Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The honeyed heat in the air hazed over Crossroad Town as summer swelled to its zenith. Though normal citizens, merchants, and travelers seemed abuzz with energy, invigorated by the brilliant sun that shone above yet cooled by the shades of shops and iced drinks, deliverymon had a much harder time coping with the sweltering rays that battered down on their backs all day long.

The days were longer, their packages heavier, and the cobblestone paths underfoot grilled sensitive paws should they dawdle for too long. Even Hei’s normally unshakeable cheer faltered during high noon, when the streets were at their most blistering. Despite the high traffic of the port town, not a single cloud felt the need to pass by for weeks. Clear blue skies taunted Shaymin’s Delivery Service well into the evening.

Key blew bubbles into his bathwater with a miserable grimace. “Maaaaan, another crummy day of sweating my fur off…”

“The water’s too warm…” Hei groaned next to him, limp against the smooth stone of the communal bath.

While baths had proven to be an absolute necessity during the heat wave for washing off stickiness and sweat, they hardly provided relief for sunburnt brains. The dozen other Pokemon squeezed inside the tub of water muttered similar complaints. After work, there wasn’t much else worth doing besides stewing in the bathhouse.

“Ughh, when’s our next day off…” The Zorua whined. “Let’s go to the Great Glacier… Or Mt. Freeze… Where I’ll never have to sweat again…”

“Ice cream… Ice cream would be nice…” The Eevee stared at the ceiling, as if imagining a cone were floating right above her.

Suddenly, a Squawkabilly flew into the steamy room, flying frantic circles around the soaking Pokemon. “Listen up, listen up! All delivery service personnel are to report to the mess hall immediately for an announcement from Postmaster General Aldora! Listen up, listen up!”

The parrot Pokemon repeated his announcement once more before unceremoniously soaring out of the room, presumably to spread the message further. It wasn’t uncommon to see Squawkabilly flitting about the headquarters; the colorful flock served as the building’s intercom system. Still, the abruptness of the announcement took the huddle of Pokemon by surprise.

“An announcement at this time?” An Emolga frowned.

“And I was finally starting to unwind…” The middle head of a Dodrio huffed, earning  indignant “me, too”s from their two other heads.

“Guess we better towel off and go…” Purred a Revavroom.

Hei turned to her friend. “It must be important if Miss Aldora’s saying so.”

Key clambered out of the bath, shaking his fur free of heavy water. “It better be.”

The pair of children followed the crowd of other deliverymon, all filtering inside the grand mess hall. Considering the amount of Pokemon staffed by the delivery service, it must have been the only space where everyone could fit inside (save for Coco, who presumably remained at her post).

They were far from the first Pokemon there, so finding any available seats left proved a challenge, but they managed to nab a chair to share between two chatty Pelipper.

“Guh, I’m sweating already!” Key grumbled. “Too many people around.”

His complaints were ignored as Hei perched herself on her hind legs. “Key, look! It’s Miss Aldora!”

Following her paw, the Zorua spotted the Postmaster General being helped up on one of the dining tables. Once in sight,  the room fell into a respectful silence that earned an appreciative smile from the Shaymin.

“Thank you for coming, everyone,” Her silvery voice, despite the lack of microphone, reached the furthest depths of the mess hall like the chiming of bells. “I’m sure a good night’s rest is in order after a hard day’s work in this summer heat, so I will make this quick.”

She cleared her throat. “As you know, we’re approaching a very special time of year. One of Crossroad Town’s most delightful time-honored events, the Summer Fair, is set to begin next week.”

Excited chatter burbled around Hei and Key.

“Summer Fair?” The Zorua repeated.

“Like fair and unfair?” The Eevee furrowed her brow, pondering what exactly makes summer more fair than other seasons.

Aldora, unaware of the youngster’s confusion, continued. “Pokemon from all over the world will flock to Crossroad Town to join in the festivities. No doubt you’ve seen how hard the town is working to prepare.”

Key tried to recall the last couple of days walking around town, vaguely remembering a poster here and construction team there, but most of his non-Hei surroundings blended into a mirage-like blur as his eyes were forced down onto the pavement to save them from blinding sunlight.

“Normally, our delivery service works through holidays, rain or shine.” The Shaymin trotted up the length of the dining table, passing by attentive faces that followed her every step. “But this year is special in that it is our beloved Summer Fair’s three hundred year anniversary. Such a momentous occasion calls for a little exception. Which is why I am hereby announcing that Shaymin’s Delivery Service will be closed for business for the two days the Summer Fair takes place. Feel free to enjoy the fair, or simply rest.”

Raucous cheering flooded the mess hall. Just like that, the dismal mood brought on by the heat wave had been completely flushed away by the promise of two days of unrestricted fun. Mano even obliged Key’s request for seconds when suppertime arrived, something that would’ve otherwise earned a Brick Break over the head.

“I still don’t get it.” Hei said over dinner, but with a mouthful of food, it sounded more like “ah stu d’guhdid.”

“I’ve never been to this Summer Fair myself,” A mischievous grin played on Key’s lips. “But any fair is a good time. It’s like a big party throughout the whole town with games, and prizes, and a whole lotta yummy food. And with how worked up everyone’s gotten, this fair sounds like it’s gonna pull out all the stops!”

‘Games, prizes,’ and ‘yummy food’ was more than enough to convince Hei. The anticipation of a celebration (but more importantly, a break from work) immediately lightened their spirits.

But on the down side, every passing hour leading up to the following week seemed to drag on even more slowly. Scurrying to and fro in unbearable heat was hard enough, but now with the added knowledge that soon, there will be would be a break from it all, the process became downright painful. The children hardly registered the feeling of water during their evening baths.

Time, however, dutifully marched onwards at its own unwavering pace, unheeding of the deliverymon’s struggles. The following week did arrive, and Shaymin’s Delivery Service saw its parcels stored and locked. The familiar sight of Flying-type Pokemon landing and taking off from Chief Mail Coordinator’s tower disappeared, as well as the steady flux of seafaring deliverymon around their port. Hei thought the sight rather ghostly, but her friend didn’t seem to share her melancholy.

“What are you spacing out for, Hay-for-brains? Let’s get going!” He called, impatient.

Hesitantly, the Eevee tore her gaze from the delivery service’s edifice and returned her focus to Key. “Comin’!”

Jogging down Azure Hill, it wasn’t long before the pair of children caught glimpses of the grand celebration, only multiplying in frequency with every step. Smiling Pokemon, balloons, the scent of fried food, the sound of laughter and music. By the time they reached the central plaza, they were entirely surrounded by the festivities.

Hei could hardly breathe. Sure, she had witnessed other events in Crossroad Town, special pop-up markets and holidays befitting of a trade center its size. But the pomp and circumstance Aldora described hardly did the Summer Fair justice. Stalls as far as the eye can see lined the streets, filled to the brim with foodstuffs and treasures a Pokemon of Hei’s innocence could hardly comprehend. Live performers housed atop a robust stage colored the scene with mirthful music that infected passersby with a pep in their step. Brightly colored toys and masks hung proudly in front of game stalls, luring in crowds of younger Pokemon and their money.

Key licked his lips. “Now this is a fair! Whaddaya think we should do first, Hei?”

But the poor little Eevee could do little else but tremble in place, paralyzed by the endless fun swirling around her. Her friend let out a fond sigh and decided to take the lead on this one. If this was Hei’s first time at a fair, it was up to him to show her what it was all about.

The Zorua grabbed a small pouch buried within his neck fluff. He unfurled it, revealing a modest amount of golden Poke coins that instinctually set his heart pitter-pattering at the sight of money. His chest had similarly galloped when first presented with the pouch of funds by none other than their postmaster general Aldora some days after her announcement.

“Here is your bonus,” She explained. “Or more accurately, it’s your allowance for the Summer Fair.”

