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Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 1

A Warm Welcome

Water.

Underwater.

Beneath collapsing waves, compressed and racked from each blow.

The world had contorted itself and conceived ways to deceive the senses.

Waves of blurred colors could be seen through shut eyes; indescribable sounds were attempting to push themselves through the haze, desperately trying to be recognized.

Was he underwater?

He was. He was not. His senses had told him conflicting truths. That he was flying while stationary. Agonized and unharmed. Frozen, but warm. Conscious, nor unaware.

Dead, yet alive.

He didn't know how long he lay on the ground. Time was but a suggestion now; hours or seconds, it all felt the same. The stream of time was ever continuous as it flowed over his body.

He stirred in the fog of uncertainty. His eyes refused to open, acting in defiance as they remained tightly locked against his will.

He weakly waved an arm into the air, trying to feel for anything.

The sensations continued, but they became somewhat clearer.

A quick nudge.

Then again.

Prodding.

A feeling he could understand as truth.

Snapping free from the deep fog that blanketed his thoughts just a moment ago, he wrested control over his body once more.

Awake.

The world was inconceivable as his eyes slowly opened. They had yet to adjust to the setting sun that idly drooped in an evening sky. The world was a blur as he threw his head forward from the ground. Only broad strokes of red, orange, brown, and green could be comprehended in front of him and beyond.

His body retched and he coughed violently, trying to guzzle in air as shock took hold from his sudden movement.

Rolling to his side, he pressed his hands into the ground, attempting to stand before falling over clumsily as he misplaced his leg. His balance was wavering; the ground seemed to shift below him. Each moment felt as though his limbs were not muscle and bone, but exhausted flesh and cartilage.

Something was felt underneath his arm, pushing him up. Warm. Something warm.

He tried to stand and stumbled once more, but was quickly caught on his side by a broad warm surface, which helped to stand him upright.

His thoughts were scattered. Voices contested one another, from his mind and from the world he stood in, battling for the sliver of coherence that was present.

The cave.

Help.

Jhett.

They're here to help.

Stairs.

Am I safe?

Where am I?

Who are you?

Walking. He was slowly walking. Or at least, he had been. He only noticed after he stumbled to his knees once more, and that warmness returned, aiding him back onto his feet.

He emptied his head. Cleared his thoughts. The world was still a blur, but sounds had become somewhat understandable. He tried to gather his thoughts, to think straight once more.

Help.

They're here to help.

Who are you?... no, who am I?

These were not his thoughts. No, someone had been speaking to him.

He spoke of what had happened: the cave, Jhett, and the stairs. He asked if Jhett was unharmed, if the cave was to be condemned. What were those stairs?

That is what he wanted to say.

What could only come out of his mouth was a mess of gibberish and mumbling.

He collapsed to the ground once more, and began to push himself back up.

Warm again.

Standing on his feet, he steadied himself. Closed his eyes. And took deep breaths for several moments. The world began to settle. The uneasiness began to fade. And his thoughts began to finally make sense.

And he opened his eyes.

"… Sir? Can you understand me? Are you well?"

Shapes.

Colors.

Dimension.

The scenery finally revealed itself.

Tall, lean trees surrounded him along the beaten and wide dirt path he stood on. Their leaves a hushed green, calmly swaying in the cold autumn breath of nature, with suppressed bark. The sun seemed to hover just above the horizon, setting to the west with a pleasant orange glow, and the sky loomed above in a clear transition to darkness that would soon unveil the stars.

“Your name. What is your name? Are you able to tell me that?”

“…It’s… Felix,” he coughed out.

He turned around to answer the question that came a moment ago.

"…Still a bit shaky, but I can-"

Fear.

He froze in place.

Two monsters stared straight at him.

A red, fiery coat of fur, curled hair, and a small stature carrying a satchel which hung around its body. A vulpix. A feather seemingly stuck behind each ear.

And beside it, a beast he could not identify as anything other than a nightmare given form. It was a hollow tree, its six roots above the surface, hoisting its trunk off the ground. Numerous cracks and gouges lined its body and barked arms; its crevices filled with a dark energy. And a singular, red, piercing eye. A cursed trevenant.

“Are you able to walk?” the vulpix asked. “Pardon my bluntness, but you seem rather frizzled right now. Do you suffer from a headache? One moment!”

The fox had turned its back to him and knelt to the ground, letting the bag it carried slide off onto the dirt, and it began rummaging through it.

"I’m sure I packed a persim berry here for situations like this.”

The ghastly tree kept a watchful eye on him, its cool gaze betraying no sign of weariness.

Felix took a slow step back.

Then another.

And one more.

He ran.

Looking back, he could see the fox still occupied with the bag, as the tree shifted its gaze to the fox, almost with a look of smugness in its eye.

He ran further down the path.

Anywhere.

Anywhere was better than there.

The trees became a green and brown mess in his vision as he hurriedly ran, stumbling over the flat ground as he tried to find his footing with his aching legs, looking for anywhere that might serve as sufficient cover, anywhere that might stagger their movements when they decided to pursue him.

A break in the tree line.

A grotto opened itself up to him a ways up. Its cold and hostile entrance was overgrown with trees that bunched together, but had strangely left a path open through them. The thicket was dense and dark, with many breaks in his line of sight inside, as light struggled to seep in through the condensed canopy that drooped overhead. Rotten and diseased bark lined the trees that were nearby, as a curious earthly smell seeped forth from the woodwork.

Perfect.

Back down the path, he saw the fox finally look up from its luggage with a small pink berry in its mouth, looking around hastily. It glanced up towards the tree, which gave a nonchalant shrug in response. The fox swung its head around some more, scanning the roads. It looked at him. Their gazes locking for a brief moment. It began to running him, berry swinging wildly from its mouth.

He ducked inside.

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The glare from the setting sun was lost in the bramble, and the sky became scarcely seen amongst the low hanging canopy of branches and broad, dead leaves. The moans of strained wood could be heard throughout the area, from every direction at seemingly random intervals. A snap was heard in the distance, followed by a dull crash. Occasional coos from hoothoots in the forest silenced at the snap of wood, before resuming after the crash.

The grotto had opened up somewhat inside. A cold wind loomed through the air, and chilled his body as he ran through the overgrowth further inside the cryptic grotto. The forest floor was littered with dead leaves, which were kicked up into the air as he ran.

A sound caught his attention. The groan of a nearby tree had suddenly turned to a piercing snap that reverberated in the air. A rotten tree now fell towards him as its branches tore at the canopy above. He dived to the side and skidded face-first to a halt along the dirt, the tree crashing into the earth beside him. Grunting as he pulled himself off the ground, he stopped his movement when a frightening sight caught his eyes.

Paws.

Blue paws.

With a yelp, he fell backwards onto his rear, and frantically searched around himself for the creature that had managed to sneak so close to him.

Nothing, save for the trees.

He looked down.

His arms.

Lined with short blue fur.

His legs.

Black and disproportionate.

The paws were the same ones that made him jump. Three digits, and a metallic oval on the back of each hand.

He clenched them, then released his grip; they had responded dutifully to his command.

These were his. And the grotesque legs. This was his body.

Felix stared forward; blank faced. And lost himself to an empty thought.

The deep fog was back again, his thoughts now lost once more.

Leaves quietly rustled.

Cool wind gently swept by.

And strained wood groaned in the distance.

He shook his head. It was a possession of the mind. It had to be. Those cursed foxes were known to have some tricks that fooled peoples' perception. And that loathsome tree beside it, though unfamiliar to him, was undoubtedly a spirit. He picked himself up off the ground, and formulated a simple plan: get out of the grotto, then find anyone who could lead him back to some sort of civilization. From there, he would weigh his options. The area before him was entirely unknown. These were not the trees or climate he knew by heart, so he would need help to find his way back home from this strange land he awoke in.

Speech could be heard through the woodwork, beyond some trees that lay behind him.

Voices. The sound of a one-sided conversation could vainly be heard through the trees.

They could speak.

Felix got off the ground and continued his sprint further into the grotto, hoping for a break in the forest, and that the duo that hunted him would be lost amongst the trees.

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The forest seemed endless. Countless rotten trees were passed, and without a single sign of an opening amongst them. The only thing that Felix did find though, much to his displeasure, was a purple rodent all too familiar to him.

The rattata stood in front of him with a wild look in its eyes; it hissed through bucked teeth as it squared itself in front of him, posing itself for attack.

Felix stiffened his back, put his feet shoulder-width apart, and raised his arms in front of him.

He hesitated.

Taking a brief moment to think about what was going on, Felix realized his error far too late.

The rat may have been a smaller opponent when he shooed them away from crops before...

But now, it seemed much larger than he remembered. Or he was much smaller…

It screeched, its buck-teeth now on full display.

The rat lunged at him with buck-teeth bared, landing squarely into his chest as he moved too late to dodge the frontal assault, knocking him over. It bit down into his chest, drawing a small amount of blood.

His sore muscles filled with resolve as he tumbled back into the ground, and he threw the rat off of himself; it too rolled, but it quickly recovered. Felix took the small opportunity to anticipate its next attack- A lunge, same as before.

Once more, it lunged at him as he sat upright. With the correct prediction, Felix swung a curled, fluffy fist into the nuisance, knocking it onto the ground beside himself, as it let out a piercing screech at him.

Felix jumped onto the rodent as it tried to scramble to its feet, pinning its head to the ground with his left arm as he drove a fluffy fist into its head with his right arm. The rat scratched at the pinning arm, desperately trying to break free, as it continued to screech.

After a few pummels, the rat lay motionless; still breathing, but knocked out.

Felix got up and looked over himself.

His chest had a red stain on it that stung sharply, while his left arm was covered with painful scratches received from the rattata clawing at his arm to escape.

As he turned to continue his trek, he heard the voices again.

"…I heard it come from over there! Come on, let us hurry!"

With a huff of frustration, Felix turned and ran further in, clutching at his chest to stem a bit of the bleeding and to ease some of the pain.

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A commanding roll like thunder crashed against the earth.

The sound of another tree slamming into the ground, the chorus of snapping branches and sifting leaves soon came to a stop. After a moment of silence, the hoo’s of an owl sound resumed.

It had to have been at least a few miles at this point that he had run.

The endless waves of trees did not falter, and hunger had begun to take hold.

Felix stumbled to a stop, breathing hard.

His aching body could not keep up with his exigency, and demanded rest from him.

Leaning against a stump, he slumped to the ground to catch his breath and looked at his surroundings.

The same scenery stretched before him as when he had first entered the area. Endless rows of trees in various states of decay. Branches and leaves littered the ground. Sounds of creaking wood and rustling leaves filled the cool air.

A voice was heard shouting in the distance.

"…We're over here! Where are you?!"

Felix grew angry at the tenacity of the fox.

Panting, both from fatigue and frustration, Felix levied himself up.

The sound of rustling leaves drew closer, before a swish was heard from the canopy behind him.

A hoot.

Felix spun around just in time to see a round, brown bird with large eyes, diving towards him. He could not react in time and could only give a look of shock as the hoothoot crashed into him, knocking him down, before flying back into the canopy.

Felix struggled to get up, frantically scanning the overgrowth for the hoothoot that had struck him. It would dive him the same way again, he rationalized.

From behind him, the leaves rustled again, and the owl reemerged, flying towards him once more. Felix threw a fist into the space of air that the bird would cross to intercept it, but the hoothoot did not fly straight; it sharply turned in the air, dodging his attack, and began battering at him from above with sharp talons, digging into scalp before he threw his arms up to protect himself.

He heard the branches part once more behind him.

Blunt pain spread throughout his back, and Felix was thrown onto the ground as two hoothoots surrounded him, pecking and scratching madly at his curled form.

He flailed his limbs in an attempt to strike at the birds, but they easily avoided the clumsy attacks. They wildly attacked, gouging at his skin with their beaks and tearing at it with pointed talons.

He rolled onto his other side and scrambled to get up, but was attacked from above by one of the hoothoots which grabbed his head with a large talon and threw him back onto the ground. Felix swatted at it, momentarily driving it away. The other owl relentlessly persisted in its attack, landing a clean scratch on his undefended left leg, leaving a deep, red gouge. Burning pain shot through him. Before he could retaliate, the other hoothoot had returned and joined its friend on the attack.

He needed help, and quick. Something to scare the birds off, or something to distract them.

He knew just the thing.

He hesitated.

But he had no other option.

"I'm over here! Help!"

He screamed with all the air he could muster from his lungs; the owls did not seem to take notice of his plea, and continued their attack.

Felix continued to yell into the air in pain, flinching with each puncture to his skin as talons raked his limbs, and beaks stabbed at his head.

Once more, he shouted.

"Help!"

The hoothoots were unyielding with their assault, and Felix tightly shut his eyes as one started to scratch at his face while he held his arms in front of himself to protect his eyes, leaving his torso exposed for a quick rake from the other hoothoot. His consciousness was faltering, as pain began to dull and his senses began to waiver. He squinted his eyes open, looking for anything that could be used to help him, any sort of miracle that lay nearby.

There was nothing, save for the crooked trees.

He shut his eyes, and resigned himself to his fate.

…

…

…

Then he was warm again.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 2

Kill Them with Kindness

A flash of heat erupted before Felix, enveloping his body in a brief and intense heat. A screech from one of the hoothoots pierced the air. He shot open his eyes, seeing only one hoothoot remaining before him; it had stopped its attack and was looking towards a group of shrouded trees behind it. A bright light ignited from within the shadows, which quickly accelerated towards them. Fleetingly illuminating the dark woodwork it passed, it collided with into the owl with a bang.

The small fireball had impacted the hoothoot directly center on its body, launching it away from Felix and rolling to a stop next to its defeated cohort, a thin trail of smoke rising from their unconscious bodies.

Felix looked towards the direction the fireball had come from and spotted the red fox deftly running through the trees, nimbly jumping over exposed snaking roots along the path with a steadfast look in its eyes.

Not thinking twice, Felix tried to push himself off the ground to ready himself in any capacity to meet the fox, but could only get to his knees as searing pain shot through his entire being. Looking to his arms, legs, and chest, he saw they were all dyed with streaks of crimson- each gash burning with contact to the cold air.

The vulpix drew closer still, slowing its pace when it got near enough to see him in greater detail. Shock was written on its face when it saw his horrendous state.

"Woah! You're torn up pretty bad! Don't move, okay? I got a berry you can eat!"

Felix stayed on his knees, unable to bring himself to get up any further. He frantically scanned the ground around him, searching for anything that might serve to help him keep the monster away.

A close-at-hand branch caught his eyes. Crooked, but it seemed sturdy enough.

The fox let the bag on its back slide to the ground and pulled a blue berry from it, then approached Felix. The berry swayed gently from a diminutive green stem that was held softly in the vulpine’s jaws.

It drew closer, lowering its body close to his as if to offer the berry it held.

He knew better than to trust it.

Clenching the branch with his right hand, he pivoted his body viciously as he swung at the fox with the tree limb as it ducked with a yelp, dropping the berry onto the soil floor.

The fox leapt back; Felix fell to his rear in pain at the sudden action he performed, but remained upright as he kept the branch leveled towards the beast with both arms, breathing heavily as stings tore through his limbs from the further exertion.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Felix grew tired of it all. Where was he? Why was he here? Who does this monster think its fooling? He glared daggers at it. "Get away from me! Don't come closer!" He sneered in an attempt to seem as threatening as possible.

He kept the branch pointed at the fox, its face disheartened as it stared at his pathetic form.

Shattering sticks and the crunch of leaves sounded from behind the vulpix, evident beyond. Felix snapped his attention to the new threat: the ghastly tree from before had emerged from the woodwork. It stopped just behind the fox, an analytical gaze observing the situation before it.

It made no further movement.

The fox slowly shook its head, and changed its expression to one resembling sympathy. It lowered its ears and spoke softly.

"Calm down, alright? We're not here to hurt you. I don't know what's going on, but let me help you. You're injured, and injured badly."

Felix didn't want to acknowledge those words. Any admittance to weakness could lead to an opportunist attack from the elemental fox.

He stared back in silence.

"It's alright if you don't trust me, but you need that berry. Blood loss won't wait for you." The vulpix gestured towards the berry that laid between them with its head. The oran berry was tempting. Its round form had rejuvenated his strength out in the field many times before, and he wanted nothing more than to levy the ripping pain that plagued his aching body worse and worse as he exhausted his stamina to keep the branch steady with his bloodied and battered arms. "Look, if we wanted to hurt you, we could've just attacked you when we found you out on the ground, right? Please, trust me. We need to get out of here, and you need our help."

The fox took a cautious step forward. Felix pointed the branch's wooden tip at the monster. It hesitated, and took a deep breathe. It continued with another step. Threateningly, Felix drew back the branch and raised it over his head, ready to strike it against the monster's skull. The vulpix was undeterred, taking a few more slow steps forward before slowly kneeling down and picking up the berry in front of him with its mouth. It drew even closer.

It now stood so close that he could have reached out and touched its fine red pelt. Dropping it before him, it bowed its head with ears pulled back and its eyes tightly shut, wincing with anticipation.

"You need this berry. Please… please calm yourself down, and take it."

His arms shook as he contemplated his next course of action.

“Please…"

His arms uncoiled and swung the branch right into the vulpix’s side, producing a loud smack and a howl of pain from the fox as it recoiled back.

Felix threw the branch at it and scrambled up off the ground, beginning to run as fast and as far through the darkness as his battered body would allow him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the vulpix recovering off the ground. The hand of the trevenant hovered over the fox as it rolled up, seemingly stuck in hesitation before finally deciding to pull away.

The trevenant’s hollow head turned to him. Its brimming red eye focusing on him as he picked up his pace, breathing hard as he continued to run over protruding roots and loose branches, finally losing sight of the tree specter when he ducked past a thick cluster of rotting trees.

Continuing for some time, he stopped to catch his breath beside a tree. Glancing up between breaths, he found that the trees began to thin out in front of him. Little other than the shortgrass and the open sky of fading amber light surrounded him as he stepped out into the clearing.

Some distance out, he leaned forward and planted his hands on knees, blowing out and sucking in breaths in a rhythm. His heart and mind raced.

Standing back upright, he let his breathing slow. He should be away from them from here.

Looking around, Felix could not place where to go to next. Behind him he knew would be a pair of beasts searching for him, and elsewhere all remained cloaked in the thick curtain of the dark forestry.

He took several cautious steps forward, then stopped at an unusual sensation at his backside. He was finally aware of a curious tingling that trailed behind him: his new tail had been dragging across the brush of grass. The sight gave him a start, and he spun around to escape the appendage as it swung about him in turn. Stopping once more, he felt himself become uneasy at the sight of his new tail. Swallowing down the sudden urge to vomit, he took his mind back off the thing.

As Felix continued through the grotto, he heard another tree fall in the distance, slamming into the ground as many others had before it, briefly silencing the many calls of the night.

He had not thought much of the noise, and continued on.

Then another slam. And another.

The sound continued. The canopies off to his side began shaking and bending as an inhuman strength plowed through trunk after trunk. He stepped away from the lines of trees, looking on in terror as formidable footsteps plowed through the growth.

Another, then another, then another. He could see the canopy of trees in the distance fall to the wayside one after the other.

Each crash of a tree became more impactful and purposeful than the last, closing in on him. An impossibly bulky figure cloaked in the dark emerged behind the trees in front of him. A vicious snarl rumbled from the undergrowth as a dark paw shot out from the shadows of an oak and grabbed the trunk, peeling off the bark like it were paper with grotesque claws. Then with one effort, the tree came crashing it into the ground.

Felix backed away, his heart pounding wildly as a monstrous bear laden with muck and grime hobbled forth from the wreckage; its gigantic frame brushed past the remaining trees as it stepped out into the clearing, letting the final piece of daylight fall onto the crescent moon pattern on its head.

An ursaluna.

The great bear raised up its enormous head and sucked in a massive breath through its wide nose. Lowering its head, it looked at Felix, and licked its brutal chops.

The ursaluna rose onto its stout legs and belched out a guttural roar that held Felix in place as he trembled at the commanding cry, feeling a tremble in his very core at the death knell.

Crashing its forelegs back onto the earth, the beast charged forth with thunderous footsteps, tremoring the ground beneath as Felix broke into a mad dash away.

As he ran, the ursaluna raised a paw and slammed it into the earth with a calamitic. The earth bulged around Felix, glowing between the cracks as a giant stone’s edge shot from the earth in front of him, forcing him to a stop as the imposing rock blocked his way.

He turned around just in time to see a spread of claws swipe his away, allowing him to fall back onto the ground just in time to avoid the attack as it grazed past him.

Felix began frantically crawling back away, but found himself pressed against the rock’s surface as the ursaluna lumbered forward, its jaw slack and tongue hanging freely.

He leaned back as far as he could against the rock, turning his head away from the ursaluna as it parted its maw, leaning forward with its crushing teeth wide open poised at his head.

A red glare rocketed towards them, and a small explosion boomed at the ursaluna’s side as it collided, causing the great beast to roar and rear its head back to the thicket the ambush had come from.

A small red figure leapt out from the brush, shooting another shot of fire that bursted at the monster’s side, earning the ursaluna’s ire as it turned its great body towards the vulpix that was now standing valiantly before it, eyes steadfast on the beast.

The fox nimbly dashed around the bear as it wildly threw its arm at the vulpix, which the fox gracefully leapt over to land next to Felix’s side.

“Stay behind me!” the vulpix ordered.

From behind the fox, he could see on its coat where the its fur stood disheveled when he had stuck it before. Its satchel was once more on its back, as well.

The bear and fox’s gazes were locked with another, each snarling and growling terrifyingly at one another in a vicious contest of will.

Felix stood back up, pressing his back against the wall. He took a shaking step an inch away, closely watching the confrontation in front of him.

And he made a break for it.

Darting out from behind the vulpix, he attempted to escape past the ursaluna. Consumed by fear and weary, his legs buckled.

“No! What are you- Look out!”

The ursaluna raised its claws at Felix once more as he lay down, preparing to ravage him in one strike. As he looked on in horror as the claw came swinging at him, a red blur collided into his side, knocking him away as the bear struck the vulpix in his place, launching the fox away as it let out a fierce cry in pain. The brown bag flew off the vulpix as it rolled to a stop along the ground nearby, landing in front of Felix and spilling out a couple berries and a pink, translucent orb.

The wild bear began hulking towards him again. As Felix crawled away, another flame bursted at the ursaluna’s side, much to its annoyance. Limping forward, the vulpix came to stand between Felix and the monster, its many tails drooping low to the ground and a crimson gash at its side.

“…The sleep orb…” it shakingly breathed out. “…Use the orb… Now…”

Felix’s eyes gravitated towards the pink orb that laid before him on the grass. Grabbing hold of it, he felt the heft of the translucent sphere, and was entranced by how it softly glowed as he held it.

The ursaluna stood upright and bellowed a roar at the two, the whites of its eyes shining brilliantly as it leered at them.

Gripping tightly to the orb, Felix pulled it back, preparing its use.

And slung it as hard as he could at the bear.

The pink orb thudded harmlessly against the ursaluna’s thick chest hide, dropping to the ground dully. Letting its body fall back to the earth, the orb was shattered instantaneously as the great bear’s foot fell upon it, scattering shards of pink glass whose color quickly began to dull.

The ears on the vulpix folded back at the sight. “What… What have you done?” Steadying itself, the vulpix held its head high and blew out wisps of fire from the corners of its mouth. “It doesn’t matter now! I’ll… protect you!”

Throwing its body into a charge at them, the beast’s eyes widened in anticipation for the kill, its massive bulk nearly crashing upon them as the earth shook below its massive weight.

The trembling earth rose in its ferocity, becoming volatile and knocking both Felix and the vulpix flat on the ground. Even the trees around them quaked.

The soil racked back and forth below the ursaluna, holding it still as the beast looked down in confusion. Then the ground violently tore apart, shooting out large and gnarled roots that twisted and writhed from the earth, whipping themselves into a fury and wrapping around the ursaluna as it roared, tethering it to the ruined earth, refusing to let go no matter how much the bear struggled.

