Race to the Finish

Haru found it difficult to sleep that night, her dreams plagued by nightmares of Shimmer, Muse and herself dying in increasingly terrible ways in their attempt to catch Nip. In one particularly nasty dream, she found herself ripped apart by an angry mawile, left alone to die as the other two fought desperately to keep themselves alive.

In some ways, it felt like it took forever for the first light of dawn to arrive, and in others it felt like it rushed by in no time at all. But as light started to peek into her window, she forced herself to her feet, shook off the stray bits of straw that clung to her fur, and lumbered out of the house as quietly as possible, making sure to grab her bag along the way. She'd replenished the oran berries they'd used the night before, but otherwise their supplies were the same.

Shimmer and Muse were already waiting for her as she stepped outside, the absol looking almost as tired as her, while Shimmer was wide awake and as bouncy as always.

"Got everything?" the kirlia asked in a whisper.

"I'm good to go," Haru answered. "Remind me why we have to leave so early, though?"

"Because we need to get there before everyone else, silly." As she spoke, Shimmer took a moment to look through Muse's saddle bags, making sure everything was in place. "Especially Umbra. You know she'll be the first one in. She seemed like she was still asleep when Muse and I left, but I doubt she still is."

"Right, right," Haru mumbled, thinking once again how she very much would like to be back in bed. Or really anywhere but here, getting ready to head into Sunglow Thicket again, for that matter. "I guess we should get going then. Are people going to ask questions if they see us leaving town, though?"

"No one is going to question me," Shimmer assured, with a giggle. "And if they do, I'll just tell them it's business for dad. That'll shut them up."

Haru was not totally convinced, but she supposed it was as good of an excuse as any. With that, the trio headed down the path out of town in silence, watching the sun slowly rise into the sky in front of them. Haru swore she caught a glimpse of cream fur as they neared the edge of town. One little possible glimpse was more than enough to get her moving just a bit faster.

The race to catch Nip first was on.

Despite the discussions of the previous day, the entrance to the dungeon was just as barren as it had been before, with not a single guard watching it yet.

"I still think that was a huge oversight," Haru muttered as they passed through the distorted space and took a moment to reorient themselves amongst the golden-leaved trees.

"Maybe so," Muse agreed. "Which is why we must hurry, and keep our eyes peeled for any signs of Nip. I don't know how often the dungeon shifts, but it's best we move quickly. He would have to be in the stable zone by now. If he's still here."

Time seemed to move at a crawl as they made their way through the first three zones, working their way amongst the twisting paths and open clearings. They only met a single wildener along the way, an oddish that took one look at the trio of pokemon and ran off, thinking better of trying to start a fight on its own.

The fourth zone was a bit less forgiving.

"Don't just stand there, run!" cried Haru as she barely rolled out of the way of an ursaring's claws. She took off, skidding on leaves, spraying them into the air in her attempt to flee.

"An ursaring? Here? Who knew we had so many scary pokemon living this close to the village!" Shimmer's voice came out in a shriek as she shot pulses of fairy-type energy out in the direction of the ursaring, holding tight to Muse's thick mane as the absol fled.

"Don't worry about attacking it!" Muse called, looping back towards Haru. "It's not worth the fight and you'll just make it angrier! Grab Haru and let's go!"

The kirlia finally quit shrieking at the top of her lungs, the waves of energy dying away. "Oh, fine," she agreed, sifting her attention. She held one hand out, letting it glow with blue energy as she turned her attention to the fleeing bidoof.

Haru cried out as she felt her limbs seize up. Yet her feet began to lift from the ground. She shifted her eyes towards Shimmer, as she flew, slowly catching up to the two. Once she was close enough, Shimmer lessened the connection, holding her as tightly as she could in her arms while providing extra support with the psychic.

All three of them together now, Muse turned tail and ran, making a beeline for the nearest path out of the clearing. "Do we have any blast seeds?" She yelled back to Shimmer.

"Even if we do, I can't check and keep a grip on Haru!"

"Turn me a bit, I might be able to reach!" Haru cut in. She felt shimmer twist a little bit, so that her paws could reach into Muse's saddlebags.

Muse grit her teeth. "I can't stand around and wait. Hold tight, I'm gonna run as fast as I can!"

Haru flinched as she heard a roar behind them, the Ursaring still pursuing with more speed than she expected out of the lumbering normal-type.

The path in front of them slowly began to veer to the left, guiding them in an arc that seemed to lead back towards the clearing they had started from. Angry roars and crashing sounds drove Muse to push herself forward. They were slowly outrunning the beast, but they couldn't be quick enough.

