How did he get down here?

What happened to the others?

What was with this fog?

All sorts of questions funneled through Caractacus' mind as he drifted through the winding passages of the underground asylum, or what he assumed it to be. He couldn't recall how he got separated from the others so suddenly. They went through the entrance, then…he just ended up here.

There was no rhyme or reason to how he got here. None of it made sense.

He scratched his head and groaned. "This is preposterous. I shouldn't even be worrying myself with those idiots. Finding Abel Underhill comes first. I didn't waste my time journeying with them just to get lost in a maze. Only thing to do now is go down."

He stumbled around the asylum's halls until he came across some stairs. He descended down the withered steps, following the pathway of speckled vines growing through the walls. He faltered as a step collapse under his weight, but his stretched his legs out and caught himself on the walls.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good grief. Lancaster! Burkhard! Faucher! Where are you three? Come on, this is starting to irritate me! Whatever game you're playing with me, it's not funny!"

He reached the bottom of the steps, finding himself in yet another hallway with branching paths. He groaned and waltzed toward the first one in his way, mindlessly wandering about until he came across yet another hallway with branching paths. He groaned and waltzed toward the first one in his way, mindlessly wandering about until he came across yet another hallway with branching paths. He groaned and…

"Wait a minute." He paused for a moment and massaged his head. "What was I doing again? Where am I? I…" He sat down and furiously rubbed his temples. "This is getting annoying. I can't think straight. I just need a moment to catch my breath—"

"A mind of such impeccable talents reduced to the manual laborer of brutes. What a waste."

Sixteen-year-old Caractacus jolted from his thoughts, his attention occupied on the battlewagon he was fixing up for his newest clients. Annoyed, he glared over his shoulder and looked up at the dusty-looking jackal who was bothering him. "Uh…sure. Whatever you say, pal." He turned back to the wagon and waved him off. "Now, kindly scram. You're blocking my light."

The jackal walked out of the sunlight's way and crouched next to the Boltund, much to his annoyance. He took a quick glance at the stranger bothering him, noting his weathered attire and hat that was far too big for his head. He appeared to be an unusually colored Lucario whose fur sparkled in the light. It was a marvelous color compared to the usual blue, Caractacus admitted, but not enough to take his mind off his work.

"Okay, clearly you don't speak English too well, so let me make this nice and simple: screw off, I'm busy." After pushing the Lucario back, he returned to tightening bolts on the battlewagon.

"…"

Caractacus grimaced, feeling the Lucario's unblinking stare focused solely on him. He dared himself to not acknowledge the jackal, distracting himself with his work, but he could feel that stare boring holes into the side of his head. It was creepy, and he was already considering countermeasures to escape while he still had the chance.

"…Where is MacGyver?" the creepy Lucario finally asked.

Caractacus glared. He refused to answer. He didn't want to give the creep more attention than he wanted.

"Where…is Heron MacGyver?"

Now that name intrigued Caractacus, but he didn't let it show in his face. He continued tightening the bolts as he said, "I don't know anyone named Heron. Find somewhere else."

"…Where is Circe MacGyver?"

"I don't know who that is. Now, will you buzz off?"

"Where is…her son?"

"…" Caractacus clenched his teeth. "Look, I don't know who any of these people are, and you're beginning to get on my nerves. Is there a point to your pointless prodding—" He froze as the jackal tapped him on the cheek. His eyes slowly glanced to the side, looking into the Lucario's fixed stare.

"You are MacGyver. You are his latest spawn. No…No, or maybe his second latest. Maybe. You are MacGyver."

Caractacus dropped his tools and shuffled away in a panic. "B-Boss! Boss!"

Almost immediately, a gang of ruffians emerged from the hideout and swarmed the field with chains and knives. The Lucario stood up and looked around at the armed goons giving him sadistic looks. Each one of them carried the stench of blood on their weapons, a potent aroma that made Caractacus' nose twitch.

Among the goons was an imposing Incineroar dressed in weathered attire and a ragged coat. He picked at his teeth with his pinky claw and sneered down at the Lucario with disinterest. "Pardon me, but would you kindly fuck off? You're harassing my mechanic."