Felix and the vulpix looked to the now tethered ursaluna, their breathes shallow as they watched it fight against the titanic roots which bound it.

Heavy thunks approached from the trees behind them. Looking back, the two found the trevenant approaching from the long shadows of the oaks, calmly walking to the snarling bear’s side as it attempted to throw out a claw, but was once more caught and pinned by a bulging root.

The trevenant looked to them, then to the bear, completely indifferent.

Raising its bark-laden arm into the air, glowing green energy amassed around the trevenant’s forearm as it looked down upon the pinned ursaluna. With one motion, it crashed its wooden arm down like a hammer onto the ursaluna’s defenseless head, blowing out splinters of wood from the fierce impact and kicking up a cloud of dust around them.

Once the air cleared, the once rampant ursaluna was seen lying still on the ground.

Pacified.

After dusting its arm off, the trevenant looked to the panting vulpix with a dimmed eye.

"Your convictions are, as ever, admirable, Star.” It let out a sigh. “And as ever, you become blinded with them.”

The vulpix hung its head low, still wincing. “I… I am aware. But provide me a moment,” the vulpix replied, looking to Felix. “Don’t move suddenly, understood- Felix, was it?”

He nodded.

The vulpix smiled warmly, then hobbled past him to the loose satchel beside him, which allowed him a good view of the fox’s stained side as they passed. Stooping their head low, the vulpix gently clenched the stem of the oran berry that had rolled out and returned to him, gently placing the berry at his feet. “Here, eat this. It will restore your strength.”

Felix slowly leaned out and grabbed the oran berry, keeping his eyes on the vulpix the whole process. Taking a bite of the sweet fruit, he felt his pain subside immediately in a single swallow, washing away his exhaustion in a blissful sensation that filled his body.

“Are you alright? Can you walk?”

“I…” he muttered, “…Thank you.”

The vulpix’s ears perked up in glee. Looking him up and down, it smiled again in affirmation. “Star.”

He stared at the vulpix blanky. “…Star?”

“That’s her name, little one. ‘Willow’ would be my own,” the trevenant added as he stooped to the ground and picked up a shard of the shattered orb beside the ursaluna’s head. He held the dull gray piece of glass before his eye, examining it quizzingly before pinching the shard and shattering it into fine dust with his thick fingers. “That was certainly a… method of using an orb, little one.” Willow tossed the remaining bits aside, then pointed forward to an end of the clearing with sparse trees. "Now, Star, proceed. The exit should be just ahead."

Star nodded. “Of course. Felix, I’m afraid I must insist you accompany us out of this cursed ground; it is far too dangerous for you to linger here.” Taking a cautious step forward, her breath caught as she placed her foot in front of her, wrinkling her nose in pain. Taking a deep breath, she continued forward to join Willow’s side.

Felix remained still.

Willow threw his arms behind his back and sighed deeply. “Little one, you’ve enjoyed a rather large share of trouble this evening, and I am in no mood to have the do-gooder drag us out here to fetch you once more.” A large root wrapped around a leg of the ursaluna unwound and prodded Felix’s back forward, pushing him along as he stumbled towards them.

“Willow, if you would?” Star asked as she pointed with her nose to the satchel on the ground. He nodded, bending over and refilling the contents of the bag with the loose items, then retying it around Star’s waist with the torn binding. She turned back to Felix. “We mean you no harm, Felix,” Star continued. “We wish to see you safe. Let us go, before more wilds appear.”

“Where… where are you taking me?” Felix warily asked.

“Fango Village. It’s a settlement just a short walk from here. There, we can be treated at the clinic, then we’ll let you be.”

Felix hummed a thought. He knew he was in condition to travel alone, let alone this being a good location to organize his thoughts.

Star hobbled to his side. Now that she was closer, a glitter of light atop her head caught his eye. The two feathers she had were not lodged, but had been thoughtfully tucked behind her ears. They shown a brilliant red, white, and green, and almost seemed to be softly shining in the darkened lighting. “I promise you that we will keep you safe. I will personally see to it that no harm befalls you. Now, please, we must leave as soon as we are able,” she spoke softly.

He slowly nodded. “Right, right…” Standing up, he finally found himself able to hold his eyes onto her own. “Then please, lead the way.”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An open and free night sky now replaced the dreary atmosphere of the woods they had just left behind, a calming cool breeze flowing freely without obstruction from the blockades of dying trees. Stone plateaus of various elevations and shrubbery adorning them surrounded the group as they traveled, becoming a sea of swooning hills dotted with jutting rocks and natural platforms of stone. Looking up, a full moon illuminated the hills of the rolling plains. Its silver sheen was brilliant, casting a welcoming light onto the earth below the sparse clouds. A faint flicker of light rested near the dim horizon.

Willow stretched out his arms, and basked in the enchanting moonlight. “Ah, feels just wonderful to finally be out of there,” he gleefully announced.

Felix looked down from the moon to Star, who had been walking beside Willow ahead of him. She seemed particularly enraptured by the stars above them. The waves of gentle blues and purples of the cosmos above were speckled with dots of light, and a single breath-taking streak of soft yellow cleaved a large portion of the night sky into two. The starlight seemed to beautifully reflect off the sheen of the feathers she wore.

Her fur was all disheveled and blotched in some places by blood that had darkened and become stiff. The curls on her head and tail had become a tangled mess that more-so resembled knots than the prideful upkeep that was maintained just earlier in the day, and the bag she carried now being dirtied itself. She now walked with a certain gait she had not before, as well.

He found himself still clutching his side with some residual pain. The adrenaline from the encounter earlier was starting to leave his system, and the ache from the hoothoots’ scratches to his abdomen earlier had begun to resurface.

An inkling of a feeling he was uncertain about filled him as he looked to Star ahead of him, seeing how she wrested her own agony.

Something torn between hesitation.

And sympathy.

Without her help, he would likely never had escaped from that forest.

Now was as a good time as any to ask some questions.

He picked up his pace, coming to walk beside her and cleared his coarse throat. "Uh… vulpix?" Felix asked.

"Star," she corrected.

"Right, right. Star. You have a name, that’s right.” She shot him a curious glance, then returned to her gaze of the stars above. “Why… why’d you come after me?”

She dropped her longing towards the night sky. “Because you needed our help,” Star replied with no hesitation. “You were found unconscious in the middle of the road, and with nothing on your person…” Her speech began to slow as she heard her own words. Flicking her ears, she turned to face him. “Forgive my asking, but do you remember who or what caused you to faint?”

“I…” He remembered. He knew what had happened. That impossible sphere which blotted the land could not be mistaken, which had swallowed him and his team whole, could not be forgotten. Looking at her, he felt his gut tremble again. If she knew, she might ask what he had been doing- what he was before. “I don’t remember.”

Star sighed. “It’s fine if you are unable to remember. I ask simply because of a dangerous crew roaming these roads as of late, who have attacked and raided passerby for their goods. I pray you weren’t victim to such a heinous offense. Riolus such as you aren’t a common sight around here, so you would be an interesting target to such a band, if I may be so blunt.”

“Riolu…” Looking down to his hands, he clenched and released his grip on his palms, staring at the three-digit paws that had come to replace them. A creeping nausea stirred in his being as he tried to curl fingers that were not there. “…Is that what I am?”

Star was taken-aback, jerking her head back and furrowing her brow in moderate surprise at his statement. “Are you sure that you are well?”

Just up ahead, the flickering light had grown into a sizable fire atop a faint silhouette of a tower as they travelled. Numerous protrusions pointing up from the darkness below and around the tower became visible, looking like sharp rows of canine teeth.

He waved an arm weakly out dismissively. “Nah, I’m fine, really,” he lied.

Willow scoffed. “Were it not for her intervention and my own, you would have perished in that forest twice now. Be truthful.”

“Willow, now’s not the time,” Star interjected.

Felix felt a small pool of anger boil in him. “And whose fault is it for spooking me into that place?”

Willow’s body groaned as he turned his tree-like body towards him, his red-eye piercing down onto Felix. “Had we known you’d bolt, we would have been more careful in our rescue of you, little one. We had acted in your best interest.”

“Is that right? I remember it more like her being the one to come and help me- with all the monsters! You had only shown up at the last second! Where were you before we were about to be gutted? Gathering moss somewhere, like some old log?”

Willow snorted. “May I suggest that if you’re so concerned about your safety, that you learn to throw a punch? Maybe perhaps learn not to bungle the only orb she had? I must keep my interference with her work to a minimum.”

“Willow, stow it,” Star ordered.

His eye fell onto her, Star returning the glare. After a moment and seeing how she would not yield, he let out a sign. “But of course. We’re nearly there, anyhow. Let’s not dawdle.” He hastened his pace, walking in front of Felix and Star as he made his way towards the growing glare of light.

Star stepped closer to Felix’s side, trying to meet his averting eyes as he glared to the ground. “Sir, I’m aware you must be exhausted, but please attempt to remain calm. Look, just ahead- we are here.”

Looking up, he saw a settlement come into view.

The great lick of flame atop the wooden-beam tower writhed, raging against the brisk wind of night as it yearned for the heavens above. Illuminated by the burning brazier tower above them, the dark fangs below revealed themselves to be scattered and tattered make-do tents, many filled with tears and lined with stitches on their loosely-strung canvas, many tucked between spread trees. Small, golden charms hung freely at each of their entrances.

Ahead, Willow remained still besides two tall wooden poles near the settlement. Both were decorated with metallic windchimes that glistened from the fire’s light and softly rung as they swayed. The dirt path passed right between them, weaving into the settlement, branching off at many points like a great forking river and dotted with shrubbery and protruding torchlight.

Willow turned to them, extending out a thick wooden hand.

"Welcome to Fango Village, little one," he stated proudly. "As a representative of the New Galar Expedition Company, we extend our hospitality to you."

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 3

Estranged

The three had only just entered Fango Village, yet Felix found himself already unnerved at the many make-do tents around him. Many appeared to have been clumsily fashioned together by some beast with worn canvas and rope, some even decorated with banners strangely covered in enlarged footprints of various creatures which twisted on the signs. Decorated ropes hung between lampposts that shed light onto the bare roads, revealing how these tepees sparsely dotted the tree-laden plains the village resided in.

Felix swiveled his head around the locale as the group traveled, spotting monsters in various sizes and shapes. From a tan lithe creature with a brush for a tail that carried a cumbersome sack with it, which Felix recognized as a Smeargle, to a large lizard that boasted four large leaves for wings and a bundle of ripe fruit on its neck that was spotted gliding overhead against the starry sky of the cool night. The sight of the yellow fruit sent his stomach pleading with a rumble for any food.

But New Galar? Exploration Company? Those were far more pressing at the moment.

He spoke to Willow. "New Galar Exploration Company? What? You mean to tell me that there's some company… that's ran by monsters? How would that even work?"

Willow gave a disappointed, yet unsurprised sigh. "It's New Galar Expedition Company, little one. And we're not monsters, we're Pokémon. I'm not even sure where you picked up an old-world term like that when didn’t know where you were until the last couple hours," Willow explained.

"And New Galar? What's that about?" Felix asked. Willow gave another lengthy exhale.

"Little one… perhaps we should just focus on getting you and her treated, for now." They continued forward along the path.

The moon radiated down onto wavering tapestry below through the abysmal overcast, which together with the iron-cased torches mounted on small poles and the blazing brazier stories above atop the skeletal wooden tower, swathed the locale with light of utmost purity with their combined ethereal moonbeams and dancing flames. Even towering stories above him, he could feel the radiance of the great flame enwrap him, warding off the cold.

Near the bottom of the tower, Felix noticed many decorations adorning the structure and items laid at its base. Crudely weaved dolls made from tallgrass came to resemble some magnificent bird, as well as bundles of freshly plucked flowers, had been placed at the tower’s foot. Across the many crossing beams hung paper lanterns and cloths of many colors.

“What… what is this?” he asked.

Star wore a proud smile. “A monument to our return.”

The area ahead of him was an enormous dirt circle cleared of plant life and obtrusions. Some larger tents lined the perimeter, each with crude wooden signs with more of those strange footprints displayed on them. In truth, they looked more like facilities than homes. This had to be the village square, he assumed. On many of the lampposts around, were weathered papers stuck to them with bright coloring and larger, more impactful footprint marks. Shapes like that of orbs and bottles were inked across their center.

One hut he noticed was a simple dark-clothed tent with many signs plastered with bold colored footprints outside its door, while another site across the path consisted only of a single low crude wooden countertop set in front of a large hole that burrowed into the ground, well into darkness, with numerous large piles of dirt surrounding it.

As they passed by, he noticed many of the inhabitants of the village giving him a passing stare as he and the others walked. A Noctowl perched atop one of the many beams of the tower, a small silvery bug with purple antennas that scuttled by, seemingly lost in thought, and more. All seemed interested in them.

Yet between the stares, many of them seemed to smile at Star as she passed them by, retuning a smile of her own.

As they passed one of many tents, a small zigzagoon burst out of the front flap, startling Felix as he raised his arms in defense.

“Star! Star!” cried out the young zigzagoon. The excitable ferret darted this way and that across the ground before finally burying its head into Star’s chest.

She flinched from the sudden contact on her injury, but still lowered her head down and caringly began brushing her head against its. “Wonderful to see you as well, Trace. How’s your mother?”

Trace retracted his head, showing off a beaming smile beneath his furry muzzle. “She’s getting better like you said! She even sent me a letter! She says she’ll try and come here soon!”

“That’s so great to hear,” Star responded genuinely. “When you see her again, give her my best wishes. Tonight, why not offer a prayer in thanks?”

 Trace nodded vigorously. “I will! Thanks for helping mommy!”

“It is not me who you should thank. Go on, now. Off to bed with you; It is remarkably late.”

“Right! Thanks again!” The two shared a brief brush against one another’s face. Firing off one more smile, the zigzagoon turned and scampered all across the ground until it reentered the lose flap to his tent.

“Sleep well, Trace.” Star returned to Felix and Willow, bearing a content look and relaxed ears. “Let us continue. Apologies for the wait, Felix. The clinic should be just around this bend.”

“What… I…” He opted to hold his questions. “Right. Let’s just… go.”

Together, the three continued down the worn path and turned at a bend in the road.

Ahead stood a large tent, its ceiling and walls flimsy and shifting with the wind. Above the front entrance, he could see that the shiny charm that hung over a partially exposed pole was in fact shaped like, with two wings poking out from its sides. From the swaying flap of the entrance, a soothing light spilled out into the night.

Star came to a stop at the entryway and called inside. "Happi! Are you in there? We could use assistance!" No response came. Star called again. "Happi? Pechi? Are you present?"

From inside the warmly lit tent, a quiet, almost whispering voice wormed out. "Star, is that you...? Come in, come in… just give me a minute to wake up…if it's not an emergency."

Star entered with Felix following close at her heels, while Willow remained outside, leaning against a nearby tree. Inside the clinic, Felix spotted a few beds of dried grass and hay that laid on the ground. A low wooden countertop was beside the right wall, with a couple rolls of clean white cloth, scattered papers and a couple books, and a pitiful amount of berries of contrasting colors and shapes haphazardly strewn across its top in a vivid mess. A bucket nearby on the floor beckoned the necessity of its use for this dire organizational situation.

A dull red rock covered in numerous holes lay next to one of the beds with some papers strewn beside it. There was no one inside aside from Felix and Star. His side still ached; his hand still lightly massaging the area for some comfort as he looked around the room.

"Where's this, uh, doctor at?" Felix asked as he nervously scanned the open space. Now inside, he wasn't quite eager about the idea of letting a monster so close to his injuries.

"Oh, that's right. You have never met her. She's right there." Star pointed with her head towards the red rock.

Curious, Felix walked over to the red round stone. "What, this thing here?" Tilting it with his hand, he peered inside one of the dark holes: a pair of small, beady eyes looked back at him from within that cramped darkness of the rock. Felix startled back with a small yelp as a lithe yellow head and four small tendrils slowly emerged from the rock.

The head yawned with a small agape mouth as it shakily stretched, before finally greeting the two. "I thought I told you to give me a minute." It rubbed at its small tired eyes with a lengthy yellow appendage. "Is there a pressing matter?" it asked as Star limped forward.

"We both are in need of an oran berry, Pechi. Nothing serious, we just got a bit roughed up in Tumblewood Grotto, and I'm fresh out of my own supply," explained Star.

Pechi slowly dragged her rock across the floor with her tendrils, speaking as she went. “Will this be on your account?”

“Yes, it will. I will be buying for him, as well.”

Pechi nodded. "Works for me. Happi went back out to the capital while you were away, in case you were wondering. Another skirmish with that detestable group, it seems. She'll be gone for a time, so just call for me next time." Pechi reached the low countertop and brushed aside the small amount of berries, rolling them away as she grabbed a couple oran berries with two stringy appendages.

Dragging herself towards them, she reached out and offered the berries. Star eagerly grabbed one with her mouth and began heartily chomping on the berry, tearing it apart quickly with her fangs.

Felix stared at Pechi's tendril. The smooth yellow tentacle stared back at him, beckoning for him to take the berry. It wriggled like a sort of strange eyeless snake, the bait of the berry trying to tempt him closer. He turned his head away with a small grimace.

Pechi stared at him curiously. "Are you sure you don't want it? She’s offering to pay."

Felix shook his head. "I'll be fine without it. Doesn't even hurt much, honest."

Star looked up from her mangled berry, her mouth stained blue. “Are you worried about paying me back? Don’t worry, I am not looking for any sort of compensation.”

He pushed down the tendril carefully. “I’m… sure.”

Pechi tilted her head slightly in confusion at his refusal, but then nodded with understanding, retracting the berry into her shell. “We can’t force him to eat it. I’ll take this back for now, save it for the next occasion.”

Felix tried to ignore the lingering pain in his side as he watched Star finish her berry, before she happily strutted up to Pechi.

"My thanks. I am sure I will be back again soon, so keep a supply ready,” she said as she bowed her head.

"Please, don't." Pechi dryly replied. Her posture straightened when she realized what she just said. "I mean… I hope you don't have to come back here soon. Your health is very important, so don't be reckless out there. If you need my services again, then please, do come back. Be well until then, Star and… and…" Her voice trailed off as she stared at Felix, looking him up and down with narrowed eyes. Pechi extended her neck from her shell, looming her head over Felix as he took a step back. "I don't think we met before… a riolu, is it?" she asked while maneuvering her head around his body, examining him for any bruises or scrapes. "Well, if you need any medical attention, feel free to drop by. You’re owed a berry, after all. But do give me a minute to wake up if it's not important next time- I hardly get any sleep these days."

Felix slowly nodded as Pechi retracted a length of her neck back into her shell. With a half-hearted wave of a tendril, she dismissed the pair.

Stepping back outside into the cool air of the comfortable night, Willow pushed himself off the tree to join them. "So, dear Happi left for the capital? Bah, that band needs to be dealt with. They've been a nuisance for too long," he stated as he stepped forward. "Regardless, Star, would you care to hurry along with the little one and report to the little bugger? I’d like to turn in for the night."

"Of course. I'll take him right away," Star proudly replied.

With a final glance, Willow left towards the open square.

Star walked to the side of the entryway they just exited and looked over to Felix. "Come along. We need to report to a little bird, then we'll be done and you'll be free to go."

Felix joined her as they made their way down a cleared dirt path illuminated by roadside torchlight. Dropping his stare to the dirt path beneath him, he thought back to what was said a moment ago: that after Star reported today's ordeal, he would be free to go. But free to go where?

Looking up from the ground, Felix saw that Star was staring at him as they walked, waiting for his attention. "You know…" she said, "Given the events of the evening, we never had a chance to properly introduce ourselves. Let us do just that! So!" She stopped and sat down on the ground. Felix stopped in place as well. "I am Star, a rookie for Team Horizon." She stuck out her right paw. "And your name is…?"

Felix instinctively stuck out his own right hand to shake her paw, but hesitated once his mind caught back up with his action, drawing his hand back. He opted to instead give a small wave. "It's… Felix. You, uh, know that."

Star looked disappointed at his refusal to shake, but quickly shook it off when she noticed something else.

"I am well aware. Still, Felix, is it? That is… an unusual name!" Star gave a small giggle

"Yeah, well it isn't like Star is any better. It'd be like being named Wave, or Cloud, or something like that," Felix replied with a lighthearted shrug.

Passing some of the posted torches which hosted a pleasant orange glow, the two came upon a small plain booth with simple grooves beside a large standing bulletin board. Paper after paper were covered in inky footprints. A map of the area was pinned on one half of the board, seemingly blotted with ‘x’s and large red circles at seemingly random locations.  The lectern nearby stood well over the height of both Felix and Star, the sounds of impatient tapping of a pen or the like, was heard from behind the top.

Star crept up to the bottom of the lectern and looked to Felix with a smile, giving several small knocks with her paw at the bottom. The belch of a crow rang out. The tapping was instantaneously replaced by the sounds of someone jutting up, knocking over one of two inkwells off the side and breaking on the ground in front of Felix, splashing forth pitch-black ink on the ground with a messy splash.

An excited crow peered over the ledge of its lectern. Its crooked pale-yellow beak, navy blue body, and the curiously shaped crest atop its head were all easily distinguishable- a murkrow. It hopped up to the ledge and leaned towards Star with eyes glittering with anticipation "Heya! Star! Did ya complete your mission? Did ya? I can get the payment from my talons into your paws right now if you did!" It bellowed this out with glee, staring deeply into Star with wide eyes. From where the murkrow was perched, Felix saw that one of its talons was dyed a deep black.

"No, I apologize, Didja. As usual, I unable to find the item," Star responded with an apologetic tone. The murkrow's mood immediately sank, dropping its head in disappointment and stepping back away from the ledge of the lectern.

"Oh…" it quietly squawked out.

Star looked at Felix, whose face was now scrunched up from the pool of confusion he now held after witnessing such a bird. "Felix, this is Didja. He's our go-to bird for when I or the others need to take up or report jobs. Now, I know he might seem rather excitable, but he is great at what he does!" After Star finished her introduction, Didja shook his head and peered over at Felix with a quizzical expression plastered on both their faces. He leaned forward right into Felix's face.

"Who's this? A new settler? Client? Passerby? Crook? Where did ya find him?" Didja asked. Felix leered at the bird in an attempt to get it to back off, but Didja only returned a suspicious stare with squinted eyes.

"This is Felix," Star answered. "I found him on the way back from the other job, so I need you to register him as a 'coincidental rescue' for me."

The murkrow dropped the ocular exchange and nodded excitedly. Turning around, he ducked his head into a cubicle within the lectern, coming back up with a sheet of paper adorned with numerous lines of text in his beak that Felix could not quite make out from where he was. Laying the paper down on the surface of the lectern, Didja dipped the black talon into the remaining inkwell and began precisely scratching at the paper.

"Hm-hm~, I've got him jotted down for you. He's no item, but I'm sure you can still call this day a success- success without payment, of course! Will there be anything else?" Didja asked while examining his work.

"No, that should be it," Star replied. She turned to Felix. "So… you're free to go," she finally stated.

Felix stood there and craned his head around the unfamiliar area around him. Nowhere to go. Directions, he thought. He needs directions home.

"New Galar is the name of this region, right? Would either of you know of a place called Marea?" he asked Star and Didja. They both shook their heads. Felix thought for a moment, rubbing his forehead with the silvery oval that resided on his hand which brought a comforting coolness as it was pressed against him.

Maybe they needed a point of reference. He remembered hearing of a certain land which had recently begun settlement. "Well," he continued, "How about Hisui? Have you heard of that one? Marea lies straight across the continent, far west of Hisui. It should be just off the west coast. Does that ring a bell?"

Didja released a low kraw from his throat. "I'm very sorry, mister Felix, but I'm afraid that doesn't sound at all familiar."

Felix let out a frustrated sigh. "Is there a map I can use? One bigger than the one there? I'm sure I could point it out on one." Didja perked up and hastily dove inside a small space within his lectern. Sounds of small rummaging heard of bits and pieces became quickly audible. A second later, the bird jumped back up on the ledge with a rolled paper clenched within his beak, tossing it to Felix's feet with the paper landing with a small plop.

