EPISODE II – DARK, WONDEROUS PAST
CHAPTER VI – DARK HISTORY
Sam blankly wandered through the town, his feet dragging behind him as he did so. He barely acknowledged the presence of the Pokémon around him, his eyes dipped down towards the floor. In fact, he was completely in a world of his own, trapped in the same thoughts that had punched through him entirely.
The fact there were other humans besides himself.
And Alice.
Oh Alice… I'm so sorry…
He had always had some suspicion that revealing his human nature would potentially be disastrous. He was terrified that everyone around him would turn on him, or at least, something would come crashing down on his head.
But not like this. Not by Alice hearing him say it in private, voicing his own doubts about revealing it to anyone. Including her. And instead of being pushed away because he had been human, he drove her way because he didn't tell her at all.
And the painful thing was, she was one hundred precent right. He had pushed her about opening up. Everything she tried to push him away, he pushed harder back until eventually she opened up.
And Sam immediately backed off from doing the same.
He couldn't stop thinking that conversation over, the same set of words ringing in his ears over and over again.
"BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"
An old, dusty smell drifted up his nostrils, and only then did the Scorbunny finally drag himself out of his shell and looked up. Somehow, he had managed to walk back into the Guildtree and worked his way back up to the upper levels, where he now stood outside the Library. He straightened himself up as he looked through the open entrance way, he had only been there once. Shortly after their return from Broken Wood.
He had tried to learn a bit more about the history of the world… but Aidan then came to find him… to bring Sam into his dark world.
The thought of returning back to the Library had completely evaded his mind.
Alice… Alice needs time. He thought quietly to himself. If things will even remain the same after all this. I suppose…
Then the originator of all this pain rushed back to the surface. Everything Jack was saying. About how he knew a human. How Oscar and Esper had known humans…
Why… why was I brought here? Why were they brought here?
The guilt slowly withdrew to a dark corner, the Scorbunny narrowing his eyes as with renewed purpose, he spun on his heel and marched inside. Time to find some answers.
It didn't take long to find the Oranguru librarian, a friendly Pokémon called Henry, working at the central counter of the guild library. The big orangutan looked up from a brown, canvas tome with a small smile, "Ah, Sam was it? I was wondering when you'd come back in."
"Been busy." Sam replied curtly, reaching up to place his hands on top of a desk that was slightly too high for him. "I need those old books I was reading through before. That Atlas and… whatever the other ones were called."
Henry let out a quiet chuckle, "Wanting to catch up? Luckily, I make a note of all the books that are requested. I can bring them back out for you in just a moment."
Closing the tome, he slowly began to rise to his feet. Remembering Jack's words once more, Sam swiftly reached out, "Wait a second!" he said a little bit too loudly, earning a confused look from the bigger Pokémon.
Wincing at himself, Sam placed his hands back on the table, "Sorry… but do you happen to have records on Explorer and Rescue Teams? Preferably something with references?"
Much to Sam's restrained relief, it turned out Henry did have such records on hand, and the Scorbunny soon found himself back at the original table he had first sat out, with a very familiar stack of books by his side. Alongside the Atlas of the Pokémon World – the one book he even managed to get a small read through – he now had a beefy tome placed alongside it. In small print was the very simple title on the cover: Registers and References for Rescue, Explorer, Adventure and Expedition Teams.
Right. I already know the basics behind the world right now. But if I want to know about other humans, I'm gonna have to dig deeper. What did Jack call that team with his human in it? Team Warden right? And Team ACT was involved. Jack's from Air Continent and he was a Caterpie back then so…
Instead of opening the register, he pushed the Atlas aside and picked out a book from the stack.
Rescue Teams of Air Continent.
Sam let out a heavy sigh as he flicked open up the book, Alright… let's get to work.
What came back to her first was the warmth that enveloped her entire body. Soft, gentle. That was what she could describe it as. Then her hearing returned, a very soft hum drifting into her ears before finally, a dull throb that worked its way through her limbs.
That was what finally got Kaliani to wake up.
Her eyes slowly drifted open to find herself inside a small cabin room. Soft yellow lights hung above her head to reveal a cluster of beds that ran alongside the far wall, each one with a bedside table next to them.