"…" The Lucario blinked slowly. "Like a potato sack caught in the windmill, we find ourselves at an internal debate of two plus two. You and I desire a wrench that can fix any loose streetlamp, but the outcome of this croquet game determines the final draw."

"…" The Incineroar lightly chopped the Lucario on his head. "Boy, I think you've been out in the sun for too long. Now, I'm not going to repeat myself. Keep away from my mechanic, or you're in for a world of hurt."

Caractacus slowly backed away, nervous but assured everything would turn out alright. Still, he couldn't shake the creepy vibe he was getting from the strange jackal. How did he even get by without the guards posted at the gate noticing?

…Wait, where were the guards?

Incineroar leaned down and jabbed the Lucario in the chest. "Am I going to get an answer out of you soon, stranger—"

"Boss! BOSS!" His eyes widened as a Grafaiai came running up on the field in a panic. "Benito and Garrison! Th-They've been…" He trembled before screaming, "They've been killed!"

The boss gasped. "What?!"

"Someone snapped Benito's neck! A-And Garrison…Garrison's head was ripped off!"

"…" The boss looked back at the Lucario, his eyes now shaking with newfound rage and…horror. "Who…are you?"

"…" The Lucario tipped his hat up and glared back at the boss with eyes flaring with aura. "You may call me The Ghost."

The jackal grabbed the boss and smashed his face over his knee. He clutched his whiskers, spun him around, and tossed him into his baffled subordinates. Upon his assault, several of the goons rushed in with chains spinning and daggers raised. The Ghost studied all of them before vanishing in a burst of speed. A second after, he reappeared behind him with metal claws extending from the back of his hands. Blood erupted from their chest and necks, sending the entire group to the ground.

"Flare Blitz!" The Ghost recoiled as the boss sprang back off the ground and tackled him to the ground. He slammed both his hands down on the jackal's face and amped up his flames. "You dare come onto my base and slaughter my men?! I'm going to rip your throat—"

Caractacus' eyes widened as The Ghost reached out and plunged his hand through the tiger's chest. With a swift motion, he ripped the boss' beating heart out and crushed it, splattering the blood over himself. The boss, paralyzed in pain, coughed up blood before collapsing dead to the ground.

"W…What the…"

Caractacus immediately jumped onto the battlewagon he was working on and slammed his paws into the activation plates. The wheels revved up, spinning in conjunction with the energy he fed in, and took off flying out of the hideout. He crashed through the fence and fled into the open plains of the Outlands, daring not to stop for even a second. He could hear the fading sounds of the gang fighting and dying by the hands of the genocidal jackal, yet he refused to look back. If he was lucky, they would distract the jackal long enough for him to get out of detection range.

He needed to find somewhere to hide and fast—

Caractacus gasped as his metal paw slipped on a piece of loose stone on the floor. He staggered, nearly losing his balance, but caught himself. He sighed in relief, then paused.

Wasn't he just escaping…?

Wait, he was in the asylum now, right?

What was he doing again?

He was…looking for someone?

He groaned and massaged his head. "Where am I? How did I get down here? Weren't we in the carriage a moment ago?" He looked around in confusion. "This doesn't look like Skeleton Water. Wait, are we in Skeleton…? What the…?"

Mind racing with questions, the half-metal Boltund propped himself up against the wall and took a moment to catch his breath. He massaged his temples gently and breathed slowly. He couldn't place what, but something was off. Wasn't he working on a project for the Roadway Gang a moment ago?

Or…how long ago was that?

Wasn't it a few days ago?

No, it was…a few minutes?

When did he get down to the asylum?

Was he looking for someone?

He clenched his eyes shut and growled. "Something's not adding up, but what? Ugh, where are those idiots? Where's…what were their names again? Was I with someone earlier? What am I doing down here?"

His ears shot up as something bounced along the stone floor. He turned and saw a padded ball rolling past him, scuffed with dirt and weathered from use. He picked it up and examined it closely.

