EPISODE I - RISING STARS

CHAPTER IX - TRIBULATIONS OF THE ROAD

The dirt road was fairly mundane all things considered, and was almost borderline forgettable. Enough that Rex still didn't really have a good fix on where he actually was, even considering they were towards the western end of Air Continent. He hadn't even heard of Riverwood outside of maybe a passing mention here and there in some pub or tavern that he had come across over the years he had spent travelling. Then again, even the most travelled of mercenaries didn't really know where every town existed. Especially if a new one was built or an old one was abandoned.

He wouldn't need to wait long though, he reckoned. Once he was there, he could update his map accordingly, if he didn't somehow find it hidden within a crease and then make his next move from there. Sylvain at least assured him and Alain that the hamlet was not that far away.

In the meantime, there wasn't much to do in the meantime asides from, well, talk.

"So, Sylvain." Rex started, "How long have you been doing mercenary work?"

"About three years." The Zangoose replied, "Did spend two years before that working security."

"A caravan guard I'm guessing?" Rex asked, thinking back to Allisa working as just such a guard for Windford.

Nodding back, Sylvain returned a thumbs up, "Pretty much. Mainly just some small business carts but I've handled some of the large caravans too. Learnt a fair bit about what were they carrying along the way."

"Including the Orbs I take it?"

"Eh, normally they were locked up in some crate where I couldn't use it. But I did hear bits and pieces here and there. Did you know some folks are trying to make wands? Like, stuff that casts effects too?"

Rex frowned at that, "What would be the point of that? I mean, that Slumber Orb did a good enough job on its own."

"And wands have been around for some time." Alain said, keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "They just seem to be becoming more common in the dungeons, even if they remain rare."

Sylvain narrowed an eye, "Oh? And where did you find that out?" he asked in a neutral tone.

"They have been appearing more in the north-west." The Kirlia confirmed, "But beyond that, all I know is they tend to focus their effects on a single target."

The Combusken rubbed his beak, on one hand, that made wands sound even more redundant than Orbs. Why take out one target when you could clear a whole room?

"Wands tend to focus their effects a bit more if I recall." Samiel mused, "Can lead to more potent side effects. Orbs tend to just effect whatever happens to be within their range."

Feeling his neck go stiff, Rex directed his attention inward, For someone with amnesia, you do seem to know a lot. It was a legitimate thought. He hadn't paid it much attention at the time, but there seemed to be more knowledge kicking around in that's Scorbunny's… head than he initially suspected. It did bother him.

"Maybe it's a more specific form of amnesia. Like, I know my species. And Orbs and Wands. But history and that? That's frankly a blur."

Wait, species-

"Hey Rex!" Sylvain asked, looking over his shoulder, "You ever come across any wands yourself?"

Quickly reacting, the Combusken shook his head, "I'm from further east so, no, this is the first I've heard of them."

"Huh, well, I suppose that makes sense." Sylvain replied, "Even with Blackridge hanging around, still not got a lot of word making it to or from the east. At least outside some merc circles."

But Rex barely acknowledged that, feeling his chest tighten as he carried on his line of thought. Species…

"Yeah, what about them?" Samiel asked.

He looked towards the blue sky for a moment, Let's just test something… do you know what a Zoroark is?

Rex could feel a faint pressure run through his temples, "Ha, hell yeah! The Illusion Fox! Why, you don't know what they are?"

It's just… that I've never seen one before. Never heard of them either. Rex silently huffed.

"Huh…" Samiel started, rolling the word inside Rex's head. "Okay… I've got a question. How many Pokemon do you think exist?"

That one did catch Rex briefly off guard, Well… I know there's about 390 species that are native to Air. I know a few others have moved across from some other continent further south. There's the odd rumour about those coming in from the west but nothing much else.

Samiel hissed in his ear, Ah… okay that explains a few things.

Rex had to resist the urge to narrow his eyes as the trio continued on the path, the conversation seeming to have died down for the moment. Samiel… how many species are there?

The Scorbunny didn't respond for a solid couple of seconds, but when he did, Rex nearly stopped in his tracks.

"About 900?"

Rex mentally recoiled, What!?

"Well, I think. For some reason I keep thinking there are a thousand but… for some reason my mind goes blurry there. Sorry."

That still shook Rex to his core. Many in Air had suspected there had to be other species beyond the borders of the Air Continent, but he never expected there to be over triple the number.

"Alright then." Samiel continued, "So this Zoroark is probably not native to the Air Continent then. You recognised that Lucario at least?"

They are rare, but most Pokemon here know about them. Rex thought back, trying to focus on the walk ahead, lest he walk into a tree and confuse his companions with his seeming absent-mindedness.

"Okay, species distribution can be weird. But anyway. Zoroark. They are Dark Types, known to be very protective of their kits and those they care about. They also almost universally have mastery over illusions."