"I've got something!" Haru announced, her agile little paws wrapping around a stick in Muse's bag. She pulled out the wand, gripping it for dear life as she watched for the ursaring to appear around the corner behind them.

Muse skidded to a stop as they reentered the clearing, sending up a spray of leaves. "Which way?" She called over her shoulder.

"Try the path to the left!" Shimmer shouted, glancing back over her shoulder nervously, expecting the brutish beast to reappear any second. "The left!"

The absol wasted no time speeding off, feet scrabbling in the leaf litter.

The ursaring reappeared. Haru swung the wand wildly in a panic, a wave of yellow energy expelling from the orb at the end. She watched, holding her breath, as the wave hit the ursaring square in the chest. It let out an angry roar and tried to take another step, only freeze in place, twitching as it tried to fight the wand's effects.

"Told you the petrify wand would be useful!" Shimmer called as they disappeared down the path she'd chosen.

Even with the ursaring petrified, Muse did not stop, running through the twists and turns aimlessly until Shimmer spotted the distortion leading to the next zone a few clearings later. The trio let out a sigh of relief as the noise of the previous zone died away, leaving them in silence outside of Muse's heavy breathing. She flopped onto her side, panting, unceremoniously dropping her kirlia and bidoof passengers in the process.

"Sorry guys," she gasped between breaths. "I just need... A minute."

"Look on the bright side," Haru tried weakly, wincing as she tried roll onto her belly. "We found the next zone faster." She stood up slowly, stretching out the aches. "And we haven't come across any of the others yet, so we're probably still ahead."

"Unless someone else had the same idea that we did," Muse pointed out, still breathless. She rolled back onto her stomach. "Then they could be ahead of us."

Shimmer took a moment to carefully dust herself off, then combed her fingers through her hair. "Good points, both of you. You're both so clever! We gotta keep going then, to catch up or stay ahead, whichever it may be!"

The absol hummed in agreement, slowly climbing to her feet, and addressed Shimmer. "Um… Sorry, do you mind walking for a bit? I'm kind of exhausted."

"Of course, of course," Shimmer said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Save your strength and all that. We should be to the last zone soon enough and we need to be in tip-top shape for that. Everyone keep an eye out!"

The crew sat off in an apprehensive silence, making their way through the forest of perpetual autumn with their goal in mind. No one dared speak, for fear of drawing unwanted attention when so close to their goal. If Nip got away because of them, not one of them would be able to forgive themselves.

How long they spent in the fifth zone was unclear; certainly, they were there for more than a few minutes. But it could have been an hour for all they knew, with only the passage of twisting paths and thousands of fallen leaves to say they were making any progress at all.

But after what felt like forever, the end was in sight. Shimmer was the first to spot the distorted break in the undergrowth, at least a half dozen clearings later.

"Ready?" Muse asked.

The three of them looked amongst themselves, determination set on their faces, and stepped into the distortion.

Haru waited for the vertigo to pass as she stepped through the narrow path, then took a quick, cursory look around, only to discover that she had to stand on her hind legs to see anything over the thick, tall grass.

Unfortunately, even then she could see little, for fog kept her from seeing much further.

The trio huddled close together, looking cautiously about for any signs of life. Muse raised her head to sniff at the air, then tilted it downwards to sniff at the ground.

"It's faint, but I smell something… off. Something different from the scent of these woods. Nip, possibly. Stay close and on guard, I'm going to try and track it."

Muse began to walk, each paw step careful, stopping to sniff the ground every moment or so to make certain she was staying on the correct path. Haru walked just behind, following the absol's path exactly, trying to sniff out the abnormalities in the scent of damp grass and dust. Shimmer brought up the rear, her eyes glowing a soft blue as she attempted to feel for anyone around them with her psychic abilities.

Haru's sense of smell was, unfortunately, dampened by fog in the air, moisture clinging to her fur. "I think I hate this dungeon," she mumbled under her breath as she pushed further through the grass, only to almost bump up against Muse's leg.

The absol had come to a stop just ahead, staring down into a crater just a few feet away. The other two sidled up beside her.

"Did he go down there?" Shimmer asked.

Muse shook her body, flinging moisture and dust into the air. "No. The path veers to the left. I was just… thinking for a moment. Legends say that the mystery dungeons are the scars of the War of the Ancient Ones. It's…. Kind of sad, to look at it in person, and see that even hundreds… thousands of years later, scars still remain on the land."