He eagerly unrolled and flattened the broad paper across the ground as Star came to his side and Didja peered over his shoulder from his lectern, but that brief excitement Felix felt quickly dissipated as he saw the contents of the map.

A single region, one he did know, was drawn with faded colors. Small detailing of some trails, rivers, plains, and a couple mountains, were represented on the asymmetrical land that tapered north, and surrounded by water. A few small footprints of various monsters were tucked away on the bottom right corner of the paper. Of course it would not have been that easy. "Is this just a map of New Galar?" he dejectedly asked.

"Yes, it is. I am not sure where this 'Marea' is, but it's nowhere near here, that much is certain. You likely need to travel overseas to find that location," explained Star as she looked over the map with him.

So home wasn't on this continent. It was overseas. Or at the very least, he would need to travel some distance over water.

"And how would I get overseas? Is there some boat I could travel on? A ferry?" Felix asked impatiently as the growing number of obstacles mounted.

Didja rapped his talons on the surface of the lectern with his eyes closed, thinking for a second. "If you are unable to travel long-distances over a body of water yourself, I'd recommend commissioning a lapras or floatzel for travel in such circumstances, mister Felix. Though I don't know of any in this area, so you'd likely need to spend a pretty amount of poké to entice one over here, and to purchase their participation in ferrying you. And if you or they don't know the way, I imagine you'd need a world map to ensure fair travel," Didja explained as he stared skyward.

Felix grumbled at the mention of another word he didn't know. "And poké is the money used here, I'm guessing?" Felix asked.

Didja nodded in affirmation.

"And where can I get some?"

Didja's eyes widened in glee at Felix's question. "Oh, I am so very glad you asked, mister Felix! If you were to form an official team here, you could take jobs from this here board," Didja raised a wing towards the board covered in papers, "and complete the listed jobs for a reward, provided by yours truly, or the client! We could really use the help, kind sir, and I mean really use all the help we can get, so should I sign you up now if you're interested?"

Star's ears perked as Felix tiredly spoke back to the hustling murkrow.

"I'll… have to think about it. I need some rest. Oh, and Star," he shuffled on his feet for a moment, trying to hold eye-contact with her. "You know… thanks. Again." Turning around, he began walking to where he remembered the village entrance was.

"Wait just a moment, please!" She ran up to him. "You are completely new here, correct? I know this seems rather out of nowhere…" Star sat down as she murmured with a pensive look. Her lips trembled as she tried to finish her sentence. "...Do you have anywhere to sleep tonight? You could come with me to where I and Willow reside to spend the night with us. I'm sure he wouldn't mind a guest for the night."

"No." He started to turn away, but a nagging feeling about his etiquette stopped him, and he looked back at her. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll manage."

Star looked unsurprised by his answer. "Oh, well, that is fine. But if you do need help again, just find me. I’m willing to assist anyway I can." She turned back to the board. "Goodnight, Felix."

He thought for a second.

"…Goodnight, Star."

With a small bow from Star and a weak wave from Felix, they went their separate ways. Felix began his way towards the wooden poles that stood as an entrance to the village. Looking back, Felix caught a glimpse of Didja fervently waving farewell to him with a beak ajar in a naturally crooked smile.

Arriving back at the dimly lit entryway, he stared at the barren path ahead: nothing but a foreign road that led to a world he knew nothing about. The once bright, proud moon was now obstructed by a blanket of dull overcast that had recently rolled in, leaving the land below stifled in darkness. Felix could see the road as it stretched, curved, and rolled over the stone-littered plains.

The trees, the land, the geography, and the creatures that inhabited it all. Home was not here. Not in this strange land. It was somewhere faraway.

A hollow pain filled his chest at that thought.

He turned his back to the plains outside the village and walked alongside the outskirts of the settlement. Passing by a large field littered with vividly green bushes and short trees, he saw how each bore a different harvest of colorful berries and fruit of different shapes and sizes. The ripe red apples that hung tightly to the tree branches within the field taunted him with their unblemished form. He heard his stomach growl in pain at the tempting sight, imploring to him when was the last time they had eaten something of substance.

He did not know.

Creeping up to the wooden fence that was made of simple wooden poles connected by horizontal beams, he peered through the spacious openings into the field, looking for any apple that hung close by. One tree nearby provided such an opportunity; a pristine and perfectly ripe red apple hung loosely from a branch that drooped downwards towards the ground. After looking around and not seeing anyone present, he easily fit himself between the wide openings in the fence and crept towards the tree.

Underneath the branch, he jumped up and grabbed the apple with both his hands, plucking it, making the tree quietly rustle its foliage as it recoiled back from the branch's sudden jerk. The unblemished skin of the apple had never looked so appetizing before as it did now in his hands. He opened his mouth to take a bite.

"Hey."

The small unexpected voice gave him a sudden jolt, causing him to fumble the apple to the ground. He spun around to find a petite light green plant with a bulbous head adorned with three thin leaves, staring at him with small brown eyes. A petilil. It was stationary beside one of the robust bushes, blending in with the light tones of the green.

"What are you doing there, mister?" it impatiently asked.

Felix sputtered out a half-baked response as quickly as he could. "I was… lost. I'm new around here. I didn't know this land was yours, I'll be gone in a moment if you'll excuse me," Felix told the blatant lie in a vain attempt to defuse the situation.

"Right…" it replied. "More like you didn't see little ol' me here, and you thought you could just come here and cinch something for yourself. Now let me give you a choice, buddy," it said with as much of an intimidating voice as it could muster with its small body and high-pitched voice. "I have spores. Lots of them. Plenty. Some that make you collapse to the ground fast asleep, some that will seize your muscles, and another that'll wither the life from you slowly. So… which one do you fancy?"

Felix felt his stomach tense, and he took a step back. Looking behind him, he knew he could make a quick escape beyond the fence if he timed his retreat right.

The small petilil stifled a small laugh, which trickled into a giggle. Walking forward, it occupied itself as it picked up the apple with its two nubs that functioned as restricted arms.

Perfect.

"Heh, you should see the look on your face! I'm just teasing you. I don't think we'll miss one apple. Here." Turning around to where Felix would be, it held out the apple. "We can keep this a secret between-"

Felix was not there. Spinning its round head around, it could not find him. He was gone.

As Felix ran back into the nearby woodwork from the fields, he could faintly hear a high-pitched voice from the fields that were now behind him.

"Geez! I was joking!"

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Felix kept his distance from the settlers that were still out and about in the flickering torchlight as he followed the length of the village's borders. Walking through untamed shortgrass that brushed against his feet and legs, he found himself scaling up a small hill dotted with some small trees and unkempt grass. The shallow incline was crested with a few stones of varying sizes.

Reaching the top of that hill which stood against a starry backdrop, he found a solitary flat rock plastered in insignificant cracks and green moss, jutting from the earth at an angle. Looking at the stone protrusion, a thought entered his head, stirring excitement within.

Clambering on top of the rock, he stood upon its surface and gazed at the night sky. The same starry night filled with dazzling speckles of light against a cold blue backdrop filled his vision, as it had many times before. Scanning the space above him, he searched for it. The Splintered Seat.

The constellation that had found its place just above the equator of the earth, which would hang in the night sky directly above him in the middle of the night. Looking to the center of the sky from where he remembered the sun setting west, he could not find it. With a scoff, he carefully began scanning the stars above him, careful to not overlook his shining beacon.

Somewhere in the southern sky, he saw a warm and familiar sight that brought comfort to his heart. A cluster of nine shining stars lingered a ways above the horizon, organized crudely into the rough shape of a grand throne with nick on its right side from an absent star that made the constellation unsymmetrical. It hung just south of where he remembered it being.

He was relieved at being able to find the constellation, momentarily brushing aside any negative thoughts about where in the world he might be for it to be so out of place, just to allow himself this brief moment of joy, evident with a smile stretching across his face. If he followed this constellation, he could eventually find Marea. Find home. The key question remaining was how he was going to get there.

He knew he would need a world map as Didja had said, to find the best route, as well as a way to get across the water that surrounded New Galar. All this: the ferry on those monsters, the map, the supplies for the journey, and food and gear while he was here now, it would all take money. This poké currency was his ticket home.

And he had none of it.

But that was an issue he could address in the morning. Right now, he just wanted to sleep away the small amount of lingering pain that resided in his side and to recover some stamina from the day's excursion.

After the happiness he felt passed, he lowered himself down from the rock and noticed a small open space beneath the lip of the stone that he might be able to fit into with his new small size. Bending down to the ground, he crawled his way underneath into the cold, damp, and dark interior. The filling scent of earthly tones from swaths of moss within the small shelter had invaded his nostrils with each shivering breath. Crawling a bit deeper underneath the rock, he tried to make himself comfortable; tossing and turning in the narrow space, searching for any amount of comfort that could be found on the stiff floor. After he settled the best he could, he stared out the natural alcove with weary eyes. He found only a few darkened trees and unsightly grass to keep him company- silent with indifference.

Hungry, cold, and alone.

In a strange, strange land.

Felix closed his eyes in his dark nook to find any amount of sleep to pass that hollow night. The stillness he resided in only invited questions of when he would return home in his vacant thoughts. If he even could return home.

'Home' was far away.

He dismissed these somber thoughts with resolve and comfort from the knowledge that he had a chance, even if it were slim and distant. That if he worked harder than he ever had before from these jobs that the murkrow had told him about, he could get the money he needed to begin his journey home.

And in that resolute darkness, he made a simple vow to himself.

He would find his way home.

…

…

…

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 4

A Riven across Worlds

The sounds of swooning songbirds filled the cool noon air. Opening his eyes, Felix saw the dark stone ceiling of his unrefined shelter looming so close over him. Looking out into the opening to his side, the light from the outside world was blinding to his unadjusted eyes, appearing only as a bright white blur from within the confined black space. Dragging himself across the damp moss-ridden floor and out from the cold interior, he emerged into the late morning light.

A coral blue sky with a modest overcast enveloped the atmosphere above him. Getting up off the ground and stretching his stiff limbs to the heavens above, he wholeheartedly filled his lungs with the fresh, crisp air of the day. With his arms stretched above him, he noticed that the pain in his side had largely diminished- either that, or this large feeling of hunger he felt in his stomach had blotted out that pain.

As much as he did not like the idea, he knew he would have to travel back inside the village to chance any amount of food. And if he were lucky, maybe Star might be willing to help. He could try foraging for berries or produce in the nearby wilderness, but it would be too risky given that he was wholly unfamiliar with both the area and the wildlife. From there, he would try completing jobs to begin amassing some funding for his plan going forward.

Rubbing the lingering sleep from his eyes with his hands, he frowned when he retracted his palms and held them out in front of him. Still blue. Still soft. Looking more like paws than hands. With a disgruntled grunt, he trekked down the slope that was now slick with morning dew into the lively village below. A tickling sensation from his backside that he just could not place as he went down the small hill was felt, repeating that same damp coolness from the grass that he felt on his feet. Turning around, he saw another dreary sight: he had been dragging his tail along the ground, which was evident through the earthly-brown color that was present on the tip of his new appendage he had forgotten about.

Another sigh escaped his throat.

Walking along a dirt path back into the village with small sprouting saplings of trees beside the way, he observed monsters he was familiar with: a weedle and swablu were engaged with a delibird alongside the street, conversing amongst themselves and expressing glee as the delibird peddled small wares from its tail cavity.

He saw the low bug-like creature with purple whiskers and beady eyes from the night before speaking with a larger hawk with dark-blue down and fierce red stripes: a swellow.

Just ahead, the enormous silver bowl that sat upon the top of the tower lay quelled. No fire blazing to the stars above like it had last night; just a simple empty hearth.

The colorful tags that decorated the ropes connecting the torch posts stirred in the wind. Even more of those flyers seemed to be on the poles now.

A path ahead was dug up to about a few inches below the surface, revealing the dark, moist soil below. The low muscular beast with arms the size of tree trunks was clumsily using shovels far too small for it in an attempt to clear a new path.

Besides the bulky monster were a couple machops moving some tan bags that sagged along the ground, as well as a set of two smooth stone pillars and several broken shovels of varying sizes which laid idly on the grassy terrain by piles of fresh unearthed dark dirt.

Arriving back at the plain booth and cluttered board, Felix spotted Didja still awake and alert atop his lectern as he idly swung his head and body rhythmically, with a new inkpot to join his old one beside him. He called out to the murkrow. "Didja?"

The shifty bird looked towards Felix as he approached the station, a wide open smile forming with his beak. "Mister Felix! A good noon to you!"

Stopping in front of the lectern, Felix was puzzled seeing the murkrow being so full of energy despite being wide awake the night before. He had assumed that Didja was on a night shift, and that someone else would have been here in the morning.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you'd be off and asleep someplace. Aren't you tired?" The murkrow took a proud stance upon his lectern, staring adamantly off into the distance.

"That is what one might think, mister Felix! But worry not! I never sleep! I am here at all hours, to render aid to all who want it!" Felix's face cringed as he gave a gentle nod in pity. Snapping out his trance, Didja peered over to Felix with a knowing grin. "So, mister Felix… did ya give more thought about making a team and taking jobs from this here illustrious board?"

Felix nodded. "Yeah, some thought. Not as much thought as I'd like to put into something like this, but… yes. Yeah, I'll make a team and take some jobs." Didja's smile widened across his beak and he began steadily beating his talons against the ledge of the lectern he was perched on.

"Oh, that is simply wonderful! Now, have you got a name for this team ready? Ooh, I know it's a good one! Something that'll make folks happy to hear!"

Hearing this, Felix lowered a single brow. "Name? I don't… no, I don't have a name ready. Can I go without a name for now?" The murkrow nodded its head understandingly.

"But of course! No name, huh? I'll jot it down that there is nothing to jot down! But regardless, congratulations, mister Felix! Welcome aboard the New Galar Expedition Company!"

Felix blankly stared at Didja. Then he swiveled his head around, looking at his surroundings as if he had missed something. "Really? Just like that? No paperwork, or tests, or anything like that? Just a, 'welcome aboard,' with a handwave?" Felix asked.

"Typically, it's just the former, but yessir! As I've said, we really are quite pressed for the help! As such, many barriers have steadily been removed over time for the purposes of attracting new faces! We even had a swell bonus for signing up!"

"And did that work?"

Ignoring Felix's question, Didja ducked beneath the surface of the lectern and could be heard briefly rummaging through a drawer. The murkrow jumped back up a moment later with a small bronze object clasped in his beak. With a sharp flick of his head, Didja tossed it to Felix who caught it with one hand.

Examining it, it seemed to be a bronze badge shaped into an intricate sun sectioned into four parts, with nine points jutting from behind it. Four small footprints of differing monsters were engraved into the sun’s circumference, with one footprint in each section. "There you are, mister Felix! A nifty badge to officiate you!" Felix fidgeted with the bronze badge in his hands, feeling its smooth edges and cool metallic touch between his stubby fingers.

"Alright. Besides the trinket, are you still offering that bonus?"

"Ooh, I'm very much sorry, mister Felix! We had offered that swell bonus some time ago, but we no longer offer such a prize anymore! It was quite the pretty penny too, as well as some handy supplies, but that's in the past!"

At the news, Felix silently cursed to himself. "Right, well, do you at least have anything left over? Anything at all? How about one of those bags, like the one Star has. You have to have something left," he pleaded.

"Oh, no! Those bags were a benefit of creating an expedition team before my time! The capital cut the benefits, like those bags, some time ago. I imagine miss Star simply procured that bag from Team Horizon, since it is to my understanding that they were the first team to be registered. But a bag should be a simple thing to acquire anyhow, even without that bonus! But, if you would like a little something…"

Felix eagerly leaned forward against the lectern that towered over his new diminutive size. "Yeah? What do you have?" Didja turned around and ducked his head beneath the lectern, returning back up with a familiar and disheartening broad piece of paper rolled with twine, tossing it to Felix with a pathetic plop as it hit the bare ground.

"Have the map! I recall you being quite kerfuffled last night about the land here, so consider it a little gift from me to you to help find your way!"

Felix sighed and picked up the coarse roll of paper, tucking it underneath his arm. “Well, it's something."

Spinning on a talon, Didja flourished his wings towards the board laden with papers pinned to its surface. "Now, mister Felix! Pick a job from the board, and go forth and seize the day!"

A frown steadily grew on Felix's face as he looked at each paper. All of them were covered with more of those footprints that he knew nothing of. "Didja…" he started. "I can't read."

Didja's fervently shaking wings drooped from the board to the sides of his small frame. "Oh… Well… I suppose we all… Ooh, I know! I'll pick one out for you! I see you're on your own, and considering you're a recent rescue, we'll start off nice and simple!" Hopping off the lectern onto the ground in front of Felix, Didja hopped over to the board and peered his small head up, looking over each riddled sheet with keen eyes.

Didja leaned forward with a squint, then suddenly flapped up to the board, grabbing and pulling off one of the many papers, then fluttered over back to his spot on the lectern with the paper in his talon. "Here's a real simple one, mister Felix! There's a client traveling here along Route 91, the same route I believe you traveled on just yesterday! They wish to be received along the intersection of 91 and 92, and escorted to this here fine village! You simply need to keep their escort timely and safe, given the rise in criminal activity in the area. Safety in numbers, and whatnot!"

"So just down the same path?" Retrieving the map from beneath his shoulder, Felix undid its coarse twine and held the paper out in front of him, revealing the same charted land as before.

"Yes sir, mister Felix! It's a fair bit farther than 'just down that path,' but you still should be very well able to bring them back before the sun sets!" Looking at the map, Felix attempted to gauge precisely where they were. A fair amount of black lines were scrawled on the map, tracing themselves around the plains and topography present on the map, each one connecting to more punctuated black dots that were few and far between; a black web of weaving lines that he found himself entangled in.

Noticing Felix's growing squint at the mess of unfamiliar routes in front of him, Didja let out a chortle from his beak. "Oh, that's right! You don't know quite where we are, do you? Just look along the upper west coast along the map- the village is near the shore there. It just hasn't been added to that map yet, it seems. Just travel east along the same route as yesterday until you come across an intersection between 91 and 92!"

"A straight shot to an intersection, right?" Didja hastily nodded at Felix's question. "Alright, hold on to the map for me until I get back. I don't want to lose it, so keep your bird hands on it for me until I get back, got it?" Jumping up and placing the paper on the lectern's surface, Didja retracted the map with a talon towards him.

"By your word, mister Felix! I shall safeguard your map with my life! This job should be but a lovely stroll for you! Now, the sooner the better, so get!" Didja dismissively shooed away Felix with dark wings that batted at the air. Felix gave a curt nod to the murkrow and began making his way to the village entrance from the simple station.

Passing by shoddy tepees along the clear dirt path, he observed the short-kempt grass and sparse rocks beside the road, which were bathed in gentle light from what glow could pierce the overcast above. But what caught his attention more, was how peaceful the inhabitants seemed. The delibird from earlier was now sitting on a rock, contently eating a pear, its sweet juices dripping from its beak. Nearby perched atop one of the torch posts was a sleeping swablu, its cloud-like wings puffed out and absorbing what warm light they could, nestling its own body between them like a heavenly pillow. Just below it was a weedle and a wurmple, calmly conversing just below as if the predator wasn't looming so close overhead.

Giving a short confused grunt as he passed the sight, he looked ahead and saw a reassuring figure, giving him a small smile.

"Hello, Felix! Wonderful to- oh my, you have not cleaned yourself." The conflicted response came from Star as she and Willow came up from the path ahead. She appeared in fine form. Her fur was once more pristine and free of tangle. The feathers tucked behind her ears reflected the light brilliantly.

Felix gave a short wave, then examined himself. Taking a look at his body, his blue fur was matted and dirty, covered in spots of soil and a little dry blood from the night before. He scoffed.

"Hey there, Star." Felix shot a glance towards Willow, who was slouching their posture and had an inattentive, wandering eye. The slothful gaze passed right over Felix, drifting off to the side. "He, uh… what's going on with him?" Felix asked. Willow slowly slid his gaze back over onto Felix, a tired stare made plain upon his lone red eye.

"Apologies, little filthy one… the daytime is not to my kind's liking, but alas, duty calls. Now come, Star. We've work." With a small grunt, Willow began trudging his way further into the village, heading towards the board where Didja worked- not noticing that Star had not gone with him.

"And there he goes…" mumbled Star. "Just full of energy as always…"

Looking back to Felix, Star's eyes widened when she saw what he was holding in his hand. "Felix… you made a team?"

Felix held out the bronze badge in front of him, taking a moment to admire the small brooch. "Believe me, even I'm surprised. But the money is something I need if I'm going to make my way home. To Marea. Maybe even buy myself something to eat afterwards, too. Anyway, I'm off to a job now."

"Really? That is wonderful!" exclaimed Star. "It is great to know that there is at least one other paw to help around here." She gave a frown at her own remark.

Curious, Felix walked over to her. "You say it like you and Willow haven't been out and about," he commented. "Why, just yesterday, I overheard you say you were looking for someone's thing or whatever, and you helped me. Seems like you've been keeping busy with this helping stuff."

Star gave a short huff through her snout, causing a small ember to shoot out and Felix to recoil back, and looked away. "Yes, we did help you. And that is about the only help we have done! Willow has had us looking for that item for a week! And he nor Didja seem to know what we are even looking for! Every time I ask him, he repeats, 'We'll know it when we see it, Star!'" she said while mockingly imitating Willow's deep voice. "It's just so… so… infuriating! There are Pokémon who need our help, and we are just looking for someone's scarf for all we know!" Star's brow was furrowed in frustration at this point. “I have helped where I can, but I would prefer more impactful actions.”

"Well…" Felix spoke up. "Here's to hoping you get to help out more the way you want," he said while walking past her. "I should probably hit the trail."

Star gave a small sigh and began walking away to where Willow had trudged off to. "Yes, you are correct. Someone around here has to do the jobs listed. I shall pray for your safe return, Felix." With a nod of acknowledgment from Felix, the two continued parting from one another. Star suddenly stopped in place, turning around and shouting, "Oh, and Felix!" He looked over his shoulder to her. "If you ever need some help, do not hesitate to let me know!"

"Right, I'll… keep that in mind, thanks."

After that, the two finally went their separate ways, well and true. Star had gone further down the cleared path into the village, walking to the proud tower that loomed over the settlement, as Felix arrived at the village entrance.

The poles captured the coarse field land ahead between them. Sparse patches of stone made themselves known along the route, peering from their soily blanket, and the gray overcast hung drearily overhead, accompanied by a cool breeze, earning rings from the nearby windchimes.

And just at the end of this trail, was his first job. With a deep breath, Felix took a step out onto Route 91.

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Some length of time had passed since Felix embarked on the trail. Route 91 carried with the familiar sights he had seen the night before: natural pillars of stone that protruded from the earth, stone plateaus laden with vegetation, and open spans of grassy plains, whose grassy surface waved with the breezes that passed over it.

The tranquil scenery was passed by without much incident, much to Felix's enjoyment- even if the peace of the trip provided nothing to distract him from the hunger pains that still stirred inside of him.

After he had passed the stony plains, the trees around him began to condense into a modest forest which now surrounded the dirt road. Their arching branches and autumn colors lazily hung over the path, stirring mildly with the breeze, emitting a chorus of rattling leaves in response to the growing wind. Letting the fresh air fill his lungs while traversing past the forest scenery, he slowed to a stop. Just ahead, he saw a break in the tree-line.

The same break he had entered yesterday.

Carefully, he walked in an arch around the dungeon entrance, picking up his pace after he cleared the hazard. Looking back, the ominous entrance grew smaller in the distance as he made his way across the leaf-ridden ground; the dark canopy within the archway of twisting branches seemed to fend off the light of the day, its thick layer of yellow and red leaves protecting against the security of the daylight from leaking into their interior.

And just within the space, he knew lay dangerous ground.

