"WAKE UP!"

Mienfoo's eyelids fluttered, barely shielding him from the blinding morning light. His ears twitched as he caught the sound of Scraggy's voice resounding from his bedside. He made out Scraggy's head peering at him, a wide grin stretched across his face. "WAKE UP, GREGGY! T'DAYS THUH DAY!"

Scraggy was practically bouncing off the walls now, his loose trousers rippling behind him as he moved with excitement. Mienfoo chuckled softly, shaking his head at his friend's boundless energy. Despite the rude awakening, he couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his lips.

"Alright, alright," Mienfoo groaned as he threw off the bed sheets and sat up. His legs dangled off the side of the bed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "I'm up, Ardi. No need to shout."

Mienfoo sat quietly, his eyes following Scraggy as he spun about the room. A warm smile spread across Mienfoo's face. It was hard to believe that, just days ago, this same mon had been a frightened, whimpering shell of his current self.

But here he was, brimming with energy. His transformation was almost unbelievable. Mienfoo swelled with pride. He'd been there to help Scraggy break through his fears, to guide him towards a happiness that now shone so brightly.

Seeing his friend like this made Mienfoo's chest tighten with resolve. He had played a part in Scraggy's growth, and the thought of protecting this happiness became something deeply important to him. He didn't just want to preserve it… he needed to.

Whatever came their way, Mienfoo silently vowed, he would do whatever it took to keep Scraggy smiling like this. The Queen's Tournament… he would make sure it would be the adventure of both of their lifetimes.

…

But still… something about Scraggy itched at the back of his mind. A thought that had crossed his mind during their time spent recovering.

He knew that Scraggy was a Subarbore local. The lizard mon lived here with his mother, and yet... not once during their two nights in the hospital had she come to pay him a visit. Mienfoo understood that she had her own problems – but surely she should have been able to pay him at least a small visit? Did she even know that her son had been injured? Mienfoo was certain that the committees had informed her.

He wanted to ask his friend about it, but he felt a lump form in his throat as he started to speak. What if bringing this topic up saddened his friend? He gulped down the half-formed words and hopped from his bed. "It's about time we joined the others, right?" he asked, grabbing the young lizard's attention. "Let's go meet up with Miss Vii!"

"YEAH!" Scraggy pumped his fist and hurried out of the room.

Mienfoo moved to follow – only to falter as something caught his attention. On a table at Scraggy's bedside lay one of the lizard's possessions – a thin, pen-like cylinder. He moved to grab it for him, only to pause as he picked it up. It was the same item he had seen his friend use days before, back when they registered for the tournament. The mere use of it had left the registration staff flabbergasted at the time.

He snuck a glance over at the doorway before inspecting it more closely. Mienfoo popped off the top, revealing the head of a tiny stamp. The stamp's face bore a strange image – a tree, with twin helixes hanging from its wide branches. Questions raced through his head. What was the meaning behind this symbol? Why was it in his friend's possession? What made it so special?

"Greggy?" Scraggy called out from the doorway. "Yu coming?"

Mienfoo jumped. "Y-yeah! Sorry, I must've spaced out." He quickly stuffed the stamp back in Scraggy's bag, slung the bag over his shoulder, and hurried after the lizard.

Cinccino Vii waited for the pair in the lobby alongside a dozen of their classmates. Her hands were on her hips, looking at them with a scrupulous expression. "I hope the two of you are feeling better," she said through a smile, though her eyes kept a watchful look over the two.

A tinge of shame came over Mienfoo as his cheeks grew slightly red. Scraggy was grinning obliviously, but he could tell that their teacher had been frustrated by their little escapade with Simisear's gang several nights ago. And before that, he had been a model student! He hated letting her down, but at the time he couldn't help but rush to help Scraggy.

The crowd of children were laughing and talking amongst themselves – but were quickly silenced by a loud CLAP of Cinccino's hands. Alert, their attention all fell upon her.

"Alrighty – who is ready for the Queen's Tournament!?"