Haru stared down into the hole for a moment, looking at the grass that grew thick at the bottom. Then she let out a scoff and turned away. "Who cares about some ancient battle in the past. It happened so long ago, it doesn't really matter anymore. We should be looking to the future instead. Or the present, at least. Come on, we're wasting time."

Muse turned to look at the bidoof for a moment. "I would argue it still matters, since mystery dungeons still exist, but I can't fault you for your feelings." She turned back and peered down into the crater for a moment longer, then let out a hum of ascent and turned, sniffing at the air again. But instead of continuing to follow the trail, she froze.

"Musey?"

"I think they're here," the absol said in a sharp whisper. "She's here."

Shimmer paused for a moment, eyes glowing as she probed for other minds. "I think you're right. Come on, we're out of time!"

Muse pushed forward at once, nose low to the ground once again. Haru sniffed at the air for a moment, then took off at a run after the others. She fought the urge to jump at every noise, at every rustle of grass or cry of another pokemon, expecting to be ambushed at every turn.

The path Muse lead them on was a winding one, twisting and turning deeper into the stable zone, avoiding each crater or hole they passed. Haru followed the trail just behind, confirming that the absol was on the right path. The next few minutes passed in a tense silence, coming closer and closer to the center.

Then finally, they were free of the grass, the scent trail leading to a small pond in the middle, mixing and mingling with scents of the forest.

"I'm getting a drink of water," Shimmer mumbled. "Give me just a moment." She stepped forward to the water's edge, lapping up a few mouthfuls of the water, scrunching up her face a moment later. 'Tastes like dirt."

Haru, on the other hand, had no interest in stopping, sniffing the trail even as it moved into mud. She followed it closely at the water's edge, until it came to a sudden stop. She was so intent on the smell, however, that she didn't notice the tree until she had knocked her head on it. She let out a yelp, falling back onto her butt so she could try to rub her head where she'd bonked.

Muse and Shimmer joined her a moment later.

"Is this where the trail ends?" Shimmer asked.

"Seems like it," Muse reported. "Though… its possible he masked his scent."

"How so?"

"Swimming in the water, caking himself in mud or… other smelly things. Either of those are a possibility."

"Or he's still up there," Haru finished. "How are we gonna find out? You and I can't climb, Muse, and I don't know about Shims going up by herself."

"Aw you really do care about me, future sister in law!" Shimmer remarked with a squeal.

"Don't push it," Haru said with a growl. "I mean, you can go if you want and I won't stop you."

Shimmer waved a hand dismissively. "Whatever you say, Harhar. I have an even better idea. I'm going to yell at the tree."

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"Shims wait!"

The kirlia took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she focused and chose her words. Then she cried out in a shrill, disarming voice, "Oh Niiiip! Won't you please come down here? We just want to talk!" As she screamed, she let out pulses of energy, aiming at the branches above.

The leaves swayed from the force of the pulse, but at first, it seemed like nothing had happened. But a second later, as Shimmer's energy died away, Haru caught sight of a dark form hanging from one of the higher branches: a sneasel with mint-green feathers grumbling curses under his breath.

"Hey, I see him! Up there!" Then she turned her attention to the fugitive. "Hey! Nip! We're serious! Come down from there peacefully, and we won't have to fight!

"Yeah! If you come with us, we'll take you back to the village before Umbra can get you!" Shimmer added.

"She probably knows you're here by now," Muse added, "thanks to Shimmer's yelling."

"Hey, no fair Musey, don't pin it on me."

"Sorry."

The sneasel slung himself around, so that he was balanced safely on the branch. He peered down at the trio for a very long moment as they stared back up at him.

And then he sucked in a deep breath and exhaled, blasting them from above with air so frigid that small shards of ice began to form, sending a chill through the trio. Then he jumped, landing several yards away on his feet, immediately taking off at a run.

"Aw, looks like we're doing this the hard way!" Shimmer called out. "Let's go guys!" No sooner had she taken a step, however, a blast of water from behind knocked her off her feet. She turned her head just in time to see a pink tail disappear into the depths of the water.

"Stupid water-type!" the kirlia cried. "What's their problem? Oh, don't just stand there, guys; don't let him get away!"

Muse took off first, following the parting grass. Haru bounded after them as quickly as she could, not waiting for Shimmer to scramble back to her feet.

Nip had the advantage of speed, but Muse had the advantage of height and being able to see where she was going over the grass, cutting corners around pitfalls to slowly gain on the sneasel, who was running practically blind.

