Decks Exist to Be Stacked

by LanguidWing

Clover is thrilled about the idea of embarking on a journey with her trainer through the idyllic region of Baraja. The Sprigatito has always been fond of him — a little too fond. But double battles are the norm in Baraja, so she might have to share her trainer's affection with teammates. Can she navigate the complexities of her heart while conquering the challenges of this land?

8. Three's a Crowd II

I slowly opened up my eyes, and the first thing I noticed was sharp pain. I couldn't even tell where it was coming from. My entire body hurt, really. My fur was horribly wet, and I could tell there were small specks of sand stuck in it. What had happened? Where was I? I was resting on grass. On wet grass. Random images began to flash into my mind. A mission with Jarque and Valentine, to burn down some vegetation. A boy dressed in a fancy black suit, with a white shirt, covering his escape with the help of his Pidgey. And then said Pidgey sending me flying with a potent whirlwind, sending me straight into…

I tried to stretch out my paws, and my regret was immediate. I cried in pain, keeping my front right paw close to me. Had I strained or twisted my leg? Please tell me there were no broken bones. I wasn't too surprised, since I fell into the lake from a very high altitude, so of course the impact force against the water would end up hurting me badly. If anything, I was lucky I apparently had only hurt one leg.

"Don't make any rush movements," said a soothing voice coming by my side, startling me and making me turn to its owner in a rush, making me wince as my paw hurt again. "What did I just say? Your body needs rest. You have twisted your foreleg."

In front of me stood some blue-furred pokémon with flippers, very thin whiskers and a big pink nose. I couldn't smell any other pokémon or human around us, although my nose had gotten pretty wet so I wasn't at the top of my game at the moment, but it seemed like it was the two of us alone. There was a big gap in my memories, but a question came to mind. If I had fallen in the middle of the lake, how had I made it back to land? Had the blue-furred pokémon carried me back to safety? She was barely bigger than me.

"W-Where are we?" I tried to sound imposing because I still didn't know the intentions of this seal pokémon, but my head was a mess and every strand of fur felt cold.

"Hmm? We're by one of Crow's Foot's banks." Crow's Foot…? Oh, I think that was the name of the lake I had been hurled into. So at least Jarque should still be nearby. I had to go back to him! He must be so worried! I tried to stand up, but fell down in pain when my right foreleg made contact with the wet grass. "Hey! I told you to keep it easy! You're going to worsen your wound!"

I stared with leery eyes at my lone companion. She was the one to brought me to dry land, I could presume, but I still couldn't discern what her motives were. She didn't look like a predator species, and although she sounded older than me, and maybe older even than Jarque, she didn't seem to be an adult yet. So what's her deal? What was she plotting? Why help me?

"So… who are you?" First, I needed to gather information. I hated that I couldn't escape even if I wanted to. At full health I would be faster than her for sure, but I couldn't run with a wounded leg.

"I'm Diamantina!" She said as she placed a flipper on her chest, right below the weird light-blue frill that hung from her neck. "I'm a Popplio." Where had I heard about that species before…? Oh, true, that Shuffle grunt had mentioned that he was looking for a colony of Popplio. So they really did live somewhere here at the Lozenge. "What's your name, darling? I don't recognize your species either."

I held her unflinching gaze as she beamed at me. Should I answer sincerely, or even answer at all? I still doubted her intentions, but truth was, there was something about her melodic, nurturing voice that lulled you into a sense of ease. She was easy to trust. And that made me wary. "Clover," I uttered in a low, meek voice.

"That's a very pretty name!" she cheered in an uplifting voice, making my tail begin to sway slowly.

"And I'm a Sprigatito. I've heard that my species is pretty rare."

"Hmm. I certainly can't say I've ever heard of that species, no." This Popplio, Diamantina, crouched her body to take a closer look at my paw. "But now that you're awake maybe we should do something about this wound. Perhaps an Oran would be good here…? Come with me to my colony, we have plenty of berries stored. Can you walk on your own, or do you need me for support?"

Okay, what was she plotting? Was she trying to lead me into a trap or something? I gave the Popplio a sidelong glance, but didn't move. Soon enough, she approached me with a polite smile. "So you cannot walk? Not to worry, Clover. Place your shoulder against my flipper and I will assist you. The colony is not far from here, so you just have to hang in there for a short while!"

Why did her smile seem so… warm and welcoming? Almost maternal, even though again she could only be a few years older than me at best. "Why are you helping me?" I asked straight. Perhaps my tone came as a little confrontational.

"Oh? I was going for a swim and I noticed some odd turbulence in nearby waters, so I went to check and I found a drowning pokémon! I figured you could use a flipper, so that's that."

"N-No, but like, why are you helping me?" I was treading carefully to avoid angering her, since I was in no position to fight.

"Um?" The Popplio stared at me in silence for a moment, her pretty eyes full of curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know me. We've never met. And yet you rescue me and now want to bring me to your home to heal me?"

"… Sure?" She tilted her head, as if confused. Why was she acting like this was the most normal thing in the world? "C'mon, Clover! We'll make the way step by step!"

She helped me stand up and then allowed me to rest my wounded leg on her body for support. We could walk like this, barely, and slowly, but we could walk and it would only hurt a bit. I had been unconscious up until a moment ago, so if she had wanted to bring me somewhere against my will she had plenty of opportunities to do so. I would play along for now, but remain cautious. She was an obvious water-type, so I wasn't too afraid.

