Episode 38: Wants and Wishes

"I really don't get why you're mad at me," Kayla groaned, eyes closed as she followed May.

"What's not to get? You almost fucking died. Again!" Pola threw her arms up. "Why'd you throw yourself at the big guy before Shannon could heal ya, huh?"

"You should've been taking a back seat, too. You're still bandaged," Shannon added.

"Oh, speaking of," Kayla perked up. "Er, Kari? Mind grabbing my shirt right now?"

"Huh?" Kari was unsure.

"I dunno how, but my body doesn't hurt anymore. I'm not kidding, I feel good as new!" she said cheerfully.

"Don't try to change the subject," Pola grumbled.
Kari was delicate, removing Kayla's shirt and then the bandages around her arm and body, especially as they were still stained with dried blood. Surely enough, Kayla wasn't mistaken. Even her fur was intact, and didn't scar where she'd been cut. She couldn't help but giggle, dance, and motion some kicks to show off her energy.

"H-how…" Shannon whispered.

"Your new Visionary Magic, duh. I guess this new one can properly heal wounds," Pola said.

"I've seen you both use magic spells so many times, and yet it never fails to astound me," Ashe admitted. "To think that a move that normally only restores strength could become more effective than modern medicine or surgery… And all you have to do is cast it."

"Do you feel alright?" Kari asked.

"I feel great! Like I was never in a fight to begin with!" Kayla hopped up high.

"I'm so relieved…" Kari shuddered.

"Aww, there's no need to worry Kari! I promise, I'm fine," she calmed down and smiled.

"Wish… I got exhausted after I used it, but if it can heal fatal wounds like that, then I guess it's not a bad move to have," Shannon sighed. He glanced back at the clearing where the crystal den was, which was now an empty space of soil like the other clearings in the scrapyard. "What was all that back there, anyway? The crystal disappeared even though we lost."

"I picked up a move, too! Even though I didn't get to use it. We'll get another dose of Pola surprise next time we come up against a big baddie," Pola posed.

"Oh? You learnt something as well? Other than not to flirt with our enemies?" May glanced at her.

"Hey, you guys just have bad taste. But then again, I can't expect you to know good-looking," she grumbled.

"Hmm… I dunno," Kayla swayed her head. They resumed following May. "You're talking about the Brionne, right? Didn't he seem kinda chubby to you?"

"Wha- huh? You of all Pokémon?" Pola replied.
"I just thought you hated that stuff."

"Some Pokémon can wear it cute! Like him. I didn't know Brionne guys could pull off a cool look, but here we are," she giggled. "It's always gotta be the taken ones, huh?"

"I don't get you," Kayla sighed.

"Are you asking me for beauty advice?" Pola became smug.

"… Y'know what? Fine, let's hear it. What could I do to look prettier?" Kayla asked. Pola posed as if to make a snide comment, but something made her hesitate. She eventually folded her arms, giving Kayla a look over.

"Is this some shitty attempt at a bit, or are you actually asking me for advice?" she asked.

"Uh… genuine, I guess. I don't really get this stuff and thought you hated fat, so now I'm just curious," Kayla was surprised.

"Heh. This ought to be a laugh," Shannon rolled his eyes.

"Don't listen to her, Kayla! She's gonna make you eat all kindsa weird healthy stuff," Kari cried. "Prom week was the worst diet of my life!"

"Hey it wasn't that bad. You found out you like sweet corn, after all," Pola argued. "Anyway, fine, I'll figure somethin' out. Just gimme some time, though. Not like I can find you a dress in scrapyard."

"Oh wow. You are being genuine," May sung.

"Wherever you're going with that, don't bother. Just, stop," Pola sighed.

"Hmpf. I was actually going to advise you make one, if you're in the mood for getting clothes. You'd be impressed with what can be salvaged from the scrapyard, such as…" the Pichu trailed off to point ahead. They arrived at another clearing, this one closed in by a tall mountain of scrap that surrounded it. Tents and square habitats were scattered around, most appearing habitable.

"Oooh, they're just like little houses!" Kari squeaked giddily.

"Shh. I can hear Pokémon sleeping in them," Ashe warned.

None of the habitats were vacant. At the furthest end, right by the wall of scrap, a discarded train car lay almost flat. Strangely, it wasn't as rusted or dirty as the other abandoned tech up until now. It was public too – the average nine to fiver's ride to work. Even the sliding doors could be manually pulled, as May had no trouble demonstrating.

"We'll stay here until we can build ourself a proper habitat, if the need for one arrives. We won't be disturbed here either, so we can talk in peace," May informed.

"And what, sleep on the seats? I sleep in a bed, thank you very much," Pola sighed and groaned, throwing herself on a two-seater anyway.

"Not like we have a choice right now. It could be way worse," Kayla shut her eyes.

"We can close the door for warmth," Ashe realised as she did just that.

"It's a marked improvement from when I was last here," Mog added.

"No way, you lived here too? Is everyone May knows secretly a bum?" Pola asked.

"No, I didn't live here. But I did look around and stuff," Mog said, admiring the place. The inside of the train was maintained too, as it was clean and didn't smell of anything. The lights didn't work however, so it was fairly dark until Shannon started glowing with Flash. There wasn't as much dust in the air as Kayla feared.

"Okay… so what's our first point of order?" Shannon asked, making his own space. He coiled his tail to his front and smoothed it out.

"Oh my gods, you're gonna use your tail as a pillow, aren't you? That's so fucking cute!" Pola squeezed her cheeks. He rolled his eyes.