For a moment, Rex found himself back in the ruins, seeing how that thing took the form of Ingrid, someone who didn't even have the same body-type, never mind typing with little difficulty. She didn't just transform then?

"Nope. That was an illusion. A fighting type move will still send her reeling even if she's disguised as a psychic type. But that isn't the only illusion Zoroark can pull off. They could hide passageways, or send spectral doppelgangers flying at your face. Some have made the entire world around them seemingly change out of thin air when in reality, one poor sod is clawing their eyes out in front of everyone else for no good reason. Pair that up with the Aura abilities of Lucario, and you have a damn nasty combination."

That was a worry, and it sent a shiver running down the Combusken's spine. One type illusion would be bad enough, but what if that Zoroark could hide something else? Or trick someone into picking up poison when they thought it was water? How could he even trust his-

"So where did you come from Rex?" Sythain asked, looking over his shoulder back at the Combusken. "Apart from out east?"

We'll catch up on this later. Rex mentally said to Samiel, before turning his attention back to the Zangoose. "Caelfall." He confirmed, "What about yourself?"

Sythain shrugged, "Eh… I don't really have a home. Spent most of my time travelling with my brothers. They're merchants themselves."

Rex pulled a slight smile. Even now, Caelfall would always be his home. But there was always a part of him that would always want to travel and constantly be moving. "Must have felt pretty liberating." He mused.

What Rex got in reply was a half choke, half laugh. "Liberating? The huffing around I could work with, but holy smokes my fam drove me insane. Selling stuff was so damn boring!"

The Combusken flashed a smirk of his own, "I can relate, I never got too excited about selling ore or standing guard all the time."

Then again, I wasn't that desperate to stay put. No offense to Dad and his guards, but that felt tedious in the long run. I'm still not sure how he even put up with it.

That was when the Zangoose turned towards their Kirlia counterpart. "So ma'- I mean dude, sorry." He corrected himself with a sheepish grin, "You gotta place to call home somewhere?"

Alain didn't turn to face him, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the road in front of them as they walked. "That isn't your concern."

Not exactly unheard for a mercenary to hide their hometown. Rex thought with a tilt of his head, But still, I wonder why Alain would want to keep quiet on it.

Before Rex could say anything else, the Zangoose pressed on ahead, "Geez, liven up! I probably won't know what that town is anyway!"

"That is entirely the point." Alain replied bluntly.

Rex glanced between the two, it hadn't been the first time he had heard of some kind of hidden settlement, but this was the first time it was openly alluded to. "Well, if that's what your people want, then that's-"

Pouting massively, Sythain glowered at the Krilia. "I was only curious! It's not like I'm going into boink anyone's sister an-"

Halting in his tracks, Alain turned towards the normal type, his eyes flashing blue as he delivered an icy glare at him. "I'd advise you stop there." He warned forcefully enough to make the Zangoose visibly halt in his tracks, his lips twitching as he processed the message.

Not wanting their pact to fall apart now, Rex stepped forward, putting himself in between the two. "Look, we're only working together for a short time. We don't want to end it now with a fight." He turned towards Sythain with narrowed eyes, "You should know better than pushing his buttons."

Rex expected a sharp response, only to be surprised when he turned away, weakly rubbing the back of his head. Maybe he needed that one prod?

Wanting to strike whilst the iron is hot, Rex turned towards the fairy-type with a raised brow, "And you should have guessed he'd be curious."

"Then I will simply say this." Alain replied firmly, his eyes briefly flicking his way. "I want to keep certain individuals as far away from the mercenary life as possible. If that means keeping secrets. Then so be it."

He turned away to continue towards the road, leaving Rex to ponder the words carefully as he followed. What was Alain so worried about? Did he have some kind of enemy that was a threat to those he cared about? It would explain why he was so defensive about his origins. But that in itself was still worrying to the Combusken. Hiding such information could easily push other mercenaries straight into trouble without any control of what to expect. Rex might have ended up with a new enemy just from association. Night Aura was bad enough, but having a second team on his tail would have been disastrous.

Sythain, from the conflicted look of his face, seemed to come to the same kind of conclusion. "Well… alright then… I won't push things furth-"

Alain's arm snapped in front of the pair, blocking their path. Rex flinched as the Zangoose growled at the Kirlia. "Seriously dude! I'm backing off-"

"No." Alain cut in, pointing ahead of them. "Look."

Rex followed Alain's finger towards a cart further along the road, seemingly abandoned and thrown onto its side. Cocking his head to the side, Rex slipped past the pair, trying to analyse the scene ahead of them. Carts were rarely left abandoned intact. Rex stretched out his claws, slowly stepping forward. "Alain, Sythain, on the flanks."

This time, the two mercenaries didn't question it. Alain had already unsheathed his sword, whilst Sylvain's own claws glinted as they spread out to the sides of the road. Feeling a grim amount of satisfaction at the sudden formation, the fire-type took point, advancing further forward. Trees on either side, an abandoned cart, they were stuck in the open… he couldn't shake this feeling that an ambush was waiting in front of them.