The crowd cheered, making Miss Vii chuckle happily. "Well then," she continued, ushering them towards the door. "Our next destination is the reservoir in the Western Quarter – starting point of the Keldeo Path!" She spoke loudly so that everyone could hear her over the excited whispers. "The reservoir is a mon-made lake fed by a river to the north, and in turn feeds the region's expansive canal network! It's the pinnacle of Pokémon ingenuity!"

As Miss Vii led them through the crowded streets, rattling on about the reservoir and its construction, Mienfoo's guilt slowly turned to nervous excitement. He shook with anticipation – the true start of their journey was growing close. The Queen's Tournament, which he had grown up hearing stories about, would soon begin.

Young Pokémon from all over the country – no, the world – would be participating. The competition would be stiff, he was sure. Sure, he was confident in his skills, but… would they be enough? He needed to be strong enough not just for himself, but to be there for Scraggy. He had to make sure their journey was something that would live in their hearts for a lifetime. He had to-

"Greggy."

Scraggy put a hand on Mienfoo's shoulder, making the mustelid Pokémon jump in surprise. He turned around.

The yellow lizard looked at him with a reassuring smile. Mienfoo held his breath. "Less go," he said calmly.

The corners of Mienfoo's mouth curled into a smile. "Right," he replied with a nod.

"Let's have fun."

"Do you remember yet, Muffraw?" the Murkrow asked, its voice rattling with a sinister rasp.

"Ha... ha...!" Timburr breathed heavily, staring at the floor. His eye was leaking. The intensely cold liquid flowed through his hand, dribbling to the floor. It was black as darkness and evaporated into a shadowy vapor.

"Do you remember?"

...

"...-member what...?" Timburr blinked as he awoke, his sheets drenched with sweat. He wiped his face with his arm and panted, struggling to regain his composure. His heart was racing, his head pounding, his eye freezing. It was that damn Murkrow again...!

He held his sheets in his hands and clenched his teeth. That bird... it had haunted his dreams ever since their arrival in Subarbore. Ever since the fight with the savages.

No - savage. Singular. He had been fine against the Braviary. It was the sight of the Mandibuzz that triggered... whatever this was.

"It's time! It's time!" He heard his brother shouting excitedly from the other room.

He glanced over at Paul's empty bed and took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time for him to struggle with something dumb like this! He had to be strong. Strong enough to protect his brother through the tournament. He stood and walked forward, grabbing his axe off an empty desk in the process.

He opened the door to see the little Darumaka jumping in his chair excitedly. Though he held a fork and knife in hand, he did not seem to pay any heed to the plate of eggs that laid on the table before him. Across from him, another meal had been prepared. The smell of eggs and herbs wafted into Timburr's nose, making him drool hungrily.

Near the table, their adult caretaker - Bouffalant Conestoga, or Connie - was calmly eating breakfast. Her neck was stretched downwards, eating from a plate full of various greenery. "You're up," she said, chewing a mouthful of grass." Good."

She finished chewing and looked at him as he walked slowly forward. Her eyes narrowed. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Psssh, me?" Timburr waved his hand dismissively, pulling out the chair and hopping onto it. "Who do you think you're talking to? I slept fine."

Connie snorted and shook her head. "Right."

Timburr picked up his utensils then started to cut into the soft, cooked egg. The yolk oozed onto his plate as he dug into the meal. "Hoo boy!" he said with glee, scooping it up and placing it in his mouth. After that dream of his, the taste of the warm breakfast on his tongue was the best thing in the world.

They had taken up a room at the headquarters of the Draftmun's Guild – an organization filled with mun who worked as draft Pokémon. As such, the room was mainly designed with quadrupedal Pokémon in mind – low standing counters, tools and equipment designed to be operated by hoof and mouth. Bouffalant had convinced the guild to provide standard beds for the children, though they would have been fine with whatever.

"CONNIE!" Darumaka shouted excitedly, his food still untouched. "You gonna watch us win the tournament!?"