"Wha…?"

"Hey, mister!"

Caractacus looked up from his thoughts, shielding his eyes from the sun peeking through the tree he sat under. Craning his head around, he saw a young Marill running up to him. He didn't seem scared of the mud-covered Boltund who looked like he had escaped an active warzone days prior.

The Marill stopped before Caractacus and grinned. "Can I have my ball back, please?"

"…" Caractacus rolled his eyes and tossed it over. "Here."

"Thanks! Hey, are you new around here?"

"If you're here to mug me, I suggest turning tail before I get mad."

"Mug you?" The Marill laughed. "Oh, you have nothing to worry about here. Our little community of Haunted Willows is a safe place."

Caractacus scoffed. "Safe? In the Outlands? You're dreaming."

"No, it's true. We're so far out of the way from the usual territory disputes that no one bothers to raid us, what with the uneven terrain being difficult to get around." The boy tilted his head. "You look like you got roughed up getting here."

"…" Caractacus looked at his paws, both of them scuffed with cuts he received getting to the area. It was a dangerous trek, though worth the risk given who he was running from for the last two weeks. He sighed. "Can't be helped."

"You should join us for supper!" the Marill exclaimed. "There's already twelve of us living in this old town. We always welcome the company!"

Caractacus sneered. "I don't need your charity. I'm doing fine on my own. Besides, you don't want to be anywhere near me. Next chance I get, I'm leaving."

Despite his dismissive attitude towards the boy, he continued smiling ear to ear. "Well, the invitation is always open. Feel free to drop by for some fixings. Ma knows how to make a mean casserole!" With that, the boy ran off with his ball in hand.

Caractacus looked around the tree and watched the Marill running back to his playmates: a young Geodude and Illumise and a teenage Skarmory. Looking further ahead, he saw two Abomasnow pulling a wagon together that was loaded with crops. There was a farm further ahead being tended to by a Venusaur, Sunflora, Ludicolo, and Gothitelle. His eyes eventually spotted an elderly Mandibuzz in a rocking chair keeping watch of everyone, including a young Magby who was play-fighting the air with a stick.

A happy little community in such a desolate stretch of the Outlands?

How foolish.

Caractacus turned away and groaned. "How can anyone be happy out here?" He glared. "Right now, my neck's on the line unless I can find someway to shake off that bounty hunter. He hasn't found me yet, so I've got time."

What was he to do to get out of this mess?

How was he going to get out of the asylum?

"Asylum…?" Caractacus snapped from his thoughts again, supporting himself against the weathered walls. He panted softly. "W-Wait, when did…where am I? Did I…Did I get away safely? Did I finally lose him?"

Shakily, Caractacus kept walking forward, the foggy blue glow in his eyes as strong as ever. He passed by Helmut, who watched the Boltund wander along while chewing on pouch of blueberries. He popped one into the air and caught it on his tongue.

"I pity you, Caractacus MacGyver. It must feel so draining to still wear the chains of your past, even though you deny wearing them." He stashed his pouch inside his coat and walked away from the lumbering Boltund. "You care only for yourself. I wonder what insidious ploys you've committed to maintain your isolation."

Phoebe kicked a weathered door off its hinges and peered into the next room over. To her dismay, it led down another corridor filled with nothing but ruined stone. An entire wall had collapsed, revealing the cavern the asylum rested within. She groaned and continued down the hallway she was in.

"Once again, everyone gets themselves lost and needs ME to round them up. Couldn't even make it through the front door without getting separated." She scratched her head. "Still trying to wrap my head around how that happened. Did Lamecaster fall through the floor in my blind spot or something? Did everyone fall through the floor when I wasn't looking? Ugh, lovely!"

She kicked a stone, ricocheting it off the wall and down a hole in the floor. With no better option, she peered down the hole and found another hallway, though with a stronger cluster of the strange, speckled vines that made up the building. She jumped down, landing on one.

OooooOOOOOoooooOOhhhhhh!

She jolted as an ominous moan echoed through the halls. "What the—" She staggered back into a wall and pulled out her rifle. "Show yourself! I'm armed!"