"To get some sleep. It's late, and we've been through a lot today," May answered sternly.

"Put it off, why don't you," he groaned.

"I agree, actually. Look there's no need to rush this, either. Let's just take it easy," Kayla said, hoping to quell things before they started. It looked like Pola and Shannon accepted it as they settled into their seats to sleep, letting her sigh.

This really was nothing more than a public train, so she gave up on finding a decent bed pretty quickly and hopped into a three-seater. If she rolled and fidgeted in her sleep, at least then she wouldn't fall down, she hoped. She shuffled and squirmed to get comfy, and settled on sitting back to sleep. Silence fell, silence that was even quieter than RSE Academy somehow. It wasn't long before she could hear light, cute snores from somewhere down the carriage, along with conversations outside that were muffled by the distance.

At least everyone's actually asleep. Felt like maybe that couldn't happen, Kayla sighed from relief. May gets her rest. Can't blame her for wanting to take a load off. Whatever's going on between her and that Morpeko, she must be scared out of her wits. Wasn't any better for me, either. Went and lost to that Brionne, nearly lost to that Crobat too, and whatever Gema's got going on.

The name made her open her eyes, and she squinted. Gema… were you really playing us the whole time? The whole academy, the whole expedition to Orchard Overgrowth… was all that really just a ploy to get Dreamers? I'm involved in this, even though I don't want to be.

She shut her eyes and tried to relax again, but couldn't. She relived that scene in her mind, and could physically feel every moment. Treasure's gas trap followed by the sharp carousel, followed by Ashe nearly hitting her in the back, and then Gema's absurdly powerful Thunderbolt attack. When the image of him pointing that nail flashed in her mind, she physically shuddered, shooting awake. She hadn't been breathing, and had to catch her breath.

What's the right move to make? Do I take this seriously, like Pola? Do I stop trusting Pokémon, like Shannon? And even if I decide to fight them, would the others want to come with me?

No one answered, of course. Just the snores and quiet breaths of her friends. She heard a little shuffling followed by a few steps, and peeked around her chair to check. Ashe was walking out for some reason. Kayla raised an eyebrow, and then hopped down to follow.

Outside, Ashe didn't go far. She was a few paces out of the train carriage staring up at the night sky, and then walked off to the side. Kayla kept following from a distance, but stopped when she began to ascend the mountain of trash behind the carriage. Now this was a little challenge. She surveyed the scrap heap for a moment, searching for anything that counted as a ledge. Taking a little run up, she began to bounce her way up the mountain, making it up easier than she thought.

Ashe was sat back here, once again looking up at the night sky. From this height, and at this hour, the sky wasn't impeded by clouds or whatever that red glow was from before. Millions of stars were clustered together in a pitch black backdrop, occasionally lit up by glowing waves of light that drew mysterious shapes. It almost looked like planets were attached to a glowing DNA strand, with stars as a pretty, colourful dust that was brushed off it.

"I'm sorry," Ashe said, getting her attention.

"For what? I'm the one who followed you," Kayla casually walked over.

"If I woke you… and for not protecting you," she clarified, looking down in shame.

"Ah, Shannon still has your musical thingy, right? I don't blame you for not getting involved against a guy with swords. One cut, and I don't wanna think about what could happen to you."

"But after all of my talk about protecting you… All I've done is betray your trust," she sighed.

"Look, none of that. I never stopped trusting you, alright?" Kayla assured. "Yeah, you scared me a lot when you tried to attack us back at the academy. But you already apologised, and told me why your hands were tied. I'm not mad or holding it against you, so… relax, okay?"

Ashe couldn't smile. If anything, she looked even more upset. "Don't you have an opinion on anything?"

"Huh?"

"I understand your preference to take things as they come. But it's this that I worry about," the Jigglypuff turned away. "A friend who promised to protect you turned their back and attacked you at one of the most crucial moments of your life. Beyond that, teachers you looked up to turned out to be terrorists, whose goal is to use you to create a new world."

"And now we're huddled up in a scrapyard, hoping to hide out from it all," Kayla finished for her. She sat down to admire the stars. "Fwee, pretty sight, huh? You couldn't get something like this even at the academy. Wonder if the moons will make it look any different?"

"Kayla…" Ashe said.

"Well, y'know what we keep saying now. Clarity is everything," she smiled. Ashe closed her eyes to think hard, and then settled down beside her.

"I still haven't told you a single lie, but I also haven't been the clearest. My past… I really am just a Jigglypuff who went digging and diving into ruins all her life," Ashe began. "I was a solo explorer. At some point, I made a name for myself because I kept finding treasure and success. Seemingly everything Isnomia has to offer, I found. Its ruins, proof of life from its oldest generations, the truth of its history, I found it all."

"What's a pro explorer doing telling nursery rhymes in childcare?" Kayla commented.

"It's hardly the glitz and glamour the public assumes it is. I know everything, Kayla. The darkest truths of Pokémon's pasts and the old ways of life, buried as mistakes the world wanted to forget," she continued, looking at her hands. "With it came all kinds of curses and hexes that scarred my body beyond recognition. This hair, the marks by my eyes, everything you see of me – it's a curse. A curse I choose to use for good rather than for power."

"I guess you think this is pretty childish, but I think you look cool. Even before you told me this, I knew not to mess with you, either. A Jigglypuff whose song can do more than put Pokémon to sleep is pretty scary stuff," Kayla remarked.

