Chapter 17 – Delving Deeper (Jacob)

Jacob wiped his forehead right after he shot a fireball at a dense spider web. The silky barrier burned brightly, washing yellow light over the rocky cave walls. He grinned with a sense of pride as the web rapidly dissolved into smoke– his fire was finally getting stronger.

"Decent," Enzo said, standing beside him. "But excessive."

"Better than coughing up smoke," Jacob replied.

"You could hurt yourself," the Quilava insisted in a stony voice. "Focus on breath, not rage."

So now that he was starting to get the hang of fire, all they were gonna do was tell him he was doing it wrong? Figures. "I didn't ask for your opinion," Jacob snarled.

"Yo, chill out Jake," Devrim, their Dragapult mentor, spoke up. He floated behind his two apprentices. "Enzo's just trying to help you out, that's all."

"Guildmaster said you needed help with fire," Enzo remarked. "Said yours was weak. Funny, seems strong to me."

"Yeah, it is." Jacob pointed at the still-burning spider web. "So I don't need any help."

"Yes you do," Enzo countered bluntly. "You're unstable. Need more focus. Could hurt yourself, or an ally."

"Your badger buddy's got a point," Devrim chimed in. "See, fire's all about control over energy, and anger is, uh, volatile. You get less control. Ah, I dunno, Aleister can explain it better. But the point is, there's no point in power if ya can't use it proper."

Jacob rolled his eyes. By now it felt like they were just making stuff up to tell him that, whatever he's doing, he's doing it wrong. The silk web finished burning up, revealing the path ahead into the ravine's tunnels. The cave walls faded back to their natural, shadowy-indigo colors.

"Look, the web's gone and we're all still standing," Jacob said. "So how about you guys get off my back, and we can find this backpack that what's-his-name dropped in the ravine?"

Without waiting for an answer he walked ahead, into the depths. The flame on his tail painted an orange glow on the cave walls, along with flickering shadows. That's what this whole job was about– finding a backpack that went missing around here. Jacob had hoped they'd be in-and-out of the place without any fuss.

"Hey Jake," the Dragapult easily caught up with him. "Did you wake up pissed today or something?"

So much for that. Jacob barely masked his irritation. "I just wanna get this done so we can go home."

"Sure, sure. We'd all rather be back at the guild and havin' ice cream." Devrim moved ahead of Jacob, floating backwards as he talked to him. "But Dawn told me you were kinda shy, and here you are acting like a Tauros at a red-cape parade. So what's goin' on? Did something happen over the weekend?"

Jacob stopped. That was pretty much everything he didn't want to think about. "That's… none of your business," he replied as his tail flame dimmed.

"You being a liability is our business," Enzo jabbed as he caught up.

"Oh, so that's all I am?" Jacob curled his hands into fists. "A liability?" If he had to hear that Quilava bash him one more time–

"Ey, cool your vents, you two," Devrim warned. "This ain't gonna get any easier if you start sluggin' fire at each other. Enzo, cut the flak. Give Jake some breathin' room."

Jacob blew out a hot breath, relaxing his hands. He was glad that he wasn't getting ganged-up on.

The Dragapult lowered himself closer to Jacob's level. "So Jake. C'mon, talk to us. We're your teammates, ya know? If something's on your mind, we can help. Unless you've got a crush on someone, then you're on your own." The Dreepys atop his head winked at Jacob.

Jacob put a hand on his shoulder. Ever since Friday he hadn't talked to, well, anyone. He's just been by himself, boiling with angry thoughts. Would it really help if he told them what happened?

"So like… I'm mad at my brother," Jacob began.

"You've got a brother?" Devrim asked. "Didn't know we had more than one Charmander."

Jacob shook his head. "No, not like that. He's a Totodile. I was adopted."

"Ah, gotcha. So, what happened?"

"He… doesn't want me making friends. With anyone."

"Huh, that's weird. Why's he actin' like that? Who are ya tryin' to make friends with, anyway?"

"A Cubone and… a Snivy."

Jacob thought back to the last time he saw William and Corvo. It was last Saturday morning in the dining hall. He had just finished eating, while those two arrived late for breakfast. After they got some food from Coach, Jacob tried to join them. But when he approached their table, William didn't let him.

"I'm sorry," William had said, "but we can't. Out of respect for your brother."

