Episode 44: World of Dusk

"Are you alright? Are you hungry?" Mog asked, looking back at her little passenger. May had her eyes closed and didn't respond, which brought a smile to her face until the Pichu started to fall off her back. "Eep, May!"

"Ah, what?" May gasped, shooting awake and grabbing on.

"Ehee hee, you fell asleep," Mog giggled. "We can take a break, if you want."

"No I… I can't afford to. Please. Let's keep going," the Pichu said, sounding slightly desperate. She yawned out loud, so Mog gave her a homely smile. "I-I know what it looks like. But please, I need to get home as soon as I can."

"I know, but you don't need to push yourself. We should set up camp," Mog suggested.

"Mog, please! You said you would help me!" May cried, clenching Mog's fur tighter.

"I know, and I am. I'm a rescuer, May. You're safe now, and we can take our time with this," the Swoobat said, a surprisingly motherly tone coming from her. She faced forward again. "Look around you. We've made very good progress. There's no one chasing us, and Netherworld aren't going to shock you anymore."

May obeyed, scanning the scenery. It was true, and it was beautiful. The couple were a blip amongst groups of Pokémon that dotted the green countryside. All she could see were fields of short grass with the occasional gathering of trees or flowers, which seemed to continue on forever until the mountains beyond the hills. There was a railroad running beside them, with a wire hanging over it the whole way. Soil and weeds grew below the planks. Sunset lighting gave everything a slightly orange hue, while the metal had sharp shines on it.

May grimaced as her ride landed on a station platform beside the rail. She was surprised to feel solid ground rather than soil, but also surprised by how hard it was to stand. She was so hungry that it hurt, and wrenching only made it worse, as the cuts on her neck felt like they opened up. Touching them made pain flare up, so she resorted to laying flat on her stomach instead.

"I have food. Just relax for a while, I'll set everything up," Mog said, getting to work. May couldn't see what she was doing, and she didn't care, either.

All she could do was shudder in discomfort. Dusk and Vega flashed in her mind, and their relentless shocking. It was so vivid that she jolted to her feet as though she could still feel the collar around her neck. But there wasn't anything. Just the cool breeze and a loud rumble from her stomach. The whole act made her shiver as her head grew cloudy and she felt dizzy.

She didn't want to face what was coming. She was going from one hell to the next. Returning home was her only option, despite it implied her failure. She couldn't imagine anyone saying a single nice thing to her. Sure, she wouldn't be tortured like Netherworld did, but she wouldn't exactly be getting healthy meals, either. This hunger felt normal to her and would be for the foreseeable future, so there was no point in taking luxuries now. With that thought in mind, she took a deep breath, stood tall, and braced to face the remainder of their travel.

"Here," Mog said before she began. In her wing was a skewer with baked apple slices on it. May blindly accepted it, and then realised what it was. "Give it a try. I hope you like it."

Nibbles turned into quick bites the way only a Pichu could. The apple was baked until it was hot and crunchy, but somehow held as much juice as an orange. It didn't even have seeds she could accidentally eat. Seeing her wolf it down, Mog happily offered her more. She could only handle about three sticks before she was content.

"Thanks," May said reluctantly.

"Were they really good?" Mog asked. May was a little sceptical at her eagerness. "It's my first time offering that to someone. Some of the other explorers want me cooking for them, but I never thought about what they might eat."

The Pichu was still hesitant. "Um, I might be the wrong Pokémon to ask."

"Why so?" Mog sounded like she was in the distance, making May flinch. She was setting up a little tent and even had a blanket. "Oh, this'll work for you, won't it?"

"Wait, why…?" May muttered. Mog finally stopped.

"For you, silly! If we're going all the way east like this, it's going to take a few days. They gave me a camping set, but Swoobat like me don't need them," she said, looking away. "I still carry it around for situations like this. Good thing I did, huh?"

"You don't need to be nice to me. I can't pay you," May sighed.

"I didn't expect you to. That's for HAPPI to do. But c'mon, don't be silly! If we're camping for a few days, I'm not going to leave you to the wilderness. What kind of rescuer would I be if I did?" she reasoned.

"I…" May tried to respond, but felt her face heat up. "I… don't know. I don't know how this stuff works."

Mog was surprised. "You know about HAPPI, don't you?"

"Helping Adventurous Pokémon Prosper Institute, right? I know of the name, and that they manage all this sort of stuff," May explained. "But I was the one that thought they had a university in Hammock, so…"

Mog lost her smile as she collected her thoughts. "I know it must be difficult. But I promise you, you can trust me. I will protect you with my life until we can make it to your home. You will be safe there, won't you?"

May couldn't answer, nor look her in the eyes.

"Do you have somewhere else in mind?"

"No. I don't have anywhere else. That's where I'll be safest," May muttered under her breath. "Even though I can't pay you for the food? Or your service?"

"Do not worry about a thing," Mog bowed. "On my third eye and my two tails, I will get you home safely."

May was still hesitant. This Swoobat seems friendly enough. The friendliest face I've ever met, in fact. If she was like Vega, she might have done something to me already. Or perhaps she's more calculated than Vega, and she's planning to—

"May?" Mog tapped her with a wing. May flinched so hard her cheeks crackled with static, which stung the Pichu, too. All three of Mog's eyes were wide. "Are you okay?"

It took a moment to settle her breath, and her heart wouldn't calm down.

"Hold on. We'll do it like this," Mog smiled again as she dove into her belongings. She came out with a red scarf. "You can have this. It's a Heal Ribbon. It'll give you an appetite, but it should also help you recover faster."

May just stared without a word.

"I'm not going to hand it to you. You'll have to accept it from me," Mog cocked her head with a comforting smile.

