For those of you reading, I would like to hear your reactions. It's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster.
As blood pumped into his heart, Brock felt a predatory urge swell within him.
With powerful legs and keen senses, he didn't fear one bit of the descent into the old mine. If anything, it brought a certain revelry in his own strength. His eyes, built to absorb light as efficiently as possible, made it seem like the dark mine was bathed in dim moonlight.
Even despite that, his more logical mind quickly assessed the situation; both sides of him wanted victory, but charging in was suicide.
The mine itself consisted of several tunnels that ran beside one another, with various rooms serving as junctions and hubs. Because of a lack of elevators and train tracks, the mine sloped gradually downwards. Paths crisscrossed in a chaotic manner, with progress measured in how deep they went. Enough light existed for most nocturnal Pokémon to see where they were going from the scattered lamps.
The team's resources mostly consisted of healing potions and snack foods. Weapons were allowed, too, but Misty only had her wooden mallet and Pikachu had his Light Ball. While their training had mostly consisted of fighting off in one-on-one combat, everyone had already been used to working together if the situation called for it, even before everyone had become Pokémon.
Their opponents were Ghost and Dark-type, which gave them a natural advantage in both stealth and perception, but the rules of the Dojo forced them to operate from patrols and lookouts. As added complications, traps and valuable supplies were scattered about in each room. It was impossible to avoid danger completely, but the challenge of the Dojo emphasized that the challengers managed resources and selected which fights they could take and win.
Wordlessly, Zubat hovered over to her trainer and turned to look at the middle cave.
Because of the danger of being found out, speech was kept to a minimum.
"We're taking the middle path," Brock ordered, trusting his Pokémon's advice.
"You sure?" Ash questioned.
"No splitting up, we won't reconnect if we do that," Zorua answered. "I've only done this from the defender's perspective and only when I was much younger. But I remember that the caves are a maze that is frequently changed."
That made sense. Zorua was essentially the child of a Gym Leader and when Brock was her age, he had spent a good deal of time learning the ropes of how to be a trainer from his parents.
"Follow my lead," Brock urged. In a normal situation, he would have ceded control, leadership to someone else. But, the urge to command, to use his wisdom to guide others, that… reassured him.
Ash looked like he wanted to complain.
"Okay…" There was no complaint.
Brock, Zubat, Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Staryu, and Zorua walked the middle path and soon found themselves in a flat chamber consisting of several exit ways across multiple levels, all connected to each other through a central hub tower that dominated the center of the chamber. Four Poochyena and a Mightyena swept the tower, barely visible even to Brock's keen senses.
"I see opponents up ahead. Their species has good hearing and a strong sense of smell. We pass by them, they'll find our trail," Brock told everyone else. "We have to take them out."
"I see something up there!" Ash pointed to faintly visible posts that were scattered throughout the room. From there, they could easily ambush the hounds from above.
"How can you guys see so well?" Misty muttered.
Ash smirked. "You don't have night vision and I do!"
"Quiet, Ash!" Pikachu hissed, leveling a glare at his trainer.
"We'll need bait, something to lure them." A predator's thoughts filled Brock's mind. Innately, he understood that dividing the attention of his prey would leave them open. "Staryu, I'm going to ask you to make a light in the distance to draw them away if you can. The rest of us will ambush the path towards the light. Zubat, I want you to be our eyes."
"Consider it done," Staryu offered a barely audible sound.
"Hm, I wish I had eyes," the bat offered a weak giggle. "But I can be yours, I guess."
"Now, Ash you take that one over there. Misty, focus on that one. Zorua, you have the last Poochyena. Pikachu if they group up, you're free to attack them to let the other approach. As for me, I've got my eyes on the big one. Staryu, distract them, then we'll go on the attack on my mark." Brock didn't have too much practice at stealth, yet his padded feet were naturally designed to cancel noise. He found an overhanging ledge to wait over.
Ash, Misty, Zorua, and Pikachu went unseen as they climbed lamp posts or hid behind them, whilst the rest disappeared.
On time a light flickered in the distance.
The patrolling hounds all saw it at the same time.
"One of you, search that location!" Mightyena barked.
One of the Poochyena did as was instructed.
Brock slightly moved his position as he went closer and closer to the large dog. The Lycanroc knew his leap wouldn't have been enough to close the distance, but that was good enough.
The Rock-type charged, filling his body with silver light.
The Mightyena turned his head, but he wasn't fast enough.
Brock dashed into him and sent him to the floor. Mightyena rolled out his back, his legs pushing against the Lycanroc's body.
The rest of the ambush sprang into action, with Water Guns and Thunder Shock impacting two of the Poochyena. The blue flames of a Riolu's Force Palm struck the one who went to observe the light.
Invigorated, Brock's jaws went against the Mightyena's shoulders as he dug in.
"Got… me!" the Mightyena whined. "Got… us…"
One of the Lycanroc's eyes moved to meet the other canines. He couldn't speak properly with his mouth still biting down. All he managed to do was growl threateningly.
"We surrender… No harm done," the Mightyena told the young pups. "Come on kids, let's go back to your mother."
"Aw!" complained one as broke away from fighting Misty.
One of the other ones dragged the remaining pup, who got knocked out.
Breaking away from the bite, Brock nodded his head and let the four canines retreat together. This was not a fight to the death, just… an extended game.
The group reformed around the Lycanroc, everyone satisfied with the. Brock, especially, felt invigorated as he hoped to do that again… He then reminded himself that he needed to keep his emotions in check.
"That was easy," Pikachu shrugged.
"This was simply the first challenge," Zorua said. "Come, we have to venture deeper."
"And keep quiet," Misty reminded them.
"This way," Zubat suggested one of the exits, the lowest tunnel, near the bottom.
The Lycanrock dashed forwards. The tunnel seemed to stretch a fair distance with minimal twists and turns. They crossed enough distance that Brock wondered if this was going to lead to a dead end.
Near the end, there was a split in the path, with an offshoot at the side.
"Which way?" Brock questioned Zubat
The bat turned to look at the offshoot. "It's a dead end, but I think there's… a box ahead. A treasure chest, maybe?"
"We should loot it!" Ash told the others. "It might have something valuable!"
"Or a trap, Ash," Staryu reminded. "Best not risk it."
"At most, it'll be simple medical supplies and we have plenty," Zorua reminded.
Ash made a frustrated look, but didn't push the issue again.
Instead, Brock continued to lead the way forward and into the next room.
Larger than the previous chamber, this room consisted of a number of small, wooden house-like buildings of different sizes and shapes. Perhaps, when the mine was functional, it served as a hub for Pokémon to gather. Either way, there was no route that didn't take them through overlapping patrols. Duskull patrolled the room with their eyes glowing like searchlights, their gaze broken only by the buildings. Three Cacturne holding lanterns barred most of the exits.
"There's too many of them for us to safely take out all of them," Zubat said.
"Then we don't. We take out one of the Cacturne as discreetly as we can and then make our way out," Brock instructed.
"Can we even do that?" Misty questioned. "I mean most moves aren't exactly stealthy."
"Plus, there's all of those searchlights," Ash brought up.
"Their senses are duller than the hounds'." Zorua provided. "That's why they need light."
"Zubat?" Brock intoned.
"I think I see a way through this!" Zubat said. "Give me a second!"
"Go ahead," the Lycanroc ordered.
Zubat flew into the darkness, while the rest of the group hid in gloom, positioning themselves behind the scattered crates. The poisonous bat returned a few moments later. She landed on Brock and whispered in his ear. "We can cut through inside some of the houses and get to one of the Cacturne."