"I believe in Netherworld's goal, Kayla," Ashe confessed. That widened Kayla's eyes and got them to look at her. "That's why I joined them. To build a world where all Pokémon can live freely as equals. Extraordinary or not, I want equality, more than anything else in the world."

"But you're here," Kayla said. Ashe nodded.

"I disagree with their ways. But now, I'm conflicted," she sounded like she might cry. "The way you've been acting after learning everything, and just now even… the thought crossed my mind. That I should have let you stay captured and worked with Netherworld. You don't seem to care about anything that's going on, so why would it matter? Why not grant my wish?"

"I… couldn't do a wish that big even if I tried. That's not even on me. Dream World disturbances and all that, right?" Kayla replied. Ashe glared at her, and this time, her bright yellow eyes were aglow with intent. It was enough to make Kayla's heart jolt.

"Suppose there was. A way to have any wish granted, so strong that it could affect the entire world," Ashe whispered.

Now Kayla's heart was racing. She glared back, and thoughts didn't seem to form. If anything, it was a revelation. Ashe was so certain that it could be called obsessive. There really was a way to break the lock and make a wish unbound by any law or limitation, and Ashe believed she knew how to achieve it.

"I'd make a world I want," Kayla grinned.

Ashe's smile turned into surprise. "You do care."

"Of course I do. I've got my own wants and wishes, but I don't have to go parading them or forcing them on others," Kayla turned away, still smiling. "But that's all they are, y'know? Wants and wishes. Things everyone in the world has."

Ashe went quiet all of a sudden, joining her in looking out at the scenery.

"Putting your all into making your wishes come true, for me, that's living. And I kinda just, learnt to accept that I really like living in the moment. Just living by my own word," Kayla continued. She turned back to Ashe, and this time, she made herself readable. She was smiling, but made sure to make eye contact, while putting the slightest bit of aggression into her voice. "How Pokémon go about making their wishes come true determines whether they're good guys or bad guys, right? So you just make sure you're on the right side."

Ashe seemed to catch onto her, and pursed her lips while glaring back. "When the time is right… and this might be soon, I'll tell everyone everything I just told you. And what Netherworld are after. Not even May knows that."

"What do you want to do?" Kayla asked, calming down.

She pondered her thoughts for a bit, kicking her feet. "All of this is harsh and cruel. I don't know what your true feelings are, but I worry about your understanding of all this. So I want you to hold onto what you're feeling. How you feel now, and how you want to live so free. Hold onto that. Let me keep protecting you, so you can be happy."

"Hey, don't forget about yourself, now. You're alive, too," Kayla said. She tried to wave but her hand wouldn't move, so she settled on a pose instead. "I'm gonna try and hit the hay. Today's been long, and it's sorta catching up."

"I understand. Sleep well, Kayla," Ashe looked down.

"You're not coming, too?"

"I'll join you soon, so don't worry. I just have a lot to think about," she said slowly, still facing the floor. "Um, do you need help getting down?"

"I'm good. Thanks though," Kayla nodded, and then hopped her way down.

She had to sneak back into the carriage, which was surprisingly hard with how dark it was down here. Without Shannon's flash, it really was pitch black, with only dull rays of light through the windows to guide her. She wound up using her ears, listening for her friends' snores and breaths to tell where they were. She made it back to her three-seater before she noticed Kari watching her, prodding her paws.

"Ack- sorry if I woke you," Kayla whispered. "Something up?"

Kari gulped. "U-um… Hi. Er, it's uh, kinda cold…"

"Ah, yeah. But we can live with it, I hope. Nothing that'll kill us."

"Well… um… we could… ahem," Kari came closer. "Y'know, do the thing."

"The thing?" Kayla cocked her head.

Kari scrunched up her face and growled, trying fruitlessly not to blush. She suddenly hopped onto the seat with Kayla, smothering her a bit. Kayla flinched and squirmed, but quickly calmed as she realised what the Furret was actually doing: becoming a bed. A moment later, Kari was curled up around her, keeping her nice and snug. She could even lean back and relax, finding Kari's body was comfier than her bed back at the academy.

"You sure you're gonna be alright like that?" Kayla whispered. Kari's face was bright red, but she was able to settle.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Goodnight Kayla," she replied quietly.

"Goodnight, Kari."

…

Another good night's sleep. This one was so relaxed that Kayla didn't want to get up at all, even though daylight was hitting her in the face. A low, gurgly growl got her attention though, so she sat up to find Kari lying back and sprawled out across the seat.

"Oooh, so hungry," she moaned, unmoving.

"Eheh, morning. I guess that's the first point of order," Kayla giggled. She stretched and turned to hop out, finding Pola staring at her with the world's smuggest smirk. "Uh, morning?"

Pola didn't reply.

"… Yeah, uh. You're scaring me. Should I be scared?"

"What were you two up to, huh?" Pola asked, still smug.

"Nothing, really. Kari let me sleep on her so we could keep warm," Kayla said blankly.

"That's all? Nothing else?" Pola leaned toward her, batting her eyelashes. Kayla didn't reply. "Heh, you're a sneaky one. I get it."

"Seriously, what's the big deal?" Kayla cocked her head.

"You two thought you'd get away sleeping together, huh?" Pola posed. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

"Whatever's on your mind, it's probably wrong," Kayla sighed tiredly.

"Too hungry…" Kari gurgled.

"Um, yeah, that. Are the others awake? We're running on fumes here," Kayla hopped down at last.