She heard a noise and fired in its direction. She shot into one of the vines, causing another moan to echo out. She gasped and fired again, inciting another moan. Again and again and again and again and again and—

"H-Huh?" She patted her ammo bag in confusion. "What the hell? What happened to my normal bullets? It feels like there's half of them left." She blinked, then looked at the smoking holes coming from the vine cluster. She looked at her rifle's barrel and felt the heat coming off it. "Was I…?"

She immediately strapped her rifle onto her back and continued walking, nursing the dizzy spell running through her head. She stepped cautiously over the vines and tried to find an end to the hallway she was in.

"Ooookay, get a grip of yourself, Pheebs. You're just stressing out over nothing." She groaned. "I better not hear a word out of you, Lamecaster—" But when she looked over her shoulder, she realized the Gligar wasn't with her. "H-Huh?" She held her head again. "Wait, was I…talking to anyone a moment ago? W-Wait, where did the others go? How did I…? Where am I?"

She stopped and pressed herself against a wall to catch her breath. She remembered…wait, they came to Dead Man's Field, right? That sounds about right. They came here to look for the underground asylum. Was she in the asylum? It looked like one despite its dilapidated state, but when did she get down here? Wasn't she above ground with the others?

Why did her supply of normal bullets feel lighter?

She covered her face and groaned. "I'm losing my mind. Deep breaths. Okay. No sunlight here. I'm somewhere underground. The…others are missing for some reason. I have no idea where I am, I think? Keep your eye on the goal. You're here to find Abel Underhill. Right. Find Abel Underhill. Find Abel Underhill."

She got up and walked down the hall, repeating the words under her breath while keeping a hand on her heated dagger. She dared not think of anything else, or even think about the thought of thinking about anything else, or even thinking about thinking about the thought of thinking about anything else. She just needed to do what they traveled for.

"Find Abel Underhill. Find Abel Underhill. Find Abel Underhill. Find Abel—"

"—able to help me with my experiment?"

Phoebe groaned and looked back at the Mimikyu as she pulled a stool up to her private workstation. Shaking her head, she answered, "Look, I'm not much of an alchemist. Actually, I don't have any alchemical experience. So, no thanks." She turned to leave the young alchemist's room.

Evelot pouted. "Pleeeeaaaase. I just need you on standby in case something catches fire."

"…" Phoebe groaned. It was irritating how charming the Mimikyu was. "Fine!" She walked over and pulled up a chair for herself. "Don't expect much."

"You just need to throw this fire blanket over anything that isn't supposed to be on fire." She passed the blanket across the table for the Aipom. "Thank you!"

Phoebe rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. So, what are you working on or…whatever?"

Evelot rearranged her beakers and ingredients, explaining, "I'm just brushing up on my knowledge. Always good to go back to the basics. Plus, I want to see if I can make any improvements to my parents' Rainbow formula."

Phoebe eyed the vial of glowing liquid curiously. "This stuff is supposed to bind elemental energy to elementium permanently?"

"Well, not permanently. Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It eventually will wear off, but that depends on how much I bind to the object." Evelot pulled out a dagger. "For instance, the experiment I'm running would allow me to apply the Fire-Type onto the blade of this dagger. The dosage I have in mind would keep it hot for a year, and I can continuously reapply the formula with Fire-Type energy to keep it hot indefinitely."

Phoebe nodded slowly. "Alright, but…what improvements are you making to the original formula?"

Evelot narrowed her eyes. "Well, it's mostly theoretical, but I'm working every day to make it come true. See, I've been doing a lot of research into how the formula utilizes the energy of Pokémon and binds it to elementium. So, I asked myself if I could do the same thing, but also apply it to moves?"

"Moves?"

Evelot pointed at the dagger. "For example, what if I were to give this dagger not just the properties of fire? What if I combined it with…say, Will-O-Wisp?"

Phoebe glared. "You mean to say you're trying to find a way to attach moves onto objects?"