Felix broke his concentration off of the grim locale, returning his gaze forward. The intersection should be some ways ahead on the path. All that was required of him, was to bring this client back to the village with him. And with that, he would get some much needed money to finally feed himself, and look for more work.

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Lounging against a tree beside an intersection of two paths, Felix spent his time admiring the scenery of the unfamiliar location: rolling hills with smooth curves washed over the area like a tranquil sea of grass. As the hills around caressed the sky with their gentle slopes, they captured and funneled gusts of wind between their peaks, through the winding canals that were shaped from the bottom of their reaching slopes, releasing a torrent of wind that howled at their bases.

The overcast ahead had grown thicker, a persistent blanket of gray now casting the land into subdued light, casting away many of the shadows that had existed some time before. A stronger wind had formed as well.

Normally, he would have enjoyed such a stimulating breeze which carried with it crisp air and a comforting coolness. But that was Marea's great winds.

Here, in this foreign land and in a strange small blue body, the wind was unsettling. It was somewhat warm, and each gust seemed intent on lingering in the air, pushing its way past Felix and the tree he sat beside. Just as the branches swayed and rattled their leaves in the gust, Felix's own black tassels on the sides of his head were sent swinging from the wind. He grabbed them, trying to keep them still. It was not a painful feeling when they swung, but just knowing that such tassels now existed on him, that they sent new sensations to his head that were not there before he was a riolu when they swung or were touched- It was discomforting. Each breeze that swayed them, each turn of his head that swung them, each second.

It served to remind him what was lost.

A quiet exhale escaped his mouth as he pinned the black tassels to the sides of his head with his blue paw-like hands. Relaxing his posture and sliding down the coarse trunk of the tree, he looked over to the hills where one of the paths had snaked over, spying some distant figures coming closer from upon the trail.

Coming over the crest of the hill, he saw a hakamo-o with a bag tossed over its shoulder, and an orange-coated deerling approaching the intersection he was slouching at. Peering behind them, he saw a low quadruped with large pink ears, a light cream-colored coat, and ribbons on its neck and its left ear. On its waist, it wore a black satchel.

The group seemed quite cheerful for having traveled some distance in this windy weather for who knows how long. Smiles were readily present on each of their faces.

Picking up his badge beside him and hoisting himself off the tree, Felix approached the group as they descended the slope towards him. They came to a stop at the intersection ahead. The hakamo-o and deerling happily watched as the sylveon behind them circled its way in front of the pair. “Why fellas," it said. "Thank you very dearly for the escort. Can't trust the world to not pelt us with pebbles and stones like we used to. So once again, thank you, fine sir and lady!"

The deerling gave a content nod. "Oh, it's nothing! We're just glad to have helped!"

"Well ma'am," the sylveon replied as it drew closer to Felix, "You take care on your travels home, alright?"

"Oh, we will! Take care now!" came from the deerling.

The hakamo-o and the deerling turned to leave, but as they walked away, the sylveon shouted, "Oh, and sir?" The hakamo-o glanced over its shoulder to the sylveon. "You enjoy that fine booster, you hear? You just got yourself a great deal, so feel proud of it!"

"Oh, I'll enjoy it alright," the hakamo-o stated, tugging on the strap of the bag it carried.

"Alright fellas, take care now!" the sylveon replied as it waved towards the team with one of its ribbons. After that final word, the hakamo-o and deerling duo left back over the hill.

Left on their own, the sylveon turned to greet Felix. A warm smile was present on its face, with a pair of relaxed cyan eyes. "Good seeing you, fella! Name's Riley," it said while stretching out a ribbon from its neck towards Felix's hand. "And what might your name be?"

Ignoring the outstretched ribbon, Felix turned towards the path he traveled on, and began walking back on the trail back to the village, motioning for Riley to follow.

"The name's Felix. Now come on, we can talk and walk if you want, but we should hit the trail before it storms. It's a straight shot to the village from here."

"Oh, right you are, fella!" Riley said as he caught up to Felix. "The weather seems to be going sour on us soon. I reckon we ought to hasten our pace if we're to avoid the showers."

Felix's stomach audibly growled as the two walked down the path, eliciting a grunt from Felix as the hunger pain stirred in his abdomen. Riley gave a curt chuckle beside him. "Well now, fella! I can't tell if that was the storm brewin' above or just you. Did you not eat this morning?"

"Try more like, 'I can't remember the last time I ate,' and you'll be closer on that account," Felix grumbled.

"Oh, well I'm sorry to hear that," Riley empathically replied. "I'd give you something to eat, but I'm afraid I ate my own rations on this trip earlier. But what I do have to offer…" Three of Riley's ribbons wrapped around to his back, digging into the black satchel. "I do have these fine enhancers!"

From the bag, Riley retrieved his ribbons, each of the three now wrapped around the necks of musky-brown bottles, with a different colored cap on each one. Handing one with a purple cap to Felix, he took the bottle and examined the label on it: it was worn and faded, the adhesive on the label had begun to loosen, leaving the corner of the sticker awkwardly sticking out. Just beside a dull purple arrow printed on the label were symbols. The faded text on the bottle was not written in the footprints he had seen often recently, yet he was still unable to decipher their meaning. It was another foreign language.

A human one.

"What… what is this?" Felix asked. "Why, I'm very glad you asked! What you hold is a miracle of medicine, and one of few! Carbos!" Riley confidently answered.

"Carbos?"

"Yes, quite! Carbos is a physical enhancer, one of a selection of them. This one improves your dexterity and speed. Just one swig, and you'll feel lighter than ever!"

"This drink can do that?" Felix asked as he held up the bottle.

"Oh, most certainly! This drink can work for you and make you better than ever, but…" Riley extended a ribbon and grabbed the bottle from Felix. "There is the matter of price we must discuss if you're interested. These miracles don't come free, I'm afraid."

Felix gave a huff. "I don't have any money. I've got nothing." From up ahead, Felix could see the outline of the forest growing along the horizon.

"Oh, we can work around that, fella!" Riley smirked as he put the bottles back into his bag. "What say I give you a bottle of carbos, and you pay me back later! Normally, these tonics pack a nasty price on them, but I on the other hand, believe that everyone should give at least one a try once in their life. How does that sound, fella?" Riley gave Felix's shoulder a nudge with a free ribbon.

Felix felt something in his gut. An irk. "That sounds too good to be true," he flatly stated.

Riley's persistent smile wavered. "Oh, don't be sour! I mean well!"

"You mean well?" Felix asked. "Then tell me, what would the amount I'd owe you mean for me?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just a few thousand pieces."

Felix's eyes widened at the amount as he sputtered some air out. Even new to this world with foreign currency, he knew that was no small sum. Riley saw his exasperated expression, and hastily began speaking again. "Now, I know that may seem like much, but money is only ever good when it's used, as all assets are! Savings are temporary, but the effects of these tonics are forever- they'll make you stronger your entire life, and not only is that a fact, but it's a fact that Company members such as yourself need every ounce of strength they can get in your line of work."

"Not happening," Felix sternly replied.

"Oh, don't worry, fella!" Riley said as he reached out a ribbon towards Felix. "Why don't we talk about that loan? I'm sure we can work something mutually beneficial out." Riley began lightly wrapping his ribbon around Felix's arm, but was stopped when Felix jerked his arm away with a fierce glare piercing into Riley.

"Don't."

Riley just gave a scoff. "Very well then, fella. I won't press the matter. But if you're in the market for improvement, you should spare no expense."

"Oh believe me, friend, I'm looking for more than-"

A bright flash of light.

Blinded by the sudden flare, Felix threw up his arms to cover his face. A low hum of an imposing presence resonated in his ears as he stumbled around blindly. Looking around, he could not see anything as the green afterimage that obstructed his view from the sudden bright magenta flash slowly dissipated from his view. "What just happened?!"

"That," Riley replied as he stumbled around, equally blinded, "is a lucrative opportunity! Come on now, fella!" From what little he could see, he saw what looked to be Riley stumbling forward and disappearing into an afterimage.

“Where you going?!” Clumsily walking forward to where he saw Riley run off and rubbing his eyes, Felix stepped through the afterimage existed before him.

Frigid coldness seized Felix's body, condemning him to fall to the ground from the sudden sensations. Howling winds torrented over him as he pressed his arms into the cold earth, feeling layers of snow around him. Buffeting shards of ice battered his small body. Shakingly standing back up, he tried to gauge his surroundings as the frigid wind conjured a snowstorm around him, but could see little as his eyes adjusted to the dimmed lighting and competed with the whipping winds' walls of snow for sight.

Looking ahead of him, he saw Riley wrapping himself in his ribbons against the bittercold, his legs embedded in a layer of snow as he waded through the terrain. Felix's own body quickly began to shiver, and he embraced himself tightly with his arms, his fangs chattering. He winced in pain as he was continuously buffeted by shards of ice that flew in the gelid blizzard as he advanced towards Riley. All around them, a blizzard raged, coating the landscape in snow and severely limiting his visibility as walls of snowdrift frenzied around them in a fervent rage of the arctic's will.

"What is this place!?" Felix shouted over the blistering wind.

"No one quite knows!" Riley shouted back. "Keep an eye out for anything that glitters!"

Before Felix could respond, Riley leapt into the snowstorm. With no retort or ounce of sense in the matter, Felix ran after him. Despite how fierce the blizzard was, the sylveon seemed to gracefully hop across the thick snow. He easily treaded ground and left Felix behind, disappearing further into the blizzard with nimble hops.

Raising his legs to step over as much snow as he could, Felix chased after him. The winds were oppressive, never taking a moment to settle, and sudden bursts in the gusts struck him with sapping glacial air and painful flying shards of ice. He knew his strength was quickly leaving him in this deathly blizzard.

Catching up to Riley after wading through the dense layers of snow and oppressive howling winds, he saw the sylveon was scanning the ground around him beside a large snow-covered rock. Felix stood close to him as they shivered. “What you doing?" Felix asked, taking a moment to exhale warm air into his hands. “We need to get out of here!"

"Now's not the time to get cold feet, fella!" Riley shouted back as he fiercely rubbed all four of his ribbons across his body. “Well, I suppose it is the time! But look what's up ahead!"

Peering past the side of the mound they stood beside, he struggled to find what Riley was talking about. Some large shapes of rocks and boulders could be made out through the snow-whipped wind, their broad shape masked partially by the snow-hurling winds in the field ahead. Leaning further out, Felix's breath caught when one of the broad figures in the blizzard moved, its details becoming more clear. Effortlessly traversing the dense snow, a large white bear with a jagged ice-lined jaw, prowled the boulder-laden area ahead. Its head surveyed the area before it, then lazily turning to where Felix was.

Quickly ducking back behind the rock, Felix nodded with a feverish shiver. “Yeah, that would be a problem." Riley stepped beside Felix after searching the nearby ground, his ribbons still tightly bound around his body.

"So what say you? I’ve found nothing here. We'll freeze to death if we try going another way if we're unlucky. We need to get past that beartic, but a head-on approach is suicide, especially in this weather."

Felix rubbed his body with his arms, trying to get any amount of warmth from the friction against the seeping cold. “Where are we even going? What are you even looking for? We're in who-knows-where!"

Riley irritably shook his head at Felix's question. “We're in a bauble, remember? Big cursed sphere? If we keep heading forward in a single direction, we'll make it to a boundary and get out of here! And if we're lucky, we'll find some nice bits of sellables! My business is risk, and so is yours! Now think! We can't change directions now, or we risk freezing to death!"

Felix's arms, legs, and face were already numb. Racking his brain for any sort of thoughts on how they could make it past, Felix's eyes shot open at a realization. He looked down at the badge he held in his palm. "Follow my lead!”

Riley wearily nodded. “Right behind you, fella! Now make it quick, I can feel that I'm starting to not feel anything!"

Peeking past the rock they took cover behind, Felix saw the beartic sitting comfortably on the ground, its gaze alert and scanning for any signs of movement near it. Looking for a rock exposed near the monster, he spied a stone that jutted from the surface of the snow, its angular form standing firm against the howling wind. It was just close enough. With a shivering breath, Felix pulled back his arm that held the badge, and threw the metallic brooch in an arc to the rock.

A sharp ping reverberated in the bitter air as it connected.

The beartic's head sharply swung to the rock where the sound had shot from. Quickly clambering to its four legs, it effortlessly strided through the packed snow towards the jutting stone, at a speed much faster than Felix knew was possible for him to wade through the same snow himself.

As the beartic investigated the source of the sound, Felix quickly began wading his way across the snow, Riley following close behind. Despite the small grunts they made as they struggled across the field, Felix knew that the sounds of the howling winds that surged throughout the area would muffle their noise.

Hopefully.

Making it through the clearing as they were continuously buffeted by the glacial storm, Felix released a shaky breath as he looked back and could not see the beartic through the howling blizzard. Riley pushed past the fierce wind to Felix's side, his ribbons no longer wrapped around himself and now weakly streaming with the blizzard.

Continuing their stride through the icy torrents of air, a pale purple hue began to fill Felix's vision, almost like an ethereal purple wall that stretched around the terrain ahead of him. Dread filled his head at the thought he was beginning to lose consciousness in the blizzard, that he would succumb to the freezing elements so far from home, his body being frozen and buried in the snow, never to be found. Dull shouting could be heard beside him, fighting for his attention against the cold. His arms no longer told him they were cold, and his legs did not feel any footsteps as he weakly waded through chilling layers of snow.

Then he felt himself nearly tripping. Something loose and hard stopped his leg as he walked. Bending down, he rummaged through the snow and picked up a peculiar rock. It was a transparent cyan color, a beautiful pattern of a snowflake embedded inside it, and its surface was quite angular, but smoothed to perfection.

"...Felix!"

Riley finally broke through to Felix. He weakly turned his head to the sylveon. "That's an ice stone, you've got there! A fair find! Hold on to it, it's worth some coin. Now, the boundary is just ahead! It's a shame we didn't find much more of anything for the effort, though. Make one final push, we're almost-"

A bright blue luminescent beam of energy shot out from the blizzard from their side, snapping at Riley's side as it collided with him. Riley shouted in pain and fell to his side, shards of ice now forming on his torso from the ice beam. Throwing a quick look to where the attack had come from, Felix spotted a floating ghastly figure. The image of a faint red ribbon was easily distinguishable on the floating spirit drifting through the howling blizzard, a haunting hum accompanying it.

Grabbing Riley as tightly as he could with frigid arms, Felix threw the sylveon over his shoulders, and waded as fast as he could through the packed snow and biting winds with the additional weight. Slowly striding through the blizzard with shaking legs, the purple started to deepen in front of Felix, sparks of energy becoming apparent across its surface as the looming magenta wall became closer. Another hum was heard, but was wholly distinct from the hum that followed behind him; a low, ominous, churning whir came from the purple boundary, easily distinguishable from the sounds of the shrill wind. A haunting giggle came from behind him.

Turning to the froslass behind them, Felix saw a shadowy blob rapidly shoot towards them. With little other option, Felix collapsed onto the ground with Riley, letting the shadow ball sail over the two as it passed with a low gurgle. It collided with the ground in front of them, erupting in a thick cloud of snow from the impact, encasing Felix and Riley in its cold cover.

Crawling on the frigid ground through the snow, Felix found Riley still motionless on his side, faint breaths of air being sucked into his mouth as he fought to breath against the bittercold.

Weakly lifting him back on his shoulders, Felix took shaking and exhausted steps through the thick cloud of ice, each footstep feeling as though it would falter and he would collapse. Emerging from the cloud, the insurmountable violet wall of crackling and humming energy presented itself in front of him; the awe of such of grand and impossibly large barrier of undefined power stole Felix's attention, as he stood in fear before its sheer scope against the howling blizzard that sapped away at what little strength he had left.

Another ghastly giggle.

Felix spun around just in time to see shards of ice flying towards him through the low visibility of the snowstorm behind him.

There was no chance he could evade the attack.

The ice shards struck Felix's side, a shout filling the air as he was launched into the barrier… and right through it. Felix and Riley tumbled onto the dirt ground beside the barrier, rolling to a stop at the bottom of a small grassy slope. Small, weak wheezes filled and evacuated Felix's chest. No matter how much he commanded his body or his limbs to move, they were unresponsive.

Using what sliver of strength he had left, he rolled his head to the side, away from the golden overcast of the sky above from a setting sun against a rolling blanket of clouds. Riley was next to him, motionless on the ground beside a dirt path surrounded by trees. But still breathing. The ice stone he had held was now lying close to him, its brilliant blue hue a pleasant contrast from the dirt it laid on. His own breath weak, Felix emptied his thoughts, and enjoyed the breeze. The air around him was delightfully warm compared to that glacial wasteland. Blissfully so. Closing his eyes to rest, he did not feel his consciousness slip away, into that comforting vision of a warm golden light of the setting sun.

…

…

…

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Felix's eyes slowly opened. He was still on the ground, drenched in a low violet hue from the titanic glowing dome that was beside him. Still humming an ominous chur. Weakly getting himself off the ground and finding his footing, he looked around the ground for Riley.

He was not there.

Wearily looking around, he could not find Riley anywhere- not near the trees that surrounded him, or along the dirt path. Nor the stone. With a sudden thought, Felix looked upward. The cold expanse of night was upon him, its encroaching darkness nearly dominant over the sliver of the sun that was nearly sunken past the horizon, casting a pink hue along its length.

Felix glanced down to his body. It was damp with water from the melted snow and ice that had accumulated on him inside the dome. His blue arms would not stop shaking. He could not spend the night looking for Riley, especially in his current state. He accepted it.

The job was a failure.

Facing the path back to the village, he began his aching trek past the twisting trees that formed a natural archway beside him. Each numb step, each breath, and each thought- all wore his fatigue. The flickering stars above, a pleasant breeze- his only company as he traveled past the forest which opened up into stone-laden plains.

He just hoped he would make it to the village before collapsing again.

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Well past the windchimes that marked entrance to the village, Felix slowly limped his way to where Didja would likely still be awake and alert, awaiting his return.

His stomach felt like it was trying to digest itself, a burning sensation persisting throughout his abdomen that he struggled to ignore. Looking around to distract himself, he saw that the streets were empty, a gentle calm prevailing over the path as warm light from the torches guided him to Didja's stall. The night sky had finally won over the day, a complete starry canvas dazzling above as he walked forth.

When he caught sight of the booth, his exhausted gaze narrowed when he saw Star and Willow beside it as well.

They were arguing.

"... is exactly why we need to actually help, Willow! He could be dead! Why won't you let us help for once?!" Star shouted.

"I would love for us to help, Star, believe me! But there are circumstances you don't understand that prevent us from doing so!" Willow retorted. The two exchanged glares at one another, all the while Didja had his head meekly turned away from the confrontation.

Limping over to the counter, both Star and Willow shot a glance to him before returning back to each other with fierce glares. Then their eyes widened. They spun their heads back to him.

"Felix!" shouted Star as she ran to him. "You’re not dead!"

"I'm already regretting it," he blankly replied as he shuffled towards the lectern.

"Little one, you're safe! That is most certainly wonderful!" came from Willow as he followed behind Star. Felix reached the lectern and planted his hands onto its side, lightly shaking the lectern and Didja as he did so.

"Would anyone like to tell me what that thing was?" Felix bitterly asked.

Didja peered over the countertop above Felix, turning his head so one eye would track him. "Mister Felix, you've returned! Did ya-" Felix kicked the lectern, causing Didja to cease speaking with a jolt.

"No! I don't know where the client is, I lost him!" he exclaimed while shooting an irritated look at the murkrow.

"Oh…" crowed Didja. "Are you referring to mister Riley, mister Felix? He came here earlier on his lonesome, and is at the clinic now receiving treatment." With a faint glint of hope behind his eyes, Felix looked back up to Didja.

"So… so he's here? He made it to the village?" he asked. Didja fervently nodded his beak. "So does that mean I completed the job, and get paid?"

"Oh no, not in any sense! By all accounts, that was a total failure, mister Felix! Not only did the client arrive here later than what is reasonably acceptable, they were quite injured to boot! And they came here by themselves, so in essence, you hadn't escorted the client quickly, safely, and fully as per the request."

Felix hung his head to the ground. The sight of those black tassels entered his view as he did so, sending new waves of hopelessness through him. No money, no food, no way home.

Star took a small step towards him.

"Don't take it too hard, Felix. Give it some time, and I am sure-"

"I don't have time." Felix coldly interrupted. A silence fell between the group. He let out an exhausted sigh. "I'm starving, I'm tired, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do if things like that… that dimensional rift are a part of the job." The three gave Felix silent stares. Didja and Star seemed disheartened at his words, while Willow wore an empty expression with his lone glowing eye.

"I'm going to sleep. Goodbye," Felix tiredly stated. Turning his back to the group, he began his lonesome walk to the only place he knew waited for him.

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It took longer than he would have liked, having to slowly walk with a gait past numerous buildings, by the fields growing a season's harvest, and up the small slope to where some stones jutted up at certain angles. Letting himself collapse down onto the gentle grass with a pained grunt, he leaned against a nearby stone that was larger than him.

He let his head roll back and his vision fill with the looming night sky. Flickering stars in the great expanse of the cosmos and the gentle streak of yellow across the night sky- and looking to where he remembered the constellation, he found the Splintered Seat once more. Its array of stars faintly flickered against the night sky. Just below it, he knew laid home. Taunting him. Further away than he could ever hope to reach.

Closing his eyes, he fought to ignore the hunger that bored into him. He was too tired to attempt thinking of any sort of plan going forward- and if there were any plan that could even work. A tired sigh left him. Tomorrow.

He did not know what tomorrow meant.

He just wanted to sleep.

…

…

The grass near him quietly rustled as light footsteps made no attempt to hide their approach to him.

Opening his eyes, he saw Star approaching him with her satchel in her mouth.

"What is it, Star? Please, just let me sleep," he quietly pleaded as she drew closer. Star deftly swung her head and tossed the satchel onto the ground in front of Felix. The undone flap on the satchel flew open as it fell to the ground, letting an apple and an oran berry tumble out towards him.

He stared at the berry and the food.

Then to Star.

Then back to the items.

"Felix…" Star said. She walked to where he was sitting, and sat herself beside him, staring at him with a serious look in her brown eyes. Her angular ears twitching as he stared back with an uncertain expression. A short silence fell between them, letting the leaves around them chitter as a small breeze blew past.

"I have a proposition I would like to make."

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 5

A Quiet Time

“And with that, you have been officially transferred from 'Team Horizons,' to 'Team..!' What a happy occasion, miss Star!" The drawn out space after the second 'team' from Didja left both Felix and Star with a small wince on their faces.

"Felix…" Star said as she turned to him. "You should really think of an actual name for the team when you can."

At Star's suggestion the previous night, they both had come to arrange the transfer with Didja in the late morning of the day. Willow would almost certainly still be deep in sleep at this time of day without Star to rouse him awake for the day's work, so they were sure he could not interfere with the transfer should he have taken issue with it.

While Didja finished etching inscriptions into a paper with a talon freshly dipped in ink, Felix contently stretched his arms into the air with a shaky yawn. Taking in a lungful of air, he observed his surroundings: Full, immense clouds that floated in the sky like airborne islands of snow, drifted lazily across the sky with the chilly wind of the autumn day. Star’s feathers seemed to waver in the breeze, as well.

Dried leaves in the shades of gold and red littered the ground around the village, which had produced a satisfying crunch when walked over. Some of the leaves had found their way onto Didja's workspace, which he seemed to enjoy, given the neatly stacked miniscule piles of leaves he arranged on his lectern, assorting them based on their color.

"Well…" Felix stated as he peered over his shoulder to Star while dropping his arms from the stretch, and giving a tug on Star's satchel that he now wore over his shoulder, "if a name comes to mind, sure, we'll make the change. Otherwise, I think Team… is a more distinct name, should be fine to use that for a bit, right? Oh, Didja, could I have my map back?" He gave a small chuckle to his own quip.