The two then left for another table, leaving Jacob hanging. Not long after that, Leon approached him. "Hey," his brother spoke, "they weren't bugging you, were they?"

Jacob said nothing. He merely scowled at Leon, and bumped his shoulder as he walked past him.

"J-Jacob?" Leon stuttered. "What's wrong?"

Jacob paused to look back at his brother–

"Hey-yooo?" Devrim spoke, taking the Charmander out of his daydream. "You still with us, Jake?"

Meanwhile, Enzo stood off to the side, staring at him with a blank expression.

Jacob sighed. "Yeah, sure."

"A'right. So, what's the word? Your bro doesn't want'cha hanging with that Cubone and Snivy, does he got a bone to pick with 'em?" The Dreepys gave Devrim a deadpan look, as the latter seemed oblivious to the joke he made.

"He's mad cuz the three of us–" Jacob stopped.

What was he thinking? He was about to blurt out that they stole food from the guild's pantry! His stupidity almost got them caught during the raid, was it gonna get him caught now? That'd be so typical, how soon until his own stupidity got him kicked out of the guild? A slew of emotions mauled him as he internally kicked himself for almost screwing up again.

"Jake? What's up?" Devrim spoke up again. "You guys were doing what?"

"Nothing!" Jacob bellowed, causing Devrim to recoil.

"Whoa! Where'd that come from?"

Suddenly Jacob had four pairs of eyes looking at him funny. Enzo, Devrim, and the latter's Dreepys atop his head. He squinted his eyes shut and looked away. "Just forget it."

"Sorry Jake," Devrim continued, "but we can't ignore all these outbursts. You're not in trouble, we just wanna help."

Those words triggered Jacob's daydream. That was the next thing his brother had said: 'I just wanna help.' And like before he clutched his head, overwhelmed by a mess of anger and confusion.

"I don't need help!" Jacob shouted, and he started running as fast as he could.

"Jacob wait!" Devrim's words bounced off the cave walls. "Don't run! This cave's got–"

"Screee!"

A chorus of piercing shrieks cut through the cave, followed by mad flapping as a swarm of feral Zubats swept through the passage. The swarm raced toward Jacob and his teammates behind him, but he didn't hesitate– he ran headlong into the ferals.

"Come at me!" Jacob dared.

Three Zubats broke from the cloud of fluttering wings, diving toward him with their fangs barred. Jacob barred his own fangs too, yet his were backed by firepower. Blistering flames burst from his maw, and the Zubats flew straight into the burning spray. Their wings ignited, leaving a smoking trail as the panicked bats spiraled out of the air.

Jacob pumped his fist– three ferals, one shot! He kept running and shooting flames toward the ceiling, fending off any other bats who tried to swoop him. They were no match for him, Jacob could handle himself! A few yards later and the swarm petered out, leaving Jacob to focus on running. His tailflame lit the way, and before long he found a ledge.

Sunlight trickled through the ceiling, lighting up a vertical drop split through the cave. The sound of running water echoed up the stone walls. The only question now was, where to go from here?

Jacob spun around, hearing dull thumps of footfalls behind him. They were too heavy to be Enzo's and Devrim floated through the air. Whatever it was, it had to be a feral.

"Bring it on," Jacob said. Heat flared in his chest, and he spat another fireball through the darkness. It crashed into something and a pair of blue eyes came into view– and it didn't stop.

A Lairon barreled toward Jacob, its face unmarred by his fire attack. Jacob readied another fireball–

BAM!

But not quickly enough. The feral slammed into him, sending him back. His daze amplified the impact as he crashed onto the wet slope, and he slid down into the depths of the ravine. The bumpy slate rattled him and loose rocks bruised his back, and all of his flailing did nothing to slow him down. He flew past the edge–

BAM!

Right onto another wet slope, bruising and battering him even more. Even as Jacob twisted onto his side his slide didn't slow, and the sound of running water grew louder and louder by the second. More pebbles dinged his arms and legs, and he launched past another rocky overhang–

BAM!

Leaving him to crash onto his belly after he twisted in the air. Agony screamed through his limbs and he lashed out, raking the rocky slope with his claws. Darkness kept racing past him, friction burned his hands. Echoes of rushing water roared in his ears.