May was still hesitant. Keeping an arm back, she began to slowly shuffle toward her, eyes locked on Mog and not the scarf. When she was close enough to grab it, she hovered a hand over it, glaring intensely. The Swoobat still hadn't moved. She didn't even seem to be breathing. Just, serene as a Swanna. She hovered her hand over the ribbon again, and this time pulled back all the way.

"When you say it gives me an appetite, you mean I'll get hungry quicker?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm afraid so. I don't know exactly how it works, but you will heal faster. Is food a problem? I have plenty," Mog replied.

May still stood back. "I can't. I don't get to eat enough. It might be dangerous."

"I really don't mind. I promise, I have plenty of food," Mog said gleefully. "I'm happy to cook for you like I did here."

"… I meant after you leave," May went quiet.

"I can remove the Emeras that give it the effects. It'll just be a normal scarf, but would that be better?"

"But then it will be useless! I don't understand," May gasped. "Why would you break a piece of gear and let me keep it, just for my sake? I can't give you anything. What's your ulterior motive?"

There was no response until May was looking Mog in the eyes, where she tilted her head to smile warmly again. "There's no motive."

"Don't lie to me!"

"You've been through a lot if you don't trust anyone. I kind of get that, too. Most Pokémon would only do nice things to get something nice in return, or money," she explained, getting to work on modifying the scarf. She pulled the threads apart with her wings, while her tails dug in further. "But I'm not most Pokémon. Right now, my only motivation is to get you to trust me. If you can't trust anyone else in the world, I will make sure I'm the one Pokémon you can trust."

"… Can I really keep it?"

"Of course. Let it remind you of me," Mog said, opening it out wide. A cluster of shiny shards fell out of it, clattering on the ground. "There. All the Emeras are removed. Now it's just normal a scarf. A gift from me to you."

May wasn't as hesitant, but still slow. She felt it first, surprised by how warm the scarf was, unlike the wind. She carefully took it, wrapping it around her neck. Somehow it didn't irritate her neck scars, even when she tightened it.

"Wow, good knot. It looks good on you," Mog nodded.

"It's really okay?"

"Ask as many times as you like, my answer stays the same. It's a gift from this rescuer to you," Mog assured.

May sat down, slowly rubbing the material. This wasn't a cheap scarf by her standards. It really did prevent her from feeling her neck scars. Even though it had no conventional effect anymore, it did something exclusively for her. She could wear it until those scars healed. To her, it might as well still be a Heal Ribbon.

Her heart jumped as her senses flicked. Ferals were sneaking up on them, so she stood up and tensed. Mog seemed to have caught on as well, but she didn't give away anything besides her pupils moving. There was shuffling and scratching, and then some quiet hissing. A small gathering of Grubbin were shuffling around their camp, making a poor attempt to sneak up on them.

"Mog, there's—"

"I know. Leave it to me. You won't need to shock yourself," she said, turning around. Two of the Grubbin were out in the open, while a third was hidden behind the sleeping bag. She fluttered above the ground to wait for the last one to come into the open, and then her wings glowed brightly. With a huff and a heavy flap, she released blades of Air Cutter, striking the bugs with icy blue crescents of energy. The bugs let out shrill squeaks, and promptly fled. "Good. They're just smaller ones."

"You're so strong. It took one move," May remarked.

"Honestly, I'm not," she chuckled modestly. "I'm strong enough to take care of myself. But any big Pokémon, I run away from."

"How old are you?" May asked.

"Twenty-six. And you?"

She's older than me? May flinched. "Eighteen."

"You're?" Mog gasped and flinched as well. May realised what she'd just revealed, and went straight-faced. There was a pause, and then Mog smiled. "We're both adults. That makes things easier."

"What?"

"For us to get along, I mean. Not that I was treating you like a child until now, but it means I can explain things easier," she clarified, settling down. "C'mon, let's get comfy."

"The sun's still up," May said, even though the sun was behind the horizon.

"But you're exhausted. I could use a rest too to be honest. We're out in the open on this platform, but it should be fine. We won't get anything more than stuff like those bugs from before," Mog said. She perched on top of the tent, and then flicked it a little so a sleeping bag rolled out. It was clearly for a Pokémon much bigger than a Pichu, and not suited for a Swoobat either, but May could use it as a blanket nonetheless. Probably.

"Um… isn't this yours?"

"It should be…" Mog replied. They both stared at the bag, and then May got in. It covered all of her, even her head and ears, to which Mog started giggling.

"Heh, shouldn't they have given you one you could use?" the Pichu poked her head out.

"Hee hee, that would require budget," Mog covered her mouth.

"Wait, HAPPI are poor?"

"HAPPI aren't, the rest of us are. We rescuers are constantly harvesting from mystery dungeons. So don't worry, I have all the supplies and food we could need, I promise," Mog nodded.

"But not a place to sleep," May grinned, getting snug in the bag anyway. "I can use it, so don't worry about me, either."

Soon enough, they had a little fire and were comfy under the stars. Mog stayed awake and casually chatted until May was snoring before retiring herself. Nothing attacked them that night, either. Before they knew it, morning came, breakfast was cooked, and they were back on the road.

May didn't want to believe it, but their trip consisted of this. Chatting and camping out under the stars, surrounded by the calm fields of Isnomia's countryside. Every time she showed doubt to the Swoobat's kindness, it was met with a comfortable smile and earnest patience. There were fights, but Mog would take charge to scare off the enemies and get them through it. Never once did she complain, nor show doubt to the Pichu's questioning.

About three days later, they made it to their destination. May could feel a lump forming in her chest and stomach, making her want to throw up. The Nowhere Scrapyard. Marking the edge of the countryside were two mountains of trash and scrap material with a valley of dirty soil between them.