While Didja ducked his head behind the lectern and began rummaging through papers, Star could only give him a small, unamused frown with her ears laid back and eyes narrowed. "I would really rather not have us be known as Team Blank for our work. We should have a name that really lifts up the spirits of the folks around us. We can really make a difference here! So please promise me, Felix, that we do not have to tell people we are Team Nothing for long." Didja's head resurfaced, his beak clasping the rolled map. With a small flick of his head, he threw it to Felix, who caught the map and stowed it away in the satchel.

Felix paced over to the board laden with papers, not even attempting to humor himself by trying to decipher the meaning of the footprint marks that covered each request. "I said I would think about it. Really, I will. But for now, could you come over here and pick a job for us? And try to make it something that won't get me almost killed?"

Star walked over beside him, looking up to the board with attentive eyes, thoroughly examining each request. "No promises there. But why don't you pick the job if you are worried about it? I'm fairly sure you'd have a better understanding of what you would want than me, and you are the leader, anyhow."

"Oh, that's quite simple, miss Star! Mister Felix can't read!" Didja chirped in while gently stacking a blood-red leaf onto a pile of similarly shaded leaves.

Felix looked away from them in a rush of embarrassment while Star sputtered out a small laugh that she failed to stifle. "I am sorry, Felix. That just caught me off-guard. You really are not from around here, are you?" she teased.

His face became sullen. "No, no I'm really not," he emptily replied.

Star's smile drained from her face at the realization of her own words. "Oh… oh, that's right. I really am sorry, that was made in poor taste."

"Forget it. Move past it. Just pick a job for us, something simple that we can't fail." At Felix's words, Star cleared her throat and refocused her attention onto the board. Scanning the board left to right, her ears perked up and she jumped up onto the board, planting her paws against its surface and tearing a paper off the surface with her jaw. Letting herself down, she held out her head to offer the paper to Felix. "What's this one?" he asked.

"Juss grap it frum me, pease!" Star answered through clenched teeth. Grabbing the paper from her, he held it out in front of him to keep the small amount of spit that now lined the top away from himself. "Thank you," Star said.

"No... problem," Felix replied as he held the paper loosely with one outstretched arm. "So, mind telling me what the job is for this one? Is it another escort, or a coincidental rescue, or an item retrieval? What is it?"

"It is not an escort, it's not a rescue nor would it be coincidental if we planned it, and in a sense, yes, I suppose this would be an item retrieval." While Star rattled off her response, Felix noticed Didja incessantly grasping at the air in front of him with a talon while staring intensely at the paper that Felix held.

Giving the paper to Didja, the murkrow hastily grabbed the request and laid it out in front of himself. "Ooh, finally going to nab that sticky-fingered thief, are we?" Didja remarked as he peered over the paper. Felix looked back to Star after hearing this, and saw her jump up against the board again and pull off another paper.

"Wait a second there, what do we need two jobs for? Didn't you already get us one?" He grabbed the paper from her mouth as she approached.

"It's a two-for-one! Seems rather efficient, accomplishing two jobs at once," Star stated. Felix handed the additional job to Didja.

"A two-fer?"

"That appears to be the case, mister Felix!" Didja said as he examined both of the papers in front of him. "Both requests detail the retrieval of stolen goods, and they both describe a similar perp: a slender fellow of pink and green, with some slick hair, to boot!" Felix racked his brain for any monster that fit that description that he could remember, but drew a blank.

"Right… anyways, how much would we be getting paid if we collect this bounty?"

"Client one, missus Petal, a lilligant and the owner of the local growing fields here, seems to be offering 50 poké for the retrieval of the stolen goods! Some foodstuff, from the looks of it!"

"50 poké? Star, is that a good amount?" Felix asked.

Star looked away quickly. "Well… what reward is more fulfilling than goodwill?"

"Star… Money is our biggest priority right now, not goodwill. Look for another job that'll-"

Didja quickly interjected with a flutter of his dark wings. "Patience, mister Felix! Permit me to finish! Missus Petal is also offering an additional 350 poké for the apprehension of the thief! There is also the matter of the other request, which offers 500 poké for the retrieval of something mighty special! Genuine human tools!"

Felix's breath caught at those words. He took a moment to process what he heard, looking at Didja with apprehension. He slowly lifted his arm towards Didja, weighed down by the gravity of those words. "...What did you say?"

"Human tools! Bits and bobs and the like, from the sound of it! Sounds quite interesting, aye, mister-"

"We'll take the jobs."

Felix jumped up to just below the lectern's height and snatched the papers off its surface, giving Didja a small scare as he beated his wings in surprise and let out a shrill squawk. "Good word, mister Felix! I didn't take you as one so interested in old do-dads!"

"Can we keep these?" Felix held up the papers.

"But of course, mister Felix! I'll just note which jobs were taken. But do please bring those back when the work is done, yes? Makes filing away completed tasks and processing payment oh-so much easier!"

Folding and stashing the papers away into the satchel, Felix turned to Star who now held a curious expression towards his newfound initiative. "Star, do you know where we can talk to one of these clients?"

The vulpix shook her head back to attention. "Oh, certainly! Petal should be around the market about this time of day, or at the fields if she is not there. And I know you are on… the illiterate side, but I read who the client was on the other job- Caelum!"

"Ah, Caelum! Of course. Love them!" he sarcastically exclaimed. "Whose Caelum? You good friends with them or something?" Felix asked as the two began moving towards the square, Didja fervently waving 'farewell' behind them.

A fond smile formed across Star's face. "In a way, yes. I have been assisting her for some time now."

"Good," Felix said as they left the vicinity of the station. He rubbed the bottom of his chin with the metallic knub that was on his arm, contemplating his future course of actions. "Could we speak with her now?"

"Now? No, I would recommend against it. For now, anyways. She is on the more aged side, so she would be sleeping now. Or should be, hopefully. It would be best to talk to her later in the day."

“I can wait. Now, you said you've seen Petal around the market this time of day?"

Star gave a nod to his question. “Yes, I've seen her around."

"Good. Now, let's go speak with her. We should get some information about our mark before we make a move."

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The morning sun had waned into an afternoon lull. The chill, brisk wind, carried with it autumn leaves that sailed across the air gracefully. They had tried to search the market square for the lilligant, but they had found her at none of the shops. At Felix's suggestion, they agreed that Star would head to the fields to attempt a small search there, whilst Felix lingered near the shops in case Petal might appear. Idle minutes passed into drawn hours; the clear rays of the sun now entering the village in a sharp slant, golden light and chilled air both flooding the village.

As Felix idly wandered aimlessly around the crude tents that surrounded him, taking care not to draw close to any creatures that were present, an interesting sight was caught in his eyes.

Riley- who was in considerably better shape than he imagined when he heard the sylveon was treated at the clinic.

He could see the sylveon a ways ahead on the path, accompanied by that small silvery bug with purple antennas he had seen a few times before. They both had not seen him, by the looks of it. The two seemed quite engaged in some conversation that he could only just barely make out one word of- 'money.' Turning a corner around a thicket of trees, they disappeared out of sight.

Curious, Felix picked up his pace and hurried to the bend the duo walked around. Cautiously poking his small blue head around a tree, he could see Riley and the bug nonchalantly walking down a close dirt path that was cloaked in the fracking shadows of looming trees that were discarding their dressage for the coming winter. He peered closer to the sylveon, and was just able to make out their subdued conversation as he leaned out from the trunk.

"... that's what I'm saying, fella. Unfortunate as it is, that distortion on my way here was simultaneously unlucky and lucky," Riley said. The bug craned its flat head up to the sylveon.

"Is that right? Unlucky and lucky? Do we scavenge it or not?" the wimpod asked.

Riley looked off to the side and twitched his ears. “More unlucky than lucky, I'm afraid. Not even worth humoring the folly that would be scavenging inside it. I wouldn't be surprised if the area was the polars or kyurem's own stomping grounds. Nothing but a deathly blizzard in there, can't even see half-a-pace in front of you at the worst of it. Any and all oddities in there are already buried under fields of snow, so forget it."

"You think Cobb going to chance it?"

Riley chuckled. “'Course they will. That lout always places his bets on a good haul from these occurrences. If we're lucky, some of the crew will freeze over in that glacial wasteland, and we'll have ourselves some newly open spots that they'll be looking to fill. Once we find an in, I dare say a lucrative reward for us is all but assured, my flaky friend." The wimpod looked away back towards the road with a content nod.

"And that 'lucky' part?"

Riley maneuvered one of his ribbons to the pouch he wore on his waist, and sent the end of the appendage into the sack. Carefully feeling around the interior of the bag, he gave a small smirk as he retrieved a small glistening blue stone.

The ice stone Felix had found.

"I found ourselves some compensation."

Pulling himself back behind cover, Felix felt a well of anger stirring inside him. His fists tightening their grip on nothing. Taking a moment to think, he took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"...Hey…"

He wanted that stone back. Riley did say it was worth quite a bit, but a more brazen approach to retrieve it could only end badly, he reasoned to himself.

"Hey, Blue."

Resting the iron-oval that resided on his wrist to underneath his chin, he began thinking of some methods where he could swindle either the stone or some money off of Riley without getting himself into far-too-much trouble. The money would be no use to him if-

"What are you doing?"

He felt a firm nudge against his ankles, knocking him out of his thoughts. Turning around, the tops of three pointed leaves were in front of him.

Looking down, he saw the same small plant he had seen on his first night in Fango. Its round, plain face was looking back up to him. "Geez, Blue, are you always snooping around?" the petilil asked. Felix looked around himself, and saw no one else around but him and the petilil.

"Blue?" he repeated back.

"Yeah, 'Blue!' You gave me mess-all to call you when you ran out on me that night. So yeah, 'Blue.' What are you up to now, Blue? Looking to pinch something around here?"

"Oh, uh, no. Just was looking for someone around here," he stated, "I was looking for Petal. Have you seen her?" The petilil narrowed her eyes, making an expression that was difficult to gauge without a mouth to supplement the mien.

"Petal? Yeah, I know her. I'm her."

Felix looked the petilil up and down with a small amount of exaggeration to his motions. “No offense, but I'm pretty sure Petal is a lilligant, not a small thing as yourself. Do you know where she is?"

"Petal? Petal!" a voice came from behind the petilil from down the road.

Looking over the top of the petilil's three leaves, Felix could see a lilligant hurriedly coming towards them from around the corner on the opposite end of the road. When it came close, he could see that lilligant seemed quite old: its body and leaves looked dry, and the crevices of what could only be described as wrinkles could be seen covering its body. "Petal! Excuse us, sir, I hope my daughter wasn't bothering you terribly." Felix looked back at the petilil in front of him, which seemed to hold an expression of pride with its furrowed eyes… or irritation. He couldn't tell. The lack of a mouth made deciphering the small plant's expressions quite problematic.

"See? Told you, Blue!"

"So, you really are Petal? But I heard you would be a lilligant?" Felix asked quizzically. The lilligant stepped in front of her daughter, pushing the petilil behind herself as she did so.

"Yes, this little troublemaker here is named Petal." said the lilligant as she gently ruffled Petal's three leaves on her head, "as am I. Whereas I am the twelfth 'Petal' in our family's lineage, Petal here would be the thirteenth."

The smaller Petal looked away quickly in annoyance. "Yeah, one of many, a real winner… anyway, what do you want mom for, Blue?"

"It's about that job you- I mean she had put up on that board. I just wanted to ask a couple things before me and my…" Felix lost himself in thought for a brief moment, his gaze sliding off the petilil onto the roadside as he brooded over how to describe his relationship with the vulpix, "... before me and my partner go out and try to nab this thief. First, could you describe-"

"Ooh, finally!" the petilil cut-in, "about time somebody got up to nail this guy! I've seen-"

"Petal!" the other Petal said with a leer to her daughter, silencing her. "Excuse her. Now, what were you trying to say?" Felix looked down to the petilil.

"Actually, I think she was on the right track. Petal." Both the lilligant and petilil attentively looked to him. "Oh, uh, smaller Petal, did you see the thief?"

"Heck yeah, I did! He's a morgrem. You know, lanky guys with green bottoms with pink tops, and some sleek hair? I caught the lousy pincher pilfering through our storage one night. Ran him out, myself! The gremlin's been back lurking around our fields a couple times, too. I've half the idea to chase him down next time I see him." The lilligant looked to her daughter with tired eyes, full of worry.

"Petal, please never do that again. I don't care if some fruits are stolen if it means you're safe. I don't want you doing something so reckless again, alright? He could be dangerous." The petilil looked away again in a huff.

"Right, well, thank you," Felix said. "And did you see where he went last?"

"Yeah, I did," The petilil Petal said. "I chased him out quite a ways a few nights ago. The sneak ran…" the petilil drifted off and looked to the sky, glancing towards the setting sun. "He ran off north by the looks of it. I'm betting he's holed up somewhere inside the Rip Rapids labyrinth. It's close enough, and most don't want to head into a place like that," she explained.

"And it's just north?" Felix asked.

"Just north, yeah," Petal continued, "the channels in it feed into a lagoon, so just follow the shore and head inland when you see a big ol' angry thunderstorm, then continue on north. You'll know it when you hear it. Those currents are something mean."

"Thank you," replied Felix. "We'll catch this thief, there's no doubt about that. If you learn anything else, come and find-"

"Little one!"

Looking around himself, Felix saw Willow come around the corner of the tree he and the Petals were beside. A bag was worn behind him. "Ah, Petal and Petal, as well! Quite wonderful to see you both well. And may I say, miss Petal," Willow said as he took the lilligant's arm into his bark-skinned hand, "age hasn't diminished your beauty one bit." The lilligant gave a small chuckle.

"Willow, you've always been the charmer." Withdrawing his hand, Willow then placed a firm grip on Felix's shoulder. Willow's bark dug into Felix's shoulder, a sharp coldness emanating from his hand as Felix tried to wiggle free.

"Now, I hate to intrude, but I wish to have a private word with the little one here. Would you mind?"

"Oh, I suppose we should be going along. Take care now, and I do hope you catch this miscreant. Come along now, Petal." The lilligant nudged Petal.

"Right. Well, catch you later, Blue." The two turned around to leave.

Felix looked up to Willow as he continued holding him in place, feeling some anxiety as he did so.

"What are you trying to-" Checking to see that both Petals were a sufficient distance away and not looking, Willow's singular glowing eye contracted into a red dot. Willow hastily covered Felix's mouth as a shroud of darkness quickly enveloped them both in a deathly cold haze. Felix struggled as Willow threw both of their bodies to the side with a sudden lunge. Felix felt an indescribable sensation as solid matter phased through him.

Or him through it.

When his senses returned, the shroud that once enveloped the both of them began to quickly dissipate. All around him, the interior of an old dilapidated tent became known to him. The cold interior was dimly lit as spotty patchwork in the canvas let small amounts of golden light filter through, illuminating specks of fine dust that lingered in the air. Willow released his grip on him, and shoved him into the center of the space.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Felix exclaimed as he turned around to face the trevenant.

Willow stepped towards him, jutting a stiff finger into Felix's chest. "Listen closely, and listen well, Felix." Felix stood still, careful not to make any movement. "Good. Now, let me tell you what a day it's been for me so far. Imagine this, me getting to sleep all peaceful-like in the morning." He retracted his finger. "No Star to kick me awake, like she always had, to bring us out to work, no matter how trivial or stagnant." Willow turned his back to Felix, and began pacing the small room. “So there I'm thinking, 'I wonder where she might be?' So I go to the bird, you know him, air-headed fellow, and I ask where she might be." Willow turned back to Felix, his red eye now intently focused. "And I come to learn that she has formally resigned from Team Horizons, and joined up with you." He leaned in closer to Felix, his gaze sharp.

Then, he leaned back, and gave a small chuckle.

"Apologies. I do not intend to frighten, but you must know what must transpire next. Truthfully, I am thankful for this opportunity. I have other obligations that I am most eager to address as quickly as possible that my guardianship of Star had barred me from previously. I will take my leave immediately to fulfill a particularly pressing professional obligation that was not possible for me to act on before due to my situation. I'm likely far too late, but I will pursue regardless. With Star no longer a rung on the team's ladder, I am now presented with at the very least a plausible reason to leave. But before that, I need to provide some amount of insurance to you and her, so I can leave with some peace of mind."

Willow reached around and retrieved the bag from his shoulder, then rummaged in the bag for a brief moment. "I had originally intended to simply forbid you both from leaving Fango in my absence, but I hold no means of enforcing such an order, and I am well aware of both of your drives to accomplish jobs, even if your drives are different. This…" he said as he pulled out a round orb, "is an escape orb. A marvelous wonder that will allow you and Star to escape from any cursed ground, should a situation become dire."

He gently shoved the orb into Felix's chest, who grabbed it as he stumbled back, feeling the cool surface and seeing his warped reflection on its glistening surface. The orb was a deep, cool blue. A warm, gentle light pulsated at its center of origin. "I've seen how you used Star's sleep orb back on our first night together. Don't make that same mistake with this one- they're quite hard to come by. Simply ask it politely. It will obey, as all good tools will. If even that is too difficult for you, ask Star to do it for you. And use it wisely, it will only work once."

Willow once more reached into the bag, and pulled out a pear-shaped berry, its tan and porous surface was instantly recognizable to Felix. "And this is a sitrus berry. I see that look of astonishment in your eye, so I take it you know what it is capable of." Willow moved to hand the berry to Felix, who eagerly reached out to grab the miracle berry. Willow then suddenly retracted his arm and berry. "Let me be perfectly clear- this berry is for Star, and Star alone. It is not yours to benefit from. Give it to her." Willow finally reached out and placed the berry in Felix's palm. With both assets in his possession, Felix hastily stuffed them into the satchel he wore.

"Why not just give to Star yourself, then? I know you and I aren't exactly buddy-buddy. So why give this stuff to me?"

"I'll ponder that myself these coming days, I'm sure," Willow replied. "Convenience. Nothing more or less. I couldn't find Star anywhere, nor did I see her when I perceived from the trees that thrive here. I imagine she's inside a building or someone’s tent now, if that's the case. I would preferably speak to her rather than you, but alas, here we are." Willow bent down and slid the bag back onto his person. Circling behind the trevenant, Felix could see that the bag sagged considerably from what appeared to be numerous items it carried.

"And you're leaving now? What's the occasion?" Felix coarsely asked.

"I'm departing Fango as soon as this conversation is over, yes. The matter doesn't concern you, so drop it. And another thing: to you and Star, I am leaving, yes. But if you value your own safety, you will act like I am still somewhere in this village. You will speak as if I could be found at a moment's notice, and you will think before you do anything that might suggest otherwise. Only you and Star should know I am absent." Felix stared at Willow with an expression that was between baffled and perturbed. A single, simple question left his mouth.

"Why?"

"A gang. Small amount of them, but still dangerous. They came down very recently from the north to here from the looks of it, and I have a working theory as to why for their sudden change in locale, but once again, it's something that I prefer the fewest know of. I don't need anyone starting a panic should the situation be more tame than I initially thought. That's the hope, anyhow. They've been lingering well outside the village for the most part, keeping to themselves. I've heard talk of them raiding chromatic baubles for whatever they can find before they vanish. Biding time, perhaps. Gathering resources. But should they learn that I am not in the vicinity of Fango, I fear they will take more bold actions."

"You think you, and you alone, are what's stopping them? Where I come from, its organization, groups, bands of others that deter danger. Not one man. What makes you think they're wary of you?"

"We've crossed paths before. They know that I would see their approach well in advance, and that I could use the landscape around them to crush their push." Willow chuckled. "I'm even rather proud of the gashes I left as a parting gift to their boss. He shouldn't be an issue, should he believe I'm here." Willow and Felix stood in silence. The dust around them lazily drifted by as they stared contemplatively at one another. "If there's nothing more to discuss, I'll take my leave now. Remember, as far as the rest of the world knows, I am still here. Keep it that way. I'll be returning as soon as I am able. Until then, be well. And lie."

The deep purple shroud of ghastly origin once more obscured Willow, and Felix could see as his figure began to fade back, his piercing red eye receding into the tarp behind him. "Oh, and little one?" Willow said as the veil of shadow enveloped him. Felix focused on him. "Let us hope none of the jobs you take involve reading."

The shroud disappeared into the fabric, the ghastly fumes fleeing from the point of vanishment in a dance of smoke.

He was gone.

Looking around the messy, cramped space he stood in, Felix noticed golden light filtering in through a loose flap at the front of the tent. Flipping it open, shimmering light flooded the space from the outside world. Stepping out from the tent, he could not see Willow.

The golden light of the sun was now shining from the horizon, much to his annoyance as he raised an arm in front of his face to block the blinding light.

Adjusting the strap on his satchel, and with nowhere else to go in mind, Felix trekked back to the rocks that lined the top of a small hill just near and above the village.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"And where did you take off to? Didn't think you'd be gone so long," Felix asked Star as he saw her ascend the slope to where he was resting against one of the many rocks. The light of the sun had begun fading, a growing veil of rich blue being coaxed into its place. Only a few night stars could be seen at this point, and very faintly at that.

"Perhaps I could ask the same of you," she replied as she settled near him. "Where have you been? When I went back to the square at about dusk, I could not find you. I thought we agreed we would meet back near the shops."

"Not a fan of the clientele there. I didn't see you, either, so here I am now," he said.

Star played with a small pebble in front of her with her paw, knocking it back and forth as she tracked its jagged, tumbling movements.

"That is rather rude, is it not? Where did you go, anyhow?"

"I didn't really go anywhere. Just got dragged into a small chat with Willow." He rubbed his nose as he thought back to the encounter. "Say, Star, what'd you dig up anyway? I know I got some good information, but how'd you fare?"

"I tried the fields for a while, and I couldn't find Petal anywhere. So I thought that, you know, while I'm out and about anyway, that I may as well try and see if Caelum was awake- and she was! We talked for a while, I told her how I was doing recently, and she asked about what was happening now, so I told her how I joined with you recently-"

"Star."

"Oh right, apologies. She said she was asleep when it happened, just a few nights ago. It is actually a job I wanted to take on since then when I was with Willow, but, you know how that turned out. She did not see the thief herself, but she says that when Pechi came to check up on her, that Pechi claims to have seen someone with a green-lower half and a pink-upper one, scrambling away from the house. He was carrying a sack with him, and since he matches the description of the other case, I believe he is the the same crook. She says that what was stolen were some old tools, so they are really fragile. I know it will be difficult, but we should be careful when we apprehend him. I do not want us to break those tools, even accidently. What say you?"

"A bit of the same. And I know what monster we're up against. I spoke with Petal and, er, Petal. The smaller one said it's a morgrem. He's a persistent thief from the sound of it, so it looks like she's more concerned with us taking him out of the picture than us getting back some fruits which likely already started spoiling by now. She says he might be in a place called the 'Rip Rapids.' Heard of it?"

Star continued idly batting at the pebble, flicking her tails as she did so. “Yes, I am aware of it. Myself and Willow went there once to look for that might-exist-but-likely-does-not item. Though he had us leave as soon as we arrived. He most certainly believes I am not ready for those grounds yet," she mulled.

Felix had largely ignored the sight of Star at first, but then a small thought began to nibble at him as he observed her.

Tails.

Tail.

His tail.

He has a tail. Thinking on it, he realized he never once tried to move it on its own. Staring at the broad blue tail that laid lazily on the ground beside him, he saw how dirty it had become at its tip from his ceaseless dragging of it across the ground over the day. He tried to make it twitch, or shift in any which way. It remained motionless. His gaze intensifying, he focused harder on the tail. His legs and waist shifted at random intervals as he commanded every muscle and nerve in his lower body to act in some way in an attempt to animate the tail he now possessed. It remained unresponsive. His brow furrowed, he stood up and tensed every muscle below the chest he could. To his satisfaction and unease, the tail rose a small amount off the ground. A small, conflicted smile found its way onto his face.

"Uh… what might you be doing?" Star asked.

Snapped back to his senses, Felix turned around to her. Her head was cocked to the side in a slant, an ear drooping to the ground. He dropped his tail back to the earth, having lost his concentration.

"I'm… not sure," he replied. "Right," he continued, "if there's nothing else, we should turn in early for the night. We'll meet up here tomorrow morning, and head out," he said as he lowered himself in preparation to crawl underneath the lip of the rock into its dark shelter.