Haru was less lucky, being even slower than the long-legged absol. All she had to guide her were chance glimpses of Muse's pale fur between gaps in the grass.

Shimmer caught up with her a moment later. "He's really moving!" she reported. "But he keeps having to readjust himself to avoid the craters. Wait- they're both stopping up ahead! I think they've run into someone!"

Haru forced herself to move faster, guided by Shimmer towards where the two had stopped. A moment later, the two burst out into a small clearing barren of grass, perhaps twice as wide as Muse was across and three times long.

A serviper stood blocking the way, hissing angrily. Nip stood behind it, glancing anxiously back towards Muse. And beyond him were two other pokemon: a tediursa and a steenee.

"I don't care what he's done," The serviper hissed angrily, apparently in the middle of an argument with Muse. "We do not. Break. The pact."

"We don't care about your stupid wildener pact," Shimmer announced, garnering a flinch from Muse. and a warning noise from Haru. "He did a crime. We'll be taking him back to face that, if he wants to live."

"The stable zone is neutral territory," the serviper shot back. Either respect that or - if you choose to attack - we will be forced to intervene.

A tense stand down followed as the trio sized the enemy up. If they attacked, it would give Nip a chance to slink away. The tediursa seemed anxious, and unprepared for battle. The serviper and steenee on the other hand…

Before they had a chance to decide, however a voice called out that chilled the trio of village pokemon to their core.

"NIP!"

The mawile appeared a moment later, took one quick cursory glance at the two frozen sides, then set her eyes on nip and launched herself at him.

The sneasel sprang out of the way of the snapping jaws. Immediately the six other pokemon sprang into action, the clearing breaking out into the chaos and cacophony of fighting pokemon.

The tediursa cried out in alarm and barely avoided getting hit by Umbra on the rebound.

The steenee sprang up and shot razor-sharp leaves at the mawile.

Muse charged towards the serviper, dark energy accumulating on her horn.

Shimmer gasped out in alarm as she spotted familiar faces emerging from the grass.

"Jaques? Lotte?"

"Shimmer?"

"Miss Shimmer?"

Haru hung back, trying to catch sight of who was fighting who. She caught sight of grey and green slinking out of the cloud of kicked-up dust, getting ready to disappear back into the grass.

She sprang out of the way of a whirl of claws and scales, barely avoiding the poisonous tip of the serviper's tail.

"Shims! No time to explain, look!" She raised a paw to point towards the slinking sneasel, who had nearly reached the grass.

"Throw me! Quick!"

Shimer stared at her long enough to blink once, then Haru's plan clicked with her. "Got it, hold tight to your bag!"

Haru winced as she felt psychic energy surround and lift her stiffly into the air.

"I'll catch up as quickly as possible. Good luck!"

By now, more pokemon living in the stable zone were appearing, jumping into the fray with little notice of who was friend or foe, drawn by the sound of battle. Before she could make any more sense of the fight, though, she was flung through the air, flying directly towards Nip.

She let out a battle cry as she fell, crashing into his back with all forty pounds of raw bidoof power and fury, sending him sprawling to the ground. She held tight for a moment, digging paws into his back as she tried to sink her teeth into his scruff. In response he screeched and scrambled and twisted beneath her.

But she had underestimated how long his arms were. He twisted just enough to strike at her, raking one set of razor-sharp claws against her side.

She let out a pained squeal, her concentration broken, giving him just enough of an opening to wiggle and struggle free from under her, shoving her aside.

As soon as he was loose, he scrambled to his feet and took off at a run again, shards of ice beginning to form in his mouth as he prepared another attack.

Haru had no interest in letting him go. She climbed back to her feet and flew forward with all the speed she could muster. He had gotten a head start, but he hadn't got back up to speed yet. In a last-ditch effort, she leapt, springing forward with paws outstretched, tackling him without holding back.

Right into one of the craters.

The two tumbled head over heels as they bounced and skidded down the steep slope, coming to a painful stop at the bottom.

Haru groaned, shaking her head in an attempt clear the dizziness and gather her bearings. She caught sight of Nip a few feet away, also trying to climb to his feet. He coughed and spat out a few lousy ice crystals.

"We can stop this now, you know!" Haru called out, stamping her foot as she faced him down.

He turned his attention to the bidoof and took up a defensive pose, eyes narrowing to slits. "Yes, we could. You can let me go and then I'll be out of your fur and you'll never have to worry about me again. You can pretend I never existed."