“Allowance?” Hei didn’t seem to understand the concept well, but her drooling partner was much more accepting. Unlike their regular paychecks, this allowance easily surpassed 500 Poke from a cursory glance.

“C-can we really have all this…?” Key foamed, eyes glued to the sparkling coins.

“You two have more than earned it.” Aldora smiled. “So please use this to have fun at the fair!”

“Gosh, thank you, Miss Aldora!” The sincerity in the Shaymin’s voice sent Hei’s tail wagging. “I don’t really know what to do in a fair, but Key says it's full of really yummy food! Do you wanna eat snacks with us?”

Aldora’s expression turned sympathetic. “I’d love to, Hei… But I’m afraid I won’t be in Crossroad Town during the fair. I have business in another continent.”

Both children flinched at this. “B-But you said it’s one of Crossroad Town’s most important events of the year! You even gave everyone time off! How come you still need to work, and so far away?”

A hint of melancholy flashed across the Shaymin’s green eyes. “That’s just how it is when you’re Postmaster General. But don’t feel bad on my account, you two. The thought of everyone having fun together is enough for me.”

That was all she had said on the subject. The idea of Aldora being far, far way, not getting to enjoy the vacation she had set up for everyone else made Key’s chest tighten in a not-so-great way. Still, he forced himself to shrug off that feeling. If not for Aldora’s sake, then for Hei’s.

He zipped up the pouch and tucked it back into the safety of his fur. “Whaadaya say we get some triple-friend Oran Berries?”

Hei snapped out of her paralysis at the mention of triple-fried Oran Berries.

Three hours had passed, and despite the pair’s best efforts, they were nowhere close to exploring all of what the fair had to offer.

So far, they had played the Hoopa ring toss, the Ducklett pond fishing game, the Drifloon darts, the Buizel Water Guns,  and even the V-Wheel, earning them a wide range of goodies. Key jumped for joy when his skill in the Water Gun game netted him a TM for Dig. Another treasure to store in their Deposit Box, and who knows, maybe he’ll end up needing it one day. Hei’s favorite prize, she decided, would stay on her bed rather than the Deposit Box, for it was a snuggly Substitute Doll plush.

All of their treats and toys were safely stored in Hei’s delivery bag, which she insisted on bringing despite being off-duty. Her stubbornness turned out to be the right call, or else they’d be struggling to lug around their spoils. And they needed their paws and mouths for eating.

Candied Apples, fried Berries, Gummi shakes, cotton candy, Appletun fritters, and of course, plenty of ice cream. Something about the festival’s lively nature and their constant movement seemed to transform their stomachs into bottomless pits (even more so than usual). Or maybe they had never seen, or smelled, such appetizing, unique foods before. Or maybe they had a hard time refusing insisting vendors; the cheerful stall-workers practically shoved their snacks down the children’s gullets, not that they minded.

Key had a vague notion of the tummyache that awaited them once it was bedtime and the adrenaline had died off, but that was only a distant concept with very little power over his decisions. His friend clearly didn’t learn her lesson from the Munchy Mochi incident; the idea of negative repercussions hadn’t even crossed her mind.

The day was still in its prime, only now grazing lunchtime, and the duo of friends decided to rest a bit before continuing on with the fun. They settled on a nice bench next to a food stall selling Gummi Dogs, run by a fussing Dachsbun who never seemed to keep still. The smell of freshly grilled Gummis already began to stir their appetites once more.

“Golly, it feels like we still have so much to see!” Hei wagged her tail at the thought. “It’s a good thing we have all of tomorrow too!”

“After we catch our breaths, we should go see the merchant stalls!” Key suggested. “I wanna see if we can grab something reeeeally valuable!”

“It’d be nice if we could find a present for Miss Aldora, too. Since she’s missing out on the fair.” Hei said.

“That’s not a bad idea, I guess.” Key felt a little guilty he hadn’t considered doing the postmaster such a kindness. Good thing Hei was around. “Whaddaya think she likes?”

The Eevee tilted her head. “She’s kinda small… maybe a ladder to help her reach things?”

“I don’t think they’re gonna be selling ladders.”

“Hm, then I’m not sure…” She scrunched her face up in deep thought. “How much allowance do we have left?”

The Zorua peeked inside the pouch. “Hm, around 300 Poke left. Might not be enough for a mythical treasure.”

“Maybe one of the stalls will have mythical treasures on sale.”

“Or at least a raffle.” The desire to see rare items healed Key of his fatigue. “Are you ready to get going, Hei?”

“Yep!” The Eevee chirped.

The friends trotted off to their next destination, but not before Hei succumbed to the sweet aroma of the adjacent stall and bought a Gummi Dog for the road. The snack’s life was short-lived however; Hei took her last bite of the sandwich by the time they reached the marketplace. An impressive array of stalls displayed their precious wares for incoming browsers. The merchants—who were mostly Kecleon— touted their merchandise with eye-catching signs and fancy setups.

“Wow,” Hei’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, hopping to her hind legs to admire a collection of Evolution Crystals at a nearby display. “So cool!”

“No touching, miss.” The Kecleon in charge warned. Key noticed the way his eyes silently followed the swaying of Hei’s earring.

An idea suddenly struck him. He began to shimmy away from the Normal-types, inching deeper into the marketplace. “Uh, Hei? I gotta, uh, go to the bathroom real quick. Can you stay put around here ’til I’m back?”

His friend nodded absently, eyes still glued to the crystals. “‘Mkay.” Key was grateful she didn’t press him further on his sorry excuse, or notice that he moved in the opposite direction of the restrooms.

Once he had successfully snuck off, he quickly switched gears into gift-giving mode. While it may not have occurred to him to buy Aldora a gift, he found it a worthwhile idea to surprise Hei with something nice. Hei assured him they were the best of friends, but he still felt that he never properly thanked her for everything she’d done for him, even when he was a punk thief who tricked her into taking the fall for him.

Ever since their adventure with Rok, he’d been trying to be better at expressing how he felt, and not take their bond for granted. But unlike his friend, who gave out compliments and affection like it was candy, the Zorua struggled much more with the whole ‘being nice’ thing, especially when he meant it. Thinking back to Aldora and the true meaning of Sky Gifts, maybe a present would say more than he ever could with words.

Then again, as he curiously scanned the rows and rows of stalls, passing by jewelry, candied goods, clothing, and toys, he couldn’t rightly settle on what would suit her best. Hei would certainly love something edible, but considering all the delicious snacks she’d devoured today, it wouldn’t stand out as special. She also never expressed much interest in accessorizing, save for her special earring and uniform bow. Key imagined she’d delight in a toy, but none of them stood out as particularly “Hei”.

What a conundrum. It slowly dawned on Key how bad he was at present shopping. It wasn’t like he’d ever had to do this before. Should he ask for advice? The Kecleon would surely just recommend whatever’s most expensive, and he couldn’t spot anyone around that would know Hei’s tastes. After a couple of fruitless laps around the market grounds, he let out a frustrated sigh. How much money did they even have left again? He shouldn’t take up too much of the allowance after all, and—

He couldn’t feel his pouch on him anymore.

A wave of dread hit him like a bucket of cold water, the feeling sinking even deeper in the pit of his stomach the more he rifled through his neck fur where he was sure he tied it—

He caught a glimpse of an unkempt, bushy tail weaving between the crowd.

Of course.

The Kecleon swatted the Eevee’s curious paw away from the Evolution Crystal for the final time.

“Listen kid, if you’re not buying, then get lost! I don’t need an Eevee accidentally evolving with my product!”

Hei couldn’t really argue with that past a mumbled “meanie” as she skulked away. The reality of her best friend’s absence suddenly sunk in. Where was he again? The bathroom?

Well, as long as she stayed in the area, he would find her again. It wouldn’t hurt to take a look at the other stalls.

