The Doomed Sprout

Chapter 17

A dungeon… Palkia's creating a new world without telling anyone…
Celebi sighed, flying around absent-mindedly, absorbed by what they'd learned recently. It was clear that a lot of Legendaries had been acting aloof for a while now. Sure, some of them were easy to trace what they had done, but it was always something within boundaries. Freezing ruins in time, enhancing Pokemon, or even shuffling the continents could be deemed as fine. But whatever that dungeon was, it was definitely not something He'd overlook.
Are there others who went too far ? Is that why Mew and Diancie are missing ?
Celebi's head was spinning with the possibilities. They just wanted to protect what was left of all this, why are they all making it worse !
« My, my, and here I thought the forest was gloomy because of all the destruction. Didn't think it was because the loser was here »
The sudden voice frightened Celebi, who jerked back, taking a defensive stance, before noticing who it was and rolling their eyes.
« Mew, if you're going to insult me, can you at least use a proper vocabulory ? ». They glared at the newcomer, already dreading their answer.
« Of course not. That's what gets under your skin after all, and who am I if not the jester ! ». Mew proudly boasted, before giggling heartily. « Really though, what're you doing here, making sure you're being a pain in the ass for anyone that tries to be sneaky ? »
Celebi huffed, trying to keep their cool. Their rivalry had been a topic between legendaries for many decades, to the point where it devolved into a general dislike for each other. Still, information was information, no matter how much of a jerk the source was. « I was clearing up my mind. The others are being very active lately and I'm being shoved around. My turn, now, where in the holy ground have you been for the last few years ? What have you done that required you to hide ? »
Mew smirked, floating around while thinking of the best way to answer. « Overthrowing a god. Wanna join in ? », they said, mustering the most innocent smile they could manage.
Celebi froze at the reply. They knew better than to think they were joking around.

Much to Mew's delight, their frustrated scream echoed through the forest, scaring off even the strongest of Lurantis. « Everyone is crazy in this god-forsaken world ! »

Fen was not having a good day.
Earlier in the morning, a powerful scream was heard in the vicinity. A scout team had gone to check, bringing along Sera for her training, but they didn't come back before their allotted time ran out. A second team was sent to try and recover them, more focused on rescue and combat abilities, and because Lumin's pretty good at that, he got picked to follow. Now, that'd have been okay, except that she was also picked, mostly because Lumin listens to her and they wanted the guarantee that he'd not randomly side with the Commons (which they seem to be forgetting she is one, not that she minds). While it wasn't the most honorable job, she could understand their fear considering he took out an entire rescue team on his own, and one of the more consistent teams too. She'd been stocking up on berries from that weird cave as well, making her the carri- the second medic of the team.

The team was composed of her, Lumin, Kutz the Tauros, Noelle the Comfey, Amy the Furret, and Jay the Ninjask alongside Ethan. The team being led by Ethan was another reason for her frustration. The Nidoran has started to notice a trend with him, where he'd frequently point out various bits of nature and traces of Pokemon, explaining each part to the rest of the team. Broken twigs meant a fight with Flying-Type Pokemon, the purple berries were Wiki berries, which were potentially harmful depending on who ate them, the rustle of leaves indicated Pokemon running away over, meaning that while there was a threat further ahead, no Pokemon nearby was interested in a fight, …
All interesting stuff, for sure. And it's what makes his constant staring at her and his cocky smile so much more frustrating to deal with. She urgently needed to get him closer to another portal for an ''accident'' with another gem.