We pushed onward at a snail's pace, and it became obvious to me that the Popplio wasn't used to moving on land. Her species sported two hind flippers that could be used to walk on solid ground, but it was clear her body was meant for swimming. We walked along the lake's bank for a short while before diverting our course away from the lake and towards a rock formation. The Lozenge, our current emplacement, was located at the westernmost reaches of Baraja, bounded by the sea. Was her colony located not at the Crow's Foot lake, but at sea? We would not need to swim to get there, would we?

Diamantina led me to a sheltered bay along the coast, with stone formations jutting over the water. "We're almost there!" she cheered, then pointed a flipper towards a narrow entrance between the rocks, one that was surprisingly easy to miss if you didn't know where to look. I walked by her side, cringing all the time as we climbed the rocks. That was the worst part of the trip, by far. I hated that I could normally climb these rocks in all of two seconds if only I was healthy. The entrance was too narrow for most pokémon or humans to go through, barely big enough to allows us to get inside. It was so well hidden that it was no wonder humans couldn't find it. The tight passage lead to a sheltered rocky cave of shallow waters. So I would need to get my paws wet after all, but at least I didn't need to swim.

"We're here!" Diamantina said as she rubbed her cheek against mine. "This is the cove where my colony lives. We're almost there! Let's see if we can find Mom."

Our advance was slow, so that gave me time to take a good look at this place. It connected to the sea, so at least water-types should be able to access it regardless of their size, but it still seemed hard to locate. Popplio were mammals, right? Then I guess they couldn't quite breathe underwater, which explains why they had a land entrance too. Perhaps the sea entrance came from a long water tunnel, so unevolved pokémon would have a difficult time crossing it?

Speaking of unevolved pokémon. I counted maybe around thirty or so pokémon in this cove, out of which a good two thirds must have been Popplio. The rest of pokémon belonged to a second species I didn't recognize, but that looked similar enough that I could only assume was their direct evolution. They looked like Popplio, but taller and frillier. We received plenty of cautious glances as we progressed through the cove, but that I had already anticipated.

I sniffed around a little, and two things caught my attention about the cove's inhabitants. First, I could only smell a single evolved male in the place, wherever he was. There were other males, but they were all children, younger than me. Every other scent belonging to an evolved pokémon was a female. Second, and perhaps more notable, I could only detect scents belonging to two distinct species: the Popplio and their immediate evolution. Was Popplio the kind of species that evolved only once? Or if they evolved twice, then at least this cove didn't contain a single member that had fully evolved to stage-three.

"Mom!" Diamantina's voice brought me back to reality. She left my side for a moment to approach a larger version of herself to give her a hug. So that was her mother? She was one of the few evolved pokémon here. They shared some level of family resemblance, but it was always hard to tell with species different from your own. She turned to me so soon as she broke the embrace. "Mom, I brought a wounded pokémon I found at the lake."

"Again…?" The mother displayed a warm, although perhaps slightly concerned smile as she petted Diamantina's head. She looked me up and down, her expression serious for a moment, but then her motherly smile returned. "Oh, it's just a child. I see you have hurt that leg. I suppose I cannot ignore a wounded pokémon right in front of me. Please, wait here just a second."

The mother disappeared into who knows where while Diamantina returned to my side, nuzzling my neck for a moment and making me recoil a little. "Do not feel out of place, Clover. I know there's only Popplio and Brionne in this cove, but we do help out pokémon in need from time to time."

Brionne? That must be the name of their evolution. That confirmed that there were indeed only two different species of pokémon living here. Regardless, I waited in silence while I warily looked around at the other pokémon warily looking at me, until Diamantina's mother returned with a small amount of blue fruits in her flippers. "Oran pulp is a wonderful ointment," she explained. "If we apply it to your wound, it should heal up in a matter of hours."

She took a closer examination of my leg. I thankfully hadn't broken any bones, according to her, but I had badly strained a muscle. Nothing an Oran and some rest couldn't fix, though. It stung pretty badly when she applied the ointment, but if that meant I could get back to walking sooner, then I would endure it.

"So what are you, dear?" she asked. "I don't recognize your species, I'm afraid."

"She's a Sprigatito!" Diamantina answered for me, as I was busy wincing at the cold ointment.

The mother thought for a moment. "It doesn't ring a bell, I'm afraid. Tell me, what part of the Lozenge are you from, dear? I take it you are a grass-type. Do you hail from the forest? The grassfields, perhaps?"

"U-Uh, no." I winced once more as she applied more of the Oran. I think it should be done by now. "I'm not from the Lozenge."

"Oh, are you a migrating pokémon, then? What part of Baraja are you from?"

"No, no." I shook my leg a little, carefully. It still hurt. I needed more rest. "I am a trainer's pokémon, not a wild." I shook it a bit more. No, it still needed to heal further. I looked ahead, and the half-smile on my face disappeared when I noticed the wide eyes on the Brionne in front of me. I looked around, and Diamantina and everyone else within earshot was also looking at me weird. Wait a freaking moment. Did I just blurt out that I am a trainer's pokémon? Inside a wild pokémon nest that was supposed to remain hidden?

"Diamie?" The mother turned to Diamantina, alarm patent in her eyes. "Did you bring a human's pokémon into our hidden cove?"

"No, I…" The Popplio thought for a moment about how to defend herself, before turning to me, defeated. "Clover, you didn't tell me you were a trainer's!" She sounded more shocked than angry.

"Are you at least one of the ranger's pokémon?" the mother asked.