Despite the small gnawing anxiety of being away from Key, her heart was immediately distracted by her exciting surroundings. She almost couldn’t believe the sheer variety of items for sale: Orbs, TMs, Seeds, even rare Scarves and Bands. She stopped to admire a Lucky Ribbon that matched the color of Key’s fur. Maybe he’d enjoy a new scarf; he always complained about how the Delivery Service’s signature baby blues was too cutesy. If only she had the Poke on her.

She soon caught sight of another interesting stall, and her tunnel vision led her to trot off with her eyes still glued to her left. Unfortunately, not looking where she was going led to a semi-painful impact with a larger body.

After falling butt-first on the ground, she shook her head as if to snap her senses back into her and looked up at whatever bumped into her.

It—or rather, he— was a Hypno, hook-nosed and narrow-eyed. Or at least, one of his eyes. His left eye was concealed by a black eyepatch, lending a rather suspicious quality to him. A collar of white fur encircled his neck much like Hei and Key’s, and it matched the sideburns framing his cheeks. His face glimmered with sweat, reflecting a nervous disposition.

“S-so sorry,—“ His apology caught in his throat, morphing into a strange squawk. Nervousness curdled into terror. Terror?

“You—! Ga-a-ah…” The Hypno stammered, twitching his fingers like he suddenly forgot what to do with his hands. “E-excuse me…! Heh! Hah!”

Just as quickly as he ran into her, he ran off, still chortling as he was swallowed by the churning crowd, leaving Hei frozen in place as she tried to make sense of what just happened. That’s when she noticed the Hypno had dropped something rather curious.

Meanwhile, the Psychic-type suddenly felt tremendously ill. He never had a particularly strong constitution, but suddenly encountering that Eevee almost made him keel over with stomach pain. There were simply too many conflicting emotions.

To add to his troubles, his shoulder was suddenly and roughly grabbed by a calloused grey hand.

An Oranguru now stood at his side, hunched over and wearing a disapproving scowl.

“Took you long enough.”

The Hypno yelped. “A-Apologies. Heh. Hah. I-It was hard to find somewhere completely devoid of people.”

“Whatever.” The Oranguru rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get out of the streets before things get ugly.”

“Yes, i-indeed.”

The Hypno agreed, and his desire to leave was sincere. But even as he followed after his associate Oranguru, his stomachache worsened even more.

The Summer Fair now reached full swing, and by the time the sun had passed its halfway trek across the sky, there was hardly a street corner or plaza in all of Crossroad Town that wasn’t crawling with merry-going Pokemon.

That is, hardly.

In a dingy, out-of-the-way alley shoved between an empty property and a restaurant suited to the tastes of Bug-types, two children caught their breaths in the shadows.

“Hee-hee-hee,” A Nickit with long whiskers wheezed. “Wh-what’d you score, Zag?”

Her companion, a panting monochrome Zigzagoon let out a low, absent chuckle. “I got a whole roasted Slowpoke Tail!”

He retrieved his prize from his bag, rolling it on the ground for them to admire. The Nickit chortled at the sight of the grilled delicacy, still emanating a mesquite steam.

“Nicely done, big guy! Dibs on the tip!”

“I want the tailbone.”

“Deal!” The fox Pokemon’s grin grew wider, more malicious. “But that’s nothing compared to my pot! Wanna see?”

The Zigzagoon nodded anxiously, hoping for two more roasted Slowpoke Tails. Instead, she snagged a shabby pouch between her teeth, jingling it around proudly.

Her partner didn’t seem to understand. “Uh, Nicki, I thought wallet-snatching day was tomorrow.”

“This ain’t just any wallet, Zag!” Nicki said between clenched teeth. “It’s that chump Zorua’s wallet! He was gaping and gawking at stalls like a rube, it was almost too easy!”

“Oh, okay.”

The Nickit spat out the pouch on the floor, irate. “‘Oh, okay’?! That’s all you have to say?! I stole from right under our greatest nemesis’ nose and all I get is an ‘oh, okay’?! How about a ‘you’re the greatest, Nicki’?!”

“Uh, you’re the greatest, Nicki.”

“I know that, ya ding-dong! Tell me something I don’t know!”

Zag thought about it for a moment. “You talk in your sleep sometimes.”

“Sweet suffering Mew, I can’t with you!”

Just before Zag was about to do what he always did when Nicki blew up at him for no reason (apologize despite not knowing what he did wrong), a rustling noise startled them from their one-sided argument.

Somewhere in the middle of a pile of splintered crates, something moved. Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been terribly scary considering it was able to hide inside a little pile of rubbish. Maybe a nosy Rattata searching for a free meal.

Nicki narrowed her eyes. “Uh, we’re kinda in the middle of something here. Scram before I change my mind about wallet snatching day.”

The mysterious rustler didn’t answer; rather it just kept rattling around the junk.

The Nickit, having lost her already short temper, stomped over to the crates and growled. “Didn’t you hear me?! I said scram—“

There was no one there. Between the broken off boards and scattered trash, there was not a Pokemon in sight.

The fox Pokemon’s grimace sobered. Some Ghost type playing a prank, no doubt. But Nicki was confident in her matchup against Ghost Pokemon. Just as she prepared another threat, she heard the rustling again, more violent this time. She looked down, and found the source.

A ball of some kind, no larger than an Oran Berry, twitched and shook amidst the trash. Half of it appeared to be made of a reddish, tumbled stone while the other was carved from the hard outer shell of an Apricorn. The two halves joined at the center of the sphere’s radius, fused by a bronze latch mechanism that looped its circumference.

It rocked around on its own as if possessed. Nicki titled her head, equal parts apprehensive and intrigued. “Hey, Zag, lookit this.”

The Zigzagoon trotted over, staring down at the weird ball with a similar uncertainty. “What’s that supposed to be?”

“Some kinda Voltorb doll maybe?” Nicki squinted. “It’s kinda cute.”

“Wanna nab it?”

“Eh, you touch it first.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“Well, I ain’t gonna touch it.”

While the two children bickered over who got to touch it, they failed to notice that the mysterious sphere suddenly turned very still right before it began to vibrate, light trembling that intensified into extreme convulsions.

And then the latch burst open.

A shifting body of light erupted from the ball’s interior, shooting out like a bolt of pure-white lightning in an irregular arc onto the ground nearby. The light blinded the two startled onlookers until it didn’t, vanishing altogether.

In its place stood a towering Pokemon— if it could be called that— whirring and steely.

Nicki and Zag gazed up at the Pokemon’s unfeeling face, where their terrified expressions gazed back in deformity, reflected in the creature’s glassy convex eyes.

Slow and trembling, Nicki inched the nearby Slowpoke Tail towards the thing. With a queasy grin, she offered: “W-want a bite?”

This was the last time Key would ever go gift shopping, or ever try to do anything nice for others again, he decided.

He got distracted for one second, and he ended up the chump on the other side of a pick-pocketing. To those two idiots, of all people! Again!!

That irritating little fox (Vicki, was it?) was definitely improving her thieving skills, he had to admit. Or maybe he really was getting soft. The thought had him clenching his teeth.

Didn’t matter. All that mattered was tracking them down and getting the money back before Hei got worried about his increasingly lengthy absence.

The Zorua put himself into the shoes of stupid, second-rate crooks. Their hideout was too far away, and they certainly wouldn’t abandon the fair with only one little wallet to show for it. No, they had to be around Crossroad Town still. Preferably somewhere hidden but easy to reach.

He resolved to check out a network of tight, winding alleyways that was somewhat popular among Crossroad Town n’er-do-wells. Those two certainly lacked the creativity to hide out somewhere more original, as he would’ve done. As he galloped towards his destination, his mind raced with alternative spots he would’ve used to get away undetected. Perhaps the bakery rooftop, where the tall chimneys spewing out pastry-scented smoke would conceal him? Or he could shape-shift into a Kecleon and pose as a vendor, hiding in plain sight. Better yet, he could disguise himself as the merchandise!

As he contemplated his hypothetical crime, he almost forgot what exactly he was chasing in the first place, when he suddenly received a very harsh reminder.