Still, they did eventually find the scouting team, and it became pretty clear why they hadn't come back yet. The area was completely devastated, vines and logs scattered around, reminding Fen of her encounter with that Lurantis, making her shiver. Sera's voice could barely be heard in the distance, with Lumin alerting the rest of the team and leading them on. The scouting team had hidden inside a web cocoon latched into the side of a tree. It appeared the scouting team had an Ariados in their midst, allowing them to set up a bunker after a disastrous encounter with an extremely strong Pokemon, which Sera didn't mince words about when explaining to the rescue team. Fen learned that day that Sera most certainly knew a lot more swear words than any Eevee is supposed to. Are swear words even used by Commons ?
After relieving their frustration, Fen and Noelle got to work, Noelle healing up the more critically wounded team members while Fen used Oran Berries to heal the others, doing a mixture of feeding the berries and pressing their smushed contents against any visible wounds in an attempt to learn more about how medicine worked. She's a med student, and she's gonna get recognized as such even in this world, damnit !

« Glen, your team was supposed to be scouting, not hunting. Why have you all not run away, you even have a newbie on the field ! ». Ethan glared at the Weedle, before sighing and continuing his sermon. « I know you'd not attempt to fight if you could avoid it, but you're by far the best at detecting nearby Pokemon, so how did this one jump onto you ? »
Glen wiggled towards Sera and Fen while they were squeezing an Oran Berry on the Eevee's hind leg, trying to heal a cut. « I just… I've got a good nose, not a good eyesight ! That Lurantis's scent has changed since the last time we saw them ! I couldn't recognize it, it was a lot more dense than before ! »
His frustrated rant was echoed by the injured team members.
« Yeah, that Lurantis came outta nowhere ! »
« They weren't even hiding, they just rushed us down in a frenzy ! »
« Wouldn't be surprised if they're linked to that scream somehow… Why would they be here otherwise ? »
« That monster didn't even bother finishing us off, just went straight forward ! », Sera lashed out, surprising Fen and Glen, her yelling piercing their ears.
« Straight forward ? Are you saying it went closer to the Sprout ? » worriedly asked Ethan. Seeing the Ariados nodding in agreement, the team leader quickly rose to his feet. « Jay, run back to town and warn the Honorable. He'll find some way to distract that Pokemon. Amy, you're on temporary scout duty, find traces of the Lurantis and follow them without being too close. If you start to recognize the area, come back, got it ? »
Both the Furret and Ninjask promptly agreed, trying to leave the cocoon. Before they could do so, it suddenly started to sway, as the scream of a Pokemon in pain could be heard nearby, and the entire tree they were all latched on fell on the side, breaking open the cocoon and scattering everyone inside.

« It's the Lurantis ! », Glen shouted, quickly climbing on top of Fen and pulling her ears in fright. As the Nidoran recovered from the fall, she couldn't see any danger, aside from a Shiftry limping towards them, having clear cuts on its hands and legs. Perhaps that Pokemon drew their anger and managed to run away, but that'd mean…

Fen's train of thought was interrupted by a gigantic light coming from the sky, turning sideways and slamming onto the Shiftry, lifting dust off the ground and shattering the remains of the tree the rescue team was huddled near not moments ago. She didn't bother to look back to where the target had been, surviving was the first priority.

The Nidoran started running blindly through, following Sera's panicked voice with Glen tightly latched onto her back. The cloud of dust was thankfully small, and she was quickly able to recognize her surroundings, seeing the rest of the team gathering up. Sera and Lumin seemed to both already be there, though the Eevee was fidgeting heavily, doing her best not to run off on her own. Fen walked towards them, feeling anxious over a new sound reaching her ears, one of munching which she absolutely did not want to think about its origin. Lumin's surprisingly tense expression was a rare sight for the group, and Ethan quickly led the entire team away, taking a large detour in order to avoid leaving traces or scents directly toward the Sprout. It was a harrowing trip back, having to both go by quickly while also keeping track of any sounds in their back, and Lumin's occasional snarls kept causing unease within the shinies, though none of them dared to complain openly. Eventually, though, they found themselves back inside the illusion field surrounding the Sprout, collapsing on the floor due to their nerves having reached their limits.