She was laid out on her side, one of her wings spread out to stop her resting on top of it. The Trumbeak tried to lift her head up, only for the throb to turn into a sharp pulse that sank through her chest and neck. Groaning, her head plopped back down with a soft thump on the cushion underneath her.
"Huh? You're awake?"
Wincing, Kaliani managed to lever her head round towards the source. Laid down on another bed just across the way from her was a green canine. An Electrike, she recognised.
"Y-Yeah." She weakly uttered, once more trying to lift her head up. "W-Where am – urk!"
She cried out as her head plopped back down again, the electric type dropping down from his bed. "Don't move, I'll help you up."
Clenching her claws together, Kaliani could only wait as the canine leapt up to the side of her bed. He looked about her age, older perhaps as he positioned himself alongside. "It'd be easier if I get you upright. I'll push you up, then you get your wing on me, alright?"
Meekly, Kaliani nodded, immediately regretting it as another pulse ran across her body. Carefully, she felt a bit of pressure against her side as the electric-type carefully rolled her over onto her stomach, and with that, she worked to lift her head up once more. Despite the throb of pain, this time, she managed to finally sit upright, her feet tucked underneath her. "T-Thanks." She managed to reply, "W-Where am I?"
The Electrike sat down next to her, bowing his head down towards her. "You're in Robinswood."
Robinswood… where was that again? Oh, wait.
"The frontier town?" Kaliani asked, voice getting a little bit stronger, if still feeling hoarse. She started to glance around for water, and noticed a bowl had been placed on a small wheeled table at the side of her bed. Seeing the flicker of water, she leaned over and scooped up some water in her beak.
"Yeah." The canine replied, "The big one anyway. Don't ask me how long you've been here, I've only just woke up."
"Woke up?" She asked after she swallowed down the water, feeling it soothe her throat.
"Yeah, I was… out of action for a while."
He tilted his head to one side, thoughtful eyes settling onto her, "So, what's your name?"
"Kaliani." She replied, feeling her body – and voice – strengthen as she shuffled on the spot. "Able seamon. You?"
"Zeke." He said, "Explorer."
Kaliani ruffled her feathers underneath the fluffy quilt she was sat in. "A Guild member?"
Zeke pulled a thin smile, "Pretty much. Not done much for them for a while though."
His smile faded away, his pupils widening as he tore his gaze away.
That was when the memory resurfaced, rushing through her so rapidly – so vividly – that the headache nearly caused her to collapse, a massive weight crashing down onto her head. The storm, the Daywalker, that pir-
"P-Pirates!" she cawed, trying to stumble upright, only to fail as her legs gave out and collapsed under her.
Zeke sprung back up to his feet, eyes widening in shock, "Careful! You were hit with a really powerful Thunderbolt! A-At least that's what the doctor said."
Groaning, the Trumbeak shook her head and managed to push herself up. "Doesn't matter, got to tell someone… my crewmates…"
"The guild already knows!" Zeke countered with a hiss, eyes narrowing at her.
Kaliani froze, the quilt having rolled down her back to expose her sore body, "T-They do?"
Zeke nodded, "From what I heard. And even if they didn't, you're not in any state to move around."
Shakingly, the avian settled back down, using her wings to stop herself from collapsing entirely. She must have said something before she passed out. She had a vague memory at the back of her mind, it was unclear, all foggy, but she could just remember saying something to someone. What exactly? She had no idea, but it must have been about the pirates.
Looking away, the canine sighed, "I know it's hard, not being able to do anything for your team, but the guildmaster here doesn't seem bad. I think he'll find a way to help them."
He shivered, "He's got a better chance with your guys than mine."
Frowning, Kaliani clicked her beak as she looked back over at him. The Explorer's head was bowed downward, his eyes squeezed shut, as if trying to hold back something painful from deeper within him.
"Hey…" she started reaching a wing towards him, "I'm sure this guildmaster can help your friends out. I know my captain would do the same."
"My friends are probably already dead." Zeke quietly replied, eyes still shut.