"This really the right place?" Mog asked. The Pichu's answer was to hop off her back and walk.

Not long after they stepped in, the whole world changed. Out was the sunlight, the cool breeze, the beautiful, bright colours of the fields. In was the red sky, hard lumpy soil, and still, cold air. Mog was unnerved enough to start walking behind the Pichu, picking up on all manner of eyes spying on them as they progressed. Deep in the scrap valley was an open area where a Mawile and an Armaldo appeared.

"You!" Armaldo snapped, bringing May and Mog to a halt. "What the hell are you doing back here?"

"Aren't you supposed to be at the uni?" Mawile challenged.

"I… listen to me. The uni was fake," May stepped forward. "It was a trick to kidnap Pokémon. I-I was tortured and forced to work on a weapon. But I got rescued by a Pokémon from HAPPI."

"HAPPI? You brought one of those here?" Armaldo raised his voice.

"Scratch that! You expect us to believe that? You got 'tortured'? What school would do that? And who'd wanna torture you?" Mawile added.

"Please wait. It's true," Mog came forward.

"Why didn't you just stay with them?" Armaldo questioned.

"What?" May whispered.

"Tsk- we poured every last coin we had into getting you somewhere, and raised you to make it big in the outside world. Not even a week later, you come back and spew this nonsense?"

"If they had you building weapons, then why didn't you make a business out of building weapons? You can't possibly be this stupid!"

"You lazy, lying, ungrateful little shit!"

"Is this your idea of a joke, you HAPPI prick?"

"You just like laughing at the poor, don't you?"

"Heartless bitch!"

Aggressive curses were fired relentlessly. All May could do was pull her ears down over her face and cower. The wind picked up, and everything felt colder and colder. Her head hurt, the words and noises began to blur, and it soon hurt just to breathe. Something was welling up in her body, that lump in her stomach that made her want to be sick. That was until she realised one sound was constant, and different to all the other curses. The sound of a heavy engine, cries, and even a couple screams.

May gasped and stood up. Approaching her was an enormous contraption unlike anything she had ever seen. Her sight stopped blurring to identify it was an army tank, but it was designed to resemble a Hydreigon. The tracks on its body were made into actual caterpillar tracks, while the three heads were cannons; the arms situated to the sides of the vehicle while the central head was the biggest cannon. They lacked faces, but their spiked collars were there, and sharper than natural.

"For your insolence and your attempt to escape from me," a familiar voice echoed from inside of the contraption. May's blood turned cold, and that lump in her gut came back at full force. It was Dusk's voice, the Morpeko that had brought her all this pain. "I will take from you, what you are attempting to take from me."

The left cannon fired with a mighty, deafening boom, shooting a blast that resembled an Electro Ball attack. Even though it hit one of the mountains of scrap, a huge explosion went off, scattering electricity and metal everywhere. Pokémon shouted and screamed with it, and glancing back, many were left crippled by the shot.

"Your world."

The right cannon fired, this shot resembling Fire Blast. An even bigger explosion went off, and this one set one of the mountains on fire. The cries of those hit faded with their bodies, as many fell to the ground, lifeless and quickly reduced to charred corpses.

"The ones you love."

The central cannon began to charge, visible as rainbow-coloured energy particles gathering.

"No… stop it, don't! I'll do anything, I beg you!" May shrieked, falling to all fours.

"May!" Mog cried, flying into her as the cannon fired.

This time, it was as if she really did go deaf. All sound reduced to an ear-piercing ring as her eyesight was blinded. Moments later, her senses started to calm, with noises and her view blurring back into focus. The cannon had evaporated everything before it – the Pokémon, the scrap heap, even the ground below it, leaving a crater.

"May, we have to stop that thing!" Mog cried. "I-I-I dunno how, but we'll… we'll do something!"

May glanced around. She was to blame for all this. Giving up, disobeying Netherworld, choosing to come back here. The burning Pokémon, the crippled Pokémon, the dead Pokémon, all because she brought this devil here, all because she couldn't withstand a day with a shock collar. She knew she would have to resist all manner of suffering, that was what she was brought up to do. That was why she was the one these Pokémon pinned their hopes on. She was meant to be their hero. This was her punishment for failing.

"May!" Mog screamed, getting her attention. "I'm gonna get you out of here!"

"No!" May gasped. "We can't run. This… this thing is…"

"May?"

"Please don't hurt them… please don't hurt them anymore," she begged. "Dusk, I'll do anything… I'm sorry…"

"What're you saying? You don't have to give in to them!" Mog argued, flying in front of her. "May, I promise you. They're evil! That's all they are. The right thing to do is to stop them and destroy this thing!"

"… Really?" May replied, unsure.

"Of course! These Pokémon are your friends and family, right?" Mog asked. "All they've done is come here and hurt them… killed them. Giving in to them now is giving up and letting them get away with murder. We can't let that happen!"

May stared at the tank. Her heart was racing and her mind was even more chaotic.

"We can stop this. We can do the right thing. No matter how scary it is, we can do the right thing!" Mog said, facing the tank with her.

She stopped thinking. Her mind was too clouded and her chest was way too twisted. Even the scenery had blurred into unfathomable patterns of greys and reds. It was just her, Mog, the Hydreigon tank, and the mountains of scrap around her.

The right thing to do? She didn't know the right thing to do. Who cared if Pokémon died? This was her fault. All that mattered was making money and becoming successful. Endure the shock collar, obey the rich, smart Pokémon. She and her family, her fellows in the scrapyard, were all bottom-feeding wastes of life.

And herself? An Extraordinary Pokémon who had no right to life in the first place.