The Nickit and Zigzagoon he had been pursuing scrambled out of a random alleyway and crashed straight into him.

The Zorua was flung some paces away during the collision, and once he skidded to a halt, his fur bristled with rage. “You! You punks have a lot of nerve ripping me off!”

His pouch was unceremoniously tossed to his feet, thudding to the ground with a weight and noise that suggested the Poke inside had remained untouched. His brewing tantrum caught and fizzled in his chest, and he gaped at his rivals incredulously.

“Take your stupid wallet back! Just run for your life!” Nicki screeched, panic once again springing her into action as she dashed past the Zorua, with Zag following close behind, barking out “monster, monster!” with every bound.

And just like that, they were out of sight.

Key looked down at his wallet, struggling to process what just occurred. He awkwardly picked it off the cobblestone pavement and strapped it back into his neck fur. I suppose… that settled it? But why were those two idiots so wound up? Did the cops find them? It’s not like Key had any reason to run from authority anymore.

Zag’s words stuck out especially. Monster?

That was when he heard something heavy emerge from the alleyway. It took Key a second to register it as a living thing. The edges of its reflective purple body were at points jagged and sharp and at others smooth and polished, similar to the intentional craft of a mechanic.

It hissed silently, less the sound of a creature and more the result of pistons and bionic joints being urged into motion by a mechanism. Whatever it was stood on two legs, that petered out into a claw-like end attached to its abdomen. It was somewhat insectoid in nature, reminding Key of an Armaldo, a Kabutops, maybe a Scyther. 

Its head was a saucer-like oblong, and proportionally huge compared to its slender limbs. Two glowing red eyes seemed to stare at Key, though its lack of pupils or any hint of sentience behind its gaze didn’t betray any kind of intent.

But to be honest, Key barely paid attention to any of that. His focus was locked on the giant cannon-like device mounted above the creature’s head.

The Zorua choked down a dry gulp. Should he try to talking with this thing? Reason with it? It didn’t look like something that could be capable of communication at all.

He decided to try nonetheless. “Uh… hey, there. E-enjoying the fair?”

A near-silent medley of disjointed clicks and whirrs was its response, as if processing the question. The monster’s vent-like mouth let out a puff of air. Is that… good? In stiff, calculated movements, the creature adjusted his stance slightly.

And let off a devastating blast of energy from its cannon.

The blast whooshed past Key’s head, hitting a couple of innocent trash cans by the wall behind him in a fiery explosion. The now eviscerated shrapnel ricocheted off of the alley walls until finally scattering on the floor to smolder into ashes.

Okay, talking was a bad idea.

He decided to follow Nicki and Zag’s advice instead, and ran for his life.

His paws launched him into motion, adrenaline taking over his brain and urging him to where he and Hei split. He needed to get them out of there before the monster blasted them to smithereens.

The fox Pokemon sped through the increasingly dense crowd of fairgoers, earning grunts of annoyance from tails he stepped on and paths he interrupted, but he hardly cared for manners at this point.

Key’s agility quickly brought him back to the central marketplace, where his eyes desperately flitted through shoppers hoping to catch brown and cream fur.

“HEI!” He yelled, immediately becoming the center of attention; the natural outcome of yelling “hey!” in a busy market. Ironically, his outburst ended up helping locate Hei rather quickly, as she was the only Pokemon nearby clueless enough to ignore his call, humming absentmindedly while browsing around an emera stall.

Her friend wasted no time and nearly pounced on the Eevee, breath shallow with fear. “Hei! We gotta get outta here! C-call the cops, or the Hero, or Rayquaza or something!”

To Hei, he wasn’t making much sense. Sometimes Key would work himself up over something she didn’t understand, so his manic state wasn’t particularly new to her. It was one of the many things she found cute about her friend, but it was usually better to calm him down before he got too stressed. She tried distracting him instead.

“Lookit, Key,” She began to rifle through her delivery bag. “I found something cool!”

But Key’s jaw only further dropped. “Who cares about whatever junk you bought?! This is an emergency!”

The Eevee pouted at the use of the word ‘junk’. “I didn’t buy it—“

“We gotta warn everyone! Th-that monster’s gonna blow up the whole town at this rate?”

Hei’s frown only deepened. “What monster—“

A deafening explosion some streets away interrupted her. Dark, ember-speckled clouds of smoke, the undeniable stench of flames, and a clamorous uproar overwhelmed the children’s senses.

Key’s fan blanched in recognition. “It’s on the loose!”

“What’s on the loose?!”

“I’ve been trying to tell you! The monster! It attacked me just now with its ginormous laser blaster thingy and now it’s out for blood!”

Key’s elaboration was cut short by the increasing pandemonium around them. Small kids like them could easily be swept up in a stampede this frenzied. Nervously, they huddled together, trying their best to dodge stomping paws and hooves.

“We gotta go hide. Somewhere safe.” Key muttered.

Hei’s ears lowered in fear. “Should we go back to the delivery service?”

“Please, a giant building like that? That’s the first thing I would blow up if I were a scary monster.” His brows shot up. “My secret lair! It would never think to attack there!”

With their emergency plan settled, the children fought against the current of panicked Pokemon towards their reliable hangout spot. Key was right in that it would be the last place a reasonable Pokemon would go. The uphill road leading to the dilapidated windmill remained all but abandoned even now.

Creeping inside the dusty, mildew-scented structure, the duo finally caught their breaths.

“Hah… hah… That was close…” The Zorua sunk to the hay-cushioned floor. “I really thought I was a goner there…”

“You’re not hurt?” Hei approached him with a concerned expression. “You said the monster attacked you?”

“W-well, it took a shot at me but missed. Thank Zygarde. But you should’ve seen that thing, Hei! It was all purple, and metallic, and weird-looking like a bug! It had these huge red eyes, and a giant laser cannon above its head! That’s how it caused the explosion!”

The description of the monster caused Hei’s fur to stand on end, now resembling a frightened cotton ball. “Th-that’s awful! It’s gonna destroy all of Crossroad Town at this rate!”

“If only Aldora were here to help…” The fox Pokemon glanced at the distant town, sweating.

His friend followed his solemn stare towards the gloomy grey columns of smoke rising from Crossroad Town. Her brows sunk until she reached a decision, then furrowed in determination.

“We’ve gotta try our best in her place.”

Key choked on his own bewilderment. “Us?! What can two puny kids like us do against that thing? We can’t even clear mystery dungeons on our own!”

“I dunno,” The Eevee admitted. “But things always work out! Cus’… we’re the best exploration team!”

Her smile stuttered.

“Aren’t we?”

Key’s grimace twitched, before finally, blowing out raspberries with a defeated sigh.

“Duh. Best in the world.”

“The whole wide world.”

The pair of friends exchanged decisive smiles.

“So, partner,” Key drawled. “What’s the plan?”

Crossroad Town had transformed into a ghost town by the time they returned. Streets that had minutes ago bustled with tourists and merchants now only hosted abandoned stalls toppled over and cooking in the afternoon heat.

The silence, save for the distant crying of wild Ninjask, unsettled the pair of children.

“Where is everybody?” Hei whispered, hopping over a candied Apple abandoned mid-bite.

“Probably hiding indoors, hoping that monster can’t turn knobs.”

“I don’t hear any kabooms…” Hei’s good ear scouted around. “Maybe it went away?”

“Wouldn’t that be nice.”

Rounding a plaza, Key suddenly froze at a familiar thumping sound.

“That’s its footsteps! It’s coming this way!”

Hei widened her stance, preparing herself for the beast. Sure enough, across the square stomped the purple metallic creature, rhythmically serving its head as if on lookout. Its head stilled when facing the pair of Pokemon, and it adjusted its body to face them properly.

“Hey, Mr. Bug Thing!” Hei blurted out. “You better clean up the mess you made! And apologize for messing up the Summer Fair!”