A pang revelated through her ribs at the rather blunt answer, and the Trumbeak couldn't help but recoil an inch. She signed on as a sailor accepting the possibility of death, but even then, she didn't want to give up hope that her fellow crewmates had survived. For Zeke to write off what she could only guess were his fellow explorers…
Shaking herself loose, she shuffled up next to him. "I don't know what happened to your team." She started, "But if you are sitting here right now, then your team must be alright. I've seen some… lax crews, but your Guild teams don't tend to be lolo. They'll be fine. You'll get to see them again."
She could feel the warmth radiate across from the Electrike as his eyes flicked over towards her. "I appreciate the thought." He said with a small smile, "I'm just being a realist."
Kaliani tilted her head over in the most relaxed fashion she could, even as she felt a weak, aching wave rolled through her neck. She understood what he meant about that. But still, her family back home had instilled in her the will not to give up. It got them through Dark Matter, and some other incident she couldn't quite put her feather on, but it was there.
Softly groaning, the Electrike rubbed his forehead with his paw. "It's just these damn memories. I don't recall anything that happened in the Mystery Dungeon! Just walking in and then…"
He shook his head, which only bolstered her desire to try and work through whatever issues he had. Afterall, if a member of the crew had issues, it was something that needed talking through.
"Well." Kaliani started, "What do you remember then?"
Zeke shook his head again, "You want to hear through that? Theres not much to say."
The Trumbeak merely shrugged, "Hey, it's a starting point. Baby steps."
Your gaze flicked between the passed out Scorbunny and the paperwork that were scattered across the table. The fire rabbit's face was pressed into the open page of one such book, its title hidden from view.
After what had happened between him and Alice, you had been compelled to stay closer than ever. Part of you also wanted to go elsewhere. To check over Alice. Or someone else entirely, but in the end, it was that focus on Sam himself that had won out.
You could feel the shadow's presence moments before it arrived. "I sensed the argument when it happened." It explained, settling itself into place next to you. "Not exactly the finest reveal. Then again, most of the humans who have came before Sam here revealed their identity much earlier than he has."
Bewildered, you felt… stiff… as you turned towards the dark shape of the shadow itself, a single blue light poking out from it. "Yes. I was aware of the other humans that have come to this world. One of which rather… too well."
The shadow drifted away from you to have a closer look at the Scorbunny, the former human's chest slowly rising and falling. "No doubt he'll be trying to make sense of who and what he exactly is. And by extension, the other humans of the world. At least, the information that is written knowledge. I only know of a handful of humans, and given what some have experienced… some of that knowledge is best kept hidden from the masses."
You found your gaze settling onto the shadow. Wondering what the future would hold in store for Sam now. What exactly he would have to do. Or what would come next…
"That much is the question." It rested a shadowy hand on the table, the blue light focused on you. "I can tell you this much. Every human that has come to this world before has always faced a great calamity. Sixteen years ago, that was the meteor. Six years ago, Dark Matter. The danger gets greater every time, and I have genuinely no idea what is coming next. But Sam will have to face that threat in time, and I fear if we can't find a way to make amends with Alice… I fear it won't just be them in danger. But the rest of our world too."
Even as the thought emerged, the Shadow was one step ahead of you. "I'm afraid there isn't much we can do with Sam and Alice's partnership. That is something that only they can solve themselves. I hope."
The light brightened, "What we can do is try and work out what this new threat is. If Sam's dreams are any indication, as well the hints we have received so far, there has to be a tie to the Guardians of Balance. You do recall do you? The warriors who once inhabited these islands? The ones who went into the ancient Mystery Dungeon of Broken Wood? Something befell them. And if we can work out what happened to the Guardians, I'm positive we'll find clues that with give us a better picture of what is to come. And potentially help Sam here in the process…"
Something creaked, and the shadow's gaze drifted towards the source in the dark room. "We'll have to continue this discussion at another time. But we must be ready for any information as we come across it. Stay close."