Brock nodded. "Lead the way."
Zubat flew over and into one of the nearby buildings through an open window. Brock, Zorua, and Pikachu leapt in, but the oncoming light of a Duskull patroller caused Ash and Misty to shake.
"Hide," the lupine hissed.
Misty and Ash promptly dashed behind the same container, knocking their heads at one another in jolt
The two looked like they were about to head into a very typical verbal argument before Brock reminded them. "Knock it off!"
Ash and Misty struggled against each other in their hiding spot. Staryu leaned against a wall while his hard body took on the appearance of wood.
The Duskull flew by them, not even noticing
Brock had to restrain himself as the urge to ambush bubbled inside him.
Eventually, the Duskrull left and that let Ash, Misty, and Staryu cross.
Zubat led them through once again, narrowly avoiding getting caught in the searchlight of another patrol.
Everyone else had to move one at a time to make it to the next building and then the next one thereafter.
Finally, at the end, they found themselves in a room where some Ghost-types were situated around a table, playing a card game. A Litwick served as the light source. Brock idly wondered if it was this part of the scenario or if they were just goofing off.
They passed through another Duskull patrol and the group then found themselves at the outer edge of the chamber, just a stone's throw away from one of the Cacturne guards.
Once they got close, Brock noted something… off about it.
"It's… a fake," Brock said as he realized that the Cacturne he had been looking at was simply a scarecrow in the shape of a Pokemon. Even with his keen senses, he hadn't noticed how … ragged it was at a distance. Several brass bells poked from underneath over a cloth skin.
"Father doesn't have an endless supply of students to draw from," Zorua explained succinctly. "It has a proximity alarm enchantment, I think. Take too long and it will activate."
"What do we do about it?" Misty asked.
"Either we run past and hope we don't trip it, or we have to neutralize it very quickly without making too much noise," Zorua told them.
In other words, their options were to make a quick take down or simply run past and hope for the best. Brock pushed back a frown. "What do we have to do to disable it?"
"You have to destroy one of its activation runes along its upper body in a discreet manner. This is to simulate a stealth take down, albeit crudely," Zorua explained.
Brock licked his chops. He felt he was fast enough to knock out the fake guard; all he had to do was destroy a stone, and he could crunch on rocks.
"Right, then all we have to do is find one of those runes and destroy it!" Ash said as he went to go and do just that.
Misty grabbed hold of him. "You're not exactly quiet, Ash!"
The Riolu looked like he wanted to retort, but Brock silenced him before he could jab back.
"Anyone else want to try?" Brock asked.
"I don't think I can chomp on it without breaking a tooth," Zubat lament.
"Quiet is not my strong suit either," Staryu provided. "All of my attacks would make too much noise."
"Then, I'll do it," Brock moved close to the dummy.
The Lycanroc narrowed his eyes onto the dummy. There was a faint glinting of something underneath its cloth skin, something shiny that was distinct from the golden bells. He knew his jaws were simply too massive to reach the object without knocking over one of the bells.
So, Brock decided to use a move that he had recently started working on. A dim, crimson glow surrounded his right claw. With his sharp eyes guiding him, the Lycanroc's Crush Claw sank into the back of the Cacturne's head. It passed through the canvas covering, just as the stone inside started to glow red.
But Brock was faster. His claws reached in and he crushed the stone like it was paper, and the fake Cacturne became nothing more than an inert statue. The bells on its body chimed only faintly, not enough to alert anyone else.
When his deed was done, he retreated into the cave, urging everyone else to make a break for it as well.
"That was awesome!" Ash congratulated him.
"Not bad," Misty agreed.
The others similarly made their own compliments as they all walked deeper into the cave.
Brock felt satisfied with his victory over the training dummy, but he still felt it would have been better if could have bitten the Cacturne's head clean off… Then, the Lycanroc wondered if having these thoughts like this was healthy.
"Congratulations on meeting the halfway point!" shouted a voice.
Everyone nearly leapt into panic before realizing that the speaker was right in front of them, illuminated in the lamplight.
"Whoops! Sorry!" said an Audino who bore a lantern. "I'm not supposed to interfere and all, but I couldn't help myself."
"Be more careful!" Misty reprimanded.
"If we are caught here, it would be your fault!" Staryu interjected.
Brock made a groan. If this was back home, that would have counted as outside interference and might have had caused the entire match to be null and void. On the other hand, he couldn't imagine a gym back home doing anything quite like Tanzanite had achieved. Even Koga's Gym was nowhere near this involved.
"Sorry, it's just. I just got out of my apprenticeship and…" the Audino put a hand over his mouth and gave them an awkward wave of his free hand.
Seeing no point in dawdling any further, Brock led the group further downwards into the mine.
Yet, even as they went further down, the tunnels became yet another crossroads. Only distant lights illuminated the options.
"Which way is the right way?" Ash brought up.
"I wish I could answer that, but the tunnels between each room are altered every few Moons," Zorua answered. "Just so no one can just simply know what route goes where."
That sounded like a herculean effort to redesign the floorplan every few months. Maybe they actually had the same floor plan, but sealed off entire sections behind stone walls to save on construction time. It would have been tedious if they had to completely excavate and seal off tunnels every few months, and that was ignoring the fact that it sounded geologically unstable.
"Zubat, echolate our path and then go and search for our way out."
"Got it!" the bat replied as she made a high pitched shriek in the direction of one of the paths.
However, within a few seconds, Zubat drooped down slowly. "Uh-oh…"
"Zubat?"
"Right, uh," Zubat didn't even bother to keep her voice low. "Turns out, Dojos… don't actually care about what types they use."
"Meaning?" Brock spoke in a serious tone.
Instead of answering, two Noibat swooped past the group as it darted down one tunnel, while the other went in the direction the group came from. Pikachu and Staryu threw ranged attacks at them, but failed to take them down.
"Meaning, that I just pinged some bats and they're going to warn their friends!" Zuabt shrieked. "And that's only the ones that came this way; there's others out the other end!"
Startled realization swept through the group as everyone understood what had happened.
"This way!" Brock called their attention and directed his companions to go down the route that the bats did not go through. No one suggested others. The Lycanroc didn't know if this was the correct answer or not, but it was better to go where their foes might not have been alerted to their presence.
The cave started to narrow slightly, but up ahead, the light glowed brightly. The Lycanroc was invigorated at the sight. He dashed faster than anyone else in the group… only to feel a slight tension break around his legs.
Globs of something sticky rained onto him. Brock stopped moving as he came face to face with…. His father?
Brock's father, Flint, looked down at him with his squinted eyes and muscled body. "Hey there, have you seen my son?"
"I….I'm here!" Brock answered him. His tail wagged as he stepped forward. It had been so long since he had even seen his parents in a video call. To see his father now? That elated him, even with all baggage the Lycanroc had leftover from when he went on a long term journey. "It's me, Dad!"
"Huh, I didn't understand that, but thanks for trying!" said his father.
Brock's heart sank. His father didn't recognize him. Was it because he was a Pokémon? Maybe he had simply changed so much that he was…. Unrecognizable.
"But I can take you in, if you need a home!" Then his father brought his hand over to him.
Brock… didn't know what to do. But he missed his dad. He walked over….
And suddenly a Water Gun sprayed his father in the face.
Before the Lycanroc could even process what had happened, Ash knocked him away, just as soon as the earth where Brock stood exploded.
As the dust cleared, Brock's father was no more; instead, a large Golurk stood where he was, a massive fist embedded into the floor.