"Don't you try to play that with me! You stole an egg from us. Unless you still happen to have it, there's no taking that back!"

The sneasel crouched, dark energy forming around his claws. "We don't have to fight. I don't want to fight."

Haru shook her fur and glanced to the side. In the confrontation, her bag had been knocked loose. She darted her gaze back to the sneasel. "Then give up, because that's the only way you're getting out of this without one."

Without waiting for an answer, she raced forward with her head lowered, prepared to headbutt him.

Only to earn a sharp pain to the side of the head as he struck first.

She stumbled, knocked off course by the glancing blow. As she reeled, he turned tail in an attempt to flee.

She responded by chomping down on one of his tail feathers and tugging.

The sneasel yelped as his balance was lost and stumbled, momentum lost.

Unfortunately, all she got for her trouble was a pulled tail-feather. She spat the feather out and charged again, knocking into him with a hard headbutt.

Finally, she had the upper hand!

"You again?!"

Haru glanced up at the angry squawk above her. She caught sight of orange and blue, just in time for the flame-wreathed bird to crash into her side, knocking her back several feet.

"Give me back my treasure!"

She climbed back to her feet as the fletchinder took to the air again, the flames dying away. But the bird was already circling back for another attack. Even worse, Nip had taken the opportunity to attempt an escape again, already climbing halfway up the steep crater walls. And the sounds of fights in the distance still raged on.

If he got away now, then they may never find him.

"Ha! Did you think you could escape me that easily?"

Haru glanced up behind her to the rim of the crater. Outlined in the mist was the form of a mawile. Umbra must have broken off from the fight when she realized Nip was gone.

Nip paused his upwards climb, sucked in a breath, and spat shards of ice at the steel-type. Umbra responded by shielding her face with her hands, the worst of the shards either striking there or bouncing off harmlessly. As soon as he had to take a breath, the mawile took the opportunity to dash to the other side, preparing to block his escape.

If she got to him first, it was over.

An angry caw sounded overhead. Considering her options, time ticking down as the fletchinder dove at her again, Haru glanced to the torn bag to her side.

The sleep orb.

She had heard stories that orbs were less effective in stable parts of the dungeon. If ever there were a time for those stories to be false, this was one of them.

She reached over to grab the orb.

"Fine, if you want it so bad, come get it!"

She dropped it right in front of her and steadied herself, waiting just a few more seconds for the fletchinder to come closer.

Then she dashed forward to headbutt the orb, sending it flying with as much force as she could muster, shattering it against the side of the crater.

Green powder burst forth from the orbs remains, whipping up into a cloud, spreading quickly as it ballooned out. Haru forced herself to hold her breath and hunkered down.

The others caught in the cloud were less lucky, unprepared for the orb to take its effects.

Nip let out an angry screech, trying to climb his way out of the cloud before the effects could take hold. But it was too late. His eyelids began to droop, his voice died in his throat, and his grip weakened. Unconscious, he tumbled back to the bottom of the hole.

The fletchinder, similarly, was caught mid attack, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop in a half-asleep stupor.

Even Umbra was sagging, teetering dangerously on the edge before pitching forward, falling into the pit.

Haru let out a breath as the green mist dissipated and relaxed slightly, feeling a bit safer now that the three others aggressing pokemon were asleep. How long the artificial nap would last, however, was yet to be determined.

And she still had another problem to deal with. Even though she may have stopped Nip's escape, she had no way to get herself out of the crater, let alone with Nip in tow.

She sank to the ground, legs splaying out under her as the rush of battle died away. Her wounds, however minor, were stinging, now that she had a moment to dwell on it. For one thing, her head ached, where Nip had struck it, though she was pretty sure he had not broken skin.

She twisted her head to get a look at her side. On one side, her fur was singed, a nasty burnt smell wafting up. On the other, Nip's claws had managed to cut, but the wounds were fortunately shallow. Two lines of red had oozed up, clumping in her fur. But she would live.

Relieved that she was in no danger of bleeding out, she turned her attention to other important matters. She strained her ears for the sound of the other battle nearby and realized that she could no longer hear it. Had the fight ended? Who won? Had everyone moved on without her, thinking that perhaps she had run off? Surely Shimmer would have said something right?

Unless she had been knocked out, of course. Or perhaps they had all been defeated, left at the mercy of the angry wildeners? The fleeting thought of being abandoned was enough to strike fear into the bidoof.

Stuck as she was, Haru did the one thing she could think to do.