They nearly killed her, so she ran. For that, they were killing the Pokémon who she lived with, who rejected her return, anyway. It was as simple as. To that end, the right thing to do was to kill them all.

May's cheeks sparked hard as her magnetism began to activate. With breaths heavy and arms stretched out before her, she focused her power on the tank in front of her. Her eyes glowed an eerie, bright blue as her powers activated way beyond her control. It was as if a thunderstorm were brewing around just the Pichu. Metal debris began to rise from the scrap mountains, enough to make the air rumble with tremendous shock waves. It circled around her, forming a hurricane of sharp metal pieces. Doors from vehicles, twisted pieces from broken technology, all manner of metal parts sharp and hard sped around her faster than the blades of an electric saw.

The whole time, May's power grew and focused in the one spot around the tank, manifesting as an orb of refracted light. Soon enough, she began to clench her hands, and with it, a huge dent formed on the tank's armour. Several dents appeared all across it, each one deeper than the last. Dent after dent, the tank crumpled up and imploded, until at last, a violent surge of electricity ran over it, followed by a piercing scream that came to an abrupt stop.

Knowing she'd killed the Pokémon within, May fell to all fours, panting and sweating profusely. Mog was at a distance with all three eyes widened in shock. Before she recovered fully, May forced herself to her feet, and stood triumphantly. The metal pieces rained around her as her powers dulled.

"You seem pleased with yourself," Dusk's voice made her heart jump.

"H-huh? Weren't you in the tank?" May gasped.

"It doesn't matter where I am, my darling May," he replied. His voice seemed to be echoing straight into her head. "I had a feeling you might try to disobey me again. So I took precautions. Measures to ensure you understand exactly where you stand with me."

May couldn't reply. Her eyes were wavering, and her focus was going again. That lump in chest really was going to make her throw up. She was breathing frantically again, though she didn't realise.

"You took everything from me, so I took everything from you. And I meant it."

"No," May shook her head and then darted to the ruined tank. She flared up her magnetism to pull open the entry hatch, and only then did she notice the blood seeping between the metal plates. It made her breath even more frantic, and yet she dared to peer inside. There were two Raichu. The blood belonged to the two Raichu.

Her breathing grew even more frantic. Beyond erratic. The lifeless faces of those dead Raichu occupied her vision. Dusk's warning. Mog's begging. The curses from her fellow scrapyard Pokémon. All of it played at once.

"You disobeyed me for the last time."

Her shock collar went off and she started screaming, gripping at her chest with all her might. Writhing, screaming in silence, desperate panting with increasing speed.

And then, all of a sudden, she was being cuddled by something warm. There was a weight physically on her chest and an arm around her back. She was comfortably warm, and the horrifying faces were fading away into the plain old ceiling of a dusty room with dusky lighting. She was aware she was panting and her heart was racing, but she was safe. The realisation let her relax and try to pace herself. She focused on comfortable feelings and the ceiling, steadily slowing her breaths.

Soon enough, exhaustion hit, and her eyelids fell for a minute. Now she was fully relaxed and breathing through her nose. The weight on her chest let up, but she didn't want it to, so she opened her eyes to see what it was. Staring down at her was a concerned Pola.

"You?" May said sharply. She slapped the Plusle aside, but still couldn't get up.

"Ah- geez, what was that for?" Pola complained. "Some thanks."

May's heart was heavy. Now she was just overcome with sorrowful feelings. She felt her face, and her cheeks heated up at the feeling of tears. She fought that feeling to force herself to speak, even as her words came out as a pathetic whimper. "What was I doing?"

"Pretty sure that was a panic attack. You were having a really bad nightmare," Pola informed. "I'm used to helping out Kayla 'cos she gets them. But I never expected you to have 'em, too."

May sat up in silence, though her mind swarmed with thoughts.

"Y'know, most Pokémon do the arms," Pola said after a moment. May was confused what she meant, but subconsciously reached for her neck. Her scarf had fallen off, and her heart jumped. Thankfully it was only beside her.

"These aren't—" May hissed, quickly tying her scarf around her neck.

"Hey. Look, this is pretty serious, y'know," Pola said quietly. "You… wanna talk about it?"

"I'd rather actually do harm than talk to you," May sighed, getting up to properly asses her surroundings.

"H-holy- hey that is not cool. I'm being serious," Pola leaned toward.

"So am I," May shrugged, putting on her signature grin. "Sorry to disappoint you if you thought I was joking.

"My… my gods, your bitch level really doesn't have any boundaries, does it?" the Plusle spat. "See if I care about you again."

"Honestly, I'm more comfortable knowing you don't," May replied, taking her leave. Pola watched her with gritted fangs and curled fists.

With the noisy teen out of her fur, she could concentrate on the important things: the task she'd been given by Kayla, and their mission to reach Comatose Mountain. It was too early for the others, as evidenced by them still fast asleep in the carriage. A wonder they slept through that night terror she had, and that Pola of all Pokémon was awake. The dusky tones gave the scrapyard an oddly comfortable feel, as the skies were a dull grey but the scrap heaps were dark enough to be silhouettes. This was a nostalgic morning for her.

She stopped when she reached the end of the tent area. Welder and the others changing the layout of the place was still catching her off-guard. This was even though the way to her workshop was more convenient than ever. It should only have been a good thing, and yet when she resumed walking, a heavy foreboding weighed on her mind.

It didn't make sense to be scared. Everything was better than ever. She could make out rooftops in the distance, even if they were just half built structures. She had an actual workshop now, and the Pokémon were listening to her when it came to building her project. Times were completely different to what she remembered, and yet, she couldn't let go of those scathing memories.