‘Mr. Bug Thing’, as she called him, showed no reaction. It is only when Key catches a glimpse of its blaster warming up with a charging light that he realized what it was planning.

“Hei, duck!”

The Eevee obeyed, and just in time: the laser projectile swished over her ears, hitting an unsuspecting Berry cart.

“Y-yikes!” Hei exclaimed, a shiver running from nose to tail.

Her partner ran over to her and tugged her to her feet. “R-run for it!”

The children made for a nearby street, leaving the monster in their wake. Luckily, it didn’t seem too fast. At least now they had a few more precious seconds to—

They screamed as the creature jetted past them. It had somehow compacted its body into a vehicle-like shape that hovered a few feet off the ground and propelled itself at breakneck speed. It drifted 180 degrees, now facing the Pokemon headfirst, and from the top of its carapace-shaped body rose its cannon.

With a rapid click, it swapped the orange drive at the base of the blaster to a yellow one. Before the Pokemon could question this, it shot off a ball of pure electricity at their feet, bristling their fur with static.

“Its attack changed!” Hei exclaimed.

“Great, so it has another way to kill us!” The Zorua barked. His reflexes kicked in, dragging Hei by the tail into a nearby alleyway, too narrow for the monster-mobile to enter.

“That was your plan?” Key panted, lying low to the ground as the monster assessed the situation from the alley’s entrance. “Hei, I hate to say ‘I told you so’, but I told you so!”

“I didn’t know it was gonna be that strong!” The Eevee protested.

They heard another click, and whipped their heads back to the alley’s exit. Instead of the monster’s red eyes, they were met with the barrel of the blaster, its base emanating a faint blue hue. They had less than a second to process the sight before the weapon fired off a pressurized jet of water that flushed the two kids all the way out the backstreet’s opposite opening, which lead to nothing more than a miniature cul de sac of tightly locked doors. In other words, a dead end.

Hei scrambled to her feet, still dazed and now with water in her ears. “It’s pretty smart, isn’t it?”

Her friend’s wet fur covered his glare. “Maybe it’s just you who’s not very bright.”

Their breaths hitched as they faintly registered the sound of the monster’s approach. In its compact form, it would surely reach them in no time. With nowhere to hide, Hei seriously began to doubt the chances of their success. If only they knew more about it! Surely even a creature as dangerous as that had a weakness or two.

Red eyes shone from down the street. The children inched closer together, heads lowered.

“C-can you maybe disguise yourself as something to scare it off?” The Eevee whispered.

“I don’t think this guy is scared of much.” Key muttered. “Can you evolve right now?”

“I can’t control when it happens,” She replied. “And I don’t even know what Type would be strong against it.”

Key gulped. The monster, back in its bipedal form, hunched over to them one heavy leaden at a time. “So this is it, then?”

“I’m sorry I got us in this mess, Key.”

The Zorua shot her a grin, although lacking any bravado. “I’ve gotten us into plenty of other messes. Let’s just… have one cool moment each before we go down, alright?”

Hei nodded.

The beast readied its cannon, pointed straight at them.

They pressed their tails against the wall. Here goes nothing.

The support of the wall vanished, and they were suddenly pushing up against air. Before they could fall to the floor, a set of hands yanked them by the scruff of their necks, and in one solid whoosh of movement, the monster had vanished.

It turned out they had not been up against a wall, but rather, one of the doors. Someone had the good graces to let them in before they got zapped into oblivion.

Hei recognized their savior, who looked at them with panic-stricken eyes. Or rather, eye. It was that shifty Hypno she had bumped into at the marketplace! Without a moment to spare, he ushered them deeper inside the building, some kind of abandoned warehouse with little else besides dust and grime.

“S-still in one piece, still in one piece…” The Hypno mumbled, mostly to himself. “Any later and… yeesh. Heh. Hah.”

Key wriggled around in his grip. “Hey, who’re you? What’s going on?”

“He saved us, I think.” Hei said, looking up at the yellow Pokemon. “Thanks, mister.”

Her gratitude was met with a nauseous grimace. “Urp… Y-you’re not hurt, are you, little one?”

“Nope.”

“Hey, what about me?!” Key piped up.

The Psychic-type finally set them down and brought his index finger to his (seemingly non-existent) mouth. “Q-quiet, now. Its hearing is extremely sensitive.”

Key frowned. “Its hearing? How would you know that?”

A bead of sweat travelled down the Hypno’s beak-like nose. “Yes, well… never you mind that now. Let’s just say I happen to be an expert on Genesect.”

“Genesect?” Hei repeated. “Is that what it’s called?”

The older Pokemon let out a tiny distressed whimper, as if he hadn’t meant to say that. “I-indeed. Genesect is what is known as an artificial Pokemon. Ergo, one that was not born but rather created. Originally, it was revived from a fossil and later modified into what you see now.”

The two children gawked at him.

The Hypno sank deeper into his distress. “Ah, and I just can’t stop talking. Heh. Hah. Ivan will wring my neck. Oh, how he will. This entire situation… M-my stomach…”

He folded over himself, clutching at his gut.

“I think he has a tummyache.” Hei whispered in her partner’s ear.

“You can drink some ginger ale later, you old windbag!” Key snapped, still wary of the strange and suspiciously well-informed Pokemon. “How do you know so much about that thing anyway?”

“P-please don’t make me answer that. I just wanna go home…” The Hypno groaned.

Suddenly, Hei seemed to realize something. “Um, I don’t care about why you know about Jenny Six or whatever, but can you stop it before it destroys the whole town? People could get hurt!”

“That’s unlikely.” The adult replied, settling into a pseudo cross-legged squat. “Genesect is programmed to not actively target living things. It can detect nearby lifeforms and calculate its attacks to prevent harm. Quite an advanced algorithm, really. B-but it’ll keep on targeting other structures And there's always the possibility of an accident, so I suppose you wouldn’t like that...”

“Who would?!” The nearby Zorua once again argued, feeling incredibly left out all of a sudden.

“Is there a way to defeat it?” Hei asked, eyes practically sparkling with determination.

“Yes.” The Hypno sighed. “It’s more accurate to say there is a way to shut it down. Or more accurate yet, there was. You have no doubt noticed that Genesect can change the Type of its Techno Blast at will?”

The pair of kids nodded.

“That’s because it has four different Drives installed into it. The Shock, Burn, Chill, and Douse Drives. But there is a fifth one— the Null Drive— that can override its active program executions. An emergency shutdown, if you will.” The Hypno sheepishly scratched his neck fur. “The thing is, the Null Drive I had in my possession just so happened to be… misplaced. By myself. Hah. Heh. And I have no clue where I could’ve, erm, misplaced it.”

Key, whose jaw had slowly sank to the floor throughout the Hypno’s explanation, snapped his mouth back into a teeth-baring snarl. “So not only did you sicc that hunk of junk on the entire town, but you lost the only thing that gets it to stop?! For a second, you almost sounded smart with all your fancy science talk, but you’re just a giant moron!”

“Key, don’t call him names just because he’s not very bright.” Hei tutted. “Deliverymon should try and help everyone, especially dummies.”

“I’ll help him by throwing a couple of Fury Swipes at his face to see if that’ll smarten him up!” The Dark type jumped to his feet and made for the panicking hypnosis Pokemon, ultimately stuck running in place as his friend held him back by the tail.

“Yes, stupid, stupid, stupid; Ivan’s right. I just can’t win. Heh. Hah.” Clutching his head in his hands, the Hypno rocked back and forth against the dirty warehouse floor. “And now you of all Pokemon are stuck in this mess. My fault, all my fault.  Heh. Hah. Ivan’s gonna kill me… Can’t do anything right.”

Hei didn’t really care much for his self-pitying attitude, but the cogs in her brain began to turn. “Um, mister. Are Jenny’s drives those colorful thingies attached to its blaster?”

“Y-yes, little one. Heh. Hah. The Drives’ colors differ depending on their function. The Null Drive is a dark grey color, for example.”