"Is anyone out there?" she called out into the fog. "Help me! I'm stuck down here!"

Several moments passed with no sound. She called out twice more. Hoping that some kind soul would help her out, even if the others had moved on.

She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling exhausted now that the danger had passed.

"Haru? Is that you down there?"

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of the familiar masculine voice. Slowly, she climbed up to her feet, tilting her head up to put a face to the familiar voice.

Anu stood at the edge of the crater, peering down inside with squinted eyes.

What Haru should have said was "yes, it's me." Instead, she blurted out, "Anu? What are you doing here?"

The lucario raised a brow. "I should be the one asking you that. You didn't sign up to help, if I remember correctly."

Haru sheepishly turned her head. "Well… Shimmer and Muse were planning on going, and I didn't feel good leaving them alone after last time."

Anu let out a noncommittal hum in response to that, then turned his attention to the unconscious figures resting in the base with Haru. "Is that-"

"Nip and Umbra, yes." She paused, slightly altering the truth in her head as she spoke. "I used a sleep orb to knock him out and Umbra got caught up in the attack."

"And the fletchinder?"

"Er… the fletchinder wanted the sleep orb and attacked me for it. That's pretty much all there is to say about him."

The lucario took a moment to hum in thought. "Okay, let's get you out of there then. Give me just a moment." He grew quiet, closing his eyes. Haru watched as the dangling aura sensors on either side of his head stiffened, raising up slightly. He took a step back from the edge and turned, walking away.

Haru was left alone once again. She turned her attention back to the trio of sleeping figures, watching for any sign of movement.

The mawile began to stir.

Of course the orb's effects wouldn't last long down here; that was too much to ask for. She tensed, watching with bated breath as Umbra squeezed her eyes and clenched her hands. She let out a groan, slowly opening her eyes and climbing to her feet.

"What happened?"

Haru kept her mouth shut as the mawile began to look around, taking in the injured bidoof and the sleeping forms of the fletchinder and Nip. She turned her attention to Haru, piecing things together in her head.

"You used an orb, didn't you?" She grumbled. "You did not need to do that. I could have stopped his escape easily."

"I was still being attacked!" Haru countered. "Isn't it better to fill two needs with one move?"

The mawile only grunted in response, turning away from Haru to instead approach Nip again.

"Anu will be back in a minute," Haru blurted out. "He went back to get help to get us out of here."

Umbra tilted her head to look towards the top of the crater. "I suppose it would be difficult to climb out of here…" She turned, twisting so that she could scoop up Nip within her second jaw. "Guess I can just take care of this now though."

Haru sucked in a breath and tensed, her mind jumping to the worst possible conclusions. Umbra would kill him. She was going to kill Nip right now, in front of her. Maybe her too, for being a witness. Even if she lived, they would never get the answers. They'd never know if the egg was still around, or why he did it. They'd never know how true Umbra's story was.

Perhaps she was overreacting, but it wasn't worth the risk.

"Wait."

The mawile paused, turning her attention to Haru. "If you have something to say, spit it out."

Haru could not help but flinch at her tone, but she spoke, forcing herself to be brave and even a bit defiant in the face of a pokemon she knew could kill her.

"There's no need to rush into any judgement. Once we get back to the village, we'll have a chance to get everything sorted out, and Nip will get what's coming to him for everything he's done."

The mawile tilted her head away, considering for a moment before sticking her nose up in the air. "As I've said before, my kin have our own way of dealing with things. He is my responsibility, and as such I will deal with him and judge him in their place."

Her jaw clenched, squeezing the sneasel a bit harder. Apparently, this was enough to wake him up. He jolted with a gasp, eyes opening wide. At first, he panicked, squirming and struggling in her grip, claws scraping uselessly against the steel jaws.

"No no no no," he began to mumble incoherently, as his strikes became more and more desperate. "I've made it so far. Not now not now!"

"Oh, quit your whining, it'll all be over soon" Umbra growled, her tone darkening as she addressed Nip. She squeezed her jaw even harder, like a vice. Nip let out a pained yelp and went limp in an attempt to keep the fangs from cutting deep. For a second, Haru thought he might be dead - or at least unconscious - but shallow, panicked breaths and the occasional twitch of his claws proved otherwise.

"Umbra, stop," the bidoof demanded, climbing back to her feet. "You came with the village, which means you have to use our laws."

"Do not make me your enemy, bidoof," the mawile replied, narrowing her eyes. "I will deal with this brigand the way I promised to. It's nothing personal, just what I have to do for my kin."