"What… what happened?" Brock stammered out, he had just seen his father.
"We should be asking you the same thing!" Misty complained as she dodged a giant boulder that flew at her.
"You got hit by a hallucinogenic trap!" Zorua answered. "The Dojo likes to make use of all sorts of traps!"
Brock shuddered. Had all of that been his imagination? At the very least, it meant that… the things his father said weren't true. They shouldn't be true.
The Golurk lunged at them with its massive fists.
Ash lunged forward, his fists ball up as well. The Riolu made the first strike… and passed through the living stone.
Golurk punched back and crushed the earth. Ash narrowly avoided the strike, shrapnel opening cuts in his fur.
"It's a Ghost-type, Ash!" Zorua and Misty called out at the same time.
"Wait, that is a Ghost-type?"
"I'm surprised it's not Rock-type," Brock muttered as he leapt at the animated earth.
His jaws extended, his teeth dug into the Pokémon's earthen arm. The taste of clay and pottery permeated his mouth, but to the Lycanroc, such sensations hardly bothered him at all as he clamped down further.
With its free hand, the Golurk slammed a fist against Brock.
The Lycanroc tried to escape by letting go of his hold, but he fell away too slowly and was thrown against the walls.
Before the animated construct could continue its assault, a surging Whirlpool surrounded it.
Misty and Staryu raised their hands in conjunction, trapping the powerful Pokémon.
The Golurk attempted to escape, but their combined efforts restrained its movement. Raising its fist, it began to channel lightning.
However, as injured as he was, Brock took the first move. Dark energies flowed into Brock's claws as he swiped them against Golurk's body. Even though it got him into the Whirlpool, the Sucker Punch connected and chunks of the golem's armor came off.
It responded by slamming its electrified fist into the Whirlpool. Brock, being so close, felt the electricity violently entering his body.
However, instead of being dismayed, the Lycanroc pushed through the pain and made one more Bite around the Golurk's neck.
The Golurk staggered back and fell onto its side. The construct did not get up and instead made an audible groan.
Brock panted as he nearly fell onto one knee.
"That… was tough," Misty groaned.
"You're telling me," Brock muttered as he pushed himself upward. His throat burned, his heart pumped, yet he found himself enjoying the outcome.
"We have to get going! I hear more of them coming!" Zorua called out as she ran forward. "I know this room; we're near the end!"
No one stopped her as went through the only other exit to the room. The rest simply followed.
They stopped in front of a pedestal with a simple stone with a glyph on its face.
"Ash, you have the biggest bag. I want you to take the stone," Zorua told him.
Ash gave no complaint as he shoved the stone in his green backpack. "Lu, RiRi!" Ash said.
Brock blinked, wondering if he was imagining things again.
"Zel Buizel!" Misty walked over to the boy and scolded Ash over something.
"Rio Rio Riolu! Lulu, lulurio!" Ash spat back.
That made Misty turn slightly red as she drew on her mallet and she might have threatened to smack Ash on the head. "El Zezuil!" she spoke back.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu laughed.
Brock shook his head. Somehow, he… no longer understood what the other Pokémon were saying. He brought a hand to his temples as a headache came on… and realized he had hands once again.
The… Lycanroc?... looked down at himself and found himself as he used to have been. He was simply a teenage boy wearing a familiar jacket, once again And yet, all of the sensations Brock felt, seemed alien to him now. He was covered in darkness, barely able to see anything. His sense of smell was so limited that the only comparison was being blind. Even the fact he no longer had hair or that he stood on two legs made him feel like this boy was not his own…
"Riolu. Luriolu?" Ash questioned as he walked up to the confused human.
"I… I can't understand you?"
"Bui?" Misty asked Zorua.
"Zorua. Zorua," the fox replied to her.
"Zel?" Misty continued.
Brock felt ill. He was human again, but his friends were not. As a result, he could no longer understand them. It was what he wanted, yet the thought of being… isolated, without being able to understand anyone else felt horrifying. "I… I don't know. I'm human again… I think..."
"Riolu?" Ash questioned.
Everyone else seemed confused.
Brock wanted to try to clear things up with them, but then suddenly, Zubat handed on his head, crawled over to his nose and… pulled at his nose hair?
The human boy blinked several times and noticed that he had whiskers. Humans didn't have whiskers, but many canines like Lycanrocs had them.
He looked at his hands as they morphed back into paws, the world shifting and changing as his perception lined back up with reality.
Brock was still a canine Pokémon. "That was… weird. I… hallucinated I was human."
"Your perceptions are still warped, that hallucinogen is still within your body," Zorua said.
"Can we do something about it?" Brock asked, a shiver went up his spine. He did not want to even think about what they implied.
"I think I have some medicine to counteract it," Zorua said as she went to reach her bag… only to realize she did not have it equipped. "Wait, where did my bag go!?" she shuttered.
Brock was about to help her look for it, just as claws struck into him and cut into his midsection.
The Lycanroc twisted his body to try to see the only attacker, but he wasn't fast enough.
A strike hit his head and the canine fell to the ground. The last thing he saw as Brock faded from consciousness was the image of a Zoroark bending down at him. "This is nothing personal," he told him. "But it is clear that your team will be lost without you."
Brock's eyes fell.
Misty spun to her rear just as she saw Brock go down.
Zorua's father looked at them all with a dispassionate expression, the same way one might objectively analyze a situation. He had just appeared from out of nowhere, without so much as a hint of his presence. How long had he been there, biding his time to strike? How easy had it been for him to take Brock out?
Misty shifted her body and unslung her mallet, taking it into her hands. Staryu flanked her side, his body becoming rigid in a defensive shield.
Ash, fearless as ever, leapt in front of everyone else, as Pikachu stood behind his trainer. Meanwhile, Zorua hung in the rear, with Zubat above her.
Zoroark, despite being alone, gave no indication of worry as he stepped over to them. That apparent fearlessness might have been a ruse, but Misty felt wary approaching someone so bold.
"I must congratulate you on your quick thinking and your aptitude in having come so far," he said in a relaxed tone. "However, this is where this contest ends. I ask you to submit and in exchange, you will not suffer any unnecessary harm."
"No!" Zorua said immediately.
"What she said!" Ash agreed.
"You heard her!" Pikachu snapped.
Even Misty felt like agreeing, but instead chose to take the initiative and summoned a plume of water around her as she glided forth, her hammer raised.
However, as Misty slammed her hammer into Zoroark's body, she simply passed through him, as if he wasn't even there.
The illusion shattered like it was nothing more than paper.
"Have it your way!" Zoroark snarled from behind her.
Before she landed, a clawed hand wrapped around Misty's foot and then slammed her into the ground.
The Buizel groaned as she struggled to get back on her feet. Were they just ragdolls to him? He just picked her up, like she weighed nothing!
Ash charged, his palms blazing as he drove forward to strike; Pikachu threw out a surge of electricity to the Sensei.
The Zoroark avoided them both, spinning his body like it was a dance.
Zoroark then picked up Misty by her leg once again and flung her at the two of them.
Pikachu dodged out of the way, but the water weasel flew right into Ash. Two rolled and collapsed
"Ow…" the jackal pup moaned.
"... Ash, did you really have to have such a hard head?" The Buizel staggered to her feet, her body aching.
"Just be glad I don't have the body spikes Lucario have," Ash reminded her.
"Fair enough," Misty agreed as she went to recover her breath.