Not long later, May had them all gathered outside the train. Daylight made this place surprisingly bright, though the sky was still clouded and only let a few bits of blue peek through. It left the scrapyard with a mostly grey tone, uplifted by many more Pokémon wandering around. What she didn't notice last night was the Kangaskhan statue right by their train car.

"So including what we have in storage, we can probably last about a week if we don't eat more than we need. That's actually not bad," Kayla summarised.

"This is Kari we're talking about," Pola pointed out. The Furret had shrivelled into a moaning puddle already. "And you. We're kinda all big eaters here."

"If you're counting me in your calculations, you shouldn't. I survive on morsels to begin with," Ashe said.

"Do I really eat that much?" Kayla cocked her head.

"Indirect jabs at gluttony aside, it is true that it will be tough to adjust diets after our habits from RSE Academy come into play. When you consider that, it's easy to last less than a week. So, what are our plans going forward?" May explained. "We can either harvest from the fields outside, or travel to Twoson's Rest in the northwest. I suppose buying from Flowerbed Farms is also an option."

"The stuff in the fields is free? Can we really just take?" Kayla asked.

"You did it before, after all. It belongs to the ferals, so take that as you will," May said.

"Okay… I wanna say just do a bit of everything. We'll eat our fill now and then spend some time harvesting," Kayla started thinking aloud. "We kind of all eat different stuff, so maybe we ought to do a bit of everything. Some go out to the fields, some to town…"

"Urgh. It sounds so uncool," Pola started playing with her weave.

"It has to be done. Everyone in the scrapyard must fend for themselves," May replied.

"It's kind of just living like ferals though, right?" Shannon added. "I've not forgotten how to harvest or anything, but it kinda feels undignified at this point."

"Hmm… I mean if we use the Kangaskhan statue well, we can get way more than we need, store it, and then not have to hunt every single day," Kayla pointed out.

"But it's still just apples and berries and nuts, right?" Shannon replied. No one answered, and he slumped. "Never thought I'd be homesick for the academy food."

"Why're we even doing this? Can't you just dream us up some breakfast? We can get a proper meal that way," Pola pointed out.

"No dream catcher, no dream pools," Kayla said.

"Then we'll just make one. Can't be that hard with all the scrap crap around us."

Kayla turned away at that. For once, she looked annoyed with everyone. That made May and Ashe snicker however, and the Ashe cleared her throat. "Aren't you a little too prideful for that? Having to use amazing powers for such a mundane daily necessity…"

"At this point, it's kind of a little more than that…" Shannon sighed.

"By the way Mog, we have a saying right now, don't we?" May spoke up. She had her eyes shut and arms tucked behind her back. "Clarity is everything, hmm? So if you have something to say, you should say it."

Kayla grew concerned at that. Mog really did look like she wanted to say something, and blushed as the attention was brought to her. She started twiddling her feet and rubbing a wing. "U-um, th-the way you guys are talking…"

"C'mon, out with it. We're hungry here," Pola complained.

"… Nothing. Forget I said anything."

Pola groaned skyward. "Urgh, come on, just out with it. Not like this situation can get any lower."

"Um… the way everyone's talking, you weren't planning to uh, eat all that fruit raw, were you?" Mog asked.

"Oh. I dunno what else we'd do. All we have are fruits and berries and stuff, right?" Kayla glanced at everyone. Mog started blushing and turned away.

"Apples are apples. It's all good to me at this point," Kari finally sat up. "Can we just eat now?"

"Er… W-would you let me handle the food?" Mog was even shyer.

"What? And let you poison it or something?" Shannon snapped.

"Yeah, or sneak it all for yourself? Don't be a greedy ass," Pola joined in.

"Whoa, hey, let's not jump to conclusions here," Kayla stepped in. "Mog, what did you mean?"

"I um, I was going to suggest cooking. If you'd let me cook for you," Mog faced the floor.

"You can cook?" Kari perked right up, flicking her ears.

"Yeah, what kind of Swoobat can cook? What would you even make? It's just fruit and stuff, like we said," Pola argued.

"I'm a solo explorer, but I wasn't ever that big. I had to learn how to handle food in order to budget better," Mog replied, although she was shuddering. "We Swoobat have a diet of fruit and berries, too. So all my recipes revolve around that. I-I-I was only offering… if you don't trust me, I won't force it…"

"… Sure," Kayla spoke up.

"KAYLA!" Pola screamed.

"If you can make something cool out of apples and oran berries, I'll be super impressed. So go ahead, knock yourself out," she nodded.

"Re-really?" Mog was surprised.

"Hmmnng, I wanna eat now, but if Kayla says so," Kari shivered. She thrust their bag at the Swoobat, hiding her face from it. "Take it! Just take my love away from me!"

"You've gotta be- how much trust are you going to give this Pokémon?" Shannon shouted.

"… Y'know what? If you don't trust her, why don't you watch her for me, Shannon?" Kayla sat back and shut her eyes. "I trust you, so you should watch her and make sure she doesn't try any funny business."

"Huh what?"

"Go on, go right ahead. Mog, don't worry about us. We'll just relax and wait," Kayla said. Shannon started growling furiously at her.

"This is going on your shit list, just so you know," Pola grumbled miserably.

"Um… I'll just… go and get started," Mog slowly took off.

"Better hurry before she leaves you behind," Kayla carried on.

Shannon sighed hoarsely. "You're gonna owe me for this one."

"I probably am."