"It's very personal!"

Haru's gaze quickly shifted over to Nip, his voice catching her attention. As soon as he noticed, he spoke again, words tumbling out of his mouth like a waterfall, his pitch raising in urgency the more he talked.

"I-isn't that right Umbra? That's why they sent you after me isn't it? You told them you-you wanted to deal with me yourself, right? Because it w-wasn't enough that you ruined my life, right?"

The mawile responded by turning to slam him against the side of the crater with a huff. "Your lies will get no sympathy from me. You ruined your own damn life."

Nip spat dirt out of his mouth. "That's a lie and you know it!"

"Can you both just shut up!" Haru called out!

"No!" Nip and Umbra yelled in unison.

"You expect me to be calm! Umbra's gonna snap me in half!"

"You expect me to be calm when Nip is telling lies to try and get you on his side?"

"Yes, I do," Haru growled. "I've had enough nonsense! I've been dragged out here twice in two days, to hunt down you." She paused to angrily gesture her head towards Nip. "And then I've been bitten, burned, clawed at, and chased in the process. And you, Umbra! You attacked us for no good reason yesterday! Why should I trust anything you say? No. We are all going back to the village and getting an explanation. Do I make myself clear?"

Neither of the two other pokemon said anything, instead staring blankly at the enraged bidoof.

"That's right, they're over this way."

Haru turned her head back towards the voice. A few seconds later, Anu emerged from the fog, Shimmer's hand in his paw and with Essra resting on his head. The espurr hopped off his head, and dove head-first into the pit, slowing her descent with psychic once she was close enough to see Haru.

"Sorry we took so long, everyone," she announced, dipping her head to Haru and then to Umbra. "Thank you for holding on to the criminal, Miss Umbra, let me get you back up to the top, then Anu can take over."

"I can hold on to him just fine!" Umbra snapped.

"I'm sure you can miss, but if you have an issue, you have to take it up with the boss." As the espurr spoke, she brushed a paw up against Umbra. a few seconds passed before a soft blue hue overtook the mawile.

Essra squinted her eyes shut, using a great deal of concentration to keep the steel-type within her psychic hold. She raised a single paw and, after a second, the mawile was raised into the air and up to the edge of the crater, Nip still held in her grip.

She turned her attention to the fletchinder next, carefully raising him out of the crater and depositing him in front of Shimmer, who then took over the psychic hold.

"Um…" Haru began, her brow furrowing. "Why are you taking him?"

The espurr turned to look at Haru, raising a paw. "Anu said he attacked you, right?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"That's why. They're taking in the wildeners that started the fight in for questioning. The serviper and steenee at least. The teddiursa is just a kid, and we wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of an angry mother ursaring."

"I guess that's fair enough," Haru mumbled, stiffening as she felt psychic energy grip her muscles, lifting her into the air and back up onto solid ground. Essra floated back over the edge just a moment later.

Now that she was up close, Haru could see that Shimmer had not escaped the battle against the wildeners unscathed. There was no serious damage, but several lacerations lined her arms and torso, the small cuts staining her fur red. Otherwise, however, she looked okay.

The group made their way back the clearing where the fight had first broken out. Several unconscious pokemon were sprawled out in the grass, and the few that were still awake were hiding in the grass on the fringes, licking at their wounds.

Whisper had arrived by now and had gotten straight to work organizing things. The serviper had been draped over Romi's back, the rapidash pacing anxiously back and forth. At the moment, Whisper and a roserade were helping hoist the steenee onto Vale's back.

Jaques, Lotte, and Muse were to the side, Jaques holding a slice of a pecha berry up against a nasty bite in Muse's shoulder while the absol ate a second one. Besides the nasty bite, one of her eyes had swollen nearly shut. The two purrloin looked not much better, with cuts along their backs and one nasty slice along Lotte's flank.

The hawlucha turned her attention towards the arriving party. "Anu, there you are." She paused, crossing her arms as she looked over Haru and Umbra. "Good, it looks like there's no serious injury, other than Muse's bite.

As she locked eyes with the sneasel still in Umbra's grip, she narrowed her eyes, before returning her attention to the roserade beside her. "Roselei," Whisper started, her voice firm, "go help Umbra out and take the prisoner."

The mawile took a step back, speaking in an annoyed rumble. "Why does everyone insist on treating me like a newborn. I can take care of holding him just fine."

The hawlucha looked Umbra over. Out of all the pokemon that had been involved in the fight, she was the least injured, with nothing more than a few scrapes and a single cut.