Nothing had changed, really. She hated these Pokémon she called neighbours and family, and they hated her as well. The only difference now was that she had social standing, while they had lost all pride and respect. They were pathetic, manipulatable bottom feeders who knew no better than to listen to Pokémon they considered rich and smart. And now, she was rich and smart, so they sucked up to her, possibly expecting some kind of charity once she got her project built. As far as she was concerned, they didn't deserve Paradise.

Speaking of her project, she managed to grin once she got to the open area where it was being built. An airplane more unique than any other model in the world stood before her. It was as incomplete as the homes being built, consisting of an unfinished metal skeleton and boxes as placeholder parts, but it was there, and it was her design. Right now, one might think they were building a model Tyrantrum for a museum with the way the metal bars were stuck together. It even had feet.

She loved working like this. Alone, quiet, and not having to care about resources. All she had to do was use her magnetism to pull whatever she wanted from a pile of materials herself and Vega had set aside, and then with that same power, set it into place wherever she wanted it. Soldering, screws, and all the other bits of construction work would take over from there. She also had an app on her PET which she needed to program, so fiddling about with that would double as a break whenever her body got tired. Before she knew it, hours passed, evident by the background noise picking up. May continued to ignore it, tapping away at her PET until it finally rang from someone calling, which made her jump. Good thing nobody saw that.

"May, good morning. Are you okay? Where are you?" Ashe's voice came through. May was hesitant to respond. "It's breakfast. We're surprised not to see you."

"I'm working on our 'dream project' shall we say. It'll keep me deeply occupied for quite a while," she said, admiring her work again. And progress is going remarkably smooth.

"Hmm… well, you should make sure to eat. We're being called, so we're waiting for you at the kitchen," Ashe sounded solemn there, for some reason. "See you soon."

The call was cut off, and May was alone again. She stared at her work for a moment, contemplating whether to respond to this apparent call or not. She wasn't in the mood, but the knowledge that she hadn't eaten was starting to make itself known, loathe as she was to admit it to herself. Never did a day pass in which she didn't hate being a Pichu, and the frequent hunger that came with it. With a sigh, she made her way.

No Vega, or much bother from the other scrapyard Pokémon, for that matter. Perhaps something is up, she realised, searching for any other hints. There were a few Pokémon around, but they were chilling this morning, same as they usually did. Azu remained curled up and out of the picture, too. There didn't seem to be much activity even when she spotted everyone in the kitchen area. She arrived just as Mog was dishing out food.

"Just in time!" the Swoobat called. "I got to make porridge. It's remarkable what everyone got for us."

"Yes. Amazing what these Pokémon can scavenge from the junk," May joked, looking away.

"This porridge came from the junkyard?" Kari squeaked in surprise. "Wait a minute, but there's only metal stuff here. Where'd they get the milk? CAN YOU GET MILK FROM METAL?"

"You can't get milk from metal, Kari," Mog giggled. "Genuine oats and milk, here. I think some of the Pokémon did work at Flowerbed Farms, but didn't know what to do with their reward."

"I think you're just that good of a cook," Kayla remarked. Mog started blushing.

"I gotta hand it to ya. I ain't much of a porridge gal, but this is pretty good. I don't even need to add sugar," Pola added.

"You've really settled in here, haven't you?" Shannon commented. There was quiet. "Mog, I mean. You've got the whole scrapyard eating out of your wings."

"He's got a point. I still can't believe you cooked that entire feast, and now you're doing regular breakfasts and dinners," Kayla praised. "If you ever feel like you're overworking yourself, don't hold back, okay? You can take a break anytime."

"I know it's not fair right now, but I just enjoy cooking," Mog confessed, twiddling her wings.

They're all too casual about this, May thought as she helped herself. The more the scene went on, the more her appetite fell.

"Genius, aren't you going to eat?" Ashe asked. The whole table turned in surprise; the Pawmot hadn't touched her food.

"You'd better eat, or you're going to regret it later," Shannon warned.

"Oh, I will!" she nodded happily. "I just felt something funny again."

"Something funny?" he cocked his head.

"There's noises coming from me! It's like my belly is singing. It's funny," she said gleefully.

"You're... Genius, please eat," he smiled shyly, rubbing his head.

"Oh, okay. I will," she nodded again, digging in.

"What was that about? You two are so frickin' weird," Pola groaned.

"Aren't we all? She's not the only one with food related difficulties," Ashe teased, drawing a look at Kayla and Kari.

"If you're gonna make a comment, don't," Kayla sighed before Kari fed her another spoon.

"Hmm… what's this about a call this morning?" May asked with a huff.

"Oh, I put in an order for a request board the other day when we were warping. So I think we're set to get deliveries, but being a scrapyard and all," Kayla smiled. "Figured everyone could use a little break from work to do a job or two."

"Your idea of a break is to do more work?" Pola grumbled.

"To be fair, we also have to. We're gonna have to get money circulating here at some point," Kayla replied.

"… Do we?" Shannon spoke up. "No one's asked for payment so far, and if there's a request board, we can treat it like RSE, can't we? I imagine that was part of your plan in the first place."

"That would be really nice! Just a big community where everyone's friendly friends and helps each other out!" Kari beamed with glee.

"Treat it like RSE… I can see it, but even that place taxed everyone to a degree. We had to pay bills, remember?" Kayla said. "So far, everyone's working under the promise that they get their own place to stay. But once we get like, actually living here, and inviting other Pokémon to work…"

"Pokémon to work? Isn't that just us?" Kari swayed happily.

"Wow, you really are going all the way to making this like Paradise," Ashe commented. "Yes, Paradise functioned much like a town with its own economy. Pokémon were hired to work on things like shops and fields. As big as this place is, we can't just give all those Pokémon lodgings, can we? Some might not even need that."