"Just anything with traces of elementium, obviously, but yes." She scratched her cheek. "My family did a lot of research into alchemy. Actually, my entire bloodline has an enriched fascination in the topic. So much so that I know things that…well, are considered taboo."

"How so?"

"…" Evelot sighed. "Well, believe it or not, my family is directly responsible for the Arcania Kingdom's tradition of performing alchemy on living subjects."

Her eyes widened. "No way…"

"It's hard to believe, but it's true. Well, sort of. See, sometime after the Arcania Kingdom was established, my ancestors did business there and…well, some secrets were traded. A little bit of my family's deep web of research, and it was developed into its own practice. Self-experimentation to empower the body. Though, that's just scratching the surface of what we know."

"Man, that's wild."

"Heh, yeah. We try to keep that stuff secret, of course. Can't let the wrong people know about it. That's actually why my family has been running this illegal business in the Outlands. We needed to disappear. Though, what started as a secret operation became…a brand name in the Outlands. Everyone knows about us, but we've done good to stay hidden."

"So that's why Babylas said I would've been killed when I stumbled across your property."

"I prefer peace over violence, personally." Evelot picked up the vial of Rainbow. "But yeah, this little guy here is practically our bloodline's work. That's why it's a closely guarded secret to Fauchers only. No one outside our family is allowed to know how to make it. That's, uh, also why we rarely have assistants who aren't blood related. Can't let them figure it out for themselves."

Phoebe smirked. "Smart."

"Yeah. Uh…" She set the vial aside. "A-Anyway, yeah, if you don't mind helping me while I work on this…"

"I'm a little more open to the idea."

"Heh. Thanks. Well, let's get started. Can you hand me that box of scales over there?"

"Oh yeah." Phoebe reached for the box and dislodged it from the stone wall.

…Huh?

Phoebe blinked twice and dropped the brick she pulled out of the wall, causing the entire structure to collapse in front of her. She coughed and fanned away the cloud of dust that kicked up around her.

"E-Evelot?!" She looked around in distress. "W-What happened? Where did…?" She paused. "W-Where am I?" She patted herself. "How did I get down here? W-Wait, weren't we in her lab? No, we…wasn't I just fighting Amadeus?"

She backed away on her feels, tripping over and falling back into a cluster of vines. She panted softly, glaring at her surroundings with increasing agitation. Was her eye giving out, or was the atmosphere supposed to be this foggy?

"What the hell happened? Did I hit my head when I passed out? Okay, last thing I remember was…Lamecaster catching me after I passed out. So yeah, he probably dropped me on my head or something. Yeah, that explains it. Okay, but where am I?" She massaged her forehead and growled. "Focus, Pheebs. You're too young to be going insane again."

She pulled herself back onto her feet and trekked carefully over the vine-covered floor, keeping one hand on her dagger. She considered the possibility she was asleep and experiencing some trippy dream, so she promptly bit down on her arm.

"YOW!" She jolted and waved her arm frantically. "Ow, ow, ow! Ooookay, I'm definitely awake. Ugh, wonderful." She scratched her arm irritably. "Ugh, and why does my arm hurt? Feels like someone bit…w-wait, no. R-Right, I bit myself. Wait, why did I do that? I…" She slapped herself. "AGH! Focus! Okay, I know I'm not this crazy!"

She pulled out her wind sword and waved it threateningly at the empty hallway. "Okay, I'm convinced! Someone's messing with me! Come out with whatever appendages you have up! Think you can screw around with me and live? I've got news for you, buddy, I ain't going down with a fight—"

"Hehehe. If you were to fight me, you would surely lose."

Phoebe glared at the Banette and huffed. "Oh please, I could totally kick your butt."

Babylas polished his katana in the corner of his barren room. Solid gray walls with just a mattress and a single lantern. Not by force, but by choice. She never understood how minimalists lived the way they did, and she talked to Evelot's bodyguard enough times to think his minimalist attitude was annoyingly contradictory to his personality.