The Eevee’s brows shot up, some unknown thought compelling her to rummage around her delivery bag. Key craned his head to peek at the mysterious contents.

“What’s gotten into you?”

As if replying to his concerns, she whipped out a strange dark grey gadget from her satchel. The Hypno’s eye widened.

“L-Little one, that’s--“

“The Null Drive, isn’t it?” Hei puffed up her chest with pride.

“Heh! Hah! Undoubtedly so!” His hands reached for the device, carefully inspecting it. “B-but how on earth did you—“

“Remember when we bumped into each other in the market?” The Eevee said. “You dropped it then. I thought it might be some kind of mythical treasure.”

“This is good news indeed! What a curious little mind you have.” The Hypno’s eye narrowed from an unseen smile. “Now we must install the Drive on Genesect, and end its rampage at last.”

“That’s all Pecha Berries and cream but,” Key crouched into a challenging stance. “Why should we even trust what you say in the first place, huh? It’s obvious you’re behind this in the first place! Who’s to say that Drive isn’t some super mega death ray drive?!”

The Psychic type took a moment to observe the fox Pokemon, as if truly noticing his presence for the first time. After a bit, he gathered himself enough to speak again. “Your name was Key, is that right?”

The Zorua faltered slightly. “Y-yeah, what about it?”

“You and the little one… what is your relationship?”

Now Key was truly at a loss for words. Luckily, Hei stepped in to answer for him, lacking hesitation.

“We’re partners! And best friends!” She smiled at Key warmly. At her words, his courage returned to him, more reassured than ever.

“Exactly!” He cocked his head at the Hypno, challenging. “We might as well be the strongest team in the world! So that’ll mean big trouble for you if you’re some shady crook!”

Hei nodded, now facing the adult with cautious eyes. To her surprise, the Hypno didn’t seem startled by their declaration. Curious was a more apt description. He mumbled some things under his breath she couldn’t pick up, which only disquieted her friend even more.

“What are you muttering about?”

“A-ah, pardon me.” The Hypno’s gaze softened. “I’m merely… relieved. Heh. Hah. That such a reliable team is here to help. It’s clear you two make a fantastic pair.”

Key’s hostility stuttered. “Eh? Uh, I mean, you’re not wrong. Looks like you’re not totally clueless.”

The yellow Pokemon ducked down to face the children properly. “You are right not to trust me. I wouldn’t either. Heh. Hah. But please know that right now, I wish to stop Genesect just as strongly as you two. You can believe in that.”

Key hesitated. “Why should we?”

“Because I do not wish to see you two harmed.”

Key had known enough scoundrels in his life (including himself) to recognize when a Pokemon was sweet-talking. However, much to his frustration, everything about the Hypno, from his voice, to his hand wrung up in knots, to his unwavering eye, pointed to one singular conclusion: he was telling the truth.

The fox Pokemon relented, granting a curt nod along with an annoyed sigh. “Whatever you say, geezer. How do we install that Drive thingy anyhow?”

Both Hei and the Hypno seemed relieved at his approval.

“I-I’ll admit it is easier said than done.” The Hypno explained. “The Null Drive must be manually installed. Ergo, you will need to climb atop its blaster and insert the drive at the base. Heh. Hah.”

“You’re outta your mind! Did you see how it blew those stalls to smithereens?! How are we supposed to get close to that?!”

The Psychic type furrowed his brows, expecting that reaction. “I-I know it sounds impossible, but it can be done. Heh. Hah. If Genesect sustains enough damage, it will short-circuit for a short period while it reboots. I, of course, would offer to fight as well, b-but… you see… Heh. Hah. M-my stomach… It’s all cramped up.”

Key shot him a scowl. “Never heard that one before.”

“Does Jenny have any weaknesses?” Hei asked, hoping to avoid another spike in temper.

To that, the Hypno nodded. “Yes. Genesect is a Steel and Bug type Pokemon. Meaning Fire type attacks in particular are especially effective against it. B-but I suppose neither of you would know any such moves…”

“Do I look like a Charmander to you?” Key swished his tail, which was very much not on fire, as if to emphasize.

Hei, however, didn’t answer immediately. “I guess I don’t… right now.”

The other two looked at her with some confusion. It was only when his partner shot him a meaningful glance that Key's eyes widened in realization, lips turning upwards with a prolonged “oooh”.

The hypnosis Pokemon now frowned at both of them. “I d-don’t understand. Am I missing something?”

The pair of children appeared to have settled the matter and formulated up a plan without exchanging a word in the span of seconds. The Zorua shot the adult a smirk from over his shoulder. “You don’t know how first-rate we really are, old timer. We got this.”

The Hypno tried his best to ignore the ‘old-timer’ remark--he wasn’t that old-- and scurried off to catch up and see them out. As the pair of explorers prepared to brave out into the open once more, he settled awkwardly a few paces off.

“B-best of luck, bravest warriors. Heh. Hah.” Despite the earnestness in his voice, the Pokemon’s hand-wringing and unrelenting sweatiness did little to inspire trust.

“We’ll take it from here.” Hei said, looking back.

The Hypno paused before blurting out a final question. “Y-yes. And erm. I-if I may ask? Perhaps it is too late after all, and y-you really have no reason to oblige but—“

“Just spit it out.” Key snapped.

“Y-your name, little one.” He points a crooked finger at the Eevee. “I have made your partner’s acquaintance but not yours. M-may I know your name?”

“Me? I’m Hei!” She couldn’t help but smile at her own name, which she held with so much affection for, as if it were a beloved plaything or well-loved blanket.

Her fondness seemed to spread to the Hypno as well. “Hei…” He repeated, trying it out. “Y-yes. A wonderful name. I-I believe it suits you rather well. Heh. Hah.”

“I think so too!” Hei chirpedm before her tone sobered. “And I hope you remember it, mister. ‘Cuz I’m not gonna forgive you for ruining the Summer Fair.”

Both males were taken aback by this. Before she could let her words sink in too deeply, she urged her friend out the door, leaving the Hypo in the cramped, dark warehouse by himself. The singular column of light illuminating the space slashed across the Pokemon’s face, cutting his eyepatch down the middle like an intangible blade.

“Heh. Hah.” He wheezed. “Ivan’s gonna kill me.”

On the other side of the door, the delivery duo had set their plan into motion. First step: find Genesect. The beast had since left the area, apparently. Probably looking for somewhere untouched to terrorize.

“Jeez, Hei, I didn’t think you had it in ya!” Key gave her a playful nudge. “Who knew you could deal out a threat?”

The Eevee didn’t share his enthusiasm. “I didn’t threaten him! I just said how I feel.”

“That’s even scarier.” The Zorua grinned. “You’re hardcore, hay-for-brains.”

“Do you think he’s a bad Pokemon?” Her thoughts drifted into something more contemplative.

“Duh. Why else would he bring a freaky killer Pokemon with a cannon strapped to its back?” Key pursed his lips, trying not to scoff. “Plus, did you see that eyepatch?”

“It was a really shady eyepatch.”

“Which is already a shady accessory.”

The subject of eyepatches and the overall credence surrounding their trustworthiness was quickly tossed aside once they spotted a metallic purple figure reflecting the afternoon light. Genesect aimlessly clambered about a plaza, which it had recently charred to cinders with some kind of Flamethrower mechanism.

“There it is.” Key lowered his ears.

“Look at what it did to Honeycomb Square…”

“We’ll teach it a lesson or two.” Instinctively, his claws shot out from his paw tips. “But, uh… you said you can’t really control when you evolve. How are you gonna manage?”

“I dunno. But things always work out!” She beamed.

“Is that your catchphrase or something?” Her friend teased. “Still, I have a feeling you’re right this time. Maybe just cuz it’s you. I’ll give you an opening, okay?”

“Thanks, Key.”