He grabbed the satchel he had placed beside its entrance, and tossed it inside. "See you then, Star," Felix said as he made his way inside the small space.

Star knocked the loose pebble away with a final swat, then crouched on all fours, following behind him. Inside the cramped and dark place, Felix had begun to make himself comfortable as he could on the cold and damp surface, when he noticed that Star had followed him inside. “You know, while we're on the subject of, 'what're you doing,'" he uttered as he shifted a bit further away from her into the interior, “you mind telling me what you are doing?"

"We're on the same team now, remember?" she said as she paced around in a small circle along the ground, before finally settling down onto the floor. “So, I shall be staying with you now," Star said as she looked up and around the dank interior, noting the moss and low ceiling. “Even if the housing conditions are… less than present."

“Don’t you have a nice bed or something back with the old log? You bunking with me isn’t really needed.”

"As I am no longer a member of Team Horizon, that residence is no longer one I can invite myself into freely. But if my presence makes you uncomfortable… should I leave then?" Star asked.

Felix raised an arm to answer her as he laid on the ground, but could not find the words he wanted to say. Grumbling, he dropped his arm in resignation and rolled his head to face her.

"No, you can stay. But, just… stay over there," he said as he shifted further back into the space, pressing his body against where the cold, rugged stone sunk into the soily earth.

“Oh my, special living permissions from Felix himself! Got myself a whole bed of dry mud. Ooh, and some fuzzy moss too, let us not forget that!" she said playfully as she laid her head down. Shifting her head to face him, she gave a genuine smile. “Thank you."

"Yeah, well… thanks too, I guess. For helping me," Felix said as he adjusted his body into a more comfortable position. Rolling to her side and stretching with a yawn, Star murmured as she curled into a small ball, folding her tails over herself.

“Pleasant dreams, Felix. I shall offer a prayer for our success as we drift to sleep."

Crossing his arms close to him to keep warm, Felix glanced at her, then away as he shut his eyes. He organized his thoughts briefly as to what to expect from a place called 'Rip Rapids.' Then there was the matter of when to tell Star about Willow's sudden departure, as well as the new valuable tools he had given him. But those were issues that could be addressed tomorrow. Star's own yawn finally broke through to him as he stifled the sound with a closed hand, letting the shiny, metallic oval that resided on the back of his calm become foggy with his exhale.

Looking over to his side, he spoke to her.

"Goodnight, Star."

Returning his head to face the rock wall again, he let his mind drift as he slipped into sleep.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 6

We’ll Learn as We Go

The low, distant beckoning of righteous lightning striking the earth reverberated in the sea-salt scented air, contesting with the looming rumble of raging rapids a fair distance ahead. What had been an insignificant drizzle when they first entered the area, soon transformed into a persistent rain as both Felix and Star trekked further alongside a beach whose sand was as black as scorched ash. Towering waves crashed into the dark shoreline, having been stirred into accretion by the insistence of stern winds. The midday sun had been cloaked by the overcast looming above, showering the landscape below in its chill rain.

Felix clambered up a small ledge, feeling the soaked earth on his arms and legs as he did so. The grass had become spotty, only appearing in patches of itself as the two progressed further inland once they noticed the roar of the rapids in the distance. Looking behind to the ground they had traveled, Felix saw how the shoreline had grown distant, as well as lower than them as they ascended up muddy slope after muddy slope. Much of the runoff of the rain could be seen funneling down well-eroded nooks and paths in the surface of the land, all channeling towards the raging ocean below and behind them.

Turning to his side, Felix spoke to Star as they climbed. “So, putting some thought to it, Petal said to head inland when we saw a thunderstorm, right?”

“That is what you relayed to me. Why?” she responded as leapt over a small ledge, Felix climbing up after her. “Something wrong?”

“No… I mean yes,” Felix replied as he stared at the dark storm above. A wicked crack of lightning whipped through the sky, the afterimage of the bolt lingering in his eyes as the sound of thunder boomed. “Usually, with directions anyway, you would use landmarks or such to plot a course or to navigate. But, ‘head inland when you see a big ‘ol angry thunderstorm?’ Don’t tell me that this storm has been here for ages.” The terrain ahead began to flatten out. Numerous puddles, wide and filled with icy water, blotted the muddy and disheveled land ahead. The roar of the rapids grew closer.

“I am afraid so. It has been storming over here for ages- long before I arrived, anyway. And what a curse it is. I cannot speak for you, but I for one cannot wait to be rid of this cursed land.”

The pair navigated around the cold puddles along strips of soaked land that were slightly elevated above the pools of cool water, taking cautious and measured steps towards the roar of the rapids that now engulfed the air around them. Traversing past thinly trees whose branches flexed with the stern wind, an expanse of the mire opened before them; sparse patches of grass and slick mud dominated the landscape ahead. Leaping from a shallow incline to his side, Star shot him a pensive glance.

“Felix? Something has been biting me.”

“What?”

“How did you come to arrive in New Galar, anyway?”

Felix looked away from her and faced towards the great mire ahead of them. “Walked here. You should know that, you came here with me,” he said dismissively.

“You know that is not what I meant,” Star continued. “You claim that you are from a land called ‘Marea,’ correct? I have never heard of a region named that, nor has Didja.”

“Yeah, what of it? I don’t expect you or the bird to know every single place, and you shouldn’t, either.”

Star circled to the front of him and stopped, forcing him to halt as well in the cold rain. “That is true, but also beside the point I am getting at. I found you passed out on a road here in New Galar, and yet you claim you have come from a place overseas- very recently too, from the sound of it.” She leaned in closer to him, peering into his narrowed eyes. “Felix, how did you end up here from Marea?” Felix glared at Star with a mix of contemplation and irritation. “You are concealing this from me… are you not?” 

Sliding his gaze away, he released a small sigh. “That’s not something you need to know.” He stomped around her, continuing onwards as Star looked to his back in disappointment.

“I am still to lack your trust, then?” she asked as she caught up behind him in the marsh. Felix remained silent. “Well, just so we are clear,” Star said as she came to his side, “I hold full trust in you. One day soon, I hope you can trust me.”

“You shouldn’t trust a stranger you just met a few days ago so quickly, you know,” he sternly replied.

Star looked up to him with her ears pulled back against the rain. “You are correct. Perhaps I am a fool to trust too quickly.” She smiled. “But I do. Most people are good at heart. You, among them. You just need a little faith.”

The rain intensified its relentless descent from the storm above as they continued their march, pounding them in buckets. Trails of water drained from puddles off a steep drop-off ahead. Peering over the sudden drop, Felix observed how far a fall the face had produced- easily between a story or two, and right into the maw of a rapid whose torrent of water crashed and writhed against battered walls of sediment, unyielding in its deafening advance towards the west. It was obvious that the ledge he stood on was once fuller, but had crumbled and eroded over time, succumbing to the forever rain. Brilliant red magikarps were seen fighting against the current, jumping from the water only to crash back into the frenzied surface as they struggled against the ripping river that splintered into more channels downstream. 

“Wow,” Felix said in awe, “pretty sure water doesn’t get more mean than that, right?” he stated as he looked back towards Star.

Her expression was far less impressed as she joined his side. Her eyes were narrowed, her ears pulled back, and her lips were strained as they pulled into a bleak, straight line across her face. “Just wonderful, then let us hope its mood improves later. Or do you think it’ll be gleeful in an instant, should we fall in?” she crabbedly replied. Her many tails, the bob on her head, and her feathers sagged from the weight of the water that had drenched them.

Felix gave an addled look at her. “Something the matter?” he asked.

A small puff of thin, black smoke weakly left Star’s mouth as she sighed. “Apologies, that slipped out. This rain is getting to be a bit much, personally. Please, let us just find this schmuck and get out of this horrid weather.”

Felix’s own fur clung to him like wet clothes from the rain, cold and stiff to move with his body. Uncomfortable, but not too bothersome. Glancing back to the steep drop-off, a small cluster of unassuming plants caught his eye: deathly-pale green stems had risen from the ledge, all carrying with them on their tops a single broad leaf that sagged with the rain. Going back to the ledge, he took a hold of one of the stems, and dug his other hand into the earth beneath it, then pulling it up. A plump, dingy, tuber of the plant was unearthed, spilling residual specks of dirt off its side like ash as he held it in front of him.

A pleased smile grew on his face. “Say what you will about this place,” Felix excitedly said, “but I think the trip’s already been made worth it!”

Stowing away the root inside the satchel tied to his side, Felix then hastily dug up the other tuber and secured it in the satchel. “What have you there? Some roots?” Star asked as she peered by his side. “I know we are pressed for coin, but surely we need not forage bitter roots while we are on the job? Could we not just pay for some goods from the fields back in Fango? And can we hurry along, please? I can feel my fire starting to weaken.”

Felix peered back over the ledge, into the raging river. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. But you’re just going to have to grin and bear it. The ground around here is slick, and that current is looking mean. I’m not going to slip and fall in there from rushing into this place, just because you’re a little wet,” he said as he waved dismissively at Star, to her annoyance. “We shouldn’t be rash here. Let’s keep our guard up, and find this-” As Felix surveyed the rapids, a jet of water surged forth from the water’s furious surface, landing a direct hit on his unguarded face. He was launched away from the ledge with a yelp, sliding a short distance across the mud caked ground towards Star.

“Oh! Felix, are you alright?! What was that?” exclaimed Star as she rushed to him, prodding at his side with her snout to coax him off the ground as he recoiled from the attack. 

Felix groaned, covering his face with both his hands as he sat up off the ground. The pain was sharp, and cold. “I’d like to know for myself what that was!” he shouted through his palms, letting the words out in a muffle. Putting his arm over Star’s back, he hoisted himself off the ground. Finishing rubbing his cheek, he slowly peered back over the ledge. Within the currents of the river, small silvery figures could be seen lurking near the turbulent water’s surface: remoraid. One of the members of the school of fish noticed the small exposure of his head from behind the ledge’s surface, and fired another precise jet of water towards him, sailing over the ledge and into air as he quickly ducked.

“I take it we are to steer clear of the ledges?” Star sarcastically asked.

“I take it I’m going to throw you in myself, soon enough."

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sludging through the lengths of thick mud while avoiding the icy pools of water that speckled the cold terrain, the duo had searched the area around them for some time as they scoured the broken land for their query. The bitter rain had not ceased its relentless advance from the storm clouds for a second, and the mire around them soon became fractured: what was one rapid at the beginning of the locale, had twisted and broken off into many. Around them, torrents of water sheared off much of the land below, creating hazards as the precarious ledges with large gashes overhung the inlets, threatening to collapse into the maniacal water at any moment; its roar beckoning for relief into a delta.

Having passed by Felix as he collected two other roots on the path, Star came to a sudden stop at a modest opening ahead, turning around and waiting for him as he caught up. 

“I have spotted him,” she said, “our target is just ahead, beside those rocks.”

Crouching beside her, Felix cupped his palms around his eyes to shield against the rain and surveyed the stone outcrops ahead. Like she had said, he saw a thin, colorful figure resting against the natural shelter, snoozing away while surrounded by his discardings of husks and cores of various fruits. The sight of which was surrounded by sheer drops; a miniature risen peninsula was functionally where he resided.

“Good eye,” he said. “So, what’s the plan? Want me to sneak over there and, well, you know.” He mimicked an exaggerated punching motion.

“No,” Star replied, “so far all he has committed are petty acts of theft. I’m eager to wallop him too, make no mistake on that, but we cannot initiate a fight. We will have to go over there and see if he will come quietly. If he refuses, then we can give him what-for.”

Felix gave a short huff at Star’s explanation, standing back up. “So you all have rules too, then?” he asked.

“I… yes. We have standards to uphold, principles to guide us. Why? Were you expecting differently?” 

Walking to the outcrops, Felix motioned for Star to follow. “Come on, then. Let’s go wake up our friend.” 

Advancing towards the morgrem, the sounds of his obnoxious snoring could scarcely be heard over the thunderous roll of the torrents that surrounded them. He had been slouching against the stone outcrops, using the height of the stone to rest as it protected him from the rain. Taking a moment to briefly search around the vicinity of the morgrem for the tools, Felix could not find any sign of them, only spotting the cores of various fruits.

It had been a while since Felix had done something like this, so after taking a deep breath, he nudged the morgrem’s foot several times with his own. The morgrem’s mouth trembled, a yawn escaping his mouth as he stretched his limbs straightly before returning to a relaxed state. Felix gave another stern, forceful nudge to the morgrem. “Nap time’s over, bud.”

The morgrem’s eyes shot open in a panic, wildly looking around before resting on Felix and Star. Raising his arms, the morgrem gave a small wave and a nervous chuckle. “Hey there, friends? Friends, right?” the morgrem asked as he cautiously stood off the ground. Felix caught a quick glance of a small pouch right where the morgrem had been sitting, before the morgrem quickly snatched it.

“I’m not too sure if you and me are there yet, bud,” Felix responded. “We were told of a person like your character might be here,” he pointed to the morgrem, “responsible for the theft of some food goods,” he said as he motioned his hand over the discarded cores, “and that you have some human tools,” he finished as he pointed at the pouch with awkward protrusions on its surface that the morgrem held.

“So what shall it be?” Star asked the morgrem. “Will you come with us quietly, or will we have to bring you back forcefully?” Her glare was fully focused on the morgrem, her ears pulled back, and her posture had slunken. 

“Well, funny thing about that…” the morgrem stammered out. Felix and Star eyed the morgrem as he fidgeted with his hands, his head frantically scanning the area around him. The morgrem found himself caught between the two on one side, and disheartening drops into the winding torrent on all three other sides, thanks to the jut of the small, narrow cape. “You see…” The morgrem began pacing back away from them slowly, towards a ledge that lay opposite of Felix and Star. The two creeped towards the morgrem as he walked back. “It's a misunderstanding! I’m no thief! I’m just a humble traveling salesman!”

“Oh, is that right?” Felix asked dryly. “What you selling, then?”

The morgrem whipped out of the pouch to the front of him, and loosened the string around it, beginning to dig inside for its contents. “I’ve got some foods!” he said as he pulled out a pear. Felix and Star continued their advance towards him.

“Anything else in there?” Felix asked.

The morgrem dropped the fruit and broke into a sudden sprint towards a ledge opposite of the pair. “Hey, stop!” called out Felix as he and Star chased after him. Sliding to a halt, teetering on the ledge’s edge, the morgrem came to a halt. Slowing down, Felix began slowly creeping towards the morgrem. “Nowhere to run, huh? Why don’t you just come over here?”

“I strongly suggest you listen to him,” Star added while beside him, “we'd hate to have to push you over the edge.”

Felix shot Star a perturbed glance, then quickly refocusing on the morgrem.

Squinting over the ledge, the morgrem gawked in sheer awe at the ferocity of the rapids beneath him. Then a smirk wormed its way onto his face. “Really, then?” he said as he held out of the pouch of items in front of him. Drawn to the bag, Felix took a step forward with his arm outstretched.

“Give it, and come with us quietly,” he ordered. 

The morgrem face transformed in an instant, from anxious to intense. He swung his arm around and held the bag over the currents, stopping Felix in place. “Not a step closer, you wastes of breath. Back off." Felix took several steps away. Star remained firmly planted in place.

“And what is your plan, then?” Star asked. She began creeping forward towards the morgrem, who leaned out further threateningly with the bag in response. “Are we to assume you think we will let you go? For a bag of trinkets you hold as hostage? Either we take you in, or we take you down.”

The morgrem scowled at Star, who returned the mien. “Last chance, vulpix,” he said, “get in line with your friend there, and I won't have to show what's inside you.”

Star remained stationary. The fur along her back stood on end, thin wisps of smoke escaped the pulled corners of her mouth which bore fangs, and a small haze of steam rose from her against the rain. “I am not moving.”

Felix stood frozen in place. The morgrem remained still as he sized the two up, arm still dangling the goods over the chasm. Each drop of the rain served to remind Felix of the passage of time as they all stood in anticipation. The morgrem’s hair flexed, shaping itself to a point like that of a spear. 

The morgrem then retracted his arm, tying the bag to his waist with a string from the pouch. “You know,” the morgrem said with a small smirk, “a part of me was hoping you’d say that.”

The morgrem lunged towards them, its gangly arms outstretched at Star- the nearest target. Star shot a small ember that fizzled in the rain at the morgrem, landing a glancing blow on his side as he grunted at the small sear.

Lashing out at Star, the morgrem swiped at her with his misshapen hands, swinging wildly as his arms glowed in a dark energy. Ducking down, Star narrowly dodged the first attack, but could not avoid the second follow-up assurance, which had been angled down to catch her dodge. Harshly struck on the side of her head, Star was sent spinning back, wincing in pain. 

Before the morgrem could continue his assault as he pursued Star, Felix sprinted across the muddy ground to the felon and threw a low punch into his abdomen. The morgrem belched out in pain as the air in his lungs suddenly jumped into his throat, hunching over from the attack only to invite another blow to his pointed face as Felix launched a quick melee from his opposite elbow into the thief’s nose, sending him stumbling back. 

Having Recovered from the earlier blow, Star rushed the morgrem in a quick attack, thrusting her head into the morgrem’s gut, knocking him to the ground in a splash of dirty water.

“H-Hey! Enough! I yield!” shouted the morgrem. “Please! No more!” Pleading on all fours, the morgrem threw his head forward to the ground, bowing in capitulation to Star.

“Wait, really?” Felix asked skeptically. “Just like that?”

Breathing heavily, Star composed herself. “So you surrender, then?” she asked as she approached.

“Yes! Please…” the morgrem continued to plead as his head hung to the ground.

“Then get up, and come with us,” Star ordered. The morgrem remained still, continuing to bow his head on all fours. “Did you not hear me?” she asked as she came in front of the felon.

“Wait, Star,” Felix instructed. She didn’t respond to his order.

He saw the spear-like hair that was draped along the morgrem’s back twitch.

“Wait, Star!” Felix exclaimed as he ran to them.

The morgrem dropped his upper-body to the ground in an instant and flung the point of his hair into Star’s shoulder, deeply embedding the barb inside her as she screamed. Dropping the false surrender, the morgrem withdrew the stained spike from Star, dropping her to the ground as he stood up to meet Felix as he ran to them. 

Throwing a sloppy punch in his haste, the morgrem easily sidestepped Felix’s attack and caught his arm, grabbing him and throwing Felix towards one of the ledges. Sliding across the slick mud and off the side as he clawed at the muddy ground in a panic, Felix found a slight hold on a root near the surface of the muck that he dangled from.

Looking down, Felix found himself suspended above the rolling torrents beneath him, which threatened to swallow him whole if he dropped from the overhang. Scrambling anyway he could, he began trying to hoist himself back over the ledge, his feet digging into the sprawling dirt wall as he moved. 

A flash of a cold, wet jolt at his back caused him to lose his grip, dropping him towards the destructive water.

Catching the tip of the exposed gangly root, he looked back and below himself; remoraids poked their heads out of the water, watching him intently with apathetic eyes as they swam against the current.

Just over the roar of the raging waters, he heard a sly laugh approach him.

“Aww, would you look at that? Found yourself hanging around, have you?” the morgrem snidely taunted as he leered over Felix. The hair on the morgrem flicked off drops of blood down onto Felix’s damp face as he helplessly hung. “I’ll be quick about it, don’t worry. Can’t speak for the rapids, though- you’ll have to find that out for yourself.” At his own words, the morgrem smirked as its hair reshaped itself into a blade, hanging itself threateningly over the base of the root Felix clasped at.

The blade of hair sprang fiercely at Felix- then veered haphazardly, missing the root and nearly scalping Felix. The morgrem hollered out, spinning around and glaring down to his legs as he began wildly punching down.

Taking the fortunate opportunity to clamber up from the ledge, Felix pulled himself back onto soggy, muddy ground and was surprised by what he saw: Star biting down viscously into the morgrem’s leg, the haze of steam and the stench of burning hair rising from the leg Star clamped to, as the rims of her mouth glowed hot with fire. Her shoulder was stained with a spreading red blotch.

The morgrem continuously beat down on Star’s head with glowing black fists as she clasped her eyes shut. Readying his hair behind him into a point, the morgrem was poised to land a decisive blow- until his upper body was seized. He stumbled forward from the sudden weight wrestling itself onto him, followed by a wad of mud being slapped down into his eyes, making him shout.

Wrapping his muddy arms around the morgrem’s torso, Felix pinned the morgrem’s limbs in place as Star dug her fangs deeper into the assailant’s leg, making him wail in pain. The formed tip of the hair lashed about, flailing in a small radius beneath Felix as it remained largely pinned between the riolu and the morgrem. 

Until it dropped its spear-like form, and wound itself around Felix’s ankle.

A sudden, forceful jerk tore away Felix’s grip on the morgrem. He was wrenched off by his ankle and swung powerfully across the ground, right into Star’s side with his own. Star was launched off the morgrem, she and Felix crying out from the intense impact, both sliding to a stop a small distance away from another ledge. 

Felix felt the frigid water of a puddle embrace him as he stared up into the gray, showering sky; the water felt blissfully numb to his body as adrenaline flooded his body, working to subdue all sensations he could feel. The roar of the rapids sounded so close, as did the sound of wet footsteps rushing to him across splotches of mud that splattered with each impact of driving feet. Quickly looking down from the sky, Felix saw the morgrem charging him, his hair once again shapened to a point and aimed to his chest. The morgrem thrusted the make-shift lance right into Felix as he raised his arms defensively in front of him and shut his eyes instantly, the hair embedding itself into him immediately after.

And he felt nothing.

He had felt his arms recoil back and shake as they struggled with another force. Peeling his eyes partially open, Felix peeked past squinted eyelids: the spike had indeed found itself into his arm- right into a metallic oval that his arms both wielded. 

The morgrem flexed his hair forward, driving the spike deeper into rounded metal as Felix pushed back. Against the overwhelming force, Felix began slowly sliding across the slick ground, being pushed towards the maw of the raging torrent. An evil grin spread across the morgrem’s face with each step he took forward, driving Felix closer to the ledge.

Fear grew across Felix’s face as he grimaced. Digging a free hand into the ground behind him to slow the push, clumps of wet mud accumulated on his hand as they progressed closer to the drop. An idea flashed in his head.

Retracting his hand from behind him and pulling the arm with the hair impaled in it towards him, Felix lurched his back to the ground and heaved the morgrem towards him. The morgrem lurched forward, eyes widened in surprise as Felix caught the morgrem’s falling upper-body with his foot and launched the morgrem over and behind him towards the currents as he rolled on his back. The morgrem’s hair was dislodged from Felix’s metallic knob as he flew forward, nearly sliding off the ledge as he scrambled back onto his feet alongside Felix. 

“Just, die!” shouted the morgrem as he rushed forward towards Felix. His hair was shaped into a keen blade, and his arms glowed a pitch-black hue. The morgrem swung a high fist aimed at Felix’s head as he ducked, then a low blow towards Felix’s legs as he made a short hop over the attack, then finishing with a sharp rotation of his body, swinging his bladed hair laterally at Felix’s chest. Raising his arm, Felix blocked the blade with his silver stub, scattering sparks into the air as the edge raced across its surface.

Felix crashed into the morgrem with the brief opening he was presented with, driving a fist into the morgrem’s chest with all the muscle he could throw behind it. The morgrem cried out and stumbled back, teetering on the ledge’s cusp with one foot as he wildly flailed his arms forward to retain balance.

A sharp shot of water then sprouted from behind the ledge, striking the back of the morgrem’s exposed head.

Sent stumbling towards Felix in a daze, Felix crouched down and tensed his legs. Jumping up, he twisted around in the air and delivered a devastating kick to the morgrem’s jaw, digging his heel deep into the morgrem’s jawbone. The morgrem’s head recoiled back behind his body, and he toppled over to the ground. 

Motionless.