Pikachu and Staryu tag teamed the Zoroark, throwing water and jolts of electricity at him. Yet they couldn't score a hit. The Dojo's Sensei dodged their attacks, sidestepping them with almost contemptuous ease. Zubat went in close, her teeth glittering in the dark; she tried to land a bite, only for him to simply step out of the way and throw a wave of shadows at her.
Zorua, at the same time, was trying to tend to Brock.
Misty knew they were outmatched. She'd considered herself competent, but Zoroark was something else. He alone stood against the entire team and he ground them down. They couldn't so much as scratch him! And even if they did somehow manage to win against Zorua's father, there was still a whole mine full of Pokémon just waiting for them.
"We have to run!" Misty called out.
"What?" Ash sounded confused.
"The victory condition is getting that treasure out safely!" Misty reminded him. "We can stand and fight, but that's not going to let us win."
The Riolu shouted, "I'm not leaving Pikachu behind!"
"Then don't!" Misty called out. "Staryu! It's time to pull a retreat!"
"Of course, Mistress!" the star shaped Pokémon called out. He spun his body once again and glowed blue.
Zoroark stomped a foot onto the ground and a wall of darkness surged out in front of him like a wave.
Misty grit her teeth and retaliated with a Water Gun, distracting the Zoroark just long enough for Staryu to have finished his move.
"Bubble Blaster!" A surge of bubbles burst out from Staryu's gemstone, propelling himself backwards like a rocket. It collided with the wave of shadows, detonating an explosion of suds and darkness.
For added assurance, Zubat let forth a series of high pitched shrieks in Zoroark's direction, so loud that even with Misty not being the intended target, she winced.
She wasn't sure if that was even enough to slow him down.
As they ran to escape, two Stunky blocked their original entrance. They sprayed a foul acidic cloud, forcing everyone back.
"This way!" Misty called out as she directed the others to follow another exit.
"I had to leave Brock behind!" Zorua cried. "He was out cold!"
"There's no helping it," Misty lamented. She would have preferred Brock to have been there to guide them, but Zoroark took him out specifically to prevent that.
They passed through another fork in the road, three separate paths were laid out for them. Misty went for one path, only for a large, red skinned crocodile to leap out at her. The Krookodile made a ferocious roar and went to bite at the weasel. Panicking, Misty formed an Aqua Jet to get out of the way and slammed her mallet into its face.
"Uh-oh!" Zubat cried out.
The Krookodile recoiled slightly, giving Staryu just enough time to form a Whirlpool around it.
"Hey!" the Ground-type complained.
"Thanks!" Misty then winced, then imagining if she had been bitten and slammed into a deathroll.
"I can't maintain it for long!" Staryu called out. "And more will be coming, no doubt!"
"Then we'll just have to keep moving!" Misty called out as she picked one of the other paths at random.
Within seconds, they ran into what looked like a mess hall, with three large tables and a variety of seats laid out in the room. No one was immediately visible, but that did not mean they were safe.
A sudden chill fell over the Buizel, like they had just run into a refrigerator.
As the group ran through, a fiery explosion erupted right by Ash
"What happened!?" Pikachu called out.
"There's… things on the floor!" Zubat shouted.
"There must be traps in this room!" Misty exclaimed.
"We can't exactly turn back now!" Staryu shouted as he continued to make Whirlpools behind him, all of them large enough to discourage meeting them directly. Though it was clear all of the strain was taking its toll. "I can only use Wondrous Whirlpool only so many times!"
"I think I see a way forward!" Zubat cried. "Follow me!" She flew close to the ground and made a snaking trail in between the tables.
Seeing no other choice, Misty and the others went to follow her along.
As Zubat went near the exit, three spheres of shadow engulfed her and sent her flying into a wall. She twitched slightly, before collapsing.
Three small mounds of sand formed on the floor, their pale blue eyes locking towards the challengers.
"Sandygasts!" Zorua cried out.
Misty threw a Water Gun right at them.
In response, the living sand castles scattered, their bodies breaking and reforming at an instant.
Shadow Balls came roaring back at her. She narrowly avoided most of them, but one clipped her arm. Deathly cold surged up Misty's body before a burning pain shot up. With the adrenaline in her body running down, the injuries she had suffered were making themselves known.
Zorua intercepted a Shadow Ball as it went towards Ash, making it dissipate harmlessly against her body. The Riolu took the opening, his claws gleaming brightly amidst the poor lighting as he struck at one of the Sandygasts. Meanwhile, Pikachu went to close the distance between himself and one of the other living sand castles, only for an explosion of frost and mist to detonate right from under him, blocking his line of sight. Several more explosions rocked the area, whilst Staryu's boisterous battlecry rang out as he threw Water Guns in every direction.
Misty leapt away with a grimace as a green glowing sphere zoomed towards her. She landed on her stomach and her head smacked into a small flat disk embedded into the earth. Panicking, Misty did the only thing she could think of and formed an Aqua Jet to rocket away from the explosive.
She darted away just in a nick of time to avoid a burst of slime. The Buizel rammed her body into one of Sandygast's… only for her to realize that the living sand blob held firm. It threw bits of itself into Misty's face, sand and mud caking her eyes. Blinded, Misty formed another Aqua Jet and rammed straight through the Sandygast.
Or at least that was the intent: Misty blew past it and knocked herself onto a table. Dizzily, she realized that something slick had covered her body. Wiping the sand from her eyes, Misty staggered to her feet.
The Sandygast she had been fighting prepared to make another Shadow Ball, only for Zorua to sneak up from behind and to bite into the sand. The Sandygast crumpled as it simply ceased moving.
Zorua spat out the dirt in her mouth. "Pft!"
As the dust cleared, Misty saw that most of her were still standing, but beaten up, all of them covered in sand and bruises. But there was little time to worry about that as there was no doubt someone would have heard the fighting. If they had another fight like that, even if Zorua had her medical supplies, they would almost certainly lose.
Making it to their exit was their only hope for victory, but even that seemed slimmer by the minute. Yet, they had to persist, not just so they could return home, but to help Zorua's dream come true.
"Come on, let's get going!" she called out to the others as they went to the only exit available to them.
They all followed her, limping along.
However, mid way through the tunnel, Misty came to an abrupt stop as she saw the gigantic spider web crawling with all manner of creepy crawly insects before her. She froze upon seeing it, imagining them crawling all over her fur and infesting it.
"Hey, Misty, why'd you stop?" Ash's voice rang out.
"Ash, can't you see right in front of- Aaagh!" Misty leapt backwards and into the walls. Before her was a gigantic blue beetle creature, flanked by several large insects. They were not like any Pokémon she had ever seen.
"Misty?" Ash's voice came from the beetle.
"Ash?" she asked the large insect. "When did you become a bug?"
"I'm not a bug…" said the giant beetle.
"She's hallucinating!" Pikachu called out.
Misty thought back to the fight with the Sandygasts. She did get covered in slime during that fight. Though, as she thought about it more, she felt a mass of tiny legs crawling all over her body. She shrieked.
"It's not real, Mistress!" Staryu called out to her.
"Staryu?" Misty blinked. He was the only thing in her world that hadn't turned into a terrifying bug monster. She looked all over her body as bugs crawled all over her. "I know it's… not real, but it feels like it is!"
"Misty," Staryu emphasized her name. "Just ignore it. We have to keep going." He went through the spider web like it wasn't even there.
Misty gulped. She broke away from the wall and walked towards the giant spider web.
The other bugs that her friends had become also passed through without question.
"Can't you…. Cut it down?" Misty shivered at the sight. Intellectually, she knew it wasn't real, but that didn't stop her mind from just… imagining herself being trapped in the web so that a gigantic bug monster, probably a Galvantula, could have a nice snack.