“Don’t mention it.” And with that, the charged full speed ahead, vanishing into a puff of smoke. In his place, a towering Charizard erupted from the fox smoke.

“HEY, TIN CAN!” Charizard-Key bellowed. “LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO BLOW UP!?!”

Genesect snapped its head in his direction. Its ruby-red eyes gleamed, locking in on its next target. Despite appearing very big, and talking even bigger, Key felt a chill run down his spine at the monster’s frigid gaze. He truly hoped that weirdo was right about Genesect not being able to harm people.

“CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, BUG-BUTT!” He roared, shuffling off in a manner a real Charizard would find highly insulting. It’s not like he could fly, after all.

Genesect began to contort its body in an impossibly precise manner, compacting itself into the high-velocity form they had seen before. As it began to give chase, focused entirely on the phony Charizard, Hei tried her best to gather up the nerve, the energy, that special feeling that always consumed her when she was taken by evolution.

It wasn’t enough to tense up her muscles and squeeze her eyes shut, nor was it enough to wish with all her heart. The stone encased in her earring remained dormant. How…?

“Hei!” Key yelped some paces away. He ran the perimeter of the plaza, his draconic tail flopping every which way behind him. “It’s catching up!”

Key wasn’t lying. Despite the smoking obstacles littering the plaza’s floor, the Genesect expertly dodged each one, swerving or gliding over them with a precision only a machine could manage.

Time was running out. It had to be soon, it had to be now. Hei’s heart raced faster than even Genesect’s speed. Her mind desperately re-examined her memories of evolution, trying to pick up some pattern. When she turned into a Vaporeon, it was mostly instinct cloaked in darkness and freezing water as her body begged for oxygen. Evolving into Umbreon was similar: panic and pain and a desire to protect her friend from an unseen enemy. As a Jolteon, she weaponized an all-consuming urge to save her friends from the boss Araquanid.

The common thread snagged her mind, becoming taught and all too obvious.

It was neither her fear nor her instinct that triggered her evolutions. No, if that were the case, her earring would’ve never appeared inside that Sky Gift.

Her greatest weapon, her greatest gift, what she needed more than anything else, was a conduit for her heart. She could never mindlessly snap her fingers and summon the power of her many possible potentials. She could never attack for its own sake. Whether for herself, or for others, she evolved to defend. To shield. To protect.

And at that moment, her friend needed her to protect him. Every Pokemon in Crossroad Town needed her protection. Without a guardian, Genesect would raze her beloved home to the ground. It was their need that bristled and bubbled and boiled her very soul, consuming her like a candle's burning wick consumed wax.

Until finally, her entire being was set ablaze.

Both Key and Genesect skidded to a halt. The flickering light that had enveloped the Eevee raged on like a pyre. And from the depths of that blinding flame burst a Flareon, clouded in smoke.

The flame Pokemon charged towards Genesect, who unfolded into its bipedal form in seconds. Sparing no time, it readied its blaster, aiming straight for the Fire type coming straight at it. With a rapid click, it swapped out Drives once more; a bright blue one replacing its red.

A peculiar shine caught in the reflection of the monster’s eyes. Within Hei’s open mouth, a bright white light surged, increasing in intensity much like the Genesect’s cannon bore. Both opponents charged up their attacks, the distance between them closing in more and more with every ticking second.

Key, now back in his true Zorua form, could only helplessly yell out:

“GO, HEI!”

A blast of fire blinded him for a moment. He felt the heat of the attack engulfing him, heard the crackling roar of flames and the mechanical shrieks of Genesect.

Blinking the sweat from his eyes, he slowly recovered his vision enough to make out Hei, standing proud and victorious over the malfunctioning monster, which toppled to the floor.

“You knocked it out.”

“I… think so.” The Flareon tiptoed closer to the now unresponsive Genesect.

It was too early to celebrate, however. “Quick, install the Null Drive!”

Hei  climbed over the fallen body of Genesect, reaching the base of its blaster. Pressing onto the blue drive, she was surprised to see it pop out with little resistance. In its place, she inserted the dark grey mechanism and pressed down once more.

Almost instantly, the flickering eyes of the Genesect died, losing its signature red glow. Its body ceased to hum with artificial life, as it finally sank into a permanent slumber.

“Did.. we do it?” Key approached cautiously.

“…We did it. We really did it!” The Flareon’s face slowly lit up into a beaming smile, and with one single pounce, pinned her now smaller partner to the ground.

She nuzzled into his neck fur, giggling like a maniac. “We beat Jenny! We saved the town!”

Key huffed out as much laughter as he could while trying to avoid getting Hei’s warm fur in his mouth. “Ha-ha-ack! Ptooey! Ha ha ha! We’re awesome! Pft, Hei, c’mon get off!”

The Fire type finally seemed to realize she was crushing her poor friend, and relented on her cuddling. No sooner did she give him enough space to breathe than the citizens of Crossroad Town began to slowly emerge from their hiding spots, having watched the monster's defeat from shuttered windows and hidey holes.

Chief Pudding was the first on the scene, jaw slack with the unbelievable scene in front of him. “Wh-what in tarnation did I just witness…?”

Key snickered. “I think you just witnessed us doing your job for you, Pudding ol’ pal!”

A gust of wind could’ve blown over the Slurpuff. In seconds, he was engulfed by a thankful crowd that all clambered around the two young heroes.

“You kids saved the day!”

“That was incredible!”

“You’re those little delivery mon, aren’t you?”

“Three cheers for our heroes!”

And just like that, the summer air crackled with jubilant roars, celebrating the pair of unlikely saviors that vanquished the fearsome metal monster. The cries of “hip, hip, hooray!” were carried by the warm winds, reaching two Psychic type Pokemon that observed the town from a nearby hill, cloaked in the looming shadow of the abandoned windmill.

An Oranguru scowled, running a frustrated hand  across his braided fur. “They took it down already?”

His companion, a rather suspicious-looking Hypno, shrugged as nonchalantly as he could. “The f-fair attracted many a Pokemon. Heh. Hah. Perhaps a strong rescue team i-intervened. Ch-chalk it up to bad luck? Heh? Hah?”

His excuses only annoyed the sage Pokemon even more. “And where were you during all this, Skinner? You were supposed to be here hours ago.”

Skinner gulped. “I-I got caught up in the chaos. Heh. Hah.”

“Good grief.” His companion growled. "Did you at least see who defeated it?"

"I-I'm afraid not."

“Ugh. You truly are useless.”

“H-heh.”

The Oranguru smacked his head with a large, open palm. “Quit laughing like that. It’s creepy.”

He sighed, turning his back on the Hypno and Crossroad Town. “What a disappointing day. We don’t have any luck in this stupid continent.”

“Ivan...Do you suppose they’ll be t-terribly cross?”

“I’m ‘terribly cross’. Let’s just get outta here, numbskull.”

With that, Ivan stomped off into the wilderness, muttering to himself. The Hypno began to follow, but paused to take a final look at the distant town. He could see the tiny figures of Pokemon hastening to clean up rubble and reinstall the fair’s attractions. Singing. Cheering.

His heart clenched. His stomach churned.

He hoped to never see Hei again.

Aldora’s breath frosted over with every exhale she took. As a Grass type (especially in her Sky Forme), she was naturally averse to cold weather, but the solid ice walls of the Alabaster Citadel exuded a chill that stiffened her very bones. The four guards accompanying her, two Cryogonal and two Beartic on either flank, seemed immune to the temperature, or perhaps they had just grown accustomed to it. The Shaymin could not imagine how anyone, Ice type or no, could get used to this cold.

Her party scaled up the spiraling path that clung to the edges of the citadel. To her left, she could (though preferred not to) peer down at the massive abyss spanning the center, occasionally slashed by guarded bridges and passways. Wind howled deep inside the pit, like the hungry stomach of a monster begging for more food. Aldora shuddered.