Once they turned the corner, Mog took off properly, flying surprisingly fast. Shannon had to run on all fours to keep up. Two things: Mog seemed to know where she was going for one, and for two, there were a lot more Pokémon around than he thought there would be. As they ventured down the dry soil paths in between the valleys and mountains of trash, he couldn't count the number of different species they passed on both hands. All of them were going about their business, not all too different than RSE Academy.

What am I getting myself into? If she does try to kill me, what could I even do to stop her? He realised as they arrived at a small enclosure. There was nothing here but the ruins of a burnt down hut. A single, dirty kitchen area with no roof. A fireplace surrounded by stones sat in the middle of the room, along with a couple of chairs and a blackened cushion. Shannon was confused by it all until Mog put the bag down on the side.

"Look at this place… don't Pokémon know how to keep a kitchen clean?" Mog complained, flapping her wings with force. She blew with her mouth too, clearing a wave of dust from the surfaces. Some of it blew back in her face, and she coughed cutely.

"Is everyone forgetting this is a scrapyard? How is something like this even here?" Shannon asked with a furrowed brow.

"I should think so. It's all they have to cook stuff," she answered. "Don't just stand there, help me out! Brush stuff with your tail!"

"Excuse me?" he was even more put off. "I'm just here to make sure you don't poison us. Don't tell me what to do!"

"You don't actually think I will, do you?" she asked without looking at him.

"I… don't know. You're a bat. And the archfiend, and all that," he said.

"I'm a Swoobat, not a Zubat. We're both blue, but I can't suck blood," she still didn't look at him.

He wanted to respond rudely, but something stopped him. Mog was frantic in how she managed everything. A pile of apples and a pile of oran and pecha berries were sorted fast, and then she was gathering plates and an iron bowl, which she put on top of the fireplace. There was even a grill, but she had to clean that, too. She did it all at a speed, but also concentrated hard, while also not looking stressed in the slightest.

Why does she look like… Shannon couldn't help but stare. She was engrossed in this mundane task in a way he could only describe as euphoric. Somehow that was admirable to him, that she could find enjoyment in something he looked down on. He looked down on cooking because he himself wasn't good at it, but watching an expert make ease of the process made him appreciate it a little more. Beyond that, Mog reminded him of Genius - the Pawmot always had this content look when she was engrossed in something, and he adored how cute she looked when she was like that.

No, you idiot. Genius is gone. That's not what we're looking at anymore, he shook his head. There was no denying that Mog looked like she was enjoying herself, though.

"Ah, shoot!" she hissed, glancing around. She retrieved a brown scrap of card from a pile of trash and began striking it with the claws of her feet, but all that happened was brown dust scraping off. She quickly gave up with a growl and began searching for something else.

"What now?" he cocked his head.

"Fire. I need to start a fire, otherwise I can't cook a thing," she replied, still not stopping to look at him. "There's normally used lighters or matchstick boxes around here for anyone to use."

"It's a scrapyard. The odds of finding anything useful here is basically zero," he commented.

"You guys haven't lived here and it shows. Pokémon trade what they don't need, and some of those resources are things to start fires. I can't believe there's none spare," Mog replied.

"Might be better this way. You can't try to burn this whole place down," he grumbled.

Finally, that got her to stop. "What do you Pokémon actually want me to do?"

Shannon watched her sternly. Her annoyance was clear, and once she registered that she wasn't going to get an answer, she went back to searching.

"All I want to do is cook. It's the one thing I'm good at, but of course the almighty says no, that has to be hard, too. You want me to buzz off, Pola wants me to stand up for myself; there's no winning with any of this. Doesn't even matter that we're living like the homeless. This is hopeless," she ranted.

At last, Shannon huffed and threw his arms down loosely. Crouching down to the campfire below the pot, He gave his cheeks a pat and began to spark them. His little sparks struck the wood a few times before they caught fire, although it was tiny.

"You—" Mog was surprised.

"It starts small, but it'll turn big," he said, leaning against the wall. She stared at him. "Probably won't last forever, too."

"R-right," Mog nodded, getting back to work. She gathered some sticks, then stomped on the cutting board to flip the apples up into the air. Several light Air Slash attacks sliced them up finely, though it took a few flips to get them all. She made skewers out of the fruit, and then put them on the grill.

"These berries are pretty fresh. I wonder where they got them?" she mumbled to herself, hovering over the food. After a few seconds, she began to squeeze an oran berry, juicing it over the skewers. Sizzling noises took over, but she was careful. She spread the juice over the skewers with an odd delicacy, using her tails to turn them over at the same time. It looked like a surgical operation with how concentrated and careful she was, but she never stopped mumbling to herself.

"You see, if you bake fruit at a certain heat and then simmer them in fresh juice at a certain temperature, you can get the fruit to absorb the juice while still getting that crunchy texture. Here, this one's done. Why don't you give it a try?" Mog offered him one. He leaned back in surprise, and then hesitantly accepted it. "Easy. It's hot."

Even though he watched her make it, he examined it intently. It really was as simple as baked apples on a skewer. The worst he could do with this is burn himself, or maybe prick himself with the stick. He snuck a glance at Mog, who'd gone right back to concentrating on the food. It seemed she intended to use all the fruit they'd given her. He was either going to die by some magic or poison he somehow hadn't seen her use, or he was going to be embarrassed by her making him a good breakfast.

At this point, what've I got to lose? He groaned in his mind as he took a nervous bite. Mog had gotten it spot on – the apple was as crunchy as a nut, but bursting with warm juice like an orange. Even though she'd used oran and pecha juice, there was an addictive sweetness to it that combined with the apple. It was almost like eating a totally fresh apple, except that it was hot and juicy at the same time. He recoiled in disbelief, and then hurriedly chomped down on the rest, stuffing his mouth with the whole skewer.