"I'll see you as far as the reservoir," she replied between chews. "But I'm working with the Transportation Committee starting today."

"The h'what now?" Timburr asked, his mouth full of eggs.

She sighed. "You wouldn't care," she replied, returning her mouth to her plate. "It's part of the Tournament Planning Committee. They maintain-"

"-sounds boring." Timburr shoveled a spoonful of food into his mouth.

"YEAH!" Darumaka adding, hopping onto the table. "BO~RING!" The little fuzzball began to hop up and down, but froze as Bouffalant shot him an intense gaze. He turned around, climbing back into his chair. "…sowwy."

Timburr grinned at Darumaka's antics, the tension from his dream slipping away. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll win that tournament and make Connie proud!"

"Yeah!" Darumaka replied with enthusiasm. "Then she can tell Ma and Pa how awesome we are!"

Connie chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Alright, you two better hurry. Big things are happening today."

As Timburr polished off his breakfast, a murmur of excitement bubbled in the cozy room, filled with the clinks of utensils and cheerful banter. He could already envision the arena filled with cheering Pokémon as they took on the challenges ahead.

Meanwhile, outside the guild's spacious rooms, the vibrant festival atmosphere buzzed with life. With the final bite of breakfast swallowed, Timburr hopped off his chair. His eyes gleamed with determination. "Time to show them what we can do!"

He extended his wooden axe into the air, grinning as the door swung open. "To the Keldeo Path!"

~The Night Before~

"I raise," the Salandit muttered through a sneer, pushing a pile of coins forward. His pale pupils glanced pryingly across the table.

Opposite him, a tiny Joltik stood on the tabletop. Her four bright blue eyes furrowed with determination, using her diminutive leg to pull up and peer under a playing card that was as large as she was. "Hmph…" she huffed thoughtfully, letting the card fall back to the table.

"Yeah…" a Grimer sitting beside the Salandit groaned, slumping back in his chair, "I'm out." Bits of goop dribbled through the backrest behind him, pooling on the floor of the smoke-filled bar. An Audino waitress stepped in the puddle and cussed, making the sludge Pokémon turn and shoot her a dirty smile. She scoffed, stomping away.

"Me and you, itsy bitsy." The Salandit smirked, scratching his chin with a single claw. "Maybe you should cut your losses?"

"You wish!" the electric type spat back, crawling to the stacks of coins beside her cards. She used her body to push a stack to the pot in the center of the table. "Call."

Pawniard sat in the chair behind Joltik, her cheek resting on her wrist as she watched the game unfold with disinterest. She didn't understand the point of these games. Aside from flushing your own money down the drain, that was. If you wanted to earn cash, you were better off working hard for it. And this was her money that Jutta was gambling away.

"Too bad, kid." The Salandit smiled with pride as he flipped over his cards.

"GAH!" Joltik flipped onto her back, kicking at the air in frustration.

Her opponent grasped his drink and sipped from it, taking pleasure in her defeated reaction. "You play with the grown-ups – you're gonna get squished."

Pawniard's eyes narrowed. Joltik had a plan here, so she wouldn't interfere. This wasn't a gamble… it was an investment.

Water dribbled down from the earthen ceiling as shady mun of all shapes and sizes went about their business. Nestled underground, nestled beneath one of the great tree's roots,The Sleeping Bearticwas about as seedy a joint as you could find in the capital. A den of thugs and lowlifes trying to stick to the shadows of 'proper' society.

But Pawniard and Joltik had seen worse – the real scumbags didn't stick around Subarbore. They either fled or got swiftly picked up by theKnights , this was far from the Sagah District too, so there was little reason to worry about the Mano Group barging in on their business.

For now.

Pawniard could already feel the suspicious gazes of various Pokémon gleaning at them from across the tavern. They were trying to be discreet, hiding themselves behind their drinks or idle conversations, but they were all amateurs when it came to spying. She would have been able to sense their prying with her eyes closed. Give it another hour or two and hired guns from the Hand would home in on them like hawks. They didn't plan to stick around that long.