The shadow disappeared from view, and you quietly pulled away just as Jack fluttered by, taking in a pair of deep breaths before hovering next to the sleeping Scorbunny. "H-Hey. Sam." He whispered as he shook his shoulders. "Wake up, com-"
Sam woke with a start, jerking himself upright hard enough for the blurry world to spin. "W-What?" he uttered, whipping his head round in an attempt to wake himself up. "J-Jack? He managed to say. "What… what time is it?"
Jack hovered over to his left-hand side, fiddling with his fingers as he looked over the Scorbunny. "It's nearly midnight! I've been trying to find you for hours! What happened with you and Alice? Are you still…"
His words to teetered off as Sam slid down his seat, eyes squeezed shut, a tightness in his chest forming. The pain of that argument still too raw to even speak about.
"Oh… oh…" Jack started, "Look. I don't know what happened between you two, but it's-"
"Not as bad as it looks." Sam growled, opening his eyes, "I might as well have burnt down every bridge imaginable." He thumped his leg hard enough for the chair to quiver, "You didn't see the look on her face Jack… how hurt she was that I kept quiet about what I am. That I was still wanting to keep quiet about it. And the truth is she's right. I should have told her sooner." His hand shivered in place, digits clenching into a tightening fist. "I shouldn't have hesitated in telling her."
"Hey, hey." Jack started, touching down on the table and resting a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Just give her some time. Let her process it. I'm sure she'll come around."
Sam shook his hand loose, uncomfortable with the contact. Yeah… I'm not so sure about that.
Jack's gaze drifted towards the open books and paperwork scattered across the table. "What have you been looking at then – wait a second… isn't that…"
He leaned forward, eying the drawing of what appeared to be a fireball falling through the sky, plummeting to the earth.
"…the meteor? Why are you looking at that?"
Rising to his feet, Sam narrowed his eyes at the image. "I've been trying to work out what the other humans have done here." He replied, "I mean, your guys? Team Warden?" He tapped the image of the meteor in the book. "They not only got chased across the entire Air Continent, they had to fight a literal sky dragon god to get him to blow up that meteor! To save the entire damn continent from becoming a molten pancake!"
His voice began to rise, the fire beginning to ignite in his chest. Jack took a step back, shivering on the spot. "L-Look." He started, "You might be reading-"
"And that was on top of fighting legendries every other day." He leaned forward, shoving the book aside and shuffling through the other papers. "What else then? Lets see here, ha!"
He pulled out another book, opened up to show a drawing of what looked like an intricate mechanical gear. "Team Relic? They had to fight more legendries, and deal with stuff like time stopping. Fucking time! And that's before getting dealing with bad futures and nightmares? Nearly dying dozens of times too!"
"S-Sam…" Jack tried to interrupt.
"Team Heart!" Sam exclaimed as he snatched a single sheet of paper, "Took some time to work out they had a human too. This Bittercold. Wasn't a Pokémon. Ran on negative emotions and literally smothered Pokémon to death by just being near them! And let's not even get started with Auraflame and Dark Matter…"
Sam jumped as Jack's foot slammed into the tabletop, the Butterfree glaring at the Scorbunny with his darkened red eyes. "You need to calm down." He stressed, "Reading through all that stuff now isn't going to do you any favours."
The Scorbunny bared his teeth, thumping the table with his fist. "Well, what do you expect me to do?" he snapped, "I've found myself stuck in this world with absolutely no idea how or why I'm here!"
That managed to silence the bug-type again, Sam's skin boiling as he struggled to restrain his temper. "All I know is I keep hearing this damn voice in my dreams telling me I have to 'save' something. I don't have a clue about what I have to 'save'! For all I know I could be fighting an alien invasion! Or stopping the sun from blowing up!"
His body shaking, Sam's legs finally lost their strength and he slumped back down in his seat, puffing out a painfully deep sigh. "I just… I just want to know what I'm here for… that way I know what I'm dealing with. And hell, even if I did know, what could I do? I barely stopped Greg with help. I couldn't even do anything against Volcanion!" He let out a heavy sigh. "It's just… I might have the entire world resting on my shoulders and I can barely do anything. I can't afford to make mistakes…"
Sam squeezed his eyes shut, trying to slow his breathing and still his heart. He had spent hours pouring through what information he could find, trying to work out what the humans before him had done. But the deeper he dug in, the greater his despair had become. Chances are he wasn't just here for the heck of it. That 'saving' the voice in his dreams was talking about? What if it was the whole world?