"Look, I've been on my own since I could pick up a dagger. I may not look like much, but I'm pretty good at fighting." His eyes twinkled with mischief. "I know how to wield virtually any weapon you can think of. I've even taken an interest in those firearms that are starting to enter circulation. Sure, you have your…wild instincts, I suppose."

Phoebe crossed her arms. "You have no idea the things I've done other men. I once ripped a fellow's dick off for looking at me the wrong way. Then I told him to blow himself and shoved it down his throat."

"Oooh, scary~." Babylas laughed quietly. "You're a violent lady, Ms. Burkhard, but you're not enough to protect Evelot."

Phoebe glared. "I don't know what she sees in you."

"I'm aware of her little crush on me, but I assure you I have no interest in pursuing it." He chuckled. "Is that why you have this sudden interest in single combat with me? You think I would take advantage of her?"

"Men will do the most deplorable things to get what they want. You're not any different."

"Heh. Well, you're not entirely wrong about me. I am willing to do some despicable things to pursue my own goals. But to take advantage of Evelot? Perish the thought. She's a cute lass, but she's simply my charge. I have better things to do with my time than pursue the opposite sex."

Phoebe growled.

"Do you have feelings for Ms. Faucher?"

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks went red. "W-What?! NO! NO, fuck no! She's like a little sister to me. I just don't want her getting hurt. This area is so fucking…twisted and junk! What if you're not enough to protect her?"

"I assure you, I would do all in my power to keep her safe, even if I have to do something truly vile to achieve results." Babylas finished polishing his katana and stared into its reflective surface. "I'd be more wary of her parents' clientele."

Phoebe frowned. "How so? Everyone who comes here is a despicable creep. You'll have to be more specific."

"I couldn't help but notice a certain client's interest in that poison the Fauchers make. What was it called again? Wraith, I believe? I heard a rumor that it somehow ended up in the Verde Kingdom and…well, nothing was officially reported, but the criminal underworld tells some interesting stories. Like how Wraith was used to kill some important figurehead. But again, nothing officially stating it was a poisoning. After all, Wraith's symptoms are unusually similar to deadly fevers, save for those discolored markings."

Phoebe glared. "What are you babbling about?"

Babylas' joking expression turned solemn, his eyes drifting slowly in the Aipom's direction. "I'm saying, if you wish to protect Evelot, are you willing to endure the consequences of their profession?"

"Wha—"

Phoebe gasped, tripping over a root in the ground. She jolted back onto her feet and looked around the empty hallway. She blinked twice, then massaged her temple.

"Babylas? Where did you…?" She patted the left side of her face. "W-Wait…why am I wearing a…? W-What happened to my eye?"

As she stumbled over her heels, her right eye shining in a foggy blue glow, she passed by Helmut as he munched on another handful of blueberries. He watched as she bumped into Caractacus, both oblivious to the other as they mindlessly wandered through the asylum. He stashed his pouch away and carried on his way.

"You seem to be indebted to Evelot's kindness, Phoebe Burkhard. How noble for one so savagely minded. I do hope you can live up to your pointless dream, because there's no greater tragedy than one you could've prevented."

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Evelot was taking in the situation fairly well.

After several minutes of processing her sudden separation from the others, the frazzled Mimikyu could only respond with uncontrollable screaming as she ran rampantly through the halls trying to find an exit. She burst through pathway after pathway, pleading to find daylight again or some indication of her friends in the vicinity.

But no matter where she went, it would turn up the same: withered stone and speckled vines and a strange fog that wouldn't end.

"AMMO! PHOEBE! CARACTACUS! HELLLLLLPPP MEEEE—" Her screaming came to an abrupt halt as she ran over a weak spot in the ground, causing the floor to collapse under her. "WAAAAAHHHHHH!"

She crashed down several floors, each one breaking away with greater and greater ease, before falling onto a bed of vines. She sputtered and coughed as dust filled the air. She fanned it away from her face, rubbed her eyes clear, and sat up in a daze. To her shock, she had landed in a hallway filled with nothing but the speckled vines.