The cold rain pelted Felix as he stood there on the muck, panting heavily. Catching his breath, he did not take his eyes off the morgrem that laid unconscious in front of him as he cautiously inched his way forward. With a small tap from his foot, he nudged the morgrem’s leg that now shown impressions of fangs and black scorch marks on its surface.

Then another nudge.

The morgrem laid there as still as the trees around them, only his hair animated to movement as it weakly swayed along the ground with the biting wind.

Standing over the knocked-out criminal, Felix carefully untied and grabbed the misshapen pouch that had been knotted to the morgrem’s waist, and stashed the stolen goods away in his own satchel.

Backing away, satisfied with his work done, Felix froze at a sudden realization.

Star.

Frantically swiveling his head, scanning the area around him, Felix found Star lying motionless near a puddle a short distance away. Hurrying to her side, Felix let out a strangled breath of relief to find her breathing, even if her breath was slight. 

The curls and feathers on her head was all disheveled from the beating it received, and her shoulder was seen still trickling out some blood. 

He went quickly to work, thinking back to his time in training, recalling methods to treat wounds in the field. 

Applying pressure to the wound, Felix stanched the flow of blood as he dug into his satchel, retrieving the sitrus berry Willow had given him. Taking a large bite out of the berry and swallowing, Felix could feel his own stamina and strength flood back to him from the smooth-tasting fruit, then holding the berry in front of Star’s mouth. “Star,” he said, “you still with me?” As Star laid on the ground, Felix could see her weakly nodding her head. “Come on, eat this. It’s a sitrus berry. Don’t worry, you’re going to be okay,” he reassured her. Star began nibbling at the berry held in front of her, then transitioning to moderate bites, chewing her way around the core as Felix rotated the fruit. Finally opening her eyes, Star achingly got off the ground, staggering to her feet. “Are you good to walk?” he asked.

“Yes, I believe so,” Star shakingly replied. Taking a step forward, that statement held true until Star took another step with the leg that had the shoulder injury, where she suddenly shrieked and fell to her side again when she placed her weight on the limb. “No I’m not! No I’m not!” she cried out. Felix quickly came to her side again. “I am in no condition to walk.”

Felix stood back and swung his head around, spying the area around him for some miraculous solution to this problem, finding none. Taking in a deep breath and crossing his arms behind his head, he relented, releasing an accepting groan. He tossed the spent sitrus core off the side of the close ledge into the rushing waters below. Kneeling down to Star’s side, he offered out his hand. “Come on then,” he said, “I’ll carry you back.”

Star’s head perked up. “Really?”

“Yes, really, now climb on before I put any more thought into it.”

Taking the hint, Star rolled onto her feet, careful not to apply weight to her shoulder. Circling behind Felix, she crawled onto his back and into position, anchoring herself to him. “So tell me,” she said, “did we get him?”

“Yeah. There,” Felix replied while pointing a finger to the morgrem that lay in the mud. “Not too sure how we’re supposed to bring him back, even if you could walk on your own. I ain’t carrying him. Don’t need him to decide to wake up and stab me in the back. But don’t worry,” he said as he patted his satchel with his free hand, “I got back the goods. We’ll return them to the client tomorrow. First, we need to get you fixed up by Pechi, then we’ll turn in for the night and rest. We earned it.”

Star poked her wet head over Felix’s shoulder, loose strands of messy, soaked, red hair strung in front of her eyes. “We should turn the items in immediately… but today has been eventful enough already,” she said with a small, self-content nod. “Very well, we can do it tomorrow.”

Turning his back to the monster, Felix started his way off the narrow peninsula and towards the village. Passing shrubs and puddles, he made sure to avoid the many ledges around by staying center along the muck paths, lest he tempted more shots towards him and Star as he progressed. The sound of turbulent water began to fade with the growing distance.

Patches of golden tallgrass soon became small fields that waned with the wind, as did the trees and their sprawling limbs around them. The rain that poured from the volumes of the expansive gray above had softened as he traveled further, transitioning into a gentle trickle near the outskirts. He felt the weight of the water that had been absorbed into his short-fur: cold and heavy it resided on him, as well on Star, he felt. The wet tassels on the side of his head reluctantly swung as he walked, as if they were bags of sand. Chilled wind that shuffled red and yellow leaves into a fervent dance throughout the crisp, autumn air, did not help to fight this freezing feeling.

But a small source of comfort he found, came from the warmth that embraced his back.

As Star’s damp head rested on his shoulder, Felix heard a soft, subdued giggle from her, easily noticeable at such proximity.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“That would be twice now, you know,” she said with a blithe air. 

“Twice what?”

“That time inside that cursed forest, and today, with you and that lovely ledge and friendly morgrem.”

Felix’s eyes narrowed as he puzzled over what she meant, focusing on a wet stone in front of him as he cautiously stepped over it. After a brief thought, he relaxed his gaze as he realized what she had meant. He chuckled quietly, tossing up his shoulders slightly to readjust Star into a more comfortable position.

 “Yeah," he answered. “That would make it twice now.”

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 7

Reminiscences, Ruminations

“Sheesh, you sure picked a heck of a time to swing around here, Blue,” Petal said.

Warm, pleasant, golden and pink waves of setting light washed over the vast garden of trees harboring fruits, and rows of succulently rich brown dirt that sprout green and orange vegetables. The chill of the autumn air wrapped around Felix like a blanket of frost, nipping at his rounded nose as he let out a breath that became a fine cloud of mist in the air, catching the colorful rays in its haze.

“What can I say, the bird said to come here around this time, and that you’d be here,” Felix responded. Pacing over to a tree bearing some modest pairs, he leaned on its cold, grooved bark and watched the small petilil as she placed a woven basket filled with a small number of apples down onto grassy terrain. “Only thing is,” he continued, “I thought it’d be mamma Petal I’d be seeing- not her kid."

Leveling the basket on the ground, Petal shot him a small glare with her amber, seed-like eyes. “I ain’t a kid, you know. Just haven’t evolved yet,” she said. “And I thought she’d be the one coming to pay you, too- up until the point where she gave me this stuff and told me to come here. Just more responsibility she wants me to learn how to manage, I guess.” Poking her head over the basket, Petal used the three narrow leaves atop her head to move aside a few apples and retrieved a small tan pouch she held aloft in her leaves. “Tell me,” she requested, “did you punch that slouch real good?”

Reeling her head back then forward, she tossed Felix the pitiful pouch.

“In a manner of speaking, I guess,” he replied as he caught the purse and stowed it away into his satchel. “Got in a few good hits on him, though it went both ways. My partner got the worst of it: she got careless, and got stuck with whatever you call a lance made of hair, right in her shoulder,” he relayed with a frown. Digging into his satchel, he retrieved the small bag that held what little food was found to be left untouched by the morgrem.

“Sheesh, tough luck. Oh yeah, you have a partner now. Who's the lucky number, Blue?” Petal asked.

Felix held out the bag towards the petilil, the now indented and scratched silver bead on his arm shimmering a radiant gold in the late sunlight. “A vulpix, by the name of Star. She’s pleasant enough to be around, and real handy in a fight, too, but it’s obvious she hasn’t been in a honest-to-goodness scrap with a thug who’d rather kill her than speak with her. I’m going to catch up with her at this Caelum character’s house after this.”

Petal stared at him with a blank expression, not moving to grab the bag he held out. Her beady eyes bored into him, the gears of her plump head churning as she stared emptily at him.

Felix gave the bag a small jiggle. “Well? You want the stuff your mom hired us to nearly get impaled over?”

The petilil feverishly shook her head, snapping out her trance. “Wait, wait-wait-wait,” she hastily spilled out. “Wait.”

He stood idly beside the tree, staring at Petal as she impatiently shuffled to him. “What?”

“Oh, ‘what,’ he says,” she mockingly mimicked in the deepest voice she could strangle out with her high-pitched voice. “You’re buddy-buddy with Star? And she got stabbed?!”

“What? You know her?”

“Stop saying ‘what,’ already!” Petal barked. “Heck yeah, I know her! She’s been like the only actual friend I have around here! And you’re just going to casually drop saying that she’s been stabbed, like it’s no different from you saying you took a big ol’ huff of flowers on your way back from taking a dip in a creek, with that round little ol’ nose of yours!” At her words, Felix’s free hand slowly crept up to his face, gently grasping the nose he possessed. Petal’s beady eyes narrowed. “And don’t get self-conscious about your nose now! You’re her teammate! Her partner! Her thing that’s supposed to not let her get stabbed!”

Felix shot a glance to his side and released a deep breath, then refocused back on Petal. “Look, it’s a pretty thought to think that everything will go well for us good guys, and that we’ll always nail the thieves and crooks and the like,” he said. “But that ain’t the world. Sometimes we get hurt. Bad.” Petal’s fierce glare softened, her gaze falling away to the wayside.

“Yeah,” she responded. “I hear you. And you’re right. But try not to get her broken, yeah?" Petal asked. “She breaks easy.” 

Felix nodded. “Right, I’ll… try harder.” Re-outstretching his arm with the bag, he held it close to Petal. “So, you want the thing we’ve been paid to get or not?”

Petal looked up to the bag, eyeing it hesitantly. “How’s she now, Blue? Is she alright?”

“Yeah, took her to the clinic. She got a sitrus berry pretty close after getting the wound, before that, too. She’s fine. Though, if I’m being honest,” Felix trailed off, “it’s probably going to leave something of a scar. That Pechi character says she’s got a clean bill of health, otherwise.”

“Right, well, good, I think,” Petal replied. Shifting her sight back to the bag held in front of her, she gave a small self-assured nod. “Keep it, Blue.”

Felix shot her his own curious stare. “Really? Keep it? Ain’t momma Petal going to want this stuff back?”

Petal sputtered out a half-heartedly contained giggle. “Her? Want to keep it? Nah, that’s not how mom works. She’s just gonna toss the stuff. No way she wants to put this stuff that dirty crook got his filthy little mitts all over out for sale. And I know this for a fact: she taught me as much, after all. Pretty sure she just wanted you and Star to send a message. Something like, ‘come theivin’ here again, and you’ll regret it,’ you know? So yeah, keep it. Better it feed you and her than waste away. Besides, the way I see it,” she said with a mischievous look in her eyes, “if mom really wants me to look after this place someday, she’s going to have to live with the way I decide to handle business. Especially since, you know, fifty poké is hardly a fair amount for any kind of work."

“Well,” he mumbled, “thanks. Appreciate the gesture.” Retracting his arm, he stowed away the goods back into his satchel. Giving Petal a firm nod, he took a step away from the luscious, rich tree. “I’ll see you later, then.”

Before he could get any amount of distance from the tree, the petilil quickly shuffled her way in front of him. “Bup-bup-bup! Woah there, I still need to tell you something. Come back over here a sec.” She spun around and moved back to the basket resting near a tree.

Following behind her, Felix came to a stop beside the basket as she had. Mounds of richly brown dirt lined themselves neatly beside them; sprouts of modest pumpkins rested on the green earth beside them. The setting sunlight now faintly illuminated the farmland around him, as night encroached. “Yea? What do you want?”

“So,” she started, “you busy being new around here or what?”

“No, not really.”

“Good! That’s what I figured. So, Blue, I’ll be meeting you in the square tomorrow evening to drag you to an event me and my mom are catering. It’s not going to be big exactly, but it is going to be rowdy. Here, help me pick this up,” she said as she gestured towards the basket. 

“I- Where did- Sure,” Felix said. Bending down, he heaved up the basket of many apples, and placed it on top of Petal’s head, her three leaves splayed out to balance the load. She stumbled a bit, adjusting her head to carry the new weight, finally settling still once she became properly attenuated. “Why does mamma Petal have a little thing like you doing this lifting?”

“I ask myself that a lot, Blue,” she responded between grunts. “Literally any other person besides me would be better for this stuff. I don’t even have arms, for crying out loud!” 

“Well, I’m sorry to hear that.” Grabbing the rim of the basket, Felix shifted it slightly so it was centered atop Petal’s splayed three leaves. “Where did this come from? The sudden job, I mean.”

“Some rich guy. He’s holding an auction of sorts at this old human manor place a small ways from the town. Been raising a lot of attention for it, too, if I remember correctly- and I do. Even got some fliers advertising the thing on poles around here. Oh, and see these apples?” 

“Yeah, I see them fine enough,” Felix said as he gave the apples a once-over. Their brilliant red sheen glowed in the settling light. “What about them? They fermented or something?”

“Righto, Blue! These apples here have been specially ordered by our client, and boy-oh-boy, can they make even the most lead-stomached, teetotaler Pokémon end up blabbering and stumbling something wicked after a few of these babies. Point is: we’re going to need you to keep the more mean-spirited guests out of the place. I’m guessing you’re not looking to be a broke bloke for much longer, so you in?”

One word sprung to mind.

Opportunity.

“Yeah, consider me in. Should I bring Star with?”

“Uh, no, don’t,” Petal annoyedly responded. “The girl got stabbed just yesterday, and you’re thinking of bringing her to work already? Remember how two seconds ago you said you’d try harder to be a better bud to your bud? Here’s an idea: let her take the day off, Blue.”

“I-,” he stumbled out. Grumbling, he begrudgingly accepted her point. “You’re right. I’ll let her know.”

Petal’s eyes, though tiny, seemed to give off an air of gratitude towards him as she heard those words. “Good. You’ll be head honcho of the year at this rate.”

“Yeah, yeah. Who’s this big-spender, anyhow?” Felix asked as he turned to leave.

Petal’s head slowly turned to keep up with him as she struggled with the weight of the case she wore. “Oh, that’s easy. He’s some sylveon named Riley. Real pompous guy.”

“Riley, huh…” Felix repeated. Rubbing his chin with his cool, metal oval, he didn’t notice as a small grin creeped on his face, nor as the metal became clouded with his breath. “I’ll be there, Petal. Just be sure to fetch me at the square.”

“That, I sure can do, Blue. Catch ya then.” Turning around, Petal began awkwardly stumbling away along the rows of dirt, careful to avoid tagging any nearby trees with her luggage. But as Felix himself had begun to leave, he found himself with some minor words left in his throat, coaxing him to be let free.

“Hey, Petal!” he called out. Petal stopped in her tracks amongst the farmland, but did not turn around to meet his words.

“Yeah, what is it, Blue?”

“It’s not ‘Blue,’” he called out, “it’s ‘Felix!’” 

Petal’s back remained frozen in place to him, but he could see as her head slightly turned to her side towards him. “Felix, is it?” she called back.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Petal remained silent for a moment, then she resumed walking forward again towards an open red shed that lay beyond a thicket of trees proudly displaying sweet red and sour green apples ahead. Much of the diminishing daylight had now fleeted away, only light pink rays of the tired sun now hung loosely in the air, enchanting all the land's hanging fruit with a magical glow in the midst of the stagnant cold. A small snicker quietly echoed through the dark, lush land between them.

“Nah, I think I still prefer ‘Blue,’ Blue.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was right where Star said it would be.

The old house that rested on the crest of the hill, sat lonely amongst the barren trees that served as its only company. Long and twisting cold shadows were cast down from the naked branches above; the thinly shades of the trees snaked around and over the comfortable building, each contour of the branches finding a dark nook or blades of grass to settle into. Horizontal wooden boards lined each wall of the sturdy, oaken structure, slanting outwards towards the top of the homestead. Atop that pointed roof decorated with pale, rosy tiles, lay a chimney of scarlet and tanned bricks. 

And a curious, pink stream of wisps gently rose to the dark, star-laden sky above, from this humble chimney, catching the low gleaming rays of the sun as it lay prone beyond the thicket and horizon. The strands of ethereal mist quickly vanished as gentle, guiding wind carried the fine vapor into nothing, save for the calm, cold air above and around in this early night.

Taking a gander at the home, Felix found no door, but a featureless wooden panel where one should be. No knobs or grooves could be found on its flat surface, yet he could easily picture it being able to slide out of the way to permit entry into the house, should he have been able to get any sort of grip on the panel. Taking a stroll up to the ‘door,’ he heard small talk between Star and an unknown monster, though the poor transmission of their speech through the wall and panel left it only audible as mere incomprehensible jargon. He rapped the panel with the metal bead on his hand, the distinguishable clink of the iron against the thick wood hushing the conversation beyond. 

“Hey, Star!” he called out, “You in there? I’m here!” In an instant, the stark wooden panel ahead of him began to flush in a soft pink, the inconceivable hum of a psychic force accompanying the sight. The sounds of stressed wood churned in the air as the panel slowly rose a few inches off the ground in a deliberate movement, before finally sliding back and to the side, coming to a rest inside the warmly lit house as Felix entered behind it.

His breathing stilled at the sight before him.

The smell of incense was immediate and fierce, hounding his nose with the fragrance of wax and orchid. A single lit lantern hung from a small chain that clung close to the ceiling, illuminating the single-roomed house with its enduring ember.

Below it, he saw Star sitting patiently beside a table that rested mere inches off the ground with its absurdly short legs, a small smile on her face. A shallow ceramic bowl, as well as two glass cups, resided on the table’s surface, all filled with pure, clear water. Green herbs, cloves, bottles and vials of indeterminate and colorful content, and dangling roots, hung from the top of the slanted walls. Rolls of large paper that looked to be caked in soot, rested in all four corners. And floating in the center of the room, just opposite of Star, was a pink and purple tapir. Pink mist emanated from its forehead, rising up to the raised ceiling and into a small dark hole that led out into the brick chimney. A musharna was before him: old and wrinkled, she floated stagnantly in the air like a pinkish cloud.

Yet, despite the scents and sights in the small, comfortable abode, Felix’s attention was stolen by what rested beneath the herbs on all four walls: items of humanity. 

Cloths of cloaks, tableware of silver and carved wood, tools plentiful in variety, rolls of dirty maps, and papers stained in blotches of ink and mad scribblings of a language he could finally understand: written in his language.

His past.

All collected, categorized, and hung on small wooden stakes embedded on the surface of each wall.

“Felix!” Star gleefully exclaimed, finally snagging away his attention from the collection of possessions. “Come! Take a seat over here! I talked Caelum’s ears off about you already! I wish to introduce you to her.” Felix stiffly made his way to Star’s side, sitting on the sanded-down wooden floor beside her. On the front of her chest, he saw how some fur stiffly stuck out where she had been injured.

Still processing his new emotions, he stared at nothing in particular as he reached across the incredibly low table and dragged a glass cup of water towards himself. “Felix,” Star began, “this is Caelum! She’s been a big influence to me growing up, and a good friend to my family, as well as to New Galar as a whole.”

The musharna floated lazily in the air, not focusing on anything as she swiveled gently ahead of them. “So, you’re little one Felix, are you?” Caelum asked knowingly.

Felix did not respond. His mind was trapped somewhere else. His idle hands clasped themselves to the glass in front of them, feeling the near-perfect circle that the lip of the glass produced with his blue, fur-lined finger, tracing its rim in contemplation. Appreciating the craft in a way he never could have before.

“Felix? Something on your mind?” Star asked, bringing him back to his surroundings once again.

“I- er, yeah. That’s me,” the words tumbling out of his mouth. 

Caelum’s body rolled slowly in place as she hovered in the air. “Charmed,” she remarked. “Is this the same Felix you’ve recounted as decisive and courageous, Star?”

Quickly stopping her lapping of water from the bowl in front of her, Star’s head poked up towards the floating mass. “Oh, you can count on him when it comes down to it, Caelum. It’s just that…” Her eyes fell back towards Felix, measuring him as he stared with fondness down to the cup he held in his palms. “He’s got some quirks, but he’s a good spirit. I trust him and his leadership.”

The musharna’s clamped eyes furrowed at their brows, then settling down again a second later. Her body lowered itself towards the pair, levitating just in front of Felix and Star as a purple and pink bundle of psychic energy, illuminated by the faint glow of ember above her. “Ever stout in what your mother taught you, are we? Very well,” she replied. Weightless, she slowly rolled through the air to Felix, gravity a mere suggestion to her. “It is to my understanding that you have come to repossess what is mine.”

Staring at her for a moment, Felix’s posture shot up when he remembered their job here in the first place. Fishing around in his satchel, he retrieved a separate pouch that housed the human goods they had separated from the foodstuff, and placed the sack on the table. “Yeah, we found your stuff.”

Without saying a word, the wisps of pink smoke hazing off of the musharna’s head thickened, clouding the ceiling in a rosy fog as her closed gaze twitched. The bag rose off the low table, its twine around its neck becoming animated and untying itself. Dropping the tan pouch to the table, numerous items of glassware, utensils, and a wooden toy carved into the visage of a clefairy, were dragged through the air, began sequentially being rested on a few open stakes along the wall, or laid symmetrically across a the top of a tall shelf. 

“Caelum, was it?” Felix asked.

“Most likely,” she replied.

“Where did you stumble across all this stuff?”

Another silvery utensil danced across the air, lying perfectly symmetrical to a row of similar silverware across a countertop. “‘Stumble’ is a crude choice of word for one’s lifelong work. ‘Source’ would be apt.” Swiftly, the rest of the floating items flew to their assigned marks along the wall, hanging quietly in stasis once more as they came to a stop. “I have mastered vast plains, surmounted impossible peaks, and tamed rabid seas: all in the name of my research.” Floating up, Caelum hovered across the room towards a close wall, turning to face the many cloths laden upon it with her closed vision. 

“Research...?” Felix’s eyes squinted, closely watching Caelum. “What kind of research?”

A tan beaten and battered cloth was lifted off its stake by an unseen force, then opened, revealing the stains of ash and scarring tatters it bore. “In my time before my retirement, I was a seeker of the past, tasked with sifting through the sands, salt, and ash of time; a historian of sorts, if you will. What you see now is simply my personal collection of items that I and my small team unearthed in our expedition for understanding. After careful examination, the items in this very house were deemed either grossly redundant, or null in their content towards our research. As such, they have come to reside here, in my personal collection.” 

“Yeah, that’s nice to hear,” Felix dismissively stated as he stood up from the low table, gesturing out with the glass cup in his hand, “but again, what were you researching? Why take an interest in all this human junk?”

The rag that floated aimlessly in the air folded in on itself in an instant into a perfect square, before being placed silently on its wooden stake once more. “A moot question. We have every reason to glean insight into the bygone lives of humanity. Their tools, cultures, ideas and aspirations: every drop of the past can come to serve us in the here and now.”

Felix ears atop his head perked up. “Bygone lives? I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m too sure what plane your research is in right now. Humanity ain’t gone,” he said. Star’s pointed ears twitched, one ear then falling to the side as she cocked her head, her eyes betraying her confusion to him. The musharna floated still in the air, bobbing only slightly in place. Her back illuminated a warm orange hue from the flicker of lamplight, she slowly spun to face him.

“If I may be so direct, Felix: what a foolish statement. After the calamity that was the Darkest Days, all of humankind perished within a mere two years, by my own estimates. Struggling for breath beneath a world of ash, they choked under the weight of their mistakes. The land a casualty of this event, no food could be grown underneath the ceaseless clouds of cinder and soot. Rivers ran black with debris. The world ran cold, brought by an atmosphere of strangling darkness.” 

Felix stared absently at Caelum. Though her eyes remained closed, he could feel the piercing gaze of her being. He finally spoke. “What kind of sadistic fairy-tale is that? You’re acting like the end of the world came and went! Look outside! Where’s this ‘world of ash’ you speak of? Where’s the rivers running black? Where’s all this stuff you’re talking about?”

The musharna hummed. Floating back towards the center of the room, the fine pink mist from her forehead once more thickened. “You appear young, so I suppose it is rather difficult for one to believe of a cataclysm that occurred just decades ago, given the charity of the land today. If you desire weight behind my words, then consider these trinkets the affirmation of my statements.” Numerous blackened cloths, a sealed vial containing black and gray particulates, and a ruined paper flying from the drawer of the countertop, all were summoned from the room surrounding them to musharna’s side, floating around her in a broad circle. 

The vial floated down towards Felix, coming to peaceful rest in front of him. Grabbing it, he saw how thick, granular clumps of soot and debris blocked out the bottom and sides of the worn, thin vial; a disgusting opaque. What could be spied on the inside of the blotted glass from peeks between the caked, crumpling walls of sediment, were fine, floating particulates, looming inside like smoke.