"So…" the Salandit muttered through a greedy smile, sweeping up the pot with a single spindly limb. "You wanted to talk business, right?" He smirked with pride, picking up a single coin and flipping it. "How canwehelp you, runts?" He elbowed Grimer in the side, drawing the slime's attention away from the Audino.

There was a moment of silence while Joltik continued to bemoan her loss on the tabletop. Pawniard rolled her eyes at the performance. The steel type stood up in her chair, giving herself a little extra height.

"I'm sure you're aware of our…circumstances," she said, slinging a bag off her back and dropping it onto the table. Joltik jumped back to her feet at the sudden thump resounding beside her.

"Heard you threw aCapoout a window," Salandit replied with a bemused smirk. "I gotta admit… that takes guts. I'm surprised you're even alive right now."

"Well yes," Pawniard replied, opening the backpack and rifling through its contents, "that certainly summarizes our predicament." She paused as a glimmer caught her eye – a flash of red light reflected off the dim lantern light that illuminated the dirty tavern. She scooped the item up with her forearm – producing a pristine ruby gemstone. Salandit and Grimer's eyes widened at the sight.

"Collecting artifacts from ancient ruins is a hobby of mine," she explained, setting the gem down on the table. Salandit glared at it like a hungry hawk preparing to swoop down on its prey. "I acquired this piece from a lost temple of the Southern Empire, circa First Journey. It's the den of a savage Beartic now - damn thing nearly bit off my arm."

The salamander Pokémon wasn't listening to her story. It was clear from his gaze that he was trying to discern the gemstone's value. The Grimer, meanwhile, was looking back and forth between the gemstone and Salandit as if trying to defer to his judgment. Pawniard knew that they had taken the bait when Salandit smirked greedily.

"Anyways," she continued, slipping the gem back into her bag. "Jutta and I need a safe way out of town. Passage to the Nightwoods would be nice, but we'll settle for the nearest town." She looked up at the salamander with a cold expression. "Are you interested?"

"Heh." Salandit leaned forward, resting his chin in his palm. "Nightwoods, eh?" He smiled at her deviously. "I think that's doable."

Joltik looked up at her partner, nodding at her. Pawniard's pupils briefly flickered down at the mite. Her eyes narrowed. "We leave tomorrow morning," the steel-type stated simply. "You'll meet us in the Western Quarter, at the abandoned shop off Willow Street. We'll be waiting."

The adult looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, watching a bead of water dribble out from the dirt overhead. He chuckled.

"I gotcha."

~Present Time~

"They said they'd meet you here?" a tall Medicham with a vertical scar running down his cheek asked. He straightened the tie of his pinstripe suit, glaring down at the pair of low lives with a gruff expression.

"That's what I said," Salandit replied, looking at the mafioso with a frustrated snarl. "The Pawniard and Joltik you're looking for…" – he pointed down the empty street, towards a boarded-up building - "they're waiting for us in there. Think we're gonna help get them out of the city." He broke into a fanged smile. "But of course… we wouldneverbetrayThe Hand. We look up to you kind fellas, you know."

The Medicham rolled his eyes. "Relax… you'll get paid once they're in our custody." He made a waving motion with his arm. "Bring 'em out."

A half dozen mafioso marched forward, their footsteps synchronized as they approached the building. A Hariyama took the lead, lifting a massive leg with which they violently smashed the door in. "We're coming in!" the mafioso bellowed as the group poured inside.

…

The sounds of struggle were quickly drowned out by an explosion of freezing air, blowing the squad of mafioso back into the street along with a good chunk of the wall. The suited Pokémon were scattered about the ground, where they struggled to return to their feet as a Cryogonal emerged from the building. The floating snowflake Pokémon glared angrily at the scattered intruders – the symbol of a single eye emblazoned proudly on its forehead.