How am I going to do that? And what am I saving it from? I've struggled so far… how can I take on the likes of what the other teams have done?
He barely noticed Jack's hand resting back onto his shoulder, and this time, he couldn't bring himself to shake it loose. "Sam… I can't say much on the other teams, but Team Warden started off the same way as you did. They were barely able to fight off another team themselves, and only just survived against legendries early on too. It wasn't all just plain sailing for them."
Sam opened his eyes to look over at Jack, the Butterfree keeping his eyes onto him. "I know you'll get stronger, just like they did." He continued, "And we can help you get there. I know we can. But if you let this get to your head, it's only going to make you feel worse man."
"Then what should I even do?" Sam questioned, weakly looking over towards the Butterfree. "With something like that or worse that could be down the road?"
Jack narrowed his eyes, "Don't think about it." he said firmly, "Focus on what you can do now. Not for something in the future you don't know about. Sorting things out with Alice would be a start."
Softly sighing, Sam thumped the table. It was difficult for sure. He had spent so much time researching and working out the activities of humans like himself, it had drawn his attention away from everything else that happened. Alice in particular had just been too… painful.
But… I've just traded one kind of pain for another. Shit, Jack's right. I can't keep cooped up like this.
Pushing himself away from the table, he finally tore his eyes away from the paperwork. "Yeah… you're right. I need to focus on what I can do now."
"Exactly!" Jack exclaimed, hovering back before him again. "I mean, we can start off with Alice. Then… well, we can talk about who else to tell this about. Like I said, I think the rest of Team Spirit will be fine to tell, and Rex too. Or hell, you can just tell me more about this 'Voice' you were talking about."
I suppose that makes sense. To be honest, I wonder if Esper was able to sense anything about me being human. I mean, she is a psychic type. And who knows? Maybe the other humans had voices in their heads too.
Dropping down the floor, Sam adjusted his jacket, "Right, let's focus on Alice. Then we can-"
The boom pounded at his ears hard enough for him to jump up with a jerk, the floor quivering beneath his feet. Over his shoulder, paper rustled.
The heck!?
He spun around towards the Butterfree, the bug-type's eyes glowing brightly. He had noticed the boom too.
"Jack, what the hell was that?" Sam asked, feeling the adrenaline slowly flow in at the building tension.
"Nothing good." Jack stated, his tone deepening. "Come on, sounded like it came from below."
The two abandoned the desk and shot through the library, bypassing the rather confused looking Henry and the few other Pokémon inside through into the corridors. As they rushed towards the elevators, they came across one of the windows overlooking the town. Instinct took over, and Sam scurried over, trying to peer down at the scene below.
He froze immediately.
"Sam?" Jack questioned firmly, "What is it?"
Sam had a good view of the town square from above, even in the dark. But he could make out the gaping hole in the side of one of the more far-flung buildings, the orange flicker of flames erupting from it. A building he had only been in once before. When he had first arrived.
And the same place where two key individuals were being kept in.
"It's the clinic…" Sam uttered, "Something's happened at the clinic!"
Zeke sat on the other end of the bed, his eyes closed and head bowed. "I remember… walking down the steps towards one of the Dungeon floors… I'm not sure which one… I was in the middle of the group. Rachel was taking point…"
Kaliani sat opposite him, having recovered enough strength to get herself fully sat upright. They had been talking for the better part of two hours. Kali had learnt about some visualisation techniques that she had learnt from a psychic-type back home, so she figured it made sense to try and put them to work.
And so far, progress has been slow. But steady.
"What was at the bottom of the stairs?" she quietly asked, keeping her gaze focused on him.
The Electrike's brow tightened. "I remember… a cold room. The walls were neat stone bricks… and there was only one tunnel out. We… we started walking through it."
"And what was that corridor like?"
"It was… it was…"
Kaliani tilted her head as she watched Zeke shuffle on the spot, the canine grimacing. "Take your time." She quietly stressed.