"Well don't eat the stick too!" Mog giggled. He blushed, not realising she was watching. "Thank goodness though, I can still cook. We can wrap these up and bring them back to the others."

"… That's all?" he was even more surprised.

"… I like cooking," she scratched her back. "Um… this is going to sound a bit weird, but er… I'm actually kind of, uh, thankful you came with me."

She went straight back to being shy, he raised an eyebrow. "Thankful? Why? I still don't trust you, you know."

"I don't blame you… But um, using your electricity to start a small fire helped me a lot. It was perfect for making the perfect heat," she twiddled the tips of her wings. "Um, if it's not too much trouble, could you teach me how to do that?"

"Can you even learn Thunder wave?" he questioned as she bagged the wrapped up skewers. "And if you learnt it, would you really use it just for cooking?"

"I'm not very strong, despite being an explorer," she looked away, still twiddling her wings. "But I love cooking. Being able to start a cooking fire anywhere would be a godsend. That's all I'm thinking about, honest."

"I'll consider it."

"Oh no, please!" she fluttered in front of him suddenly. "What do I have to do for you to trust me with it? Please, I'll do anything!"

"Whoa, begging won't—" he growled, and then snapped to silence. The two of them caught on at the same time. Someone was approaching them, making them break off from each other.

"Yeesh, I already can't wait to get outta here. This place stinks, the bums are ugly, and everywhere looks the goddamn same," complained a rough, grouchy Fraxure. Him and his Pawniard partner stopped once they saw Shannon and Mog. The duo stared back in silence, while the sharp Pokémon began to utter sounds. They glanced at each other, and then a notepad, and then Shannon and Mog, back and forth between them and the notepad several times. "Holy shi—"

Shannon threw himself into the Fraxure to put them both into a panic, to which Mog screamed and cowered into a corner. He smothered the dragon's face, making them stumble into the wall. They swiped at him fruitlessly, shouting all kinds of muffled profanity.

"U-uh, I'll help!" Pawniard cried, sharpening for Metal Claw. The moment he slashed, Shannon leapt off, making Pawniard hack into his partner instead.

"Graaagh! You idiot!" Fraxure yelled at the top of his voice.

"Sorry boss!" Pawniard lost his voice.

"Mog, run!" Shannon ordered before he spotted her cowering in the corner. That glance was all it took to know she wouldn't follow him. He sighed and focused, facing the two sharp Pokémon.

"The three-eyed Swoobat and the Pachi with the spunky hair, there's no doubt about it. You're too skilled," Fraxure growled as he got back up. "Since you can't do anything useful, go get the General! Tell 'em we found 'em!"

Fuck, there's a General here? I can't let this escalate, Shannon's gaze tightened. Pawniard saluted and turned to run off, springing him into panic.

He needed to stop them, fast. A quick glance back and forth and he spotted that their fire hadn't been put out. Without thinking, he snatched one of the pieces of firewood, nearly dropping it from how blistering it was. Fraxure and Mog gasped at him, but he wasn't aiming for them. He leaned back and threw it with all his might, hitting Pawniard in the head hard enough to knock him down.

"You're crazy! What the heck man—" Fraxure wasn't given a chance to be surprised as Shannon tackled into him again. This time they wound up interlocked with each other, with the dragon's claws digging into his back. "Would you- stop- freaking interrupting—"

Hissing in pain, Shannon's cheeks crackled, and out came a light sizzling of electricity. Fraxure's words turned into gibberish, and he fell in a paralysed heap. Shannon had to catch his breath for a moment, and then snatched Mog's wing to pull her up. "C'mon, we need to go!"

"U-uh, okay!" she tripped up as ran after him. He let go so she could fly, but this time she was having trouble keeping up with him. As they passed the fallen Pawniard, Shannon stapled him to the floor with Wall Staples, even though he was already knocked out.

Wait, I dunno where I'm going! Shannon you stupid idiot! He realised, skidding to a stop once they got to an intersection. Mog panted as she caught up, and then a couple of Ferroseed and a Gligar showed up. One look at them and he realised why he was so wary in the first place. They wore sashes similar to the Indeedee crew that Zude had, only they were purple instead of green. The Pawniard and Fraxure earlier wore them, too.

"Netherworld… so that's the identifier," he muttered, tensing up.

"Shannon, where're you going? The others are this way," Mog cried.

"Don't say my name!" he hissed.

"Shannon? I thought I wasn't mistaken," Gligar grinned.

Mog gawked as she realised her mistake. "I-I-I… I'm sorry…"

"Don't bother, just help me fight!" he ordered, backing away as the trio approached. A ground type and two grass types. This has to be the worst matchup possible. Just my luck. What even is the theme amongst these guys? Pawniard and Fraxure were such a random combo…

It was back to searching for any tools that could help him. The tall walls of scrap had nothing he could hold as a weapon. Even then, if he tried to pull something out from his height, the whole wall would probably landslide over them.

Wait that's it! His eyes widened as he realised how obvious it was. By now his and Mog's backs were against the scrap, with Gligar snickering to himself while his Ferroseed spun beside him. "Mog, Confusion on the mountain!"

"Huh?"

"Just do a psychic blast!" he yelled.