Jacob launched off another slick edge, flying through a yawning chasm. Without thinking he twisted himself around and lunged, clutching a spiky rock hanging from a ceiling.

He pulled himself in, and his body warmed up from friction as he slid down the rapidly narrowing stalactite. Jacob shut his eyes… he stopped moving.

He panted and dared to look down. He had slid to the end of the spike and now hovered above roaring waters. His tail illuminated white rapids that whipped and churned just a few feet below him. A foamy splash sprayed his flame, and his reflexes jolted his tail up.

So much had happened so fast, it shocked him almost as much as all the fresh aches and bruises that covered his body.

"...N-now what?" he breathed, straining to hang on.

Crack.

The sound of fracturing rock captured his attention. His gaze drifted upward. Though he could barely see, there was no mistaking the small fissure running along the spike that he clung to.

Crrraaack…!

The stalactite groaned as it grew loose. Reason told Jacob to jump away. Instinct told him to clutch the rock even harder. A few bits of the rock chipped away, bouncing off of his back.

Boom.

Jacob and his stalactite fell toward the white rapids, and he braced himself…

Suddenly he was yanked away, almost like he was swept by a powerful current, except there wasn't any water. The sound of breaking rocks was behind him now, growing distant. Was something carrying him?

"Hang on!"

He listened to the voice, and reached out to grab–

"Not my eyes, dammit!" Devrim protested.

"S-sorry," Jacob replied, and he instead grabbed hold of the triangular cannons atop the Dragapult's head. They flew silently over the river rapids.

"You alright, Jacob?" Devrim asked. "Are ya hurt?"

"A-a little bit…" Jacob answered. A dull ache coursed throughout his body. "I-I think I can still walk, though."

"Good enough. Now that we've squared that away…" Devrim cleared his throat. "What the hell's gotten into you?! I try and find out what's wrong with ya, and you shout and run off?! And ya woke a hoard o' ferals, too!"

"I… uh, I…" Why did he run off? Devrim said something that reminded him of Leon… And Jacob wanted to prove himself.

"You could've gotten knocked out!" Devrim continued. "Do you have any idea how much paperwork we gotta fill out if you rookies go outta commission on our watch?! I hate being stuck inside!"

Jacob winced. "I-I wasn't… thinking…"

Devrim sighed. "Yeah, I figured. By the way, Enzo bolted ahead, said he'd fight off the ferals ya woke up."

"I-I'm sorry…" Jacob sighed and his tail drooped. Just like that, he screwed up again. He almost got himself knocked-out at the bottom of a trench, and got ferals to attack his teammates. Could he do literally anything right?"

"We'll take care of business once we get to Enzo." Devrim said. After a short pause, his tone softened. "And, uh, really. You're not hurt too badly, right?"

"I… k-kind of?"

"Okay. We'll getcha patched up, once we land."

Devrim kept flying straight, wind flowing over Jacob's scales as he rode atop his head. After a few seconds they started to rise upward, and Jacob held on a little tighter. As they ascended, flames lit up the cave walls on a cliff straight ahead; Enzo was there, facing a Lairon. Was it the same one that rammed into Jacob?

The steel-type was battered and bruised, raking the ground with its front foot before charging toward Enzo.

Meanwhile, the Quilava flared his vents as a fiery-star formed in front of him. Enzo's Fire Blast surged toward the feral, enveloping the hulking beast in an inferno. By the time the flames dissipated, Lairon had fallen over, smoking and unconscious.

Devrim whistled. "Nice shot, Enzo." He landed, then lowered his head to let Jacob dismount.

"Hmm," Enzo grunted. He turned to face them.

Jacob stared at the unconscious feral. His own fire did nothing, and Enzo put it down just like that? "You… beat him all by yourself?"

"I focused," Enzo answered. "Maybe now you'll listen."

"Hey hey, save it, Enzo," Devrim said. "Are ya hurt?"

"I'm fine. The bats are routed, too."

Jacob glanced around. A few unconscious ferals littered the path. So, while Jacob was getting beaten up by a slip-'n'-slide, Enzo was taking on several ferals at once, and not even getting a scratch? He sighed, glancing down at his numerous bruises.

Devrim handed him an Oran berry. "Here, eat up. It won't fix everything, but it'll keep ya standin' 'till we can get'cha proper care."