"I'm sure you can," Whisper replied flatly. "But I still want those wounds looked at. You'll go with the others to the infirmary to get your injuries treated. Don't worry, we won't be passing any judgement without you."

"Why don't I just take care of things myself? I don't have to follow your rules."

"Because if you don't," Whisper said in a frustrated growl, "I'll lock you up for your attack on village Pokemon yesterday. I don't have time to deal with your tantrum."

Umbra opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it and closed it again. "Fine. Do make it quick though."

The roserade approached Umbra with an unreadable expression on her face. Thick, thorny vines unraveled from underneath her flowers as she waited silently for the mawile to open her jaw. Once the teeth were just loose enough that she could slip a vine in, she snaked the vines inside with just a bit of concentration, wrapping them tightly around the sneasel so that his arms were bound to his sides. Only then did Umbra let go entirely.

"You may want to bind his mouth, by the way," Umbra said, turning away. "He has nasty icy wind and ice shard attacks that he might spit at you otherwise."

"Fair point," Roselei agreed. The vines snaked just a bit further out, reaching up to wrap around his snout.

"How dare you say that! You just don't want me to ta-" The sneasel let out a yelp as thorns dug into his face, but it cut off as his mouth was forced shut, turning into a pained whine as he was dragged to his feet.

Satisfied, Whisper turned to her mate. "There should be three more groups coming though later. Will you and Essra wait here for them to let them know we're done?"

The lucario bowed his head. "Of course, dear. We'll meet you in the village."

"Thank you." She turned her attention to the remainder of the Pokemon. "We will be returning to the village now. Those that are injured should go to Lecha's when we get there. The rest take the wildeners to the guard hut for questioning."

She paused to look over to Shimmer. "I apologize, but do you mind taking the fletchinder over for us? Vale and Romi are the only ones big enough to carry him, and both of them are preoccupied."

"Of course, I can," the kirlia said, waving a hand dismissively. The movement also caused the unconscious fletchinder to move.

He's really out of it, Haru thought to herself as Shimmer passed her by. Weird. Both Umbra and Nip woke up pretty fast. Is he okay?

She was jostled out of her thoughts by Whisper's voice. "Alright everyone, move out!"

The Hawlucha leapt forward to take the lead. Romi and Vale followed next, carefully balancing the wildeners on their backs. Roselei followed next, half leading, half dragging Nip. Umbra wouldn't stray far from the sneasel, practically looming over him, despite her smaller stature.

Shimmer and the fletchinder, Haru, Muse, Jaques, and Lotte all followed behind in a loose group at the rear. They made their way in a straight line - or as straight as they could while dodging craters - heading through the fog until they reached an area where the trees and fog seemed to grow thicker. And then they continued further still, until the fog grew so thick that Haru could barely see the pokemon in front of her.

But then the fog began to clear, and it began to grow warmer, the crisp, cool autumn air replaced with humid summer heat. They found themselves back in the forest outside Sunglow Thicket. A small group of pokemon – a quagsire, a pidove, and flaffy – charged forward at first, ready to strike at the pokemon that exited. But once they caught sight of Whisper, they stopped short. And when they saw the captured Nip, they broke out into excited chatter, the pidove taking off back towards the village to let everyone know the good news.

Haru spent much of the journey in silence, even as the Pokemon around her talked. Some were excited. She caught Muse asking Jaques and Lotte why they were there but did not catch the purloins' answer. The fletchinder woke up at some point, squawking obscenities as he struggled to pull loose from Shimmer's psychic hold. A few quick strikes from the two purloin and Muse were enough to subdue him.

But Haru's mind was otherwise occupied. On one hand, she should be excited. They captured Nip! And soon he'd be punished and exiled or else locked up and she could put this whole mess behind her.

But as they continued their march towards the village, she found herself dwelling on his panicked cries from back in the crater. Her mind drifted to questions she could not easily answer. If he was sent away with Umbra, would the mawile kill him? If so, should she really care? Were his panicked ramblings only words to try and garner sympathy to get himself out of trouble and get her on his side? Or was there really something fishy going on between him and Umbra?

Whatever the answers may have been, Haru did know one thing. Lies or not, she needed to know what Nip claimed was going on with Umbra. Only then could she begin to answer those questions for herself.

A/N: Haru's quick thinking got a chance to shine today. Some of the lines in this chapter were quite fun to write. Next chapter, we'll finally be learning a bit about Nip's past, from his side story.