"Eeeyah!" she cried as she obeyed, not aiming for anyone. Her eyes flashed blue and she flicked her wings hard, to which their attackers guarded themselves. Instead of hitting them, a blue blast hit the scrap wall. Mog kept shouting and crying out as she fired these invisible blue blasts, each one hitting the scrap heap hard enough that it began to shake. When rumbling took over the air she stopped, and all eyes turned to the scrap wall.

"Get down!" Shannon shouted as he dove into her. The scrap wall began to collapse onto the path, silencing the three Netherworld goons. Shannon could feel some heavy hits to his back from something too, and scrunched up in expectation of the worst.

Before he knew it, the deafening clanging of metals and materials stopped, replaced by silence and chilly wind. He shuddered as he opened his eyes, blinking in disbelief. He was completely unharmed, as was the tearful Mog beneath him. He jumped to his feet and checked his back. No harm at all, but the paths behind them were blocked by a new mountain of trash.

"Good, that worked. Let's—" he cut himself off. Mog was still on the floor, staring up at him with glistening eyes and rosy cheeks. He stared back for a moment himself, and all sorts of thoughts cycled through his head until he could feel his chest weigh. He gasped and shook himself back into focus, hopping off her. "Don't. Don't even bother."

"Wha—"

"Stop. We're not doing this. Just, get it out of your head, and focus."

"But you saved—"

"I didn't even save you. Maybe I should've let you get crushed if this is where your mind is going," he turned away and folded his arms.

"Wow! Is this how you treat anyone who- who- argh!" Mog pouted, puffed cheeks and all. "I don't care if you hate it. You did something really nice for me even though you hate me so much. I just… I…"

He didn't reply or even look at her this time, so she sighed.

"Thanks, okay? That's all," she turned away as well.

"Let's just get this food to everyone," he huffed, leading the way again. "And it goes without saying, but never speak of this to anyone, either."

"Not even the fire thing?"

"All of it."

Thankfully, they wouldn't get attacked again as they made it back to the enclosure with all the habitats. That didn't stop the weight in Shannon's chest from falling into his stomach as all sorts of fears and thoughts kept him on edge. He was right to, as there was a crowd of Pokémon gathered in the area, all of them quiet and blocking his view of the centre of the clearing.

"Hey, Shannon, Mog! Over here," Kari called out, a surprisingly serious look on her face. The duo rushed over and huddled behind a small mound of scrap which let the team peek at the scene. "Yeah, things got real crazy after you guys left. Netherworld are here, but I dunno what they're after."

"Weirdly enough, it isn't us," Kayla said.

"I know. It's me," Mog admitted sadly.

"You?" Kayla grew concerned.

"We got attacked on the way here. The goons recognised Mog," Shannon informed.

"Whoa. Now we have to stay hidden," Kayla nodded, returning to spying on the scene. Shannon shuffled up to look, too.

There was a whole group of Pokémon. Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Bisharp, Ferrothorn, and even a couple of Veluza, all dressed with a purple sash over their bodies. At the front of this small escort were two Pokémon: a tall Furret, and—

There he was. Of all the days and times for him to finally appear, it had to be now. It didn't matter that Shannon had barely eaten, or that he was surrounded by all these other Pokémon, or even that he was still incapable of offensive Visionary Magic. The glints in Shannon's eyes grew a sharp, piercing, volcanic red, and seemingly burned every other detail out of those eyes. He shuddered and ground his fangs so hard he might've broken them. Everything in his vision darkened besides the one Pokémon stood at the front of the crowd.

A Ditto. His colour matched the colour of the sashes that the goons wore. But most notably, his shape wasn't as gelatinous as expected of Ditto. It was rigid and sharp, looking more like a jelly was plastered over a spiked creature. His eyes weren't beady spots either, but larger, egg-shaped orbs resembling glass. The most off-putting thing about this jagged Ditto however, he lacked a mouth. Or rather, Shannon couldn't see it behind the series of horn instruments where his mouth would be.

"Don't tell me…" Kayla mumbled, turning to Shannon. He couldn't hide it even if he wanted to. This was it. His fists were tight and his cheeks crackled with electricity. "Hey! No, stop. Just calm down, don't do it."

"Kayla… it's him… that's my Father," he shuddered.

"That weirdo with the trumpet thingies?" Pola was surprised. "Really? Man, and I thought the Pawmot was bad enough news."

"Pawmot?" Shannon whispered, looking again.

His heart could've stopped with the emotions he just shot through. Opposing the spiky Ditto was Genius, no doubt about it. The short Pawmot with the pink highlights in her hair looked ready to rumble, and now had a weapon to use, too. She held a staff taller than her that was adorned with a gem shaped like an Audino's tail, and two angel wings.

"What the hell is going on?" Shannon whispered in disbelief.

"That's her, isn't it?" Kayla asked. "The Pawmot worth twenty million…"

Shannon gulped. "Genius…"

Ditto started playing a tune through his trumpets, but it was hard to tell whether he lacked enthusiasm or if he just couldn't emote at all. His eyes lacked all detail, reflecting everything of the scenery too well. He didn't move either. Not even a ripple. His tune wasn't upbeat, but intriguing and sorrowful. The Furret beside him looked at him when he started playing, occasionally nodding. When he stopped, she cleared her throat and turned to Pawmot.

"Hopefully without being too much of a cuss, it is decided you are to join us without a fuss," Furret began, revealing her posh voice.

"Join you?" Genius cocked her head.

"General Sharpshifter has taken an interest in you. Whatever he takes an interest in, he gets paid in due," Furret stated. "And you are sharp. Hopefully more useful than a Magikarp."