For a moment, Jacob wondered if he actually deserved help at this point. But now that the adrenaline fizzled out, the pain from his injuries was starting to catch up with him. So, he took a bite.

"Path is clear," Enzo said. "We can move."

"O-okay," Jacob said. "I'll go with you, watch your back–"

"Oh no you won't," Devrim cut him off. "I ain't letting you take another step 'til we settle whatever issue you're having."

"But–!"

"Enzo, you can scout ahead. But not too far, ya hear? Holler if you need us, we won't be goin' anywhere."

Enzo nodded and walked along the ridge, moving out of sight around a bend.

Meanwhile, Jacob slowly turned his head to Devrim, who was staring him down with a piercing look.

"So Jacob," Devrim began. "You're not in trouble, but you're real close to it. Listen up, cuz I-need-you-to-un-der-stand. That stunt you pulled back there?" He shook his head. "No bueno. That stuff won't fly. Not with me, or anyone else in the guild. Capiche?"

"Y-yeah…" Jacob said, looking down at his half-eaten berry.

"Alrighty, good. Now the next order o' business– what's bothering ya so badly?" He lowered himself to Jacob's level. "Really, Jake, talk to me. I'm your mentor, so your problems are my problems, and all that stuff. Being a little dip is fine in the cafe, not so much in the field."

Jacob looked up and met Devrim's eyes. His mentor and the two Dreepys were all staring at him expectantly. He honestly had no idea where to begin. Out of all of the things bothering him, they all had one thing in common: himself. He looked down again, sighed, and slumped to the ground.

"I can't do anything right," Jacob grumbled. "I'm always screwing things up, and then everyone else has to bail me out."

"Well, I mean, that's what your buddies are for, aren't they?"

"But that's how I'm losing my friends!" Jacob bellowed, dropping to the ground. "I try to help and I just make things worse! Then everyone gets mad at me and they don't wanna talk to me ever again!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, I never said I was mad at ya, Jake!"

"But my friends are! I can't even get food right, and now they won't even talk to me! What's the point of anything if all I do is make everything worse for everyone?!"

Devrim scratched the back of his head. Even the Dreepys in his cannons looked shocked. "Wow, I've really touched some kinda nerve…" he murmured. "What was that about food…?" He cleared his throat. "Okay, Jake. I wanna help ya but– this, uh, seems like something we can't really patch up here on the spot. So… how 'bout we focus on getting today's work done, then we can head home, and we can, uh, help ya through your troubles…?"

Jacob sat there, mentally wrestling with Devrim's offer for help and… something else. Part of him actually wanted to just sit there and wallow in self-pity. Not to mention, it was easier on his bruises. He groaned; his own emotions made no sense.

"Hey," Enzo interrupted. "Look at this."

"What've you found, Enzo?" Devrim floated on over. "Better come with, Jake."

Jacob, after moping around for a little longer, shrugged and pushed himself back up to his feet. Not much point in just sitting there by himself, wrapped up in self-pity. He sauntered over to the bend, where Enzo's flame patches lit up the wall more than his own tail.

Around the corner was another ridge, leading deeper into the ravine. But to the right there was a small archway in the rock wall. It didn't look natural– like someone had carved it.

"What's this here?" Devrim asked.

"See for yourself," Enzo said, leading them inside.

As the team stepped into the chamber, they spotted several items inside. There was an organized row of cots, four of them to be exact, along the far wall. In the middle there was a portable table with books stacked atop and stools surrounding it. On the left side there were barrels, which seemed to contain rations, like berries and nuts. And on the right there were ropes, tarps, and other miscellaneous stuff.

"What the…?" Jacob craned his head around. "What's all this doing here?"

"No idea," Devrim said. "It's like someone set up camp here. Or some kinda field lab."

The three of them wandered around, checking the items left laying around. Jacob walked along the table in the middle, glancing at books as well as strange, glass cups. On the end of the table, he found a zipped, fabric bag with two straps.

Wait a minute.

"Hey, isn't this the backpack we were looking for?" he asked, holding it up.

Devrim floated over to him. "…Oh yeah, it is. Maybe whoever's livin' here must've found it and hauled it home."

"I guess so." Jacob tried to put the backpack on, but winced as it touched his bruises. He set it aside. "What's all this doing here, though? Who'd wanna live down here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Jake. But we ain't got time to figure it out."