"N-No…" Wait, why did I say no? I could have just as easily said yes! How would they know?

"Your daughter really screwed up this time." Another of the Brionne joined the conversation. She was probably around the same age as Diamantina's mother. "It is one thing to help out a fellow wild, but bringing a domesticated kin to our home? What if this one tells her master where to find our cove? If our mate finds out about this…"

"What is this commotion?" A male voice. An adult, male voice. A soft one, but still. I had perceived before the scent of a single evolved male Brionne. I was now staring at him. "What is the matter?" My fur stood on end. None of the pokémon in this cove could be said to be particularly strong, but it was obvious at a single glance that this male Brionne was the strongest pokémon in the colony. And, judging by the way the others were reacting to his presence, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if he turned out to be their leader.

"Her daughter again, darling," a different female Brionne said. "This time she brought a human's pokémon."

The male Brionne approached us, stopping to stare at Diamantina and then at me. His gaze was stern, but it seemed to mellow out a bit after a while. "A child, I see." He came closer. I tried to retreat back, but the pain in my leg forced me to remain still. "Who do you belong to, domesticated one?"

"Not a ranger!" One of the other Brionne said. "She said so before!"

The colony leader's gaze pierced into mine as if trying to delve into my mind. Not hostile, but by no means warm. "Who do you belong to? Answer honestly."

What should I do? Do I actually just answer sincerely? Like, I wasn't here for any bad reason, and I wasn't going to reveal this cove's location or anything. And even if Jarque figured out the emplacement of this colony, it's not like he would do anything with that information. My anxiety at the current situation was not letting me think clearly. I should calm down and play my cards right.

"M-My trainer —" I bit my tongue, coaxing a few soft giggles from some of the watching pokémon, although the male Brionne didn't emote at all. "My trainer is a rookie trying out the League's challenge. He is here with permission from the gym leader to help out in a mission." Now I just had to hope they weren't at odds with the League, but the way the females had talked made me guess they at least accepted the presence of the rangers.

"Is that so?" The chief Brionne cocked his head while I hung mine. For someone that was only barely larger than me, he sure was scary. "Then, if I were to ask the Feraligatr Visine later about this, she would confirm your words, right?"

"Y-Yes!" Wait no. "A-Although the gym leader's pokémon is an Empoleon." There was a grin of self-satisfaction on his face. Did he just try to set up a trap?

"Dad!" Diamantina shouted to him in a complaining tone. "I found her lost and drowning in the middle of the lake, and I was the one to invite her in! She's not here to spy on our location! That wouldn't make any sense!"

The male turned to who was apparently his daughter. "Is that so…?" His eyes didn't turn any kinder, but the younger Popplio didn't even flinch.

"She was drowning! What was I supposed to do, just let her die?"

"No, but…" He closed his eyes and looked down for a moment, presumably deep in thought. If my leg wasn't rebelling against me, I swear I would have made a mad dash out of here already. The chief Brionne came closer, far closer. "Normally I would rough you up a little to make sure you keep your silence." I was having trouble breathing all of a sudden. "But since you look young, we will skip that part as it would be rather unsavory. But…" He languidly placed one of his flippers on my wounded shoulder, making me wince a bit. "You will not talk about our emplacement to any human, or any other pokémon for that matter. If I ever learn otherwise, young or not, I will ensure you come to regret your decision." He withdrew his flipper.

"Y-Yessir." I just wanted out.

"Good girl. I apologize for my manners, but as the chief of this colony surely you can understand that it is my duty to protect it and ensure that knowledge about its location never falls into improper hands. If we are to meet with humans it should always be by our own volition. Now leave, lest I change my mind. Here's to hoping we never have to see each other's faces again." I waited for a moment. I wanted to leave more than anything else, but I couldn't exactly walk like this. "Leave," he insisted, his tone growing tenser.

"I'll see her out," Diamantina said, jumping to my side. "She's wounded, so she can barely walk on her own."

The chief let out a very long sigh. "Acceptable." That's all he said before turning his back to us and disappearing deeper into the cove. He didn't even stay to make sure I would leave. The colony leader knew the females would make sure to kick me out if I dillydallied for too long. He was the only male Brionne I could smell. Did all these adult female Brionne belong to one bull? It hardly mattered. I just wanted to leave this place, as soon as possible.

Diamantina let me use her body for support as promised, helping me walk out in the same way she had led me in. The only words we got were a soft 'Stay safe' from her mother, and perhaps I also heard a faint 'Good riddance' from one of the other females. I didn't care that I wasn't welcomed here. I didn't want to be here in the first place.

The sea breeze felt great. The Popplio cove was beautiful, but it felt a bit claustrophobic. Whatever, this would be just a bad memory. At least I had gotten treatment for my paw, thanks to Diamantina and her mother. Which reminded me I haven't even said thanks to Diamantina. Should I? I felt like it would be too awkward at this point.

"I notice you're walking a bit better now," Diamantina said by my side. "But you still need a bit more rest before you can recover fully."

"I guess." Now what? I needed to regroup with Jarque. He must be worried sick about me! In fact, and I didn't even want to consider it, but what if something happened to him and I wasn't there to protect him? He should be alone with Valentine. To what extent could I trust the Fennekin? I had never left the two of them completely alone. I doubt she would ever try anything too nasty, but I would feel more at peace if I was around too.