"Sharp?" Genius flinched in surprise, checking herself out. "Uh, I dunno about that one. I think I'm pretty chewy."

Furret cleared her throat. "I think the assessment's fair. After all, the description fits your hair."

"My hair?" she patted her head. "Oooo. I guess it is pretty spiky. But I dunno about joining a team and stuff, if that's what you are. Trust me, you wouldn't want me around."

"This is not for debate. If you retaliate, then we will be made to use force. Of that you want to avoid, of course," Furret became cross.

"No no no, really. See I have this thing where I uh, can't remember anything. I don't even remember yesterday, or this morning," Genius slumped. She started scratching her back, and chuckled. "I'd forget I was even with you and stuff. Sorry!"

"Hmm," Furret rubbed her chin. She turned to Ditto, which prompted him to start playing again – the exact same tune as first time. Once he stopped, she returned to Genius. "It matters not. Master will not stop until you are got."

"Aww, I guess I'm kinda flattered. But I don't wanna. Sorry!" Genius replied, still scratching her back. Furret bowed.

"Very well, we'll do this the hard way. Soon you will learn that you have no say," she replied. She turned to Ditto's entourage, nodded, and then signalled them to attack.

"Tsk, it had to be like this, didn't it?" Shannon growled, about to jump over the mound. Kayla motioned to hold him back, and Kari yanked him by the tail. "Kari!"

"Shh. Just watch," May suggested.

"But she's—"

"Trust us. Just watch," Ashe was smiling, too. He growled at them, but obeyed.

The Veluza came first. With a snap of their jaws as warning, the two fish bolted toward Genius with aqua jet. She gasped, planted her staff, and then used it was a pole to slide side to side and dodge both of them. Electricity sizzled them as they passed, flooring them. It didn't even look like she used an attack, and yet the two fish were totally down and out.

The Bisharp came next, claws aglow with black and purple energy. Genius smirked as she danced around her staff, ducking below one slash to jab the Bisharp in the stomach, hop over his collapsing form, and hammered the other one in the head. She landed next to her staff, picked it up and spun around behind her.

"Wise guy, eh?" Nidoking grumbled, charging toward her with Nidoqueen not far behind. They swiped at her several times with their bulky arms, but the Pawmot dodged each one with playful hops back and forth. "Stay still you little squirt!"

Eventually, Nidoking started spraying Poison Sting from his mouth, spitting out a rain of purple needles with so much force it left a cloud of dust on the ground. Still giggling to herself, Genius took off and started circling him, but he kept trying to hit her. Nidoqueen gave chase from the opposite direction, arms aglow with purple energy for Poison Jab. Genius soon sprinted her way right behind Nidoking, prompting him to finally stop his attack. As he turned around, Genius hopped up and pulled him by his neck as Nidoqueen arrived. Nidoqueen tried to retract, but wound up jamming her fist straight into Nidoking's face, earning a choke and a cry. Before the queen could curse in reply, Genius whacked her with her staff, flooring them, too.

All that was left was a Ferrothorn, who was clearly nervous about what they had just seen. They audibly gulped, then tensed up to extend their spikes. Genius stared at them with her cocky grin, spun her staff around, and then tapped it on the ground beside her.

"Aww, I'm not gonna hurt ya, lil' guy!" she waved happily. "Don't mind me, I'm just passin' through. I er, think, anyway. What was I doing here?"

Ferrothorn was confused by that, grumbling something to himself. Genius lowered her arms and started humming playfully. She wasn't even looking at him anymore. Seeing that, he grunted as he retracted his spikes. Clasping his three vines together, he pushed himself off the ground and began to spin at high speed. He turned into a razor-sharp spinning top, and glided across the floor straight towards her.

"I can't watch!" Kari covered her face.

"Genius, c'mon, you're in a fight!" Shannon growled, ready to leap in.

Genius remained unaware up until Ferrothorn was about to hit, where she squeaked and thrust her palms. It was hopeless, she was hit head on and got sent flying into the side of a tent, destroying the whole thing. All the onlookers gasped, and Ditto's Furret cleared her throat. Ditto even played a few sounds, finally sounding a little agitated.

Seconds later, Genius emerged from the smoke at high speed with her right fist drawn back as far as it would go, and a face fierce with fury. Even though Ferrothorn was still spinning for Gyro Ball, she managed to punch him so hard he froze in place, hitting him square between the eyes. Cracks formed at the point of impact, earning a yelp and a whimper from the steel type. He promptly fled, leaving the Pawmot standing.

"Oooowwwww! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Genuis danced and shook her hand as recoil struck her.

"She… really took on… all of them," Shannon whispered.

"What a woman," Pola remarked.

"Ngh…" Furret backed away. "We came at you at our peak, and yet were defeated like we're weak."

Ditto made another round of sounds, but that only made Furret start to sweat. The crowd closed in as well, to which she bowed and cleared her throat.

"Unfortunately sir, they have achieved a feat. Now it is best we make a hasty retreat," she replied.

"Wait!" Shannon finally climbed over the mound. Furret threw something at the floor, which blew up into a huge cloud of smoke. The crowd broke into coughing fits, which Shannon fought through to no avail. Ditto and Furret seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving not a trace. Unable to find them, he grit his fangs and glared into the distance, assuming they escaped on the main path. His eyes had burning stars in them again. "No… I finally found you. I won't let escape!"

"Shannon!" Kayla snapped at him again. Just one look at her and the rest of the team got him to stop, and he turned away to growl.

"Shannon?" Genius said quietly.

He gasped, and they locked eyes.