"RSE did it, why not us?" Kari shrugged.

"It would be funner that way. If anyone wanted money, they can just work on the request board," Kayla swayed with thought, too.

"I see, this is why you brought us here. You could have said it was a business meeting in the first place," May smiled. "These are problems that are quite far into the future. As of now, focus on keeping everybody in check and things running as they should. Honestly, you've taken on quite a big role, becoming the manager of a project like this."

"What do you mean? I'm leaving that to the most responsible Pokémon here," Kayla leaned back and shut her eyes. There was a pause.

"Um, Kayla, isn't she already building the thing? Isn't that priority?" Kari asked.

"You were on RSE's head staff team. It's nothing new, is it?" the Buneary smirked.

May grumbled a little as the idea ran through her head. These kids… it's like an infection. Spend enough time around the wrong crowd, and they all start acting like the problem, because the problem is okay here…

"I wish you had asked instead of just assuming… or just admit that you don't know how to manage a business," Ashe smiled sheepishly.

"Oh I know, I just don't wanna. That stuff gets boring fast," Kayla admitted with her own sheepish smirk. "Mum taught me a lot. Wanted me to take over the family business and all that. When I think about it, in a weird kind of way, I'm doing similar but my own thing, huh?"

Yes, Beaurette's alias was owner of that hotel… it actually makes sense why Kayla knew how to delegate tasks accordingly, May realised, putting a paw to her chin. "Very well then. A little test, shall we? What do you think is the best way to start this process, Kayla?"

"As in like, getting Paradise up and running and stuff? Uh, everyone working, right? Us included," she answered. May shook her head.

"Our first priority should be a bank safe," May corrected her.

"You serious? A physical bank around homeless Pokémon?" Pola commented.

"Your second point of order is not to think of or treat your employees as homeless or poor," May added. Much as I do the same…

"I think I get where you're going. A separate bank account which the higher ups can pull from in order to manage and fund each part of paradise," Kayla said.

"Ah, so you do know. Yes, there is a difference between being a director and a manager. Taxing everyone, including ourselves, helps delegate funds to keeping the place running. Not just new investments like habitats and shops, but repairs, outside fees, the like," May explained. "As long as Paradise itself has an income, it can function even in a time of emergency. We wouldn't have to pay for everything out of our own pocket, like what you're currently assuming we'll have to do."

"Oh I just thought that'd be an easy way to get started. We still have that good 40 odd K after all," Kayla smirked.

"Frankly, that won't be enough."

"It won't?" Kari gasped.

"We're talking about what will become a town, here. We can assume that everyone bringing in a regular income will be enough, but until we have everyone actually doing that, we're as good as a charity," May stated.

"And this is why I'm leaving it to you," Kayla snickered.

"Yeah, all this big business stuff is already hurtin' my head!" Kari squealed.

"Ugh. Well we've gotta do it and stuff, so…" Pola grumbled again. "Yeah alright, whatever. Lay it on me, what's your big old plan for today?"

"Huh? I don't know yet, I just assumed the board's being delivered. Someone's waiting for us at the entrance right now," Kayla said.

There was a long pause from everyone.

"Um… should we really be sitting here eating if they're waiting for us?" Pola said. There was another pause, with Kayla and Kari continuing to eat despite.

"As hilariously in-sync you two adorable normal types are with each other, there comes a time where responsibility needs to take priority. I hope that when those times come, you'll be able to seize them appropriately," May said. The duo didn't stop eating, making her sigh. "I'll cover you this time, but if you're serious about directing this place, you will need to be more present."

May tried not to look like she was storming off there, but that was hard to do as a Pichu, especially walking on all fours. She'd had her fill of cereal anyway, so she wouldn't need to see anyone until much later. On the way to the entrance, she passed Welder and company's work, which had made far more progress than she realised. They really had constructed a street row of homes, all single room huts of a fitting size with a large entryway. They were generic and dome shaped with brickwork as their foundation, even though they were rounded. They'd left enough room for refurbishments to be made on each structure, which was impressive.

The street itself had been cleared. The road was wide enough that a Wailord could fit through and still have space. It wasn't clean, and you could still see the mountains of scrap opposite the huts, but it was far prettier than the scrapyard ever was in the past. Right now, a few of the Pokémon were sweeping debris away, while Welder's grass types planted seeds along a trail of soil that was being dug.

Is this part of Pola's design as well? I hope these Pokémon aren't being too ambitious, May gawked at it all. She shook her head and hurried off, having to turn into a valley to reach the entrance.

"Ah. There you are," the voice made her blood run cold as she froze in her tracks. Amongst a few delivery Pokémon equipped with HAPPI medallions was Dusk, the last Morpeko she wanted to see. She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come. He was just casually there with his hands tucked behind his back and a plain face.

"Are you part of Team Daybreak? We uh, got a delivery of request boards here, for some reason," a confused Hitmonchan asked. Behind him were a trio of Hariyama carrying heavy boxes. May couldn't spare them even a second of a glance, however. She was fixated on Dusk. "Um… miss?"

"Go on. I believe that delivery is for you," he said, just as monotone as ever.

She couldn't even respond to that. The word 'delivery' began to repeat itself in her mind, even though she didn't want it to. Those heavy boxes breaking her back. The onlookers, laughing at her sweaty figure. The tightening around her neck. The shock collar the moment she got back inside. Dusk's anger. It made her powers dim, her body sweat, and her hands shake. Her stomach churned with her recent food, and she wanted to throw up. Everything began to blur besides the Morpeko, and she hiccupped, breathing faster and faster as her hands reached for her neck—

"Oh, the boards are here!" Kayla's cheer snapped her back to reality.