As I pondered what to do, a scent coming from far above caught my attention and made me jolt in panic. Please, let this not be her. Please let this be just some random wild Pidgey. I raised my head high, and just as I expected there was a Pidgey flying far above us, starting down at us with what seemed like a smile in that beak of hers. It was hard to tell from this far, but could it be the Shuffle grunt's Pidgey?

"Hey, you!" I shouted as loud as I could, although I already had the avian's attention. "You know you just almost got me killed, right? I could have drowned back there!"

"Oh, don't be such a drama queen!" She flew a little lower, but was still far out of reach. "This is a lake full of water-types! Of course one would save you!" She took notice of the Popplio, and her smile turned a shade darker. "Case in point…" The avian then immediately turned around and flied away.

"Come back here, coward! Where are you going?" I took a good moment to growl threateningly at the Pidgey, which was totally necessary.

Diamantina, perhaps understandably, turned to me with her flippers against her chest and a raised eyebrow. "Who was the Pidgey? A friend, or…?"

"Diamantina, you have to leave."

"Oh, it's fine," she said to me with a disarming smile. "I can accompany you until you rejoin with your human, Clover. You cannot really walk like this, can you?"

Why in the world was she so nice? "It's not that! That Pidgey — I'm pretty sure it is the one that was with the Shuffle grunt!"

"Sorry, the what now?"

"Team Shuffle! They were looking for your colony!"

"Clover, I think you need to calm down and slow down a tad. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"A bad human is trying to locate your colony for who knows what! That Pidgey likely went to warn him! You have to leave before they return and find you…!" But it was too late. I could perceive three approaching scents. One was, again, the damned Pidgey, grinning at us from far above, unreachable. Even if we tried to hide from the approaching humans, the Pidgey would just reveal our hiding location. The other two smells corresponded to humans. One was the grunt that was the Pidgey's trainer, whatever his name was. The other was an older human male whose scent I didn't recognize. I guess I would meet him soon enough, whether I wanted to or not.

I waited with bated breath as the two humans arrived. My leg felt a little better, perhaps good enough to walk on my own at a slow pace, but I was in no condition to fight yet.

"Here they are! Here they are!" the Pidgey shouted at the top of her lungs. Yes, thank you, they can see us. She landed on the arm of her trainer as soon as he came into view, her avian face the very image of pride, and the human began to pet her head, which made me really miss Jarque. I bet she was doing that on purpose just to spite me, that stupid feather-face.

Then I took notice of the other human. He was older than his companion, perhaps around Mom's in age, of a darker complexion and with a strongly built body for a human. He had no hair above his head, which I found odd enough in a human. More notably, he was wearing the same kind of uniform as the other man, a black suit over a white shirt with a bow tie, except even more opulent somehow.

The bald man gave out a cordial-sounding chuckle. "Your Pidgey really is a great scout, Theil." His voice was deep and strong, although not what I would call scary.

"I told you Javelin was the best Pidgey around, boss."

"And I would find it hard to question." The larger man took a few steps towards us, and I limped my way in front of Diamantina to cover her. "That is a Popplio indeed, good work. So they really have a colony somewhere in the Lozenge. But who is the green feline? Is that a… Sprigatito, I think they are called? I had no foreknowledge that they could be found at the Lozenge too."

"Wait, that cat…" The grunt narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. "I, uh, met some trainer with a pokémon like that a few moments ago. Perhaps it's that one?"

"Oh, a trainer's pokémon?" There was a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Nothing of our business then. Surely it will find its way back to its trainer. We should focus on the wild Popplio." The large man drew even closer, but I remained unflinching in front of Diamantina. He knelt down, his arm resting on his knee, although he still towered above us. "Relax, Sprigatito. I merely wish to speak to the Popplio," he said in an impossibly calm voice. Now that he was up close, I could see a single sphere of red and white in his belt. "Oh, you seem to have wounded that poor paw, haven't you? Theil, fetch me a potion."

"Right away," the scrawny guy rummaged through the small bag he carried and pulled out a flask containing a purple liquid, offering it to the other human. "Here it is, boss."

"Thanks, Theil." The large man picked the small object without even looking back, then leaned in a little closer to me. "This might sting a little, and for that I apologize."

I hissed at him, keeping my head low and my tail high. That looked exactly like one of those cheap healing items that Jarque bought in stores and always carried around, but I was not going to fall for a trick this uninspired. "Go away!"

Baldy kept trying to lean in closer, so I just kept hissing at him until he desisted and backed off with a dejected sigh, returning the suspicious item to his underling. "Your choice, my friend. I only meant to help. And in either case, it is your friend here I have business with." He raised his gaze to look straight at Diamantina. "Popplio, would you be so kind to lead me to the lair of your people?"

My growls began to grow in intensity. I had no reason to be scared of a human! "Away!"

"Clover, calm down…" Diamantina whispered behind me. She clearly wasn't aware of the gravity of the situation.

The big, burly man had a hearty chuckle as he placed his fist against his chest. "It was rude of me to get straight to the point, you are right. Perhaps we should start with a friendly introduction? My name is Gilbert, and I work for a non-profit organization known as the Shuffle Foundation along with many other humans and pokémon, such as our good friend Theil here. I am one of the Foundation's administrators. Our goal is to achieve true, functional equality between human and pokémon."

"Lies upon lies!" I shouted.

Baldy didn't desist in spite of my attitude. "The so-called Pokémon League monopolizes access to rare pokémon species and has unique rights to their distribution among selected trainers, making it impossible for species like yours to flourish. We wish to learn the whereabouts of your colony to circumvent this and allow your numbers to freely spread all through the region."