"But isn't this a mystery? Shouldn't we find out?"

"It is, but that's not what we're here for."

"We found the backpack," Enzo added. "The mission's done."

"Exactly," Devrim nodded. "And it could be anyone livin' down here. I'd rather not stick around and find out who. Besides, we gotta get'cha back to the guild so we can patch you up."

"Okay… I guess."

Though his body ached, Jacob's mind buzzed with curiosity. Who put all this stuff here, and what were they doing? Would they get a chance to come back and check?

Devrim balanced the backpack on his head, while his two Dreepys moved out to help secure the straps.

"Alright kids, mission accomplished! Let's head home."

The three of them left the chamber, back onto the ravine's ridges. Devrim led the way back up, with Enzo and Jacob tailing him. Jacob's soreness flared up again, so he ate the remainder of his Oran berry. Next he reached for his own side pouch, feeling a familiar, cool chain: his pocket watch.

He pulled it out, and the copper shell ticked softly in his hands. With a press of the top button the watch opened.

Pop!

It was almost five in the afternoon, to Jacob's surprise. It felt like they were gone most of the day, but at the same time, it seemed like they didn't accomplish much…

Bzzzzzzz–

Jacob stopped. He perked up, looking around for the source of the faint drone of noise.

"Jake?" Devrim called out. "What are ya doin' back there?"

"I… I think I hear something," Jacob answered. He squinted into the darkness. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not, but Jacob spotted a shadowy outline hovering in the distance. The silhouette was tall, with a pair of wings, three points on their head, and long, curved arms.

"Well let's not wait for them to find us," Devrim asserted. "Hurry up! I've got another Oran, if ya need it."

Jacob caught up with the group and they quickened their pace. Though he couldn't help but look over his shoulder every now and then.

Jacob and his team arrived at Wolfhaven a couple hours later. Since Jacob was injured, Devrim took him to get treatment as soon as they returned to the guild. On the right side of the main hall, toward the back and beside the professor's classroom, Jacob was ushered into the medical wing.

He laid on one of the cots, along with four other guild members: a Pachirisu with bandages around their tail, a Leafeon exhausted by poison, and a Lucario with burned fur. The whole room buzzed, literally, as Combees flew around, applying ointments, offering medicinal honey, and assisting the Vespiquen nurse in charge.

The nurse hovered beside Jacob, hearing him recount his injuries.

"So you fell down," Myrrah simplified Jacob's story in a dry tone.

"I mean, a Lairon ran into me," Jacob added. "Then I fell down a lotta slopes."

The Vespiquen's stare remained unamused. "I thought ferals were your greatest threat, but evidently it's gravity." She buzzed, and a pair of Combee flew over towards Jacob, applying a blue gel over his bruises.

"I-I'm sorry," Jacob uttered.

"I don't need apologies," the nurse said in a soft voice. "It's merely tiresome, how you recruits get injured in ways that are so easily preventable. They should emphasize situational awareness…"

A cool, numbing sensation tingled over Jacob's arms and legs as the blue gel set in. His soreness started to fade.

"Rest here," Myrrah instructed. "Let the medicine do its work. I'll be back after I check the others." She flew over towards the Lucario next.

Jacob rolled over on his side, turning his back on the Lucario behind him. He curled up, letting his tail hang over the bed as he stared at the wall. How long was he going to be stuck in this bed? His first mission went sideways, but it wasn't like they were gonna kick him out for that. Right?

Well the sooner he got out, the better. He'd get back out in the field, and this time, he wouldn't screw up. They still found the backpack and got home in one piece, so that was a success, even if a feral got the better of him. But that wouldn't happen again, Jacob would make sure of it!

Amidst all the buzzing, some footsteps sounded off toward the entrance.

"Hey Aleister, how're you holding up?"

Jacob went stiff. That voice sounded too familiar. Hesitantly, he craned his head over his shoulder, and saw–

"Leon," the Lucario answered, sitting upright. "I'm feeling much better, thank you. I trust that you've handled our report?"

Meanwhile, the Vespiquen nurse buzzed out of the room, as if she had to fetch something.

The Totodile nodded. "Uh-huh. Chase took Nicole home, and I told Flint about the strange mons we saw out there. He said he'd send another team out to patrol the place."