"Ah, there you are. Yes, I've got a trio of request boards for one master Kayla Brunswick," Hitmonchan smiled. "If you could stamp here, please?"

"I've got it!" Kari bounced, up, lifting Kayla so she could give his clipboard a kick.

"I know it's a little messy right now, but just go through the valley and set the boxes down there. We'll handle the rest," she instructed. Hitmonchan nodded, and his Hariyama followed him in. "That just leaves… you."

"Not a very good first impression, my darling. Unless you mean to tell me you're mentoring the Buneary," Dusk commented. May breathed in sharply and shook with frustration… irritation, or angst, or perhaps illness. She couldn't tell what. Her mind wasn't functioning.

"Actually I'm sorta my own thing right now," Kayla commented as she hopped down from Kari.

"Look, I'm not in the mood for playing about. Seems to be a thing with you. Bad timing," Pola twirled her weave. "Whaddya want? Just get it over with."

"Very well. I've come to put an end to the charade. It's time you return to us, May," Dusk stated. He slowly brought a hand forward, taunting them to approach. "Not a thing has changed. Your time to run free is over."

Her struggled breathing was coming right back. Whatever was happening, everything except for herself and Dusk was beginning to blur out of focus. That sickeningly confident choice of words, efficient to the last syllable. His smoothed, bold stance. His tonal disconnection to the world, all the same as her own. He left no room for doubt, and that meant she had no choice. That was until Pola shoved her back into reality.

"Yeah like, I dunno exactly what's going on between you two, but can you like, fuck off? May's not part of Netherworld anymore," Pola stated, stood guard over her.

"And even if she was, going with a weird Pokémon like you is just wrong," Kari added.

There was a pause as Dusk hid his hands behind him. "Having a man stand up for you? That is very unlike you, May."

"A… man?" Kari cocked her head. She glanced at Pola, then herself, and then Shannon, who was still stood back.

"I thought I wasn't hearing things. You said similar last time," Kayla came forward. "Your eyes and your ears working right? Pola's got bitch written all over her, and you're calling her a guy?"

"Wow- really?" the Plusle slumped. "You've got bad timing to be a prick, y'know."

"Just makin' sure you're all game for this. He is a Netherworld General and all that," she said.

Dusk didn't respond. May hated how difficult to read he was with those hollow eyes of his. At the same time, the more she tried, the surer of herself she was becoming. He had an energy no one else had, an energy like her own. No bother, no nonsense. Just a goal in mind, the power to make that goal his, and no hesitation on it. Dusk was the most confident Pokémon she had ever met, putting Kayla's boastfulness to shame.

"May!" Mog shouted from the back. Something about the desperation in her voice made the Pichu look back, though reluctantly. She didn't want to take her eyes off Dusk. "You don't have to do this. I know what you're thinking, and you don't have to do this."

May's face tightened. "What do you mean?"

"Life's different for you now. It's different for us!" she stated, landing behind her. The rest of the team watched in confusion, though May glared. "I-I know I don't have much room to talk. I haven't done much to make up for what I've done, but I… n-no, I can't hesitate. I'm living! I'm living… because you brought me back. If you go back now, then what was it all for?"

May's eyes widened slightly. "You mean to tell me that you're…"

"Team Daybreak… it's a chance for me to do the right thing. You can, too. We can do the right thing, together. No matter how scary it is, we can do the right thing!"

May's eyes narrowed. "As if you know anything about doing the right thing."

Mog gasped lightly, and her third eye opened.

"Oh fuck no. I dunno exactly what's up, but you're kidding yourself if I don't get some of the picture," Pola hissed, posing for battle.

"Sorry, buddy! But you're kinda the manager here, right? What would happen to Paradise if I let you run back to the terrorists?" Kayla joined in.

"Don't joke about this!" May cried, sounding more desperate than she wanted.

"We're friends here, and we fight together! Whatever bad stuff you want May for, we won't let you take her!" Kari posed with her shovel claws equipped. Shannon and Ashe joined her side.

"Girls," May shuddered.

"It's not as if I didn't expect to have to fight here. May, these Pokémon mean a lot to you, don't they?" Dusk asked.

May slowly shook her head, unable to close her mouth. It took everything she had to utter a response. "Don't hurt them. P-please, don't hurt them."

He didn't leave a single hint of a physical response. Not even a twitch. There was wind, and somehow even his ears didn't move. But for the first time in this encounter, she could read exactly what that meant, exactly what he was thinking. Her senses flicked as everyone's aggression rose, and her panic spiked.

"Girls, DON'T!" May yelled.

She was too late. Kayla was first, shooting off at high speed to try and throw her opponent off. She darted back and forth across the area, kicking off the scrap heaps to keep out of focus, and then charged in for an attack from behind. Dusk shifted to the right to dodge her first attack, leaving her to circle around for another hit. Somehow, he was ready for her with an arm drawn back, and thrust it straight into her stomach.

"Argh!" Kayla yelled, jolted backward by a small electric force. She started coughing and gasping, and fell on one knee.

"Hey don't be a drama queen, that was only a tap!" Pola complained.

"I… Th-that…" she growled, forcing herself to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Kari asked, giving her a glance over. Dusk's hit didn't even leave a mark. Kayla seemed to be confused as well, checking herself out.

"Yeah. Lucky hit," she concluded with a smirk. Dusk still didn't give any hints. He just stared at the party, blank as ever. He didn't move as everyone repositioned and prepared for a new attack, even with Pola's Tri Attack showing charge.

"Girls, stop this. We don't need to fight," May said.