"Cut what down?" Staryu questioned.
"Misty, we don't have the time!" Ash spoke out. He extended a razor sharp bladed arm towards her. "Do you trust me?"
Misty shivered as she looked down at the… vicious, bloodthirsty blades the beetle had for arms; like a Scyther's blades, except somehow more cruel. Though Ash was right. They had very little time left. Could she trust a bug… if that bug was Ash? Ash may have been a bit of a kid, but he… he wouldn't do the disgusting things bugs could do.
With all of the effort in the world, she grabbed onto his claw. A surge of warmth flowed into her, a sensation like warm spring water flowing over her body. For a moment, Misty saw not Ash as Pokémon, but as that boy with spiky hair. She also had a vague notion that Ash saw her as well.
Then in an instant, Ash pulled her right through the spiderweb.
Misty panicked, trying to remove the web that had covered her body… only to realize she had nothing of the sort covering her. She was even rid of those bugs crawling on top of her.
"See?" Ash smirked.
Misty blinked several times, her eyes refocusing. She saw Ash as a Riolu once again. "What did you do?"
Ash blinked. "Do what?"
Misty stared. For someone who had trouble learning moves, even to this day, Ash had truly impressive potential for doing things by accident or on a whim. Then again, she wasn't a Riolu, nor did she train one; she didn't know the ins or outs of what Ash could do.
…What would happen once Ash learned to be fully in control of his powers?
"Mistress," Staryu called out. "I hate to ruin the moment, but we have to run!"
"Right," Misty shook her head. "We have to keep going."
Ash didn't complain.
Together, they walked into the next room, only to find it was the same one where they had ambushed the Mightyena and his family, only this time, the whole place was fully lit. That meant that the exit was just up ahead.
Yet, despite this. They saw one more obstacle that stood in their way.
"Father!?" Zorua spat out.
The Zoroark rose from a seiza position and turned to meet them. "For the time being, we have privacy, though at this point, most of the exits to this room are now under heavy guard."
Misty shivered, wondering if that meant that it was too late for them.
"Tell me, who told you how to leave Citrine?" his eyes narrowed in a scowl. "Was it Aspen, despite having given his word?"
"Master Aspen never told me about any of this!" Zorua answered back.
Misty froze, her eyes locked onto the Zoroark. She had very little understanding of what drove him, of why he had forbidden his daughter from even bothering to learn about the outside world. Yet, the completed Looplet on his wrist indicated that sometime in the past, he too had once gone on the same journey that they were on. "You did the same thing as us, didn't you?"
Zoroark turned to her. He raised his wrist and the Emeras on his Looplet glowed faintly. "... In the hundreds of years Citrine has hosted its tournament, how many victors thought to ask the unthinkable?"
The question hung in the air, its potential answers suffocating the room.
"I do not know the answer. Neither you nor we were the first to ask how to leave Citrine." Sensei Zoroark answered, his tone ice cold. "Outsider or native, there are those who wished to go to the world beyond these islands; some were even successful."
"Then, what's so wrong about learning about the outside? Other people do it!" Zorua spat. "I want to know!"
Zoroark scowled at her. "Daughter, for you in particular, the price is too high. Let these outsiders return from whence they came, but you who were born here, should not aspire to these sorts of things!"
"I don't care!" she spat. "I want to go! I want to see the world!"
"Yeah, doesn't she deserve the right to go on her own adventure?" Ash piped up.
The Zoroark stepped back slightly, as if those answers caused him to flinch.
Misty did not know much about him, but she felt that it wasn't simply apathy that drove him. If he didn't care at all about Zorua, he wouldn't have bothered to stop her… Maybe those Ariel comparisons were a bit too on the nose.
"I see," Zoroark said coldly. "Then, I will put an end to your ambitions here and now!"
Within the blink of an eye, Zoroark lunged at them.
Misty barely had the time to react, narrowly avoiding a darkness charged claw swipe. She thrust her mallet at him, only for the large Dark-type to catch it in his palms.
"You'll have to do better than that!" he snarled. And then he Snarled, letting forth a wave of sound that rang in Misty's ears. The Buizel recoiled back, dropping her mallet in the process.
Ash and Pikachu lunged right at the Zoroark, blue fire from the jackal's palms and electricity pouring from the rodent's cheeks. Zoroark met them both at the same time. He slammed his foot into the ground and formed a wave of shadows that threw them off.
Zorua threw a wave of glittering stars at her own father.
Though in that instant, the large Dark-type retreated into the tower, letting the stars bounce off its wooden frame. He stepped out and then, with his eyes glowing. Vines erupted from around Zorua, trapping her.
Misty, having regained her composure, dashed forward and lobbed several Water Guns in his direction. Zoroark didn't even bother to dodge. Instead, they went through him, causing him to pop like a balloon.
"A decoy!?" Misty shouted
A claw swiped at her back, sending her splayed onto the ground. Zoroark kicked her onto her back and was prepared to make one more attack, when Staryu spun into him. The Sensei recoiled slightly and made a hiss, while Staryu landed beside Misty.
Agonized, the Buizel struggled to stand on her feet. "This is… getting… nowhere." She observed as Ash, Pikachu, and Zorua fought the taller Pokémon. Her friends were exhausted and struggling to remain standing. It was only by their combined, relentless assault, that they had managed to keep him from taking them down, but they were reaching their limits.
"I don't think we could defeat him if we had our full strength." Staryu acknowledged as he offered one of his arms. "And we're at the tail end of this gauntlet."
"Then we just have to buy them time to make a break for it," Misty observed. She took her partner's limb and used it to help herself up.
"Indeed," Staryu agreed. "I am glad we get to fight together."
"We always did that," Misty told him with a wry grin. "I'm just more beat up than usual." The aquatic weasel drew her breath in as she made one final stand. She gave an order. "Staryu, Whirlpool!"
Staryu spun forward and hovered around over to the Zoroark. "High Speed Hydro Cage!" From underneath, a torrent of water poured from him and created a prison of water that trapped Sensei Zoroark within.
The older Dark-type made a snarl of frustration.
"You better go!" Misty called out to the other three. "We'll buy you what time we can!"
Ash blinked. "But Misty?"
"We'll be fine!" she called out. "Get out there and earn a badge!"
The Riolu stared blankly for a moment. Pikachu grabbed him by the paw and dragged him out. "Come on!"
Zorua followed behind them.
A wave of darkness threw Staryu back, breaking the Whirlpool. "Aqua Jet, Misty!" her starter cried out.
In that instant, Misty lunged forward with her Aqua Jet. Zoroark was taken by surprise and the blow hit him in the gut. The Dark-type staggered backward.
"Water Gun!" Misty called out.
Staryu pressed the attack and blasted the Zoroark with water. This time, the fox brought his arms to block the attack, though despite that he still was pushed backwards. "Use Double Hit!"
Misty compiled and made an in air backflip. Her tails smacked the Zoroark on the face. "Go for a Rapid Spin!"
Staryu complied, throwing himself at the Zoroark.
However, this time, the Sensei sidestepped the attack, avoiding Staryu's flyby.
Zoroark balled his fists and landed a solid punch against Staryu, throwing him into the wall.
"Staryu!" Misty cried out. In her fury, she closed the distance with her Aqua Jet to make one more attack… only for Sensei Zoroark to launch a sphere of shadows right at him.
Misty felt a deathly chill surround her body. Then all at once, her legs buckled as a numbness spread throughout her.