His heart remained steady as they closed in, and soon, a couple of voices to start coming behind the overturned cart. Not too loud to count as shouting, but clearly without any concern over anyone trying to overhear them. "-going to ask 'im out then?" asked a high pitched voice.

"What do you think?" grunted the lower response.

"Ooohh… a surprise then?" asked the first voice.

"Bang on the mark there. Got a few ideas for hooking him in." came the second.

A sharp buzz pierced the air, "THE BOSS WOULDN'T LIKE YOU FRATERNIZING WITH ANYONE." Came a strangely mechanical voice.

Rex caught a flicker of movement to his right, seeing Sythain mouthing, 'What the hell?' in confusion. That only worried Rex more, who was in front of them?

They were now within a few metres away from the cart, undamaged apart from a couple of missing wheels. They had to be hearing them coming in along the dirt track now. Did they spring in now, tackle them in one go? Or do they call them out? Either approach was risky. Rex twitched his claws, Damn it. Who are they?

"I don't care what she thinks!" The second voice snapped back, "We can choose what we want to do – wait, do you hear that?"

Shit! Time to act then!

There wasn't anytime to debate it with the others. He had to decide now!

"Come on out!" Rex called out, "From behind the cart!"

Something shuffled from the otherside of the cart, accompanied by an alarmed buzz. "Rex, if we're going for the peaceful approach, better put the pointy sword away!" Samiel advised.

Good thinking. Rex replied, clicking his claws to catch the Kirlia's attention. He motioned at the sword, hoping he'd catch the hint. Only to breathe a sigh of relief as Alain slipped the blade behind his back. Just in time, as a flower like Pokemon padded his way round the cart, a big smile spreading across his face. "Howdy there!" he called out to the trio, looking rather cheerful at the mercenaries presence, "We're just some regular labourers! We don't have anything of value!".

Rex raised a brow, letting out a faint hum in reply. Why was he so calm?

Alain motioned with his free hand, keeping his sword planted behind his back, "Then why are you hanging around a damaged cart with no goods?" he questioned.

"Yeah! What he said!" Sythain growled, "And why are the others still hiding?"

The Sunflora's smile flickered briefly, but held firm as he spoke again. "Why, you were the ones sneaking up on us! Why expose ourselves? And besides, our job was to break up this cart that was coming in and take its pieces back to Riverwood! The rest of the supplies already got dropped off."

Rex scanned over the cart again, unable to get the potential threat of the Sunflora's companions out of his head. "That's a lot of wood to break up."

"Wait a minute!" Sythain shouted, leaning sideways slightly as his eyes scanned the cart. When the Combusken saw his teeth get bared, instinct took over, and Rex's claws flashed in the light. "I saw that cart back in Riverwood a couple of days ago! With the loggers! It can't have been coming in!"

Now the Sunflora looked flustered, his smile fading as he took a step back, only to freeze as Alain's sword flashed from behind his back and into view. "You're lying. Everyone, out now!"

Rex took a step forward, feeling a spark ignite inside him. This was already too suspicious, the Sunflora was hiding something! "Don't try anything!" Rex bristled, "We're mercenaries, you're no-"

"Look out!" came a new scream.

"Behind you!" Samiel roared.

Eyes widening, Rex spun just in time to catch the flash of cream and red diving in from behind, the Pidgetto's eyes burning as it's claws reached out. Rex snapped his claws up, it was too close! He had-

The bird screeched as a brown mass shot out of the trees and slammed into her side, the Combusken instinctively flinching as the dirt was flung into his face. Blinking it out, he spotted the flying type barrelling across the ground and into a bush.

Crouched down behind the three mercenaries was a small brown and cream rabbit, her two ears pumping up and down, as if hyping herself up for some kind of brawl. She sprung to her feet, spun to let her black eyes lock onto the trio of stunned mercenaries, and jabbed a finger past them. "They're raiders!" she snapped. "Stop tiptoeing and fight them already!"

"What are we waiting for partner?!" Samiel cheered as Rex spun back to face the Sunflora.

"You heard her! Take th-"

That was when the cart detonated in a shower of splinters.

Writer's Note: Heya. This one took a while longer to post despite my new plans, but again, it should heat up with a new battle focused chapter coming next. The release of this chapter will also mark the start of my 2/3-1 fanfic arrangement regarding the Sierran Timeline, which composes of both Guardians of Balance and Mercenaries of Dawn. Basically, for every 2-3 chapters released for Guardians of Balance, there will be one chapter for Mercenaries of Dawn. Hopefully I'll be able to speed up in the coming days and weeks, but I've been having a few mental bumps here and there at the moment, so I can't make any early promises. But I am trying. Hope you enjoy and look forward to Chapter X.