Jacob put his head back on the pillow. He still wanted nothing to do with his brother, so he reached for blankets to cover himself up… Except the bed had none. All he could do was keep still and hope Leon didn't notice him.

"Good, very good," Aleister went on. "You and Chase have done exceptional work today. We'll rest tomorrow, and the day after, we can–"

"Jacob?!" Leon called out.

Yeah, keeping still worked about as well as he thought it would. And with his back turned, Leon would've seen where he got bruised the worst. Jacob wished he could've turned into a Kecleon for a few minutes to turn himself invisible.

"Jacob," Leon repeated, as footsteps told he was rushing over to him. He ran around the bed, staring at him with a worried face. "What happened?"

Jacob sighed and reluctantly met Leon's eyes. "I fell," he said bluntly.

Leon's concern didn't waver. "That looks worse than just a fall…"

"I don't want to talk about it," Jacob huffed. He was already sick of telling this story over and over.

A quiet moment passed as neither of them said anything. Though even in silence, Jacob felt no less comfortable with Leon just standing there, staring him down. Eventually, his brother shook his head.

"We should've teamed up together. I could've stopped you from getting hurt."

Of course he'd bring that up. He insisted on teaming up since Saturday, but Jacob was having none of it. "Like how you stop me from making friends?" he scoffed. "Same thing, in your eyes."

"That's not–!" Leon's jaw hung open. He took a step back. "I just… wanna keep you safe."

"I can keep myself safe." Jacob turned to lay on his other side, away from Leon.

Except his brother just ran around to the other side of the bed. "Jake, you're lying in a medical bed, covered in bruised, purple scales. I don't think you've been safe."

The flame on Jacob's tail flared. Everything was going so well for Leon, and here he was, reminding Jacob how sour his own first day went. "Yeah, just rub it in my face!" he snapped.

Leon recoiled, eyes widening. "What? I…"

Behind him, Devrim floated into the medical wing. The Dragapult looked toward them, but stopped and turned his head to the Lucario, who started talking to Devrim. Jacob couldn't hear what they were saying, but they were staring and making gestures toward him and Leon.

Meanwhile, his brother shook his head. "I didn't mean to come off like that, Jake. I just wanna help you."

That's all Leon ever did, wasn't it? Help him with everything. Training, homework, giving him food… He treated Jacob like he couldn't even stand on his own two feet.

"Well maybe I don't want your help," Jacob shot back. "I'm not gonna get any better if I'm relying on other people all the time!"

"But you need to trust your teammates," Leon stressed. "That's what guild work is all about."

Jacob crossed his arms. "I can't have any teammates, either. You'd just drive them away."

Leon's face sank lower. "Jake, please…"

"You know I'm right, Leon!" Jacob pressed. "You don't trust anyone no matter what! When we met Will, he got hurt trying to help us. And what did you do? 'Let's leave him behind!'"

Around the room, the Combee and other patients turned their heads toward the brothers. Pachurisu scurried to the end of their bed, and Leafeon lifted their head up.

"That's not what I said, but…" Leon blew out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, okay. I was wrong about him then." He lowered his voice. "But then he did you-know-what."

"Only cuz you were starving yourself!" Jacob whispered back fiercely. "Then he helped us during the hunt!" Jacob propped himself up on an elbow. "W-what, you wanna help me, but Arceus forbid anyone helps you?!"

"No, that's not the point!" Leon groaned and put his hands on his head. "We already talked about this, let's leave it."

"Good, and you can leave me alone," Jacob declared, turning over again.

And once again, Leon ran to the other side of the bed. "No, I won't. You got hurt, how can I not worry?"

"I'm not teaming up with you, Leon," Jacob retorted, trying to shut him down before he could start again. If he couldn't make new friends, then Jacob wouldn't let Leon be with him. It was only fair.

"Well what if you get hurt again?" Leon pressed. "I don't think your team's a good fit, whoever they are."

"My team and I are fine," Jacob insisted. Though he actually couldn't stand Enzo, he was a jerk. But he wasn't gonna let Leon know that. "Sounds like you and your team are doing great without me, anyway."

"Hey, hey," Devrim pulled their attention as they floated over to them. "Dunno what's going on between you two, but I think we should chill."

Leon glanced at Devrim, then shook his head. "Jake, listen. I don't care about doing well on my own. Making a team with you, that's all I care about."