She clutched her costume and panted hastily. She felt as if her heart would leap out of her chest at any moment. Never in the time that she's been alive has she ever been alone for this long. She always had someone watching over her. Whether that be Babylas, Phoebe, her parents, and Numbers 17 and 24, someone was always there to keep her safe.

She never felt so alone.

So scared.

So cold.

So…helpless.

She covered her eyes, weeping aloud, and collapsed onto her side. She curled herself into a ball, rocking side-to-side. "W-Why…? Why does this always happen to me? W-What did I do wrong? I just want to go home. Please, someone…anyone…"

"Xb bkg xrglnce, Srrfbh. Sr ues drlr tke sbi."

Evelot's eyes widened, feeling a weird buzzing sound over her head. She jolted up, looking around the hallway in confusion. "W…What?" She rubbed her eyes again. "Did I hear that? That…That sounded like…"

"Muohy qr qkzgrbyr qvhd gbr ong is dhns?"

Evelot looked up from her bed, and her eyes sparkled with delight at the two familiar shapes floating above her. "17! 24! Good morning!" she squealed.

Floating above her bed were two peculiar creatures, ones so strange to the land of Virdis. Their bodies were both shaped differently, yet they carried a similar aesthetic in that appearance. The one dubbed 17 resembled a key with only one tooth while 24 resembled an X. What they shared in common was their single large eye that took up a majority of their form and copper-like bodies that gave a sheen in the light.

Evelot bounced out of bed and raced off. "Let's play Hide-and-Seek! Come on!" She giggled, racing out of the room with the two strange creatures following after her.

She raced through the hall, passing by a couple other Mimikyu and Lampent who were transporting alchemical equipment. She turned multiple corners through the hideout before ducking into her parents' lab. They didn't seem to mind their daughter jumping under a table as they focused on their latest experiment.

"Don't knock anything over, Evelot," her father, Ricwin, said.

"Do be careful, sweetie," her mother, Ayleen, warned.

"I am," Evelot whispered, giggling as she shuffled deeper into her spot. "They'll never find me here—"

"Zbijq sbi."

Evelot squealed and leapt out from her hiding spot. Numbers 17 and 24 had someone how gotten ahead of her and hid under the same hiding spot to catch her by surprise. She fell to the floor and squealed with laughter. "No fair!" The two creatures hovered around the giggling Mimikyu, their eyes expressing delight in her joy.

Her mother giggled. "Alright, I know you three are having fun, but we have work to do. Numbers 17 and 24, we need to run some more tests with Experiment 9-RS."

The strange creatures buzzed their disappointment, but bowed to their masters. "Uf mkh qvgd, Yuqm Bnopvae."

Evelot reached up and patted their backs. "Oh, don't be like that. We can play some more later, okay?"

That seemed to cheer them up. "Qr zkbe scnjuer pb nus bhh, Rjayig."

As Ayleen moved the two creatures along, Ricwin looked down from his seat at Evelot. "Thank you for keeping them occupied, sweetie. Those two are very important to the Faucher research, and we wouldn't want them feeling unwelcomed. Of course, there's still so much we've yet to uncover about their secrets."

Evelot's eyes twinkled with delight. "Is it true they came from the great beyond?"

"Well, we only have so much to go off of, but…who knows? Maybe. That's what my father said, and that's what his father said. One could only assume." The older Mimikyu reached down and patted his daughter's head. "One day, you'll be taking over the family business, and maybe you'll uncover their secrets. Isn't that something to look forward to?"

Her eyes sparkled with joy. "Yes! Absolutely! I want to know everything about 17 and 24!"

"Heh. Then keep working hard in your studies, kiddo. I know one day your contributions will make history. Just you wait…"

"I'll make you proud…Dad?" Evelot blinked twice, realizing she was talking to a stone wall. "D-Dad?" She touched the wall unsurely. "W-Where did you…?" She paused and gazed upon the hallway covered in speckled vines. "Where am…I?" She looked down at her hands unsurely. "I…was with Phoebe and the others a moment ago, right? Where…?"