"What is he saying?" Diamantina asked as she tilted her head.

"Nothing but nonsense!" I shouted at his stupid face, then turned to Diamantina. "Don't believe a word he says!"

"No, no, I mean… What is he saying? I don't understand him. I barely understand the human language, other than what little I can gather from our encounters with rangers."

"Oh. Well that makes it easier." It stood to reason that, as a wild pokémon, she would have no reason to be learned in the language that the humans of Baraja spoke. Good. The bald guy couldn't deceive her if she didn't even understand him.

"The Popplio doesn't look too convinced, boss," the grunt said as he scratched his Pidgey right below her beak to her delight. "Would it even understand our words? This one looks young."

"Good observation, Theil." The large man stood up. That couldn't be good. "Perhaps it was a mistake and a lapse in judgment to have a human try to negotiate with a pokémon." He placed his hand in his only pokéball. Yes, that wasn't good. "It only makes sense that you would reach a better understanding among kin."

Baldy threw his sphere downwards with a subtle motion, and I barely had any time to react when his pokémon was already materializing in front of us. That was the only sphere I had seen on him, so the only pokémon they had brought with them were the Pidgey and whoever he had just sent out. My leg still hurt so I wasn't in the best situation to fight, but perhaps I could still stand a chance if it wasn't something too bad. Given the other guy had come here with just a Pidgey on tow, what should I expect this time? A Rattata? A Zigzagoon? If I was really unlucky it could be something like an evolved Mightyena.

I tucked my tail between my legs before even seeing the pokémon. He smelled of cinders, like an earthy bonfire. As soon as he came to be he slammed his strong foot against the ground, causing the grass to singe underneath. The canid pokémon flashed us a wide grin, putting his sharp fangs in clear display. It felt deeply threatening, and the worst part was that it probably wasn't even his intention.

"An Arcanine…" Diamantina said in a faint breath. I recognized the name of that species, even if I had never met one. Arcanine were infamous for counting among the strongest of species, and were indeed the strongest of fire-types, barring perhaps legends and the like.

"Myriad", the canid proclaimed in a fierce and confident voice. "That's my name. And who would you two be?"

"Diamantina," the Popplio was quick to answer. I didn't perceive fear or apprehension in her voice.

"You don't need to answer him!" I complained as I turned to her.

She looked at the fire-type for an instant, then shrugged at me. "There is no need to be rude, Clover. If someone shares their name with you, why would you not do the same?"

"So Diamantina and Clover." Myriad gave us another big, nonchalant smile. "Pretty cool names. Not as much as mine, I guess, but they're up there!" He chuckled, letting faint flames escape his maw and making me recoil. This made me realize that my leg hurt less now, although I could still feel the pain. "So, Diamantina, what do you think about what good old Gilbert just said?" he asked as he nodded in direction to his trainer.

"The human? I caught some words, but I'm afraid I'm not too good with their language."

"Oh, our bad! But well, that's why I'm here." He sat down, and it irked me that he was taking this situation so calmly. "We all belong to this fine group that humans call the Shuffle Foundation. Gilbert is one of the bosses there, ever since the Foundation was established some few years ago, and I have been in his company for even longer. Our mission statement is simple: the Foundation aims to achieve equality between pokémon and man, between pokémon and pokémon, and between man and man."

"Oh, that sure sounds nice," she said, gleaming at him. No, Diamantina! Don't buy into their lies! "Although a tad naive. I'm a water-type, you are a fire-type, and Clover here is grass. We cannot truly be equal, no? But I don't see that as a bad thing. We all have our strengths, and life becomes more interesting because of it."

Not the kinds of words I had expected from the cheerful, ever-smiling Popplio, to be honest. I had assumed she would be more on the optimistic side, but then again she was older than me. Judging by the expression on the Arcanine's face, he was just as taken aback. "Ah, a wise observation indeed from such youthful lips! And in the same vein, humans have their artificial technologies while we have natural powers that to them would seem extraordinary. But that only makes it even more important that we achieve a shared, level playing field so that we can make the most out of everyone's specific sets of skills, don't you think?"

"I don't really disagree with anything you're saying but…" Diamantina began to bob her head from side to side. "What is it you want from me, exactly?"

"We want you to lead us to your colony."

Her mellow expression died at that very moment, replaced by a cautious scowl. "I don't think that's a good idea. We disclose our location only to humans we know we can trust. Dad would be fuming if I brought unfamiliar humans into our secret cove."

"Oh, and your old man would certainly be within his right to be furious! We are in agreement. It is better if knowledge about the whereabouts of your colony doesn't fall into bad hands. Yours is a very rare species! I dread to imagine what poachers would do if they figured out the location of your hideout!"

"Right! That's why we only allow in rangers and the gym leader, people we know we can trust."

"Hmm. About that…" He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if that made him look wise and mature or something. Absolute dummy. "You see, that right there is the problem. That is precisely what our Foundation tries to fight against. Should you trust the lapdogs of the League? Are rangers and gym leaders really among the humans that are deserving of your trust?"

"Yes," came Diamantina's prompt response. Her answer came so fast that it made the Arcanine jolt, which I found kind of funny. "Sorry, but what are we talking about right now? I am a little lost. Are you suggesting I shouldn't trust the rangers? Why not?"