Jacob glared at his brother as something clicked in his mind. What Leon said, just now, was like a puzzle piece falling into place. "Yeah? It's all you ever cared about, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Leon asked, leaning closer.

Jacob shuffled back. "Ever since mom and dad adopted me, I've been the only one you hang out with. Yeah, there were bullies at school, but they weren't all like that, Leon!"

Shock spread across Leon's face.

"Whoa there, Jake," Devrim spoke up, though Jacob didn't look at him.

Leon opened his mouth–

"No, don't start," Jacob cut him off, sitting up in his bed. "You know I'm right! You don't have any other friends cuz you won't trust anyone else! What, you think it can be just, 'Leon and Jake, best-friends for life, we don't need anyone but each other'? C'mon Leon, even I'm not dumb enough to believe that!"

His brother took a step back, looking like he had just been smacked. Around the room, everyone was staring with looks of shock and concern. Even Devrim looked unsure of what to say.

"Jacob, I don't know how…" Leon trailed off, his jaw hanging open. Gradually, his expression hardened and he curled his hands into fists.

"…How you can think that," he spoke in a steely tone. "Like it's so easy to trust people, after everything we have gone through?"

Jacob narrowed his gaze. "What are you talking about?"

"'They're not all like that.' Are you kidding me? Right before we got here, you got mugged! Then Quartermaster tried turning you away, twice! Corvo tried to get us to do his dirty work, and his 'reward' would've landed us in jail! Which almost happened anyway, thanks to that Bisharp near Moonrise!"

Jacob leaned back. His mouth twitched. Whatever he was about to say was stuck in his throat for a few seconds. "…I mean, yeah, those things were bad. But, so what?"

"All that stuff I mentioned, that basically happened in one day. You know those weren't the first bad things to happen to us." He took a step back, glancing away from Jacob. "…You weren't even around for… for the worst that's happened to me."

Jacob stared at his brother, who clenched his eyes and his fists, leaking a pair of tears. Devrim awkwardly floated to the side, looking like he was intruding on something personal. What was Leon talking about, this whole 'worst thing that's happened' to him? They had known each other since they were kids. What could've happened to Leon before then?

Though rather than explain, Leon took a step forward, challenging Jacob. "How can I not think that most people really are against us?"

Jacob tapped his thighs. "Well…" Silence followed, and it felt like everyone was staring at him. Devrim glanced up at his two Dreepys, who left their cannons and floated to Aleister.

Jacob sighed and bowed his head, his expression softening. Leon had been hurt, and had reasons to be upset.

But the same was true for Jacob, too. He wasn't going to give in.

"Leon," he began, "I'm not gonna wall myself off just because I've had bad times. I still wanna meet and help other mons." He thought of William, and how they both experienced memory loss. "All that stuff you talked about? I was there. I went through the exact same stuff as you but I still made friends. Have you?"

His brother paused, like he was thinking of what to say next. "…I don't need to," he said half-heartedly.

"You know something, Leon?" Jacob scooched to the edge of his bed. "On the first day I heard someone say, 'you're crazy if you wanna go alone.' I wonder how he's doing now? Oh wait, the guy who said that was you."

Leon stared at him, lockjawed and speechless.

"Alright alright," the Lucario finally hobbled over to them. "That's enough. Whatever is going on between you two, this fighting is clearly not going to solve anything."

"Jacob," Leon looked down. His tone was deflated and barely audible. "I just… don't want to lose my brother."

Something about Leon's expression shook Jacob. He felt overwhelmed with more emotions than he could keep track of– guilt, sorrow, frustration, confusion. He squinted his eyes shut and clutched his forehead with both hands.

"No more visitors."

They turned their heads and saw that Myrrah had returned to the medical wing. It seemed that she had been speaking to Devrim, and she hovered over towards Jacob's bed. "Time for you to go, this Charmander needs rest."

Leon wore a forlorn look, keeping his eyes on Jacob even as he walked out of the medical wing. Meanwhile, Aleister returned to his cot, where he continued his conversation with Devrim.

The nurse and her assistants placed an oddly cool blanket over Jacob. Though it did nothing to quell the heat rising in his body; with all the tension between him and Leon, and his own nagging feeling that he wasn't good enough, Jacob felt like he was bound to explode.