She started to hyperventilate, clutching at her sides and looking around for any signs of immediate life. Where was everyone? Wasn't she with them earlier? Did they get separated? She…She was sure they were still in the carriage together. Right?

"Pheebs? Ammo? Caractacus? M-Magni?" She shuffled backwards, her panting worsening by the second. "W-Where is everyone? N-No, I c-can't be alone. N-Not again. I don't want to be alone! Where is everyone?! Someone! Please! Where am I?!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Evelot turned with a start as the entire back wall of her parents' laboratory came crumbling down. Almost instantly, thugs sprung into the room, hopping off the floor and walls and destroying everything in their way. Potions smashed down and mixed together, triggering a fire that immediately broke out over the floor.

"AH!" Evelot jumped back as the flames surged past her.

"Kids, run!" Ayleen shouted. Her children turned and fled out of the lab, pushing shoving each other out of the way.

Evelot got knocked over in the process, then covered her head as the thugs leapt past her to chase the fleeing children. "N-No!" she cried.

Babylas immediately popped out from her shadow and picked her up. He appeared hurt, as if he just got out of a fight. His left eye was clenched shut, dripping with spectral blood. "Evelot, we need to get out of here!"

Ricwin formed a Shadow Ball and glared at the gaping hole in the lab. "Who dares intrude on the Faucher hideout?!"

As Evelot struggled in Babylas' hold, her eyes widened as someone stepped elegantly through the rising flames. She couldn't make out their species, which was darkened by the rising flames…or perhaps for another reason. Regardless, she screamed and called out for her parents as the figure approached them.

"Ricwin and Ayleen Faucher," the figure addressed. Her voice indicated she was a woman, and she spoke with maturity and refinement. "The ringleaders of this poisoned circus. Every last remnant of your existence…will be extinguished."

"Not another step forward!" Ricwin fired the Shadow Ball at her.

To their shock, the intruder caught the ghostly orb without triggering an explosion. Slowly, she crumpled it within her grip until it dispersed into darkness. "Not a shred of remorse for your actions. You do as you please for the sake of monetary gain. How many lives have you ruined to satiate your greed?"

"Inferno!" Ayleen attempted to torch their attacker alive, but she merely backhanded the flames and sent them scattering through the air. The Chandelure recoiled in horror. "You…not even a burn?"

"MOM! DAD!" Evelot screamed.

"Evelot, we need to go!" Babylas yelled as he started to sink into the shadows.

"Aura Sphere."

Babylas' eyes widened as an energy sphere came flying at his face.

And he made a critical mistake: thinking it would pass through him like all Fighting-Type moves.

The Aura Sphere exploded across his face, forcing him to drop Evelot as he sailed into a wall outside the laboratory. Evelot picked herself up and screamed, "BABYLAS!"

"Let go of us!"

"No! NO!"

"EVELOT, RUN!"

Evelot looked back as the flames grew worse around her. Her eyes widened as the stranger grabbed hold of her parents as they desperately tried to phase out of her grip. Then, in one swift motion—

FWOOOOOSH!

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOO!"

The flames burned everything around her, and she collapsed to the ground in a mess of tears. The flames dissolved the laboratory, leaving her stranded in the strange stone building she found herself in. She didn't know where she was…but that memory would forever be the only thing on her mind. Pain so deep that she couldn't forget.

"M…Mommy. D-Daddy." She hugged herself, rocking side-to-side as tears fell from her glowing blue eyes. "W-Why…?"

Helmut stood over the weeping Mimikyu, almost pitying her. He glanced to the side as Caractacus and Phoebe stood still in the hall, their glowing eyes vacant and unresponsive as they stared endlessly at the walls. Sighing, he stepped away from them and carried on his way.

"Even under these circumstances, it seems a part of you has chosen to forget certain details of your past. How tragic that it's the only memory you can hold onto in your deteriorating state, Evelot Faucher."

With that, he made his way down the hall, listening out to the faint footsteps further within the asylum. Dragging footsteps and the sound of a metal tail scraping along the floor.

"You're next, Amos Lancaster. Despair into an endless sea of forgetfulness."