Looking around, seeing everyone catching their breath on the outskirts of town, Fen decided to keep going, passing through the gate with Sera and Lumin in tow, both having silently followed the Nidoran after noticing her disappearance. As they passed through town, a shiny Dustox came by, picking up the sleeping Glen that had stayed latched on Fen's back, before quickly flying off to their home without a word, avoiding any eye contact.

« You're welcome for bringing back your kid safe... », grumbled Fen, before sighing. « Let's just go see the Honorable. We need to get the town ready, the surroundings aren't going to remain safe for a while »
Lumin paused, looking confusedly at the fleeing Dustox. « Why are you welcoming them ? »
« It's sarcasm. See it more as me insulting them », came Fen's deadpan answer, which got a giggle out of Sera.

The trio followed in silence, eventually arriving at the Zoroark's doorstep. A small jingle could be heard through the door, pausing as they knocked on the door.

« Hello there ! It is good to see you have made it back, Sera. I can imagine that, if you are all here instead of Ethan and Rajeh, it must mean that something has happened, right? ». Although his voice was cheerful, his posture betrayed the uncertainty in the situation. He hurriedly brought them in, leading them to his desk to discuss.
Cylan put his paws together, leaning close. « So, tell me everything »
Sera spoke first. « Glen sucks at finding threats », she started, pouting. « He's only relying on smell, and when I told him something strong was near, he just told me to hush ! »
Fen quickly calmed down the Eevee, softly brushing her back until she stopped ranting about the situation. While her frustration made sense, they were in no mood to sit through her ramblings this time. Cylan seemed to be hiding a smile, perhaps his own way of dealing with the anxiety as a leader.
« A-anyway, we got caught and had to run away. Rajeh made the emergency cocoon, and Cove focused on keeping everyone's condition stable. Then we waited for the rescue team to arrive, which, by the way, why in Arceus' name was Fen sent ? Even I'm a better fighter than her ! ». Sera's words went straight through Fen's heart, having no answer to give as she knew her friend was right.
« I'll just continue, Sera, thanks... ». Fen quickly tried to change the subject. « We've left with Ethan and followed the general direction the scout team went in. We eventually found the cocoon, alongside a large amount of cut-down trees. Do you remember Ethan's first description of the scene when we met ? ». At seeing Cylan's still expression, the Nidoran was surprised. She expected some sort of surprise in his posture, yet he was calmly assessing the situation. « ...It's the Lurantis again, and it's become even more aggressive. We've not found any link between them and the scream, but that Pokemon's getting closer to the Sprout and we feel it's a bigger priority now »
Cylan stood still for a moment, before looking to his side, pulling Fen's iPod from behind the desk and turning it on, letting an upbeat, hip-hop music surround the room. « Do you believe this will work on him ? », he asked.
Fen shook her head. « It only works on frightened… weaker Pokemon, I'm afraid. Fear of the unknown, and all that. That Lurantis will probably just cut it ». Then, after a few seconds, « Why is it here though. Did you just raid our shack ? »
The Honorable giggled, before laughing heartily. « The opposite, actually, some of the Pokemon here were so interested in the music that they've been trying to steal it. Julian gave it to me for safekeeping until you return. I hope you don't mind me using it, seeing as how Lumin can recharge it »
Sera frowned over the explanation, taking the item without saying a word and leaving, presumably to go back home and rest. Fen didn't look much happier, realizing that they'd been delaying their home situation too long. They needed proper protection from all kinds of Pokemon, not just Commons. As she turned around to join the Eevee, a detail popped into her mind.

« We'll let you figure out what to do with the Lurantis, but if I may just say something... », she trailed off.
« What is it ? »
« I've never taught you how to use that thing. Maybe don't show around that you magically know about human tech »
Fen smirked, seeing the Zoroark's terrified expression, before flickering back to a neutral face. Having obtained at least some satisfaction today, she sprinted to catch up with Sera, Lumin in tow after having grabbed the iPod.

There will be much to talk about, next time...

Note for the readers : Back on track, now. This took longer than expected, but I should be all done!