"Well, why should they get to decide what humans your kind can or cannot be with? You warmly welcome them into your home, and they pay you back by taking your young away to labs to offer them as gifts to select humans that the League handpicks. Humans that far too often are of noble birth, or rich, or have connections. Is this something you find fair? Why would you not be allowed to be with anyone you wish? Why should rare species like yours be restricted to the company of those few lucky humans born and raised in privilege, that basically got the title of trainer gifted to them?"

I hissed at the larger pokémon, my ears pinned back against my head. "You've got some nerve!" I took a step forward as I bared my teeth. My leg hurt, but I couldn't care. "My trainer struggled really hard to be accepted by that damned League! Do you have any idea how many evenings I wanted to play with Jarque but couldn't because he was busy studying? What do you know about anything, you big mutt?"

The Arcanine looked down to me, barely changing his expression in spite of my outburst. "My bad, I didn't know your human was picked by the League. Oh, and don't get me wrong. I'm sure he strove hard, I wouldn't dare question that. But surely he had a bit of help, you will recognize? I'm sure his family's money could buy him plenty of resources to prepare and practice at his pace."

"Like, I'm not even going to respond to that."

"Or perhaps he knew someone that knew someone? Could he or someone close to him per chance be friends with friends of an important figure in the League? A gym leader? A ranger? Some judge?"

I was about to shout at him, but then I shifted uncomfortably as I recalled Mom's position. "His adoptive mother is a referee for one of the gyms, but… That has nothing to do with it!"

"Oho! One would wonder if that perhaps influenced their decision, but — No, I shall believe you. Perhaps I did speak out of turn. I never meant to be rude to your human or insinuate he doesn't deserve to participate in the League's circuit. I'm sure that at least some humans were picked by the League by merit alone."

The Pidgey came into view all of a sudden, making me yelp, and then she roosted on the Arcanine's head with a smile of self-satisfaction on that stupid beak of hers as she watched me. "Like you're one to complain, Myriad."

"Fair objection," the fire-type said with a jovial laugh. "I guess Gilbert and I did participate when we were younger, although five badges is the furthest we could achieve. It's not like we object to everything the League does, mind you. We do appreciate that they are trying to connect humans and pokémon." He raised a paw towards the Popplio. "But what they do to your kin is unacceptable."

Diamantina looked down as she hid her mouth behind one of her flippers, and I worried for a second that she was considering it. "I think you have a very inaccurate idea," she told the Arcanine as she looked up to him. "Dad is really strict and secretive, perhaps too much, but for good reason. As the chief of one of the Lozenge's hidden Popplio colonies, it is his duty to keep us safe. Anyone that wants to leave is free to do so. If you want to form your own colony, or live somewhere else in the wild, or even join a human, so long as you are capable, no one would stop you. Not Dad, not the rangers, not that League thing."

"Which is great, for sure, but then why does the League get to play matchmaker and decide which of you is to be paired with which human? Does it really make you happy that the strongest of your kin are sent to laboratories and then given away to humans that have done nothing to deserve their company, only making those that are fortunate in life even more fortunate? Instead, the Shuffle Foundation would guarantee that all of you that yearn for human companionship would be distributed all thorough the region, advantaging no one."

Diamantina let out the softest of grunts. "Why do you speak as if we are actively being kidnapped? I have been living here my whole life! Do you think you can teach me how my own colony operates? Of all my siblings, the rangers only escorted out those that wanted to be in the company of humans, to help them meet one. It's how it should be." She raised both flippers. "We are a starter species! We blindly trust humans, and too easily become attached to them! If every human was allowed to contact us, many of them would take advantage of us! Of course you would need to veto our human partners, and some of my siblings are too gullible and should stay behind until they grow wiser!"

The Arcanine roared as he bared his fangs, prompting his human tamer to caress his head to calm him down. "That just sounds like the perfect excuse to ensure only the strongest among you are picked! Do you not agree that all of your brothers and sisters have a right to make it big, regardless of how strong any of them is? Is this all not just an exercise in self-flattery on the League's side, to ensure their most loyal followers are partnered with the strongest pokémon in the region?"

"You're not listening!" Diamantina scrunched her big pink nose as she looked by her side to me, then back at the Arcanine and the Pidgey roosted on his head. "Look, I don't doubt that you have the best intentions in the world, and I apologize if I seem rude, but I will not lead you to my colony's cove and that's final. I would never hear the end of it from Dad. And, again no offense, but I would sooner trust the rangers than you. The rangers and the Lozenge's gym leader have helped us plenty of times. All you have done so far is shout at me and Clover."

"I see." I could tell Myriad was holding back a big sigh. He looked complacent, staring down at us from his bigger frame, but with no hatred or malice in his eyes, his tail wagging slowly behind him. "I hoped I could convince you to help us out, but if you're unwilling to cede, than I shall desist."

The Pidgey bent her small body to look at the Arcanine upside-down. "You're giving up just like that, Myriad?"

"You see, technically, I don't need their help." He looked back to his human, and I felt a chill in spite of the proximity of a fire-type. He shook his head at him. "Ideally, I would have preferred if the Popplio introduced us to her crew to ensure the situation flowed more smoothly. But it was never a requisite." Still looking at his human he pressed a paw against his own nose, and I grew colder even.

"So negotiations failed," the man said with a solemn tone. "Unfortunate. Do what you must, then."

The Arcanine began to walk past us without sharing a word, in direction to Diamantina's cove, the Pidgey this time resting on his shoulder. Diamantina stared at me and at the Arcanine back and forth, her flippers tapping the ground in a rhythm as if unsure whether she should worry or not. She should.