The water weasel crashed into the dirt. Her vision blurring, she tried to push herself off the ground… but her body was at its limit.
Zoroark looked down upon her.
"...Don't you… care… about her?" The Buizel managed to say before she fell onto the ground.
Misty's eyes fell.
Ash couldn't stop looking back as he watched his friends fight to the bitter end. When Misty and Staryu went down, he was tempted to go run back and save them. Yet, he couldn't just let their sacrifice go to waste. His two friends bought them precious time, just enough to make their way up the central tower and towards the exit of the room.
"Just a bit more! We're almost there!" Pikachu called out as he dashed beside his trainer.
Ash's legs burned as he drove himself to keep pace. Meanwhile, Zorua trailed slightly behind him. Yet, from out of the corner of his eye, Ash saw a glimmer of light, like a bristling star, race towards them. "Look out!" he shouted. Springing into action, the Riolu leapt forward and on top of his starter.
Above them, the walls exploded as though a cannon shot at it. Dust and debris blasted away at the site of impact, forming a dust cloud.
"What happened?" The Riolu shielded his eyes.
"That was a Focus Blast!" Zorua called out.
Ash's ears rang. As powerful as Zoroark was, Ash did not let that scare him in the least. Zorua deserved to live her dream, just as much as the Riolu followed his.
"We have to keep going!" Ash barked as he rose to his feet and went back to running. The exit to the room was just a stone's throw away now! Pikachu and Zorua followed close behind him.
However, just before the Riolu crossed the threshold, a great bird burst into the cloud of dust and landed right in front of him. "Going somewhere?"
Ash leapt backward to avoid one of its wings coming down on his head.
Pikachu threw a bolt of lightning at him, not hesitating for a moment. The bird's form shattered in a shower of sparks, revealing itself to be Zorua's father once more.
The Zoroark made a hiss. He opened his mouth and a jet of flames burst forth.
Pikachu leapt away, and Ash used the opportunity to close the gap and thrust a Force Palm at the Zoroark's direction. Yet, the Zoroark was not an easy foe. He used his longer reach to shove Ash back first and then swept his legs out from under him, knocking the Riolu away.
"Ash!" Pikachu called out for him. He ran over to his trainer's side, his tail covered in a metallic sheen.
With darkness infusing his claws, Zoroark batted away Pikachu's strikes, not skipping a beat. Zorua lunged from above, catching her father off guard. She bit onto his side, distracting him for a split second.
"Get off!" he hissed.
Ash used this time to stand. He then made one more lunge at the Zoroark, bringing his palms against him. The Zoroark blocked him using his free arm, but with Zorua maintaining a grip on his attention, Pikachu made another swipe with his Iron Tail. That was when the Zoroark suddenly disappeared entirely, his body becoming transparent before fading out entirely. Pikachu's attack connected with the ground, not doing any damage.
Zorua was hurled off her father and sent tumbling to the floor.
Ash for a moment thought that meant that the Zoroak had sent him running, only for a blow to strike him in the back. He fell on his face.
Pikachu went to assist him, only for the electrical rodent to be sent hurtling against a wall.
"Ash! Pikachu!"
"...Ow," Ash groaned.
"...You said it," Pikachu agreed.
Ash suddenly felt light, but as he rose he saw the straps of his backpack fall limply off his body.
He turned and saw the actual bag of his backpack as it was lifted by an unseen force and thrown some distance away. And with that, their chances of victory got even slimmer.
"This contest is at an end," Zoroark's voice rang from all around him.
"It's only an end if I give up!" the Riolu shouted. Just then, Ash felt his legs swept from under him.
"You cannot attack what you cannot see," the voice echoed.
Pikachu frantically discharged electricity at random, only for the rodent to be flung against the wall.
"Cease this resistance and you will not suffer for it," the voice seemed to come from below them.
"What do we do?" Pikachu called out as he struggled to stand.
"I don't know," Ash said, his eyes searching for any sign of the Zoroark. Yet, unlike with the Mienfoo he had fought just a month ago, he couldn't feel where Zoroark was. He gave off no feelings of any sort that he could pick up. All he could fear was the uncertainty and fear of the ones around him.
"...We may have lost this," Zorua's eyes watered as she kept her head down. "We're going to lose and I…"
Ash frowned. He knew that Zorua had wagered her following them against her father's wishes. And that if she lost, she would be prevented from fulfilling her dream. About the closest comparison he could make was if he bet his entire ability to be a trainer on a single Gym Battle. He wanted to say to her that they'd win, but… would that have made their defeat even worse if he made a promise that he couldn't fulfill?
Either way, Ash knew that he had to do everything in his power to win… even if it cost him.
"Why do you want to stop her so badly?" Ash spat. "Zorua dreamed about leaving Citrine!"
"My daughter has a foolish dream!" Zoroark's voice barked in the air. "It will bring her ruin to follow that ambition!"
"So, what?" Ash continued. Sometimes, people have said that his own dreams were foolish, that he would never live up to them. "Haven't you had a dream like that before?"
There was a pause in the air, a silence brought upon by the question. He did not know why, but Ash suddenly felt a slight tension in the distance.
"Pikachu, aim there! Thunderbolt!" Ash pointed at the direction
The Electric-type did not hesitate. He launched a Thunderbolt into the empty space. The bolt of electricity broke against nothing, as the faint outline in the shape of a bipedal vulpine was illuminated for a split second.
Zoroark shrieked before disappearing once again.
"Keep attacking there!" Ash pointed again, his senses picking upon a very faint glimmer in the distance. "And there! He's there!"
Invigorated, Pikachu did as was asked of him as he poured every once of electricity he had built up in his body and his Light Ball into ranged attacks. "Zorua, get the bag!" he barked. "We'll cover you!"
Zorua did as she was instructed to and ran to grab Ash's bag
Yet, Zoroark was not out of the count just yet. "My dream… was to fall in love."
"He's-" Ash nearly gave the order, but a searing beam of light came right at him.
He and Pikachu narrowly avoided the Hyper Beam as it cut burning indentations into the wall. Pikachu threw electricity at the source of the beam.
Zoroark barreled towards them, his claws extended. Inside of him burned a barely contained inferno, a mass of emotions that the Riolu had trouble discerning.
Ash brought up his wrists in a block.
Zoroark's strike drove him back a step at a time, his claws rapidly moving back and forth as they probed for a weakness. Pikachu made another swipe with his Iron Tail, but this time, Zoroark grabbed onto him and threw him against the rocky wall.
Ash managed to spit out, his own anger boiling, "Then why are you trying so hard to stop her? Shouldn't she follow her dreams, too?"
"Because not all dreams are the same," Zoroark cursed under his breath. He slammed the Riolu into the wall. "Anyone who leaves Citrine forgets their time here!"
Ash froze, the fire inside of him stifled by ideas he had never considered. He caught a glance of Pikachu staring at him.
"For an outsider, it would simply be a memory gap, their time spent in Citrine would simply be forgotten. But for one born here, whose every memory is about these islands, they would be rendered a blank slate," Zoroark hissed. With a claw, he raised the Riolu off the ground and against the wall. "And at the tender mercies of whoever found them."
Ash stared at his partner, at a loss for what to do with that knowledge. If he ever got back home, he wouldn't remember anything about his time here. Not fighting for his own Emeras with own paws, not being a Pokémon, not learning to cook… And worst of all, not remembering the time he spent with his friends, getting to know who they really were.
"...You're lying!" Zorua's voice called out from behind her father, a tremble in her voice. "That can't be the-the reason!"