Some paces in front of her, a mirthful achromatic Mr Rime hummed a fanciful tune, mostly to himself. The pattern on his stomach looked like it was in on the joke, resembling a wicked grin that stretched across his abdomen. His song was periodically cut off by the echoes of his footsteps and the clacking of his icicle cane that bounced off the frozen walls.

“Not too cold for you, Postmaster General?” He glanced behind him with a smile that betrayed little genuine concern for her wellbeing. “The guards can fetch you a blanket or a warm gem to hold.”

“That won’t be necessary. Thank you, Master Warden.” She replied, taking everything in her to avoid chattering her teeth mid-response. It was important she showed no weakness right now.

“Then you’re faring far better than most of the prisoners, my dear.” The elderly warden chuckled. “Usually by the end of the first day or so, they’re begging to be let out. That is, if they haven’t frozen to death. The cold, my dear, will strip down a Pokemon to their bare essence. I like to call it the ultimate truth serum.”

“Tales of the Alabaster Citadel speak of its… punitive effectiveness.”

“Quite right. I can’t help but be inspired by the legend of the Bittercold when running my facility. A merciless, biting cold that nearly plunged the entire world into despair… I strive to recreate that feeling.”

Aldora’s eyes darkened. “You shouldn’t joke about such things.”

“Yes, yes, forgive me. I nearly forgot of your personal history.”

The Shaymin’s fur bristled, not just because of the cold. She considered patience a virtue, and one she possessed more of than the average Pokemon, but Warden Rimes and his infernal citadel seemed to have whittled it down to a sliver.

Fortunately for her, they soon arrived at their destination. A metallic placard carved within an adjacent ice wall labelled the blank space as: ‘Big Fella’ (OKIDOGI), ‘Wise Guy’ (MUNKIDORI), ‘Pretty Boy’ (FEZANDIPITI).

“And here we are.” The warden announced, his guards moving to station themselves on either side of the mysteriously blank wall. “The curious little ogre officer requested we interrogate them for the motives behind their crimes. But they were surprisingly stubborn about the whole thing. So I thought it best they have some time to cool their heads and reconsider after some isolated confinement. Perhaps they will have softened up some.”

Warden Rimes hummed as he tapped the rock-hard surface of ice with the tip of his cane as if knocking on a door. Like magic, the thick barrier of ice thinned into jagged bars, allowing them to see the interior of a cell, where three very miserable-looking Pokemon huddled together in a shivering pile by the furtherest corner.

“Good afternoon, gentlemon!” The Mr. Rime greeted with a jaunty smile. “Why, you three are looking a bit blue in the face!”

That was an understatement. The three mochi peddlers looked as if they were to keel over at any second. The sudden presence of other Pokemon snapped them out of their sniffling daze, and their expressions turned desperate as they crawled over to grab the frozen jail bars.

“Puh-please, muh-muh-Master wuh-wuh-Warden!” Pretty Boy trembled, the corners of his eyes glistening with crystallized tears. “A hot chuh-chocolate! A buh-bowl of suh-suh-soup! Even luke-wuh-warm is fuh-fuh-fine!”

“All I’m asking’ for is one blanket!” Big Fella foamed, eyes wild. “Doesn’t matter if it’s got holes in it! Just one little blanket!”

As for Wise Guy, the little Munkidori didn’t even have the strength to speak; he simply clawed at the gaps between bars with limp hands, silently pleading for something.

Aldora swallowed, forced to avert her gaze. There was no doubt these three were awful Pokemon that endangered her beloved Crossroad Town. But seeing them reduced to shivering messes, begging for any semblance of warmth… No Pokemon deserved to be treated like that, regardless of their crimes.

“Now, now, manners maketh mon.” Rimes tutted. “I believe you three owe me some information first.”

The Fezandipiti choked. “Wuh-wuh-we cuh-cuh-can’t!”

“Even if we wanted to,” The larger doglike Pokemon yanked at the purple collar around his neck. “Our contracts forbid us from snitching! We’d drop dead before we could finish the first sentence!”

“That’s the truth…” Wise Guy rasped, muffled by his face pressed against the icy floor. “I’d have ratted them out in an instant if not for that clause…”

“Yuh-yuh-you have to believe us, wuh-warden! Our hands are ti-yay-yied!” Pretty Boy wailed.

Aldora tilted her head, frowning. “It seems like they’re telling the truth, Warden Rimes. There’s no use in making them suffer any longer.”

“Yuh-yes, bluh-bluh-bless you, Postmaster G-general!” The Fairy-type stretched his neck past the bars towards the Shaymin. “Wuh-we’re so-so-so sorry for what we’ve done!”

“Please forgive us!” Big Fella whined. “And for Jirachi’s sake, give us a blanket!”

“We won’t do it again, no matter what the Boss says.” The Munkidori added, curling into himself.

“That’s the spirits, lads!” The Mr Rime clapped his mitten-like hands approvingly. “It does this old soul good to hear you’ve learned the error of your ways!”

“Yuh-yes, without a doubt!” Pretty Boy squawked.

“How nice. Just let me know when you are ready to confess, then.”

The three Poison-types gaped at the warden, incredulous.

“Uh, did you not hear us, gramps?” Big Fella barked. “If we try to spill, our Toxic Chains will take us out before you even get the whole story.”

“Yes, that’s all well and good.” Warden Rimes tapped his frosted soles against the ground, creating a whimsical rhythm. “If you have truly come to regret your actions, then you won’t mind dying for a greater cause.”

“EXCUSE ME?!” The Okidogi snarled.

“Im sure you three are resilient enough to stave off the poison long enough to tell us a useful fact or two.” The warden’s smile widened, imitating the pattern on his stomach. “It would greatly aid our friends at the Intercontinental Peace-Keeping Association. Your noble sacrifice would almost make up for your wretched existence!”

Even Aldora was shocked into silence. The warden seemed not to notice their stunned reactions and continued in his jovial tone.

“So when you decide to tell us what you know, then you can truly complete your rehabilitation. In the meantime, I will give you some privacy to consider what I’ve said. Ta-ta, lads!”

All three criminals erupted into a screaming mess, but their protests were soon silenced by Rimes clacking his cane down on the ground with both hands, instantly causing the bars to fuse back into the thick icy wall it had once been. If the Lousy Three were still yelling, their voices couldn’t be heard at all.

The comedian Pokemon looked back at Aldora with a sheepish smile plastered both on his face and on his belly. “It seems they’ll still need some time. I apologize, Postmaster General, especially when you’ve come all the way here for information. I’ll have to update the IPKA’s Master Investigator as well.”

The Shaymin could only gape at him, horrified. “Surely you didn’t mean those things you said, Warden. You cannot seriously expect them to confess knowing they’ll perish in the process.”

Rimes shrugged. “They will perish here all the same if they do not confess. I can tell they won’t hold out for much longer before they succumb to the cold.”

“Then transfer them to another prison! We have nothing to gain from this.”

The Mr. Rime approached the ear-winged Pokemon with a wagging finger, as if scolding a child. “Whatever knowledge we can extract from them should be enough for the IPKA to progress their investigation. I would expect you above all others, Postmaster General, to understand the gravity of the situation.

“The IPKA informed me of their suspicions. We very well might be dealing with the return of Dark Matter. If these mysterious conspirators indeed plan on bringing about that apocalyptic ruin, then it is essential we catch them before their plan can come to fruition. The lives of three lowlife goons is a trivial price to pay for saving the entire world. Or would you rather a repeat of Shaymin Village?”

Aldora scoffed, trying to think of a counter to the warden’s cutting words. It had been years since she ever felt the urge to cry; she foolishly believed she had lived long enough for her well to dry out. But in this impossible situation, speared by this Pokemon’s cruelty… She was forced to tighten her jaw and hold her tongue, or else emotion would completely overcome her.

“Do you… really think they’ll agree to your demands?” Her voice was a rasp.

Warden Rimes hooted with amusement. “Poison is a mercy compared to the cold. They will surely realize this.”