I let out a pained mumble and walked closer to her. "My species constantly releases a sweet floral aroma under the sun that sticks around for a short while. Since I've just been to your cove and back, a canid like him might be able to follow the trail I've left." Her eyes widened a bit, and then a lot more once the realization hit her. "T-The scent will wear off after a while, but…!"

Completely ignoring us, the tough bald man began to follow after his Arcanine, and the scrawny one joined them not after long. The Popplio began to walk through land as fast as her hind flippers would allow, trying in vain to catch up to the Arcanine, who wasn't even running. "Hold on!" She tripped and fell down. She was clearly out of her element on land, but was quick to stand up and resume the futile chase. "H-Hold on…"

It was at that moment that I realized something. No one was looking at me. They had all turned their backs to me. Against my worst fears, it really seemed like they had no interest in me, and were only after the Popplio colony. I was free to go! I could now leave and search for Jarque! He must have been so worried about me…

I turned my back to them, and took a single step before my leg reminded me that it was still in need of rest. I raised my paw, looking at it before giving it a lick. Hmm. It tasted of Oran berries. Right, Diamantina's mother had applied some ointment on my leg before. Should I feel bad to be leaving them to their fate? This had nothing to do with me. And I mean, they had been pretty rude to me. It was obvious they didn't want me in their hideout. Specially the chief Brionne! Bah, screw that dude! Boy, would I love to see his face when he saw this visiting committee, hah! He would get so mad!

I took another step, and it hurt again so I gave my paw another lick. No taste of Oran. This… This was my healthy leg. No, then where did this pain come from? Not from my leg? I heard a pained cry far behind me. Hah, Diamantina would really get a scolding once she returned, uh… Hmm. No, that's not funny. That's not funny at all. She had done nothing wrong. Her father was a cretin, but she had done nothing to deserve this. In fact, this whole thing was happening only because she had decided to help me. And now because of that, because she had helped a total stranger, she would have her entire life flipped upside-down. That would teach her!

So it kind of was my fault, uh.

I turned around. Goddammit. Why did I leave Jarque behind and cross the Pidgey's sand screen in the first place? Wasn't it precisely to avoid a scenario like this? Was I to accept that I had taken a deep plunge into this damned lake for nothing? Jarque had followed after the gym leader because he didn't want this kind of thing to happen. I would not disappoint him.

I began to walk after them, as running was out of the question in my current state, limping forth. My leg hurt, but really not as much as I thought. I gritted my teeth my way through and soon enough caught up to the Popplio, as the water-type was slower in land than even I was while wounded.

"Let's fight them!" I whispered into her ear, perhaps a tad too loud.

"No," she retorted back immediately, frowning at me. "Have you gone mad? It's an Arcanine!"

Okay, I was expecting a reaction more on the thankful side of things. "B-But you are a water-type and —"

"We are not fighting an Arcanine, Clover. Be sensible! You are hurt!" She stopped with a defeatist sigh. Even if she managed to catch up with the Arcanine, what was she supposed to do? Was there anything to be done at all? She had a point. It would be most stupid to fight these guys head on. What was I even thinking? What if I ended up even more hurt? Jarque would never forgive himself for it.

Then what? Neither of us could take those guys down, so do we just let this be? For whatever reason I was reminded of that one time I would rather forget, when I was stuck in a cage far from Jarque, along with Valentine and a few others. They didn't try to fight back. They knew they would have no hope of fending against stronger pokémon. So what did Valentine do? She fired a flame at the skies to call for help. If Jarque was here, he would surely know what to do! And there was also the gym leader and her Empoleon Visine. The penguin queen looked very strong, and she was a water-type to boot. You know, maybe Valentine was on to something with her plans.

But I couldn't spit fire. I looked up, to that clear sky that looked so, so far above. I was more of a physical attacker, and none of my ranged moves would reach that high, nor would my moves be as noticeable as a bright flame anyway. My ears droopy, I looked to the Popplio by my side, who just watched in silence as the group moved further and further away from us. "Diamantina, can you, uh, fire your water really high?"

She stared at me in silence for a moment. "What?"

"Like, really high? Like, up to the skies and beyond?"

"S-Sure? I'm not as strong as Dad, but I've trained lots under him and Visine. I can shoot beams of pressurized water that reach the sky. Why do you ask…?"

A smile appeared on my face, confusing the Popplio. And after giving it a bit of a thought the smile disappeared, confusing her further. That didn't help. An explosion of cinder would be visible in the naked sky from far away, but a burst of clear water wouldn't be noticeable unless you happened to be nearby already. So what now? Do we just hope for a random meteorological phenomenon to mark our position? I stared up to the clear blue sky. If only I had wings and could fly. Hmm…

"Diamantina." I walked past her, towards the group that was getting farther and farther away from us. "I need you to shoot a big burst of water at that Pidgey in a moment, once it takes to the skies."

"Wait, what are you…?" She raised her voice. "Your leg hasn't healed just yet, Clover. You are not about to do something stupid, are you?"

"It won't be stupid if it works!"

I couldn't waste any time listening to her complaints. I rushed towards the jolly group of four, who by this point had probably all but forgotten I existed. Ouch, ouch, ouch. My great speed only made my leg hurt more, but this wasn't the time to hesitate! Once I got close enough the Arcanine stopped and turned to face me. Had he smelled me approaching? It was now or never then! I might only get one chance to catch that stupid bird unawares!