"It isn't the only reason." Zoroark snorted. "Why but why lie, when the truth is more cruel? That's a lesson I taught you!"
Fear and doubt spilled over from Pikachu and Zorua; even Ash, himself felt himself wavering at learning this fact. Yet, the Riolu wanted to hope. He lifted his head and turned toward the spirit fox; she had his bag, she had the prize. "Zorua, keep going!"
"But…" She raised her voice.
"Get out of here!" Ash called out. "Go, get the Emera!"
Tears streamed down the fox's face as she went to run.
Zoroark turned his body in an effort to chase her, but the Riolu lowered his head and bit at the Zoroark's wrist. The tall Dark-type scowled and then threw off Ash.
The Riolu lashed out with metallic claws, drawing a small bit of blood, as Pikachu, too, used the last bits of his electricity to shock the Zoroark. The two of them together drew the large Dark-type's attention at a pivotal moment.
Zorua ran out, no doubt on her way to the exit right now.
Ash laughed as she left. Victory was in their grasp, not just the Emera either.
Zoroark snarled in rage and frustration. Ash felt the storm of emotions inside the fox reached their boiling point. Like a dam that had burst open, rage and frustration spilled through the cracks.
The Riolu did not have enough time to brace himself.
Zoroark slashed at Ash's belly, drawing blood. He found himself on his knees and the Zoroark kicked him down to the ground. Pikachu stepped between two of them. Zoroark's claws mercilessly struck at the rodent, sending him backwards.
"Pikachu!" the Riolu shouted. He tried to stand, but only instead managed to get his stomach off the ground. His vision blurred.
"Human," Zoroark's ice cold voice shook the Riolu's ears. "You should be more concerned for yourself."
Ash stared up at his opponent, feeling the Sensei's wrath pour out from him. His imagination created vivid scenes of what he would do to them, most of them involving those claws of his. How much anger did he bury? How much rage did he bottle away? The Riolu stood his ground, not letting the Zoroark's feels scare him.
"You… have to… run!" Pikachu stammered as he barely managed to walk over to the Riolu
The Zoroark looked over to them, his crimson claws glinting menacingly.
"I can't leave you behind!" Ash shouted at him. He managed to get himself on his legs, but running might have been out of the question. Maybe if he could pull off another Life Dew, he could heal Pikachu or even himself, but he didn't have the focus to… do anything else.
"Ash Ketchum, you stop right this instant! You can't do this to me! I can't watch you die again!" Pikachu cried, a tear dropping from his eyes. "I'm the one who's supposed to be beat up, not you! You're the trainer, I'm the one who has to fight! You are the one who has to stay safe!"
At that moment, Ash felt a shuddering ripple from Zoroark's aura. The Riolu ignored it.
"And it's not fair to have you the one suffering!" Ash shouted, as he struggled to get his feet under him. His mind flashed back to that rainy day with the Spearow. Trainer or not, Pikachu was his friend, even when they didn't like each other that much. "I don't want to see you hurt either!"
Pikachu glowered at Ash. "Don't make this difficult!"
"Ash… Ketchum…" Zoroark's frigid words distracted the two of them. "...Are you from Pallet Town?"
The Riolu blinked. He did not know if Zorua's father might have been an outsider like him, but even if he was, how did he know where his hometown was? He didn't recall anyone bringing up Pallet Town for… days, at the very least. "...Yeah, that's where I'm from," he answered back.
Zoroark looked at him very intently. He opened his mouth, seemingly to speak before closing it.
For reasons Ash couldn't understand, Zoroark's emotions flickered rapidly, all of them tinged with an incredible sadness and deepened grief. His burning rage and frustration were suddenly quenched by an ocean of… shame?
"Ketchum…Riolu… Pallet Town…Aspen…" he murmured under his breath as he counted on his digits.
"What just happened? Why aren't we being beat up?" Pikachu whispered to his trainer.
"I don't know, but he's saying something about my name." Ash didn't know what to make of it, but whatever it was, it made Zoroark stop fighting them.
The Riolu felt so tired, and it seemed like the battle was over now that Zoroark was so focused on something else entirely.
Maybe… maybe he could just rest.
"Ash?" Pikachu blurted out.
Ash felt his knees wobble as he fell to the floor, one last time. "I just need to… close my eyes…"
Zoroark leaned over to him. He made a sigh. "Why are you here?"
Ash's eyes closed. The Riolu didn't know what he was talking about.
With the remnants of Ash's pack on her back, Zorua ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Though she dreaded thinking of what suffering her father would inflict upon Ash and Pikachu, she did not want to let their sacrifice be in vain. She had only seen her father so furious once before, back before she had left Tanzanite the first time.
A green cat and a red reptile barred the way ahead.
Doubting that she could face both of them with the damage she had taken, Zorua did what was in her nature. With a small effort of will, the fox turned into a different fox, a Nickit.
"Halt!" cried the green cat.
"Who are you?" said the orange… lizard?
"I'm just a new initiate!" Zorua answered, using a young and energetic voice to sell the illusion. She had also gone through the effort of concealing Ash's backpack, rendering it as nothing but a small sack on her back; though as a result, the entire disguise was more fragile than usual.
"I don't recognize you!" cried the cat.
"Yeah, I just signed on. Still working on getting a name for myself," Zorua came up with an excuse. "I got bit by that Lycanroc earlier. That was awful!"
"... I heard from Mightyena that he's strong," said the lizard.
"Yeah…" Zorua emphasized a drawl. "Hey, can I go out and get some medical attention? I've got several bruises that need patching."
"Sure!" said the cat. "Go right ahead!"
"Yeah!" said the lizard. "I'm Fuecoco, by the way! I hope to see you again soon!"
"Same! Though, I'm Spigatito!" said the cat.
"See you again!" Zorua lied as she walked past them. She didn't have to feign an injury, not when she was both beaten and exhausted from the Dojo's challenge. No doubt that as a result of this, these two younger recruits would be given a stern talking to about how to stop disguised Zorua.
She walked down the tunnel and past the crossroads at the beginning of the cave. Several other Maiju were camped out there including that Krookodile: a final obstacle for anyone who wanted to escape.
Normally, challengers were expected to rush through and try to get out of the cave, or to tactically peel away defenders until they could safely cross.
Fortunately, Zorua knew how to play with people's perceptions. She took the guise of Sprigatito and limped out. Several of the checkpoint's guards looked at her oddly, but Zorua knew the best way to avoid suspicion was to simply act like you should be there. She passed by the fortified position by simply feigning an injury. No one bothered her beyond asking what kind of healing she wanted.
One second thought, maybe the whole Dojo needed to relearn how to spot disguises.
Then, as she hit daylight, the Zorua dropped her disguise, letting it evaporate away.
Several other Maiju stood outside at the entrance, most notable of all were the rest of her friends.
"Where's the Boss?" Squirtle spoke.
"And Misty!" cried Goldeen. "Is she with you? What about Staryu?"
"And Brock and Zubat?" Vulpix asked immediately.
Zorua shook her head. She dropped Ash's bag off her back and pulled out a simple glyph inscribed stone. There might have been incredible historical significance about it, but at that moment, she didn't care…
Nearby, the Mightyena they had faced earlier nodded his head and dashed back into the mines, no doubt to signal to Zorua's father that the contest was now over.
"...So, where are our… friends?" Charizard questioned, a notable delay when he said that last word.
"...I have no idea," Zorua answered truthfully. "At the very end, we ended up getting separated and everyone else gave me time to run." Away from her father. She made a sigh. "With the challenge over, they'll start pulling everyone out now that there will be no more fighting. The Audino will have given them adequate medical attention in the meantime."