"It's The Eye!"the Hariyama howled, crossing his arms to defend himself from another freezing blast. "It's a trap!"

As the sounds of battle erupted in the street, the Medicham turned to the flabbergasted Salandit and thrust out an arm. He grasped the lizard by the throat, lifting him into the air. "EXPLAIN!"

"Whoa whoa!" Salandit raised both claws desperately. "I swear, we didn't know! Those runts tricked us!"

Ahead of them, more mun bearing eye-shaped tattoos poured out of the building. The street itself rapidly devolved into a warzone.

The Medicham let out atskof irritation before unceremoniously dropping the lizard. He turned, rushing to the aid of his comrades.

...

Pawniard sat atop a towering tree root, looking at the scene unfolding below with sharp eyes. An entire street was embroiled in battle as adults from two rival syndicates duked it out. She thought she could make out Salandit and Grimer slipping away in the chaos.

Joltik cackled in triumph from her friend's shoulder. "I told you – give those lowlifes a few easy wins and they'll think they can walk all over us." She waved a little leg in the air. "Feed 'em some bogus info, and they'll take it right toThe Hand!"

Pawniard sighed. She stood up, turned around, and walked towards the opposite edge. "Is it wise to antagonize the mafia further?" She leapt off the towering tree root, plunging feet-first into the city below. "We're playing with fire, Jutta."

The electric mite clung to her friend's shoulder with her forelegs as the pair rapidly fell. "Don't give me that, dedecus – you started this whole mess, remember?" She smirked deviously. "It's quite simple really – feed them a lead as to where we're going to be, and they'll focus their attention there."

"And hopefully they won't have a close watch on ourrealdestination." Pawniard landed on a clothesline connecting two tall buildings. It briefly arced downwards, bending out of shape, before snapping back upwards like the spring of a Spoink.

"By the time they realize it," Joltik added with a snicker as the steel-type landed on a nearby rooftop, "we'll be long gone down the Keldeo Path."

Pawniard grunted in agreement.

Nestled in the belfry of a certain belltower, a young Scrafty sat haphazardly. Most of the mun's dark gray skin was hidden by the shade of the belfry, though a single eye and a dark brown mohawk poked out into the morning sunlight. The Scrafty watched as a Pawniard fell from the sky, expertly saving herself with an impressive feat of acrobatics.

The lizard Pokémon closed his eyes halfway, tearing into a loaf of bread with his teeth. He tossed what remained aside and reached into his baggy trousers, pulling out a piece of paper. For a moment, he looked at the sketches drawn onto the paper.

Pawniard Vigil Pelagia - Joltik Jutta

Wanted by The Hand

-REWARD OFFERED-

The Scrafty frowned, glancing back at the pair as they made their way along the rooftops. He scrunched up the papers in his fist. The sunlight crawled along the wall as the sun continued to rise, revealing more of his gray skin. A large tattoo was emblazoned on his chest: a tree with twin helixes hanging from its branches like vines. The Pokémon spoke:

"Keldeo Path."

An old Carracosta stood on a high balcony, carved into the wood of the Aurum's root. His hunched figure leaned forward on a gnarled wooden cane. His blue eyes, softened by age, gazed at the magnificent sight before him.

A pristine lake stretched below, its surface curving in a perfect half-circle. Morning sunlight reflected off its crystal-clear waters, giving off a warm orange glow. Thin clouds of mist lingered over the water, swirling above it as remnants of the parting night. The scent of dew and freshwater was carried towards him by a breeze.

Despite the early morning, mun had already begun to pour onto the shoreline below. Their laughter and chatter filled the air with excitement. Carracosta inhaled deeply, allowing the warm morning air to seep into his lungs. His stony face broke into a faint smile.

The Keldeo Path would soon begin.

Author Notes:

The Salandit and the Grimer that appear in this chapter are characters from SterrMuttface's The Pale Saga: A PMD Inspired Story. If you enjoyed this story, I'm sure you'll love The Pale Saga. You can find it on AO3 - go check it out!