"Kari, on my mark," Pola mumbled, crossing her arms over her front. The tips of her hands glowed with energy. "I call upon the elements of the sacred trio, rise forth and run my enemy through! Nature Power! Tri Attack!"

Kari sprinted ahead as the beams fired, stretching her claws for Fury Swipes as she ran at the same speed as the beams. The moment she was in range to attack, Dusk split into multiple copies, each one posed as if he had jumped into the air. Kari and Pola's electric beam phased right through their target, crashing to ground.

"Please, stop!" May said desperately, stopping behind Kari.

"Double Team! Pola, you have to rapid fire!" Shannon shifted forward in angst. He coughed and stumbled as Dusk suddenly appeared in front of him with a fierce look on his face. The Morpeko thrust a paw into Shannon's stomach, sending him reeling back until he tripped and fell on his backside.

"Shannon!" Genius cried. She stomped her feet and flew into action, dashing into Dusk just as fast as the Morpeko seemed to move. Her shoulder barge sent him rolling across the dirt, but he regained balance and skidded back into a battle pose. She wouldn't let him go with that however, and sprinted into him with a fist drawn back. Dusk grit his fangs as he blocked a series of lightning-fast punches, and even as he hopped back to gain distance, Genius gave chase to relentlessly assault him with more. Although she couldn't hit, she seemed to have him on the ropes. "Will- you- stay still already?"

Her little moment of complaint was used against her. Dusk split into Double Team again, each copy flying high into the air to charge up a dark, electrical energy in between their paws. Genius could only gasp and stare up before the attacks were fired, where they expanded into murky-coloured Electroweb attacks. Most were fake and phased through her, but the one that hit glued her to the floor, making her shiver.

"Ah, I'll get you out!" Kari cried, rushing back over. Dusk landed in front of her just as she arrived, once again thrusting his paw into her stomach. Kari squeaked and squealed, letting out irritated groans as she stumbled back. She tripped on her tail and fell over, clutching her stomach.

"What's with you guys? Get it together!" Pola complained. Dusk targeted her next, popping up in front of her. "Hey-quit it, fuck off!"

No amount of shifting and dodging could escape him. She was struck in the side, and recoiled with a mighty yell. He disappeared before she could comment, appearing before a flustered Mog to strike her, too. His attack threw her out of the air and onto her back, where she shivered irritably.

"Stop it!" May yelled at the top of her voice. The battle was brought to a halt as all attention was brought to her, letting her take deep breaths. She stopped to stare at Dusk, and an ill feeling brewed deep in her gut. He had a furious glare at her, and smirked at last, a toothy, villainous smirk. "Stop… please. We don't need to do this."

"But we do, my dear May. You need to understand exactly where you stand… where you've always stood," he stated. He seemed to calm down, losing his smirk to tuck his arms behind his back. "But it seems some new developments have come up. Developments that may take some time to understand…"

"Yeah right, you're not getting away!" Kayla growled.

"Kayla, stop already!" May cried.

She didn't listen. The Buneary shot forward at Quick Attack speed and engaged Dusk in another moment of close combat. May only caught glimpses of their skirmish, hits and impacts that were blocked or dodged by a hair. Dusk didn't seem to strike back, while each of Kayla's attacks were hard enough to shake the air with heavy wooshes, despite none of them landing.

Dusk eventually hopped away to use Double Team, to which Kayla growled and flew into Quick Attack. She blitzed through the area as fast as she could, wiping out every Morpeko should could see. She landed back in the middle when it turned out none of them were real, causing the group to have each other's backs to search for him.

"Another time, Brunswick!" Dusk's voice echoed through the area.

"Yeah you better run if you know what's good for ya, fucking pussy!" Pola shouted.

Kayla growled as she shifted toward the exit. It seemed he really did give her the slip, as she tightened her gaze. "Ashe, try to be faster on the fonic hymn next time!"

Ashe had her Otamatone out, but loosened up at the order. "Sorry. That fight confused me."

"How so?" Shannon asked, finally freeing Genius from the Electroweb.

"He didn't target me or May, even though May was the one he was after, right?" she stated. "I don't think it's this, but does he not know that I've defected?"

No… it's not that. It's never that with him. Yet still, he fled instead of taking me, May couldn't bring herself to say that out loud. She slowly turned to the exit, staring longingly. That means something else is coming. Something much, much worse. If only you girls could have listened to me, you wouldn't have to be part of this…

"Also, what's up with you?" Pola snapped. "Yeah, you! You gonna talk now or what?"

May faced her tiredly. She opened her mouth to respond, but something choked her up, and her eyes widened. She was still frightened. The images started flashing in her mind, and she grabbed her neck scarf tight.

"Yeah, you didn't fight with us, either. And you wanted us to stop, too," Kayla said.

"If you could hear me, then why didn't you listen?" May snapped, and then slapped her hands over her mouth.

"Seriously, you were kinda freaked out when we met the guy and I called him good lookin'. Then you have a panic attack this morning, storm off and breakfast, and now you don't want us to fight him?" Pola rambled.

"Wait what? Panic attack? May?" Kayla grew concerned. May grit her teeth.

"It's nothing to do with any of you. It never had anything to do with any of you. All of this would have been significantly easier if you didn't stick your nose in business that isn't yours!" she raised her voice. "Don't argue with me. I'll have no more words on this."

"But we're involved now. Heck we were always involved. We're you—"

"That's enough, Kayla! For once in your life, please listen to your superiors," May argued. "I will not have any of you involved in Dusk any more from today. If you see him, you are to leave immediately. That is a final order!"

With that she stomped off again, hoping her tone and force would be enough to embed her warning. Kayla glared at her as she left however.

"Seems someone forgot who's team leader, here."