She watched as Zeke's lips twitched, as if he was trying to focus his attention on some particular detail. Finally, with a snap, he opened his eyes and shook his head madly from side to side. "It's no use." He growled, "I can't remember what's at the end of that tunnel! I know we made our way down a few floors before the dungeon broke up and we're all fine but…"
She leaned forward, pushing a wing out towards the Electrike. "Just take a deep breath." She said, "Have some water, we'll have another go in a minute."
A faint ring echoed through the room, and Kaliani's eyes drifted towards the sight of the Chingling making her way through the door. Her eyes widened as they settled on the two patients, her little hands lifting up. "H-Hello there! I didn't know you were awake! I can come back and sort things out later if you want-"
"A'ole." Kaliani replied, "It's fine. We're just trying something."
Beaming just a little bit, the clinic assistant hopped across the room, ringing all the way. With that noise clinging away in her head, Kaliani turned her attention back towards the explorer. He had lapped up a little bit of water by his side. "Are you okay?" she asked.
Sighing, he shook his head. "Not really. I just don't know what the hell happened to cause my memories to go like this…"
He thumped the bed with his paw, "Damn it, why is it so hard to remember!"
Zeke hissed as he breathed in. Any other person might have shivered from nerves, but Kaliani forced down the shiver away, and instead, she shuffled forward again, reaching out with her wing and letting it connect with his shoulder.
The Electrike didn't pull away from the contact.
"Then forget about the cause." Kaliani replied, "Maybe focus on what you can remember. Look for details in those."
Zeke opened his eyes, his gaze settling on her. "When did you learn to be so patient?" he asked.
"Dealing with greenmons on the ships." She explained without hesitating, "Plus dealing with far too many younger siblings and cousins."
Zeke let out a warm chuckle, suddenly looked that bit more relaxed. "Well, it's been good practice. Means you can deal with me."
Kaliani could feel the warmth rush to her cheeks, the Trumbeak turning to look away from him. "Thanks… lets… err… focus on those memories again. You ready?"
Sighing softly, if a little more gently, Zeke leaned back and let his eyes drift closed. "Ready."
Letting out a faint whistle, she turned back to focus her attention on him. "Okay. Let's start off with the corridor. What does it look like?"
"It's made of grey brick." He started, letting out a slow breath. "Like the rest of the rooms. The floor is smoother… dusty but smooth. Like it's been filed flat."
"How do you feel?" Kaliani asked, "About the corridor?"
"Nervous… dizzy… the tunnel ahead is dark… darker than any other part of the dungeon."
"Do you normally carry something that can light up dark places?"
"No… yes…" Zeke replied with a little zip in his voice. "Adam would… yes. He pulled out a Light Wand. I can see further ahead."
"And what can you see there?" she asked, feeling a faint hit of euphoria at the new progress.
"More grey brick for the walls… we're moving down it… and it seems to be going on forever. We've not found another room yet."
"And any changes?"
"No… but it is getting… colder… and quieter too… I can't hear my footsteps anymo-wait…"
The Electrike stiffened, and instinct took over as the Trumbeak leaned forward, placing a feather onto his front foot. "W-What is it?"
Zeke shivered, "There's… a light… a green light coming from down the tunnel… it's faint but… wait… it's starting to get brighter…"
Kaliani's mind was starting to throw out dozens of ideas of what could be happening. At first anyway. Now, there was an acute feeling of something else.
A flicker of fear?
I don't know much about Dungeons… but I'm sure green lights in the dark isn't normal.
She brushed her wing along his shoulder. "A-Alright, let's take a break Zeke…"
"It's so…" Zeke was whispering, eyeballs visibly moving under his lids, "Bright… I feel… drawn to it.
"Come on Zeke…"
"Like it's… calling me. I can just reach out and touch it…"
Her heart racing, Kaliani shook him carefully by the shoulder. "Zeke-"
The Chingling hopped towards them, a big smile on her face. "I've got some extra-"
Zeke's eyes snapped open, glowing a dark, malicious emerald green.
The next thing Kaliani saw was the flash of teeth.
The next thing she heard was the scream of the Chingling.
And Kaliani screamed herself as the blood splattered across her face.