“What am I staring at...?” Felix mumbled.

Star’s ears dropped to the sides of her head as she examined the vial beside him, keenly attentive to each detail of the scratched glass. “That is the breath the world shared the Darkest Days…” Star muttered. Leaning in closer, she tilted her head this way and that as she observed the trapped history. “The soot, ash, and apathy that rained from the sky and swallowed the world.” 

Felix stared curiously at her as she remained focused on the vial, then back to the glass. “Yeah, great stuff,” he sneered, “but how does this prove anything?”

“It does not prove anything on its own, but if we were to use our knowledge of this smog and examine these…” Caelum once more turned.

In an instant, the tattered and dirty rags glided down onto the table below, coming to a rest in front of Felix. “See these cloths?” she asked. Scorned by ash and soot, the battered rags laid themselves out in front of Felix, unashamedly brandishing the gaping gashes across their blackened fabric bodies that were once beige. Only one slit of the many appeared intentional. In truth, if those gashes had been closed or sewn, he could easily see these rags as something of a pouch, given the definitive opening they each held at their bottom. “These,” Caelum continued, “were masks worn by humans during the Darkest Days, likely to filter particulate debris very similar if not exactly alike from that vial, when traveling the surface during the Darkest Days.” 

Picking up the sooty cloth, Felix fitted his hand through the bottom opening and splayed his three short fingers inside to better examine it. Sure enough, the cloth spread out to resemble a mask of sorts, which could cover all of the head save for the eyes. Around where one’s mouth would be was stained impossibly black like scorned ash. Running his fingers on the area, the caking soot felt cold and grimy, its texture like clay. “These particular masks were located in the eastern region of Paldea, within the assumed borders of the Paldean Empire. The effectiveness of the masks in protecting their bearers was highly suspect. In my own personal opinion, they only served to provide a false sense of security against the suffocating air in those darkest days; a desperate attempt to stave away their gaseous fate.”

Cold. The once beige mask was deathly cold; immane tears scarred its blotted and blacked surface. He laid the mask back down on the table. “These prove nothing. You could have got them anywhere. The smudge could be from some fool just smearing the things,” Felix coldly uttered.

“Agreed,” replied Caelum. “These by themselves can only be summed up to theories or ideas. But permit me to produce one last item.” From Caelum’s illuminated side sailed down the ruined paper, flittering down to lie in front of him.

The derelict paper must have been crumpled and crushed hundreds of times; it didn’t have anything approaching a flat surface, but rather a crude interpretation of mountains and jagged passes with its misshapen form. Crumbs of dirt and blotches of mud and dried mire had pasted themselves across this surface, making the paper more like a crude three-dimensional map of rolling muddy hills days after a rainstorm, the stains of time blotting much of the written text.

“I recognize that this is quite the favor I am asking, but I ask that you believe me when I say that this paper details to some degree the communication of a human to others who might stumble across the note, a location to temporarily shelter. The timeframe of when this was written was loosely estimated to be a mere week to six months after the beginning of the Darkest Days, whilst physical traces of the event can be easily observed on the paper itself. Though I know you can’t read this human language, trust in me when I say that my previous team and I had painfully deciphered this text to reveal as much.”

But Felix could read the faded and obfuscated text, if only just.

It was the language he had known his entire life, after all.

At the corner of the paper lay the crest he had served faithfully before: a hollow hexagon surrounded by 18 closely-stitched gemstones around it.

THE GREAT EMPIRE OF PALDEA

DECREE FROM MESAGOZA HOUSE OF DEFENSE AFFAIRS

“Seize the turn of a new era”

COPY TO BE DISTIBUTED TO OFFICERS WITH COMPLETE PRIORITY

-To follow the previous letter detailing the disaster of unprecedented proportions at Sector: Zero-

The ambush undertaken His enemies has been confirmed quelled; Sector: Zero remains under His flag, despite major losses: proof of divine favor for His vision.

The northern line has been broken following the strike by a now hostile I.E.; supplies have dwindled rapidly in treatment of wounded and fortification attempts.

I.E remains looming above Sector: Zero, and is to be considered an enemy of the Empire and destroyed.

For concern of further attack by His enemies, and by His Decree, all forces stationed in the lands of: Kalos, Marea, Eastern Unova, Orre, and Alola, are to abandon their ground and begin a full retreat to the ports of Porto Marinada.

Weather conditions are predicted to be dense, black fog across all major bodies of water.

Further instruction will be provided once docked at Port Marinada.

Travel will commence within a day of the receival of this note by the appropriate officer/captain/general.

All personnel, landcrafts aircrafts, and assets not onboard friendly watercrafts within this timeframe are to be abandoned and considered forfeit to His enemy.

Failure to heed any instruction listed will be considered summary treason.

Signed in service of His vision:

Antonio W.

Felix leaned back and away from the paper. His head and neck felt stiff, unwilling to move in any direction. “But that’s…” tumbled out of his mouth. He felt his vision crawl along the table, yet unwilling to focus on anything as they wandered. “I would have remembered something like that.”

“Of course you would, this event was world-changing in every sense,” Caelum continued.

Felix shook his head. “No, that isn’t right.” Pulling his head up, he sorely looked towards Caelum as she indifferently floated. “You’re lying.”

An irritated snort hissed out of Caelum’s nose as a small pink mist. “Then am I lying about this?” The drawers of the countertop instantly slid open. Caelum’s mist thickened as many more items and trinkets flew up to circle the lantern near the ceiling, casting haunting shadows of ruined toys, shards of shattered cups, a shattered handheld mirror with a misshapen handle, torn spines of books, and a broken ball split into its red and tan wooden halves, along the walls around the light of the lantern, showering the floor with specks of ash and soot as they danced. “Is this not evidence of a broken humanity?” A clefairy doll carved from wood let itself down in front of him, its limbs broken and crevices filled with dried mud and bits of decaying blades of grass. “Or is this not, either?” Then the shards of cupware laid themselves out on the table in a straight line. Behind the stains of dirt and gnarly scratches on their once pristine surface, he could make out the faded patterns of the many forms of oricorio, broken across into the dozens of pieces presented in front of him. “Or these?” The remaining tattered spines, broken toys, the decimated ball, and the mirror, flew to Felix and circled around him. He tried to look away from the pieces of disaster, but each way he looked, fragments of torment hovered close. He shot his face down to the floor, shut his eyes, and blocked the peripherals of his view with raised arms.

“Felix?” Star interjected. He couldn’t see her, but he heard as she shifted a little beside him. “You are… looking pale. Are you alright?” 

Felix stiffly looked up. The objects still circled around him, etching their broken form into his mind. The shattered mirror passed by in front of him. In that lingering moment, between the shards of reflective glass that remained on that small surface, a small figure stared back, its face distraught and shattered along the shards. 

A riolu, where he should have been.

“This is reality, Felix,” spoke Caelum, “this is cold, unbending truth.” The circling objects finally lifted themselves, flying orderly back into the drawer as it firmly shut its hollowed wood.

Felix stood cold in that warmly-lit room. His throat dry, his feelings numb.

A small, wet nudge came at his side. “Felix, are you coming down with something? Come on, talk to me.” He couldn’t bring his head to turn, nor his eyes to look away from where that mirror had been a mere moment ago.

Swallowing some spit to relieve his parched throat, he spoke a single, shaky word.

“W-Why?”

“You are shaking,” Star responded.

His vision lowered itself to the floor. Pulling his blue limbs to his small chest, he saw how his fingers and arms made small involuntary movements, twitching every moment or so.

“Yeah, guess I am shaking,” he dryly replied.

No thoughts. His legs moved independently of his order. 

Then continued moving. Stepping across the cold wooden floor. Stepping over the border of the floor and out into the frigid night, away from the warm light of the room behind him. His throat felt dry, parched: contrary to his body which had broken into a cold sweat. His head couldn’t quite grasp the sounds around it as he moved forward, further into a sense of looming dread.

 Muffles beside him. The soft footsteps of a small fox, dull and near mute. Following him. 

Trailing beside him as he stumbled through the night, all the way to a hill crested with jagged, looming rocks.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The two sat in silence beneath the open breath of the cold night. 

The tranquility of the swaying trees in the biting wind numbed Felix as his mind lingered back to that room. Star only sat next to him, enraptured by the canvas of the cosmos above, her eyes darting between heavenly bodies. Looking at his clammy palms, he took deep breaths to steady himself. But to little success.

He felt lost.

“Felix,” she finally spoke. 

Felix rolled his head away from the dark, frosted grass to her.

Star had her ears pulled back, and stared at him worryingly. “You have been acting strange ever since entering that room,” she observed, “well, stranger than usual, anyway.” Star let out a small awkward chuckle, but quickly cleared her throat when she saw he had not mirrored a similar response. “Right, sorry. Come on, talk to me here, Felix. I wish to help you. What has been eating at you?”

“Everything, I guess.”

Star opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Looking back to the starry night, Felix raised his arm to a constellation familiar to him, pointing at it. “See that star formation?” he asked her.

“I see it, yes. The one with the nine stars?”

He dropped his arm to the ground again, staring longfully to the shimmering patchwork in the night sky. “That’s home,” he said. “I don’t know how far, I don’t how long it would take, but home’s right under there.”

Star flicked the six of her tails. “Just over yonder.”

“Yeah.”

Felix raised his arms once more, looking at how blue fur lined his small arms, how three digits resided where there were once five, and how beads of metal rested on them. He leaned his head this way and that, noting the black tassels that swung freely from the sides of his head. And the tail; something that should never have been his.

He needed someone to talk to about it.

“I-” His words became lodged in throat as he choked back a burning sensation building in his eyes. “I wasn’t always this way, you know,” he spoke quietly.

“No, I would not know,” Star responded. “Were you quieter back then? More timid? Or is it something else?”

“Louder and more hard-headed back then, if you can believe it,” he softly chuckled, “but no, I mean something else. Look at me.”

At his instruction, Star patiently looked him up and down, prying for any detail she may have missed he might be alluding to. “Alright, I have gotten a fair look at you. Are you still hurting from that morgrem?” she asked sympathetically.

Taking in a deep breath, he leaned forward off the rock they had been sitting by and looked to her intensely, his anxiety worn plainly across his face. “I wasn’t always a riolu.”

He could hear the wind push past the rock over them, hissing as it did so as Star’s ears slowly crept forward; her look of sympathy replaced by one of curiosity.

“Pardon, but are you saying that you’re actually a…” she whispered.

Felix looked at her expectantly, wondering if she must have pieced it together by now.

“Are you saying you’re actually a ditto?”

A cough sputtered out of Felix. “No! No that’s not it!”

“Oh, then a zorua perhaps?” she guessed.

“Neither! I’m a… I was once…” The words he wanted to say choked him. Clenching his palms into little fists, he turned over to Star and placed a hand firmly on her shoulder. “Star, I’m only going to say this once, so listen very carefully.”

She looked at his hand, then back up to him.

He spoke slowly, each word deliberate and punctuated. “I am not a riolu. I am a human.”

He retracted his hand from her shoulder. Star’s mouth was partially agape. He saw how her eyes darted about, quickly dotting around his body. “You… were human in your previous life?”

“I mean… I was.” He rested his head back on the frigid, rough surface of the rock, eyes locked back on the beacons that led home. “I don’t know how I came to be… this.” He randomly waved his arms about his body, gesturing towards the many parts that were only recently his. “The last thing I remember before waking up on that road was heading up a set of stairs. Those… stairs.”

Star looked at him, perplexed, her head cocked to the side. “What is wrong with some stairs?”

“Those stairs had never been there before,” he responded. Closing his eyes and digging through the pit of his memory, Felix recalled that day. “Me and a unit had been sent to a location a ways southeast of my village, Cascarrafa, to a site that the guys up top wanted us to investigate.”

“You were part of a team before?” Star curiously asked, scooting forward a small amount towards him.

“Yeah,” Felix chuckled out, “the Toreros. We were Marea’s pride and defenders; the first and last line of defense of our homes, fields, and families. I was sent out to that site with a small unit across the border into the Paldean Empire, along with a good friend. But when we got there… we could see it along the horizon, miles before we had arrived. It was like… a big, purple sphere. I’d seen nothing like it before. Much of the team had their reservations about getting close. Myself among them. But by our captain’s order, we marched right into that thing to investigate. Grassy plains one minute, then right inside some cave the next as soon as we crossed the barrier. Weird crystals glowed along the walls, lighting our way as we went further in like the bunch of fools we were. It was a beautiful sight, if I’m being honest. But that didn’t stop our worry. Those caverns were far too spacious, far too… deliberate. Some went straight, others led to junctions. The tunnels in there led to different clearings. It felt random, chaotic, but they were still connecting rooms. We figured we were in a monster’s den of sorts. Definitely didn’t help that it felt like everything in there seemed to be gunning for us. We made our way deeper, confident in our gear and supplies. Until…” 

He trailed off, clenching his eyes shut as he thought back to that room. That room. “There was this bigger clearing. Real wide, real long. I was at the rear of the line, watching our backs. But then I heard shouting coming from the front. I moved up the line, trying to see what had happened. And I saw how monsters had filled the room. An ambush. Rhyhorns, gligars, golbats, sneasels, more and more. Our guys wouldn’t have walked in there if they saw them. They had to have come out of nowhere. I… I ran. There was nothing I could’ve done. I was scrambling over ledges and knocking down whatever got in my way. And all around me, I heard this hum. It rang low and filled the halls, and it kept getting louder and louder. I had to ignore it. Searching for others and getting out was more important. Then, I found some stairs. Perfectly square, perfectly symmetrical, perfectly smooth. Perfect. They led up into a dark hole in the ceiling. I went in. And the humming stopped.” Opening his eyes again, he turned to Star. “And then I met you.”

The silence between them hung in the air, occupying the short distance between. Star lowered her head to the ground, her eyes wandering aimlessly across the earth as she sat in quiet contemplation. Her red, curled tails rising and falling in order.

“I want to go home, Star. I do. I want to see my family. I want to know if anyone made it out. I want to hug my mother and throw it all to the wind. But I don’t know if that’s what’s waiting for me. Not after today. And even if they are there,” his voice wavered, “they wouldn’t even know it was me.”

“Well, I…I am sorry to hear that, Felix…” Star said, “...I will be there for you. Human or not, I am more than willing to help you. I promise.” She shot Felix a genuine, heartfelt smile.

Looking at it, he felt a small amount of assurance behind her words.

“You said that Marea is overseas, right?”

“Yeah, over the water and that way,” he said as he briefly gestured to the constellation. 

“Right, so…” Lowering her head, Star’s eyes narrowed. Her sight danced along the ground as she thought, an ear flicking as she did so. “If you want to get across the sea, we’ll need to post a request through Didja to entice a Pokémon who can ferry you across the water a great distance. Which is pretty obvious, admittedly. I’ll be blunt: for a voyage like yours, with no known distance, it’s going to take a monstrous amount of poké. I’d wager something in the high hundreds, if not thousands. And to be direct once more: we literally walked out on our payment from Caelum. It is not a big issue, I shall be sure to visit her again soon and collect it, but I just thought I would bring it up to help illustrate that our finances are… less than optimal. And that fifty poké… It will be a sight to see how that little sum could be helpful, that is for certain. I’m not too sure how we’ll find the coin we need to see you across the sea soon. No one around here is that frivolous with their money for requests that we could handle.” 

“Actually…” Felix muttered, “I think I know someone who could give us the money we need.”

Star quickly shot him a skeptical look, a brow lowered at him. “Really? Who would give us money like that?”

“A real sly guy. I’ll be seeing him tomorrow at some sort of party for a job that Petal threw on me.” Felix leaned off to the side, grabbing their satchel and dragging it across the grass to them.

“What kind work could- oh, right. You mean that auction, do you not? I have seen the fliers for it. I will warn you: things can get pretty unpredictable in these kinds of parties, more-so if those fermented apples I heard talk of harvest of get brought out.” She nodded to herself in affirmation. “When will we be heading out?”

“We’ll need to be at the-” Felix stopped himself. The protruding tuft of fur on Star’s chest caught his eye, where he knew the scar was lying. “Actually, you should probably just pick up the money tomorrow from Caelum. Come back here, stay there at her place- just take the day off.”

“What, why?” Staring down at her recent injury, she caught on. “I am more than capable of assisting you, Felix. My wound has healed, it is hardly noticeable. Let me help.”

He flipped open the satchel and dug out the pouch filled with fruits, releasing a slight sweet and sour aroma that tickled their noses when he opened the small sack. “No, you’re not coming. And consider that an order from your team leader.”

Star frowned. “I am not going to sit around, you know. It is the whole reason I left Willow to join you. You have to let me do something,” she pleaded.

“Alright, well, tell you what. Why don’t you go off to Didja tomorrow and work with the bird to get the post out?”

She justled her head in confusion. “That soon? We lack anywhere near that funding yet!”

“I’ll get it, don’t worry. Can you do that for me, Star?”

“I- well, yes. I shall see it done.”

Opening the sack, he dug out a couple somewhat bruised pears, rolling one over to his partner. 

Before Star could do anything with the fruit, Felix held out his hand in front of her, letting it linger there in front of her. “Felix?” she asked.

“Like you said before,” he reminisced, “it just feels proper this way.”

Star looked down at his hand. A small, warm smile growing across her face. Extending out her paw, Felix took hold of it and the two shook. Their eyes meeting, they exchanged assured smiles, before finally ceasing, returning to the food in front of them.

Star prodded at the fruit with the small pad of her foot. Blowing a soft stream of flame, the pear quickly became seared, eliciting a sickly-sweet fragrance that wafted through the air. “Take this one for yourself, I’ll take the other,” she said.

At her instruction, Felix reached over and dropped the additional pear in front of her, and grabbed the piping hot fruit. Steam and a fruity, sugary scent rose off the simmered body, the skin of the fruit feeling as though it could slide off at any moment. Star performed the action once more, producing another cooked pear that she laid down with between her paws. 

Felix sat in silence, thinking back to what he saw in that room, and what he might see if had returned home. It was all too surreal to think about. He could only hold the pear and rotate it in the palms of his hands as he contemplated his situation.

Star looked to him, noticing his distant state. “Hey, do not worry, Felix,” she said, “I am not too familiar with humans being reborn into Pokémon as something of an occurrence, but you are a friend, regardless. I will be with you all the way to see you home. And do not ever give up on home. Do not ever give up on home. I know it shall be there waiting for you.”

Felix breathed softly out his nose, taking in her words to heart. Believing. “Thanks. And I really mean it, Star. Thank you.”

“Any time, partner. I am happy to help- be it Pokémon, human, or other.”

Chowing down into the steamy fruits, the pair enjoyed the tangy and rich sweetness from the pears’ flesh. The frigid cloak of the night made the treats that much more tantalizing as the two sat peacefully together beneath the brilliant display of space above.

Questions of home still persisted in Felix’s head, no matter how hard he tried to focus on the present in front of him: if his family still be there, if the walls of their sanctuary have been enough to keep their peace safe, if he truly was misplaced in time, as he was with space?

And if they would accept how he was now.

What the future held for him remained unclear beneath the frothing waves of apathetic forces beyond him, ever cruel with their passage.

But this night.

If only this very night.

He’d take solace in being able to share a warm meal with a friend.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 8

Sprouting Relationships

Draped by the ghostly curtain of pale moonlight, stood a proud and weathered manor.

The striking allure of broiled meats wafted from the old hall, whose windows warmly glowed and betrayed the lively silhouettes of many attendants within their abode. Two stories did it stand tall, and many more heights did the encroaching bare trees and their jagged, twisting limbs tower over the dated mansion. Its multi-floored rooftops did little to distract from its past grandeur.

Following behind Petal, the cluttered and vibrant clamor of the gathering grew in intensity as Felix drew closer- as did the hole in his stomach as the scale of the structure became increasingly apparent.

At the front entrance of parted mahogany doors, stood a sylveon who bore a confident smile as he welcomed a conkeldurr inside whilst the behemoth of muscle lumbered forward into the hall.

Shooting a quick peek behind herself, Petal noticed the small grimace on Felix’s rounded face. “Hey, chin up there, Blue!” Petal spoke as she poked him in the side with one of her longer grass blades, “they need us in there to provide both whatever foods and stuff they want, and smiles!” Turning her featureless face to him, Petal narrowed her beady, amber eyes. “And we both know smiling isn’t in the cards for me, so you’ll have to pull double for us, alright?”

“Right, right,” Felix half-attentively responded. They were quickly approaching the base of the small set of wooden-planked stairs, which raised itself onto the chipped balcony. “I mean, it’s not like you’re playing with a full deck, anyhow,” he rolled out his mouth.

While beside him he heard a half-confused, half-vexed grunt, he remained focused on the sylveon with a black bag strapped to its waist ahead.

Riley. 

Riley’s head broke off its glued stare from the conkeldurr, turning to Felix and Petal as they climbed up the stairs. The lips on Riley’s cool smile parted as he prepared to greet the two.

The constant hum of the crowd behind him could be heard as his poised smile softened. Scanning Felix up and down, Riley’s ribbons flicked in contemplation as Felix stared dryly into the sylveon’s sharp blue eyes. Closing his mouth and softly clearing his throat, Riley spoke.

“Fella.”

“Riley.”

Sensing the stuffed air between the two, Petal bounced her curious peer between the two. “Say, Blue, you familiar with this guy?”

“We’re acquainted, yes,” Riley responded, not taking his eyes off Felix for a moment.

“Oh, I know him, alright,” Felix dryly added as he returned Riley’s locked gaze.

“Well, Riley, sir,” Petal continued, “Felix here is the helping hand I found. He’ll be helping where he can, or whatever you tell him to do. I guess.”

Coiling his svelte ribbons back around his body and front leg, Riley broke his observance on Felix, tenderly looking down to Petal. “Is that right? Good, good. Say, Petal, why don’t you head on inside and help your dear mother? I do believe I wish for us to start soon.” A single ribbon from along Riley’s bow on his neck lengthened and gestured towards the interior of the lit hall.

Petal looked towards the crowded hall. The conglomeration of sounds between stubby legs of chairs scooting across a wooden floor, indecipherable disorder of voices, and the unmistakable sound of a platter crashing to the ground all pierced through to her. Letting out an audible groan, Petal began to enter the building, but not before turning to Felix. “Hey, Blue, once you’re all finished up with the sir here, help us out in here, yeah?” Turning past the corner of the entryway inside, she left sight.

Riley stood silently before Felix, not having lost his focused leer upon him as he scanned Felix “So,” he said, “been some time since we last traveled.”

“Yeah,” Felix replied, “I guess it’s been some time.” 

Riley and Felix exchanged glares that bore through the other’s unmoving demean. 

“I suppose you’re not here for a social call,” Riley calmly stated. “Regardless, it’s great to see you up and moving, fella! Last I recall, you were as cold as the dirt and laid out across the ground. Good to see you haven’t left us yet!” He softened his gaze and relaxed it into a small smile.

“Yeah, unfortunately for you,” Felix coldly replied. He took a step forward towards the Sylveon. “Don’t give me that silver-tongue. You weren’t counting on me getting back up! I’d gotten you out of that mess in that blizzard, and it wasn’t two moments later that you left me there and stole that stone from me!”

Riley’s shimmering blue eyes and snaring smile did not waver. “Why, I’m quite sorry that’s how you remember things,” he hummed. Treading forward, Riley began circling Felix whilst locking his eyes onto him. “That’s certainly a strange way of looking at it,” he mused.

Felix’s leer cut through the lingering amber light from the doorway, straight into Riley’s complacent mien. “What do you mean?”

“I intend no foul,” Riley hummed, “but from what I recall, I was responsible for my own safeguard after my escort had been unfortunately struck down by wilds. I know not of any ice stone. I had hurriedly fled to the village, and notified a good ghastly tree fellow of the events, before finding the nearest cleric to patch me up. The trevenant and shuckle would agree with me on these same points that I had confided to them. And really, fella…” Riley leaned in closer to Felix, