the water turned a dull shade of red.
Sandra pulled her blades out and tipped the barrel over to wash the slab above a small drain cut in the corner before shaking her scythes to brush off a bit of the water. After a quick sniff at her blades to verify the water had cleansed the scent of her work, the mantis made her way for the front of the shop, brushing aside the strips of cloth that hung over the doorway that kept the intimate details of her work as a scavenger hidden from the public eye as was custom. She looked around, finding her only company being plates and baskets piled with dried meat set out on crude tables about the dingy shop, the Scyther giving an uncomfortable beat of her wings as she tried to make her peace with what would surely be another lonely day plying her family's wares on her own.
"Mom?"
Sandra turned as the sound of wood creaking rang out, prompting her to see Cassie walking down the slatted, angled pole and planks that formed the stairs up to the loft where the family rested at night. The young Scyther stepped onto the ground and paced ahead with an uneasy glance, tapping her blades together shyly.
"Is daddy going to be okay when he comes home?" Cassie asked. "Some of the other Pokémon at the Day Care were saying that the Company Pokémon were waiting for his ship to come back to stop it."
The young Scyther continued staring with worried eyes, nagging at Sandra with a pleading insistence for some sense of reassurance and some sense of security that they'd managed to give in times past.
"Is… he going to get into trouble?"
Sandra hemmed and hawed for a moment in reply to the question, shifting her wings uncomfortably before she stepped forward and cradled her child against her body with her flats.
"I'm sure that something will work out, dear," Sandra replied.
"But isn't there anything we can do?" her child wondered.
"Just try and have fun with your friends at Hariti's," Sandra insisted. "Everyone's trying to figure out how to handle things, so there's no sense in worrying about things you can't control."
Cassie paused, before nodding back uneasily and making her way for the stairs. The young Scyther began to climb up, when the sound of the door opening and heavy footsteps rang out. Cassie looked off at the door when her eyes widened and she cringed with a frightened yelp. Sandra whirled around with a start, turning to see the form of a Marked Charizard entering, his neck graced with Company lavenders and the patterns of one of its Commissioners.
"Ah, so you are open!" Bunsen exclaimed.
Sandra froze and felt a chill run down her body as the Company Commissioner lumbered over to the counter. The mantis held her breath and tensed her scythes, only to notice that much to her surprise the Charizard was approaching with a friendly-looking smile.
"I had expected that I'd have to make quite the trip to visit a scavver's shop in a village like this," Bunsen said. "But imagine my surprise to find that there was one being tended to by a fellow Marked!"
Sandra watched the Charizard as he looked around the shop, keeping a wary eye on his tail and claws all the while. The mother Scyther looked over her shoulder to see Cassie shrinking back wide-eyed along the steps and visibly quivering out of fright. Sandra breathed in tensely, backing away and bracing her scythes before she shot a sharp scowl back across the counter.
"Look, whatever you want from here, just go ahead and take it and move along," she replied tersely, prompting Bunsen to frown and shake his head back.
"I'm not here for anything like that, Scyther…"
Bunsen ran a claw along his waist, giving a small tug as he brought up a fabric pouch and set it on the counter with the familiar jingle of metal coins.
"Just here to do a little shopping for tonight's dinner, assuming you'll take Thalers," the Fire-Type insisted. "After all, we Marked already don't have many allies to lean on, so there's no reason to go about making enemies of each other."
Sandra paused, moving a scythe to poke at the bag cautiously before pulling it across the counter. All the while, Cassie darted behind her mother's legs, latching on with worried eyes. The mother Scyther let out a sigh, before pointing at a small stack of crude baskets set out at the end of the counter.
"We charge by weight, so go ahead and start picking out cuts for the scale," she answered.
Bunsen took the topmost basket and began to make his way about the shop, adding bits and pieces of dried meats of varying hues. Every so often, the Charizard would look up back at the counter, where he'd see Sandra and her child watching wordlessly. After adding a clawful of light meat lined with spindly bones, the Commissioner plodded up, setting his basket onto the counter as Sandra reached under the counter to pull out a simple scale and set of clay weights. The mother Scyther carefully picked through Bunsen's selection, dutifully grouping the meats of one type on the scale as she attempted to balance them out against the weights, repeating the process a few times before Bunsen cleared his throat and began to speak with a vaguely disappointed tone.
"Not normally the talkative type, huh?" the Charizard remarked.
"Mommy says that we're supposed to try and avoid talking to Pokémon we don't know we can trust," Cassie murmured.
"Well, I suppose that explains it then. There aren't that many Marked living here on Tromba, and the other Pokémon are always a fickle and unpredictable bunch," Bunsen said, before turning his attention back to Sandra. "Though… I couldn't help but overhear that your mate was out of town… 'Ander' I believe it was. Do you happen to know where he is right now?"
Sandra froze and looked up from brushing aside a small pile of dried short ribs onto a paper spread out on the counter. The Scyther stopped her work sorting out Bunsen's food and shuffled her wings uneasily before managing a grudging reply.
"He's… traveling at the moment."
"So I gathered," Bunsen replied. "I had been looking through the requests that Osmund made for starter kits for new recruits, and I couldn't help but notice that they lined up with some of the 'mons wanted from that pirate ship…"
The Charizard's reply drew a startled buzz from Cassie, as she went wide-eyed and held out her scythes defensively at the drake.
"L-Leave daddy alone!" she protested.
Sandra quickly hushed her child and swatted down her scythes as she turned back to Bunsen with a tense grimace. Far from the glare or bared fangs she was expecting, the Marked Charizard seemed strangely at-ease, as he peered down at her child with a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I'm sure there's a deeper story as to what's going on," he offered. "It did seem a bit suspicious when he was the only Marked on the ship roster… almost as if he'd been coerced into joining."
Sandra hesitated, visibly at a loss for words as she stiffly slid the last of Bunsen's food onto the paper to wrap it up. The Bug-Type shifted uncomfortably, looking down as she murmured back a short, grudging reply.
"There were… outside circumstances weighing on his decision, yes."
"Ahh… I understand," Bunsen said. "Considering the potential consequences if he got caught, I can't imagine it was an easy decision for him…"
The Charizard turned his head over to Cassie, who shrank back and hid behind her mother as he turned his attention back to Sandra.
"Especially with what he had to leave behind," he mused, prompting Sandra to flick her wings, and look up from tallying up Bunsen's coins with a sharp, defensive glare.
"Pardon my asking, but where exactly are you going with this?" the Scyther snapped. "Surely you can't expect me to turn against my mate over a little bit of chatter over the counter!"
"And I wouldn't dream of demanding that of you," Bunsen insisted. "As a Commissioner, I have a fair degree of leeway over any prisoners I deliver over to the Company."
The Charizard shook his head, as he peered across with an attempt at a disarming smile, leaving Sandra to turn away uneasily.
"I'm not exactly ignorant of what tends to happen to those of us who wind up on the wrong end of the law," Bunsen continued. "I just felt it'd be a shame if a loving father had to go through that when stopping it would be a simple matter of scratching his name from a few pieces of paper."
Sandra gave no answer to the Charizard's words, quietly pushing his dried meat across wrapped in a paper parcel. The Commissioner blinked a moment, opting to subdue his friendly display as he placed the parcel into a satchel about his shoulder, looking back with a sober, earnest expression as Sandra counted out change for his coins.
"I'm not going to ask much from you if that's what you're worried about, Scyther. All I need to know is what exactly the crew that drug him along was up to," Bunsen said. "And if he's passed any word onto you about how they planned to return here."
"I'm afraid I don't have anything new to tell you," Sandra replied, shaking her head back. "They had gone off in search of the demon that slumbered here after he was awakened and separated from this island, so I would assume they wouldn't come back until they found him again."
Bunsen's face fell into a sour frown, as he threw out a claw and snatched his change off the counter with a loud clink. The Fire-Type placed his money back into a cloth purse about his waist, looking back with a frustrated scowl.
"Why do you insist on playing along with those demon-worshipers after everything they've put you through?" the Charizard growled. "Is being made to live despised in their shadows really worth defending?"
"But it really did happen!" Cassie exclaimed. "Lugia really did wake up and is out there!"
Bunsen screwed his eyes shut and turned away, plodding for the door with a sharp snort. When he reached its posts, he looked back, giving a stern glare back at Sandra and her child.
"I think that I'm done here. Have a nice day with your child, Scyther," Bunsen harrumphed. "Just be aware that I'm not in the business of putting my claws on the scale for Marked who can't do the same for one of their own."
The Charizard carried on, slipping out of the shop and slamming the door behind him as Sandra looked on with a quiet grimace. After a moment's silence, she felt Cassie nosing at her, prompting the mother Scyther to look down at her daughter peering up uneasily.
"Mommy? Is everything really going to be okay?" Cassie asked. Sandra said nothing back for a long time, before looking anxiously back towards the doorway.
"I don't know, sweetie… I just don't know."
In the seas just west of Orleigh, a caravel with gold-and-silver sails bobbed along the waves, sailing circles about the pirate haven off in the distance. On the deck, Hess watched uneasily over the railing as his underlings looked on and traded apprehensive glances with one another in the background.
"What are we doing now, Captain?" a Litten asked.
"Yeah, isn't that Orleigh in the distance?" Cherrim insisted. "I thought the Council said we couldn't come back until we brought Lugia to them."
Hess turned back to his crew, lowering his eyes towards the deck's timbers underfoot as a low growl rose from the back of his throat.
"Well that's obviously not happening," the Aggron grumbled. "Rodion will go in with a few of the escorts to get our members from our base, our treasure stash, and then we're sailing south to try our luck outside of Anyilla."
The Steel-Type's reply drew sharp protests from the other pirates, as a few shot back disbelieving scowls back at him.
"What do you mean?! Orleigh's our home port!" a Vileplume exclaimed. "We'd have to start from scratch for our reputation if we moved to new waters!"
"Yeah, we're the Iron Fleet!" a Drednaw added. "How are we supposed to get any respect if we just turn and run here?"
Rodion paused a moment, before approaching his captain and putting a paw on his shoulder. Even in the direst of situations, Hess was usually one of the last Pokémon to turn with his tail between his legs…
"Captain, surely there must be something else we can do before we resort to this…" he began, only to be cut off by a frustrated huff from his superior.
"What are we supposed to do, Rodion? We weren't able to grab Lugia all the times we've tried so far, he and his friends aren't getting any weaker, and now the Company and Empire are targeting us as well!" Hess cried. "We couldn't even get to that blasted bird this time!"
The Aggron drooped with a low mutter and shook his head back at the Floatzel.
"Of all the choices we have, cutting our losses and sailing off to raid another day is the best we've got."
Rodion said nothing in reply to the Steel-Type. While it was hard to argue the point, hearing Hess contemplate quitting the waters he'd plied since he was a mere Aron in such a defeated tone was… jarring, to say the least. The Floatzel opened his mouth to try and reassure his friend, to see if his fighting spirit could perhaps be roused, when he was cut off by the sound of a Staravia in the crow's nest jolting up and crying out in a panic.
"There's a Company galleon coming at us from hard to starboard!" she squawked.
Hess and his fellow pirates turned out to sea, where they caught the sight of a galleon flying Company colors barreling straight towards them. The Aggron's eyes widened as startled yelps went about his crew, prompting him to turn and bellow out to them with a voice betraying a hint of panicked urgency.
"Get us to shore!" Hess shouted. "We'll bait them into passing the harbor!"
The escorts hastily churned up a tailwind and accompanying current, jolting the caravel forward as they desperately cut through the waters for Orleigh Island. The Mistral Marauder made it close enough for the crew's members to begin to see individual trees when a Crobat streaked overhead. The bat led a party of fliers in lavender scarves, knocking aside some of the Iron Fleet's members from the air. Kichiro flew up to engage them as the crew tried to give cover from the deck when startled shouts began to ring out from the waters, a glance over Hess' shoulders revealing their marine escorts in an uproar as a Huntail and other lavender-scarved Pokémon harried them and broke their current while the Argent Aviso continued barreling towards them.
"Ack! They're gaining on us!" Kichiro cried.
The air grew increasingly thick with attacks, an Ice Beam sending a Noibat plummeting to the deck here, a cutting gust sending a Vileplume toppling over with a pained scream there… All the while, the Argent Aviso drew closer and closer, its snarling crew members coming into clear view. Hess ran up, aiming to try and use a Surf to push the galleon back when an Electabuzz's Discharge sailed in, knocking him and a number of nearby pirates down. The Aggron righted himself and struggled up with a daze, when the thwips and clunks of harpoons finding their mark against his hull made his blood freeze, followed by the crash of a gangplank being dropped against the deck's wood and Pokémon storming onto the ship.
"We're getting boarded!" Rodion exclaimed. "Push those square-necks into the sea!
The Floatzel led a group of deckhands to engage the boarding party, only to summarily get knocked to the ground by an Air Slash from the Crobat among Lyn's fliers and quickly get mobbed by other Company Pokémon. In the background, Kichiro plummeted out of the air, leaving the other members of the Iron Fleet to stare in petrified shock as Lyn's underlings forced their way aboard, a stammering Wimpod snapping out of his frightened stupor after a stream of fire zipped just past his antennae.
"A-AAH! Retreat! Retreat!"
The pirates turned and bolted in a desperate flight, Lyn's underlings picking off any unfortunates who couldn't elude their clutches, including a Pawniard who was held up at horn-point by a Heracross, and a Litten who yowled in pain after having his tail stomped against the deck by a Tauros. Hess grit his teeth, charging ahead with a loud roar as he tackled and threw a Hitmonchan overboard with a sharp scream and sent a Nuzleaf crumpling to the deck after running an Iron Head into his face. The Aggron turned at the sound of a sharp bellow, only to be knocked to the deck by an overpowering jet of water striking his belly, coughing and gagging in a daze when he heard the whish of sliced air and opened his eyes to see the tip of a keratinous blade at his neck, with a Samurott glaring down at him from above.
"You must be Captain Hess," Lyn snarled. "While your ship was hard to miss dawdling around your wretched hive of a home port, I was somehow expecting more from your merry band of pirates."
Hess' face flushed pale as he looked around to see the central deck of his ship had been taken over by the boarding party, while the bulk of his deckhands cowered from the entrances below deck and behind crates and barrels. Jeering laughs went about as an Ursaring shoved Rodion, while groans and frightened whimpers began to float through the air, including from the earlier Litten who'd been lifted over the railing by the scruff of his neck by his Tauros tormentor. Hess blanched for a moment, before looking back at Lyn, lifting his claws as he tried to offer up an excuse to get the brute off his throat.
"Pirates? Y-You've got it all wrong!" the Aggron stammered. "We're an honest merchant crew!"
"An honest merchant crew wouldn't reek like you lot," Lyn snapped. "And they certainly wouldn't have attacked my subordinates or tried to impede my efforts to seize the Guardian of the Seas on Giotto!"
The Samurott narrowed his eyes, letting a low, dangerous growl from his throat as he scowled down at the trapped captain.
"Under normal circumstances, I'd be content to let the lot of you see the inside of a batch of Apricorns," he harrumphed. "Fortunately for you, these aren't normal circumstances. As such, I'd like to make a business proposition…"
The Commissioner's reply made Hess screw up his maw indignantly, as he hardened his blue eyes back with a sharp glare.
"Oh sod off!" the Aggron roared. "As if I'd work with the likes of a square-neck like-!"
Hess felt a sharp jab at his throat, prompting him to look down and see the tip of Lyn's seamitar digging into his neck's hide. The Samurott pressed down, letting a small trickle of blood come out that prompted Hess to give a frightened squeak back at his captor.
"Eek! I- I mean, I suppose I can hear things out considering the circumstances…"
"Good. I need to have an audience with the Council," Lyn said. "I found it suspicious that a bumbling oaf like you would be chasing after Lugia so persistently, so I can only presume they've somehow put you up to it."
Hess' eyes widened at the otter's demand, the Aggron appearing much as a cornered Ratatta as he stuttered and tripped over his words.
"B-But I can't do that!" Hess cried. "They'll have my head if I show up empty-clawed!"
"You would not be going alone," Lyn insisted. "I just need you to get my foot in the door and I will see to it that your well-being is respected and that you're rewarded for your services afterwards."
Hess paused, breathing in heavily as he mulled the Samurott's offer over. There was no guarantee that the otter would honor anything from his end of the bargain, but he was hardly in any position to refuse. The Steel-Type hemmed and hawed when he heard sounds of a scuffle, and tilted his head to see Rodion wrangling free of his captors and shouting out to him.
"Captain, don't listen to him!" he insisted. "There's no reason to trust that shell-headed creep will keep his word and won't just leave us high and-!"
"Shut your yap, Floatzel!" his Ursaring captor snarled.
The bear struck Rodion from behind with a claw, sending the Floatzel pitching face-first to the deck. Hess tried to turn to come to his first mate's aid, only to feel the point of Lyn's seamitar dig in further, prompting him to recoil and screw his eyes shut in a panic.
"So, do we have a deal?" Lyn pressed.
"Yes! Yes! We'll help!" the Aggron cried.
The Samurott pulled his blade away, prompting Hess to crack his eyes open and gasp for air as he rubbed at his neck. The Aggron slowly got up, watching as Lyn beckoned his underlings to back off from their captives, leaving the pirates to bolt for the company of their compatriots and carry off their wounded visibly shivering and shaken by their ordeals. As Lyn's subordinates idled and grumbled impatiently, Rodion paced up to Hess, giving a grimacing stare back up to him as Lyn watched with a determined, piercing gaze. Hess shrank back and hesitated from Rodion's visible unease, as a flicker of doubt began to come over his mind over his agreement with Lyn. On the other claw… the Commissioner had had him dead to rights, and yet he'd let him get up unharmed. So if nothing else, perhaps it was worth hearing what the 'mon had to say.
"Just… what is it that you wanted to tell the Council?" Hess asked, fidgeting his claws uneasily. "And what do you need us to do?"
Back at Neil's cottage, Pleo, Kiran, and Trizano gathered around the Rhyhorn's table where simple clay cups trailing steam had been set out. Pleo pecked at his cup, sipping at a warm, dark greenish liquid inside that perked his body up. The Lugia ruffled his plumage and settled against a seat cushion, casting a glance over at the far end of the table where an excited yip rang out as Elty and Chan-iu stared each other down over a spread of colorful cards depicting various Pokémon on them.
"Heh heh, that last prize card's all mine!" Elty snickered. The Growlithe's cheer drew a brow raise back from Chan-iu, who shuffled a few cards before lowering his head.
"You shouldn't get so cocky, Khatiko," the Greninja retorted. "A game's not done until it's done."
Elty looked down at the cards on the table, before shooting back a frown and puzzled tilt of his head. He was fielding a Blastoise card to Chan-iu's Charizard, and his opponent only had half the supporting energy cards he needed to attack… why this was about as open-and-shut a victory as it got!
"Yeah? Well how do you plan on getting out of this?" the Growlithe demanded.
Chan-iu kept silent at first, before throwing down a card depicting a Magmortar at a forge onto the table. Elty's jaw flopped open as he read the runes at the bottom half of the card and noticed that it let him attach two energy cards he'd already used. The Fire-Type looked back across the table as a teasing smirk spread over the right corner of Chan-iu's face.
"That oughta do the trick, don't you think? With these extra two energy cards, my attacking card's able to overpower yours, and it's your last prize card to boot. So… that's the end of the game, right?"
Elty groaned and screwed his eyes shut in frustration, prompting Pleo to crane his head over and nose puzzledly at the cards on the table.
"I never understood how those games with the picture cards are supposed to work," the Lugia murmured.
"It's a bit of a learning process," Trizano replied. "Though I think we ought to have time for you to learn through a starting game or two."
The Skarmory nudged at Elty, prompting him and Chan-iu to pass their card decks over. Trizano set out shuffling the decks as Neil sipped from his cup, before the Skarmory noticed Pleo's attention turn away from the table. Off to the right, the young Protector's eyes fell on a visor made from a curious, clear substance with a gray strap attached to the back set out on an end table nearby. With a curious bob of his head, he craned down and pecked curiously at a few times, prompting Neil to look over with a surprised start.
"Hey! Careful with that, Pleo!" he insisted. "I can't exactly just go out and get another of 'em if it breaks."
Pleo abruptly jerked his head still, pulling his beak back from the set of goggles with a sheepish glance, all the while sneaking curious glimpses off at it. Chan-iu trained a stern eye on the young seabird for a moment, before letting his lingering attention turn off towards the rest of his teammates.
"Remind me, when did your friend say he'd be back?" the Greninja asked. "I don't mind having company and all, but don't you all have a mission you need to get to?"
Team Traveller's members traded uneasy glances with one another, before Kiran ruffled his feathers and shook his head back.
"It can't really be helped," the Swellow replied. "Besides, after everything we've been through lately, it's nice to just have a moment to rest quietly."
Neil paused a moment at Kiran's reply, before turning back to his tea, taking a light sip as his eyes drifted over towards Pleo.
"I suppose that much is true," the Rhyhorn said. "Though out of curiosity, just what sort of Pokémon is your friend? I don't think I've ever seen or heard anyone quite like him before."
"Eh, behind the funny exterior he's really just a big Wingull," Elty remarked. "Nothing else to it."
Neil raised his head from his cup, turning back to the Growlithe with a dubious raise of his brow.
"A Wingull? With a neck like that?"
"Yeah, and? I mean some Pokémon just have longer necks than others," Elty insisted. "Like with Exeggutor and how some of them are almost as tall as a ship's mast while others can fit just fine through a doorway."
"Yes, but their voices also sound about the same," Neil retorted. "Your friend certainly doesn't sound like any Wingull I've heard before."
Pleo and his teammates hemmed and hawed a moment at the Rhyhorn's insistence before Kiran cleared his throat, opting that the best thing to do was to simply feign ignorance.
"Even in a small world like ours, there's still a lot of things we don't understand," Kiran offered. "That's just what we were told, and that's the best we can tell you."
The Rhyhorn blinked back a moment, uneasily sizing Pleo up a moment before shaking his head.
"Fair enough," Neil sighed. "From my experience, sometimes the full story behind something's so incredible that it's easier to stretch what you know a bit to make things work. I know it certainly has been the case for me."
Chan-iu shot an agitated, scolding look over at Neil who quickly fell quiet. Team Traveller turned with puzzled glances at each other, before Pleo tilted his head back puzzledly.
"Huhh? What's that supposed to mean?" the Lugia asked.
"Eh, nothing you need to worry about," Chan-iu said.
"But then why bring it up in the first place?" Elty insisted, prompting Neil to hesitate a moment before speaking up.
"Well… you've heard of shooting stars, right?," the Rhyhorn began. "Haven't you ever wondered if other things came from the sky?"
Team Traveller's members looked about the room and noticed that all around, there seemed to be peculiar odds and ends. There was a round canteen made of a strange green material hanging from the wall, a peculiar metallic tablet with a top surface made of shattered glass resting on the windowsill, a red bar with metal blades and implements unfurled at its ends on top of a chest… each one made of some manner of strange material, but with little clue as to their purpose or origin, or why Neil and Chan-iu would have them to begin with. Trizano's mind then turned back to Dimitri's conversation with Pleo about the meteor, could it be that…
"Those trinkets…" the Skarmory muttered. "You don't mean to say that they all-?"
"Hey! Open up!"
Pleo and his companions flinched at the sound of a shout at the door as Chan-iu and Neil got up with worried expressions. Team Traveller looked on as the pair turned and made their way up to the door and watched it open a crack to reveal a glimpse of a Cacturne, Marshtomp, and Camerupt in Imperial scarves. At once, the color drained from their faces, prompting the four to quickly duck back into the living room to hide as their hosts began to speak.
"Is something the matter?" Chan-iu wondered.
"We're looking around for some wanted pirates who kidnapped a Protector," Orcutt explained. "We were told that they might be trying to take shelter in a residence out in the fringes, so we need a moment to look around inside."
Neil and Chan-iu jolted up with a start at the Cacturne's reply, the two looking back expecting the Grass-Type to be joking, only for his expression to remain firm and serious.
"Wait, hold on. A Protector?" Neil asked.
"We haven't run into anyone of the sort here. Surely that's reason enough to move on?" Chan-iu insisted.
"Hrmph, it's a minor inconvenience," Molina grunted. "Step aside and let us take a look."
The Camerupt began to push at the door, only for Chan-iu to step in the way and sharply rebuff her.
"Do you seriously expect me not to just find it strange that you're pawing through my house without even telling me why you think there might be a Protector here?" the Greninja questioned.
Molina pulled her head back, letting out a sharp snort as her eyes hardened into a piercing glare.
"That wasn't a request, Greninja," the Camerupt growled. "Get out of our way, or else we'll step over you if need be."
"Easy there, Molina," Chalco insisted. "Look, you two don't seem like the type to have anything to hide, so there's no harm in us coming in, is there?"
Pleo, Kiran, Elty, and Trizano grimaced from further in the house, realizing that their hiding place would not shelter them for much longer. Kiran looked around with a start, before noticing there wasn't another obvious door in sight.
"Did anyone see any other exits on the way in?" the Swellow whispered.
"No," Elty replied. "That door's the only one here."
Neil and Chan-iu shifted at the doorway, trading worried murmurs with each other as Orcutt and his companions remained as unyielding as ever. Neil shook his head back, before giving an impatient stamp at the ground.
"Look, don't you at least have a warrant or something to show us?" the Rhyhorn insisted. "I'm not trying to get in the way of the law here, but I'm just saying that everything you've said just seems a little hard to believe."
Neil's hesitance was met with a sharp growl and heavy stomp, as Molina snorted up a few stray cinders and lowered her head, pawing at the ground for a charge.
"Oh, taivaan tähden-"
"Molina, chill. We're contracted," Orcutt chided. "Don't go giving the higher-ups reasons to stiff us out of pay."
Trizano turned his attention over to the window beside him, where he pushed at the cross-braces and noticed it swing up from its base. Wide enough for even his metal body to squeeze through.
"I think we've got another way out," Trizano said quietly. "Come on."
The Skarmory slunk through the window and motioned for the others to follow. Elty came first, clambering up before jumping out, followed by Kiran jumping out with a fluttering hop. Last was Pleo, who followed along, only to stumble over the sill and fall onto Trizano, knocking the two down as the window clamped shut with a loud clatter that abruptly quieted the chatter from the other end of the cottage.
"What was that?" Chalco asked.
"It came from around the house!" Molina cried.
Team Traveller's members grimaced, Trizano hastily helping Pleo to his feet as the Lugia instinctively planted his feet and readied for a leap much to Kiran's alarm.
"Gwark! Pleo! Stick to the ground!" he exclaimed. "They'll spot us right away if we fly-!"
"There they are!"
The sound of a harsh shout rang out along with footsteps rounding the corner, the four going wide-eyed at the sight of the Cacturne, Marshtomp, and Camerupt from the doorway rounding the bend. The three mercenaries hastily assumed battle stances, as Orcutt called out to his Camerupt teammate.
"Molina, pin them down!"
"On it!"
The Camerupt stepped forward and spat up a plume of flames, forcing Pleo and his teammates to dive for cover. The young Lugia hit the ground, beating out his wings in a panic while he tried to right himself as Chalco and Orcutt bore down on him.
"There he is!" Orcutt cried. "Take him out before he can fly-! Agh!"
The Cacturne was cut off by Kiran knocking him off his feet with a large gust of wind. Chalco jumped back with a start, readying a Rock Slide only to similarly be knocked back by Trizano, the two Flying-Types hurrying in front of Pleo as their attackers got back on their feet. From the side, Elty braced himself, grumbling under his breath as he bounded back for his teammates.
"Would it have killed us to get away quietly?" he fumed. "Anyhow, one set of paws coming up quick!"
Elty ran up as a blue crackling aura wreathed his body, quickly tagging Trizano and Kiran as the aura settled over them before fading. The Growlithe quickly darted off to help Pleo fall back, leaving the two birds to brace themselves as Orcutt and Chalco returned back to aggressive stances. Kiran sized the pair up, before spreading his wings diving at the Cacturne.
"Quick!" he shouted. "We'll go after their ringleader while he's-!"
Orcutt quickly sidestepped, leaving Kiran to hastily bank and whirl around where he saw much to his alarm that Trizano had ignored the Cacturne entirely in order to fly towards his Camerupt teammate.
"Trizano?!" Kiran squawked. "What are you doing?!"
The Skarmory said nothing back, as a devious smile spread over his beak, the Steel-Type diving low to the ground with his wings held in a wide sweep as he zipped at the camel.
"Have at you, mercenaria!" the Skarmory exclaimed.
Molina hastily attempted to breathe out a gout of fire, only for Trizano to roll over the top and slash at her flank. The Fire-Type gave a pained cry, before whirling around and snorting hot, angry cinders.
"Time for you to fry, bird!"
The Camerupt breathed in sharply, before spewing a stream of fire at Trizano. The Skarmory hastily dove out of the way, leaving the Flamethrower to continue on past him straight into a wide-eyed Orcutt. Kiran stared stunned as the Cacturne screeched and flailed, before hastily throwing in an Air Slash that sent the Grass-Type crumpling to the ground, still attempting to process the turn of events when Trizano flew by with a playful grin.
"You've gotta know when to play their weaknesses against each other!" he insisted, making Kiran frown back sharply.
"Now's not the time for fun and games!" the Swellow squawked. "Just stay focused-"
Kiran's scolding was cut short by a sharp yelp, as Elty and Pleo hastily sidestepped around a hail of rocks from Chalco. As the pair attempted to put distance between themselves and the Marshtomp, Elty cast a glance over at Molina, who was pawing at the ground still preoccupied with evening the score with Trizano.
"Playing weaknesses together, huh? I think we can bait 'em into doing it again," Elty murmured. "Pleo! Go for the Camerupt! I'll handle this guppy!"
Pleo's eyes lit up in realization at Elty's remark. If they could trick Molina into getting soaked, she'd surely be weakened enough to overpower. But…
"How would we get the Marshtomp to attack her partner?" he asked.
"Leave that to me," Elty insisted. "Just help Kiran and Trizano blow that camel towards me when you see me dodge!"
Pleo nodded and flapped off for Molina, Chalco turning her head and darting after to give chase. The Marshtomp ran along, readying a jet of water in her mouth when a spray of embers brushed her right gills, making her splutter and cough up her water before whirling to see Elty crouched and growling at her.
"Not so fast!" he barked. "If you want after him, you've gotta go through me first!"
The Marshtomp gave a dismissive scoff back, before crouching and gritting her teeth back with a low growl.
"Tch, this'll be fast."
Chalco spat up a jet of water, prompting Elty to hastily jump aside. Undeterred, the mudskipper hastily adjusted course, throwing another Water Gun that grazed him and made him with a recoil, drawing a satisfied jeer back from his attacker.
"Ha, should've learned to pick your battles!"
"Oh, but I did," Elty replied.
The Marshtomp frowned and spat up another jet of water, Elty this time rolling out of the way when a sudden gust of wind kicked up and drew a sharp yelp from Molina. Chalco's eyes shrank to pins as she watched Molina fly straight into her Water Gun, leaving the Camerupt to tumble to the ground drenched and unconscious. The Water-Type blanched as she looked off to see Pleo pulling his wings back in as Kiran and Trizano circled, realizing it was none other than her own attack that had done Molina in, and the Growlithe and his bird friends had lined her up for this very moment to happen!
"Agh! You tricked me!" the Marshtomp cried.
"And so what? We're not just going to let you take us in!" Elty piped. "So will you let us go, or what?"
Chalco looked about her surroundings before gritting her teeth, digging her heels in as she spat back defiantly at Team Traveller's members.
"Suck mud, pirate!"
The Marshtomp charged forward attempting to call up a hail of rocks, only to be cut off by a Wing Attack from Kiran, then an Air Cutter from Trizano, and a Weather Ball from Pleo. Chalco staggered, struggling to stay on her feet when an orange blur jumped up and bit into her neck, dragging her to the ground where she hit the ground and lapsed out of consciousness as Elty backed away and the rest of Team Traveller's members looked on with tense pants.
"H-Hey! What are you doing?!"
Pleo and his teammates froze as they turned to see Chan-iu round the corner wide-eyed with Neil following along behind him. The pair looked around the torn-up side of the cottage in shock, as the Rhyhorn looked uneasily at the strange white bird.
"Were they right?" Neil asked. "Are you really a Protector?"
"Yes, but you need to let me go!" Pleo insisted. "I can't go along with them!"
"Oi, we're not about to get sucked into your problems here!" Chan-iu snapped. "If you're really a Protector, why are you hanging around with a bunch of lowlives like these?"
Pleo blanched, looking back at his battered companions still recovering from the shock of battle. The young Lugia struggled a moment over how to even begin to explain himself, before raising his voice and starting to speak.
"I… don't really have the time to explain, but I am a Protector, and these aren't lowlives!" he replied. "They're my friends! The Pokémon who I'm supposed to protect!"
Neil and Chan-iu paused at the young Protector's reply, their minds turning back to the childish innocence he'd exhibited back in their cottage. The Greninja of the pair faltered a moment, before Neil shook his head and stepped forward with a reassuring nudge.
"If you're really who you say you are, then go. You've got some time before their buddies catch up," the Rhyhorn insisted. "We'll try to throw them off your trail, but there's only so much two 'mons can do to help you all out."
"Right," Elty replied.
"Just… don't make us regret doing this, alright?" Neil said.
"We won't!" Pleo insisted.
The Lugia nodded back gratefully before hurrying off inland with his friends. All the while, Neil watched after the group as they vanished. He was no stranger to improbable stories, but for their sake, he hoped the one of his new friends would come to a happy end.
Author's Notes:
- (¡)Aguanta! - Spanish: "Hang on!"
- Pikhachhiau (比卡超) - Hokkien: "Pikachu" (POJ Romanization, derived from Cantonese localization name)
- Khatiko (卡蒂狗) - Hokkien: "Growlithe" (POJ Romanization, derived from Mandarin localization name)
- taivaan tähden - Finnish: "for crying out loud", "for heaven's sake"
- mercenaria - Italian: "mercenary" (feminine)