I pounced on the Pidgey on the Arcanine's shoulder just right about as she began to turn towards me. She began to frantically jerk her body in every direction in an attempt to throw me off, but I held tight to her neck. "Get off, cat!" By this point everyone else had become aware of my presence. I could hear the humans muttering and the Arcanine emit a low threatening growl, but I couldn't afford to pay attention to my surroundings just now. "Get off!" The Pidgey started to flutter her wings rapidly without rhyme or reason, but I managed to hold on to her.

And then, she took flight. I shifted around as carefully as I could to hold on to her back, and she rolled many times midair as she ascended in an attempt to throw me off. It hurt so bad to press my wounded leg against her, but I needed to keep her in a tight lock or I would fall. She kept gaining more and more distance to the ground. I dared to look down. My vision was a bit blurry, but the bastard bird had flown a little inwards towards the lake, and we were now above the water. I considered for a moment whether this was the Pidgey trying to make sure I wouldn't hit my body against the hard ground once I inevitably fell, or if this was just the result of random movements as she tried to shake me off. In the end it didn't matter.

I looked up, and had to close my eyes due to the blinding flare of the sun. We should be high enough already. I hoped we were. "Diamie!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Who has the time for long names. All I could do now is trust that my fellow starter would do her part, or I would be hurting myself for no good reason. I couldn't hold on to the shaky Pidgey anymore, in any case. And, in a particularly strong flap of her wings, the Pidgey forced me to drop as I couldn't bear the pain on my paw anymore.

My nose caught the salty scent of the sea, but it was ascending towards us, slowly but surely. I began to spawn leaves from my leaf-shaped collar. This leaf would be blue. This one? Red. Then this one is purple, this other one orange, and this one I would just keep tinted green. As I fell back-first towards the vast lake below, the Pidgey that hovered above me seemed to shrink smaller and smaller every second. No second could go to waste. Keeping the avian in the center of my field of vision, I jerked my head with a yell to hurl the flurry of oddly-colored leaves in her direction.

The Pidgey glanced down, and I could see a small panic in her tiny eyes. Diamantina's water attack — Water Gun? — was rising fast to meet her, while my flurry of multicolor leaves formed a ring around her, preventing easy escape. She would have a hard time getting out of this!

But this was a flier we were talking about. Showing an extraordinary reaction time, the Pidgey twisted her body in midair to duck under an incoming indigo-colored leaf. Not missing a beat, she then plunged fast in a curve in between the ring of leaves and the ascending burst of water, getting out of their range just in time before the two attacks collided. She had such a conceited smile. But I had no time to be angry at her, because I was falling faster and faster into that lake. Again. I would have preferred it if the Pidgey had dropped me onto the ground, honestly, even if it hurt worse.

I closed my eyes, kept my ears pinned down against my head, and covered my nose with my front paws, falling curled up in a ball to minimize damage. Getting water into your nostrils was the worst experience in the world, specially if you have a nose as sensitive as mine. I was not looking forward to that. I could have avoided all of this. I could have just left Diamantina behind and not care about any of this, and I would now be in Jarque's warm arms, instead of about to drown again in cold waters.

A big splash. I opened my mouth to shout on instinct, but of course that only made me swallow water. But not one second passed when I felt a now familiar body lifting me up above the surface. I really needed to thank this Popplio at some point. She wasn't this fast. Had she preemptively jumped into the water in wait to save me as soon as I reached the lake?

I got out of the water with Diamantina's help, wet and terribly cold, but at least I didn't feel like I had broken anything this time. Coughing up some water, I raised my gaze to meet the taunting laugh of, who else, that damned Pidgey again. I would have pounced at her if it weren't because my paw was acting up again. I had been advised rest to heal my leg, and this was like the opposite of it.

"That's some terrible accuracy!" the Pidgey said in the worst mocking voice she could fashion. "Did you see that, Myriad? I'm too fast for them! Queen of the skies right 'ere!"

The Arcanine gave me a glare marked by caution, narrowing his eyes at me. "But Magical Leaf always finds its way to its target…" He glanced up, keeping his head vertical. "Was the Sprigatito not aiming for Javelin? Then what was her target? The… naked sky itself?"

I also looked up to the sky, and couldn't help but beam at the result of my stratagem. Oh, just you wait until I tell Valentine. Hitting the Pidgey square would have been cathartic, but she was only meant as a focal point to aim towards to ensure our moves would collide. Magical Leaf was an odd move that, among other things, allowed me to cover my leaves in pigments of all colors. Upon clashing with the torrential water move, they had spread in all directions in a wild splash, coloring the sky. It wasn't quite exactly a rainbow, and I don't know if they would assume me to be the author, but it was a bizarre enough sight from afar that surely you would want to come to investigate.

"The hell's the big idea?" the scrawny human shouted at me as he ran towards his Pidgey, taking her into his arms. "Are you okay, Javelin? Are you hurt, babe?"

"I'm good…" she said as she nonetheless cuddled against her trainer.

"The fuck was that for?" he shouted at me next, pressing the small bird tighter against his chest. "You could have gotten badly hurt yourself, cat! What were you even thinking when —!"

But the human fell silent when he heard the Arcanine begin to emit a constant, low growl, as he lowered his front body to stare in anger at something beyond all of us, towards the lake. In a few more seconds, I understood. He must have caught that scent before me, perhaps because my nose was a bit wet. It took me a bit of a moment to recognize the owner of this smell, one reminiscent of cold steel being bathed in saltwater. A kingly scent. A queenly one, rather.

The gym leader's Empoleon was here.