That seemed to satisfy everyone else.
In the corner of her eye, other members of the Dojo gathered around the mine's entrance as others began to pour out.
First, were the ones who blockaded the first crossroad such as Krookodile. Then came others like Sprigatito and Fuecoco. An exhausted Pikachu stepped out after them. For a moment, Zorua wondered if others like Ash would do so as well.
Instead, a pair of Audino carried the Riolu out in a stretcher.
Zorua ran over to him, guilt stabbing into her heart. She hadn't taken much damage in the entire gauntlet, mostly because others did the fighting while she carefully and deliberately hid in the shadows.
"He'll be out for a while, I think," one of the Audino told her.
"He's breathing at the very least," Zorua observed. She wished she could have done something for Ash at the moment, but she had lost most of her potions when she lost her bags. And the rest of those were in her room.
Charizard kept his distance, but Bulbasaur and Squirtle had no such qualms. Dexter went to oversee Ash's condition as well. Misty and Staryu also came over, carried in by other members of the Dojo. Goldeen and Togepi ran over to them. Zubat came out, in the arms of one of the Audino. Meanwhile, three Audino carried out Brock. Geodude, Vulpix, and Onix moved to meet them, though the latter had to stay far away. Zorua wanted to help ease their pain, yet the next person who stepped out of the mines drew her attention.
Her father stepped out, his face like a cold mask.
Zorua fought hard to strangle her frustration. "We have defeated you father." Though, she did not feel proud of it, not with her… friends being beat up for it.
"You have," Her father plainly told her. "I shall award the Emera when the Bearer is awake to receive it."
"That is sensible," Zorua spoke. "And our wager?"
Her father turned towards Ash. "I'd prefer he was awake to see it."
"See what?" Zorua questioned. "And what do you want with Ash?" She turned a questioning look to Pikachu, but he just shrugged.
"I don't know either," Pikachu commented.
Father shook his head. "It's better we return home."
Zorua frowned. A part of her wondered if her father truly intended to go through with their arrangement and if he was simply postposing that meeting indefinitely. But she had to hope. "Very well."
After father had appointed one of the senior members to oversee the cleanup in his stead, he'd requested some wagons to take all of Zorua's friends back to her home.
The injured were stationed in the guest room and given soft mats to lie upon. Two of the Audino had opted to stay behind in the event they needed further care. None of the fallen had awakened yet, though it was expected that they'd regain consciousness within a few hours. The rest of Zorua's companions had opted to stay behind with the wounded. Yet, the spirit fox's thoughts were consumed by what it was that her father had kept hidden from her all her life. Was her mother really human, or was she just imagining those events?
Zorua had to know.
She was shaken from her musings with the arrival of her father. Her father took her to his room, which had remained fairly sparse and practical, with at most simple furniture dotting the floor.
"My daughter, your answers lie here," Father spoke to her as he moved the large mat that served as his bed. He pointed to a trapdoor from within the floor.
The young fox frowned, a small hint of worry over if this was a trap or not. Her father had in the past refrained from answering. Further, this wasn't how she was expecting to be told. "What is down there, father?"
"Memories," her father whispered in a pained tone.
Zorua stepped back, startled by his words. She expected more resistance instead of a direct answer. Then again, she hadn't known her father very well either.
"My daughter… I must ask that… , that you do not enter, least of all by yourself," he spoke once more.
"Father, I have to know," she answered.
Her father looked at her, an unplaceable sadness in his eyes. "I understand. You have earned the right to see it." He lifted the lid of the door, revealing a small, yet steep incline of stairs that led to a small door. From a pouch, he pulled out a glowing rock on a string and put it over Zorua's head. "Wear this, we'll need the light."
"We?" Zorua blinked.
Her father did not answer and instead simply dropped into the hole left by the trapdoor.
The young fox grunted as she leapt from down into the hole in the floor.
Father opened the door and turned to his daughter.
Without a word, Zorua stepped in.
The small chamber under her father's room contained within a surprisingly large number of objects, enough that it made the room above seem empty in comparison. Six clay pots stood at the back of the room, each a slightly different color. One bookshelf contained a number of tomes, yet its counterpart on the opposite wall featured strange human devices that Zorua could not infer the function of.
Yet, by far the most alarming thing in the room was the painting that hung over the clay pots. It consisted of no less than fifteen participants, most of which were at their most basic evolutionary state, with the large Venusaur being the most evolved member in the whole image. Zorua's eyes then shifted towards the two other Zorua in the image, a male with dark fur and a female with white, who wore a white wide brimmed hat.
"That's the old team," her father's voice commented. "And that's your mother when she was just a bit older than you are right now…" Father stared at the painting, his breaths heavy.
Zorua sat down, feeling the weight of the world pressing down at her. This had all but confirmed it, her mother had been human, if Ash's tendency to wear his hat was any indication. "Was she… like Ash?"
"Yes," Father answered. His claws shifted to a different portion of the painting, this time focusing on a Rowlet who stood by an Oshawot and a Cyndaquil. "You might not recognize your Master, but there he is, along with his oldest friends."
"He seems… so young," Zorua breathed. She knew that her Master knew her father, though she hadn't really known that they had known each other so long. "... Did Master know about my mother?" She frowned. "But if he did, why… hadn't he told me?"
"I forbade him," father said simply. "And he kept his word."
Zorua started to feel uneasy, like there was… something in that room that bothered her. Yet she couldn't explain what it was. Maybe it was post-battle fatigue?
"I… believe I now know why Aspen gave you to those humans," her father sighed. His claw moved over to the opposite side of the painting.
"Who are they?" Zorua observed two Maiju, one of them was a male Shinx who bore a cap not too dissimilar to Ash's. Meanwhile, the other Maiju was a female Riolu.
"The Shinx was a human outsider by the name of Red Ketchum," Father answered. "The Riolu bore the name Hanako. I believe they are your friend's parents."
Zorua gasped. "But…. how?"
Father held up his wrist and displayed his Looplet. "This once belonged to Red. We did as you are doing right now, gathering the Emeras so that you might have the right to compete to earn an audience with one of the gods."
He shook his head. "Some of us wanted to leave, others like your Master and his friends wanted wealth and prosperity for themselves. Your mother originally wanted to leave, however, her plans changed and she opted to remain behind. In the end, Red left Citrine, taking companions with him; Hanako opted to follow him."
Suddenly, it made sense why her father wanted to involve Ash. Though, it bothered her to think that she wouldn't have known any of this if she hadn't been out gathering reagents on the beach that day. This was too much for her to handle.
Zorua felt a shiver down her back. She was a spirit, she shouldn't have felt a shiver. "But where did my mother go?"
Her eyes turned towards the pots in the room.
Her father frowned at her.
The spirit fox felt afraid to approach, yet she felt like she knew the answer already. Those pots were cremation urns…
Something in her snapped, crumbling like a dam broke.
She turned to the painting once more and saw distantly familiar faces. She imagined some of the people there at later stages of their lives… and she remembered their ignoble deaths.
Zorua's vision blurred as the grief came back to her, as hot, cutting, and raw as the day they'd died. All at once, her father took her into his arms, which seemed to be running wet with tears.
Zorua choked on the weight of the memories.
And Zorua screamed, wailing as her world fell out from under her.
Some of you probably have loads of questions right about now. Let's just say that I've planned out some of these revelations really far back into Citrine's conception. As a result, you can find hints of of foreshadowing in early chapters.
Credits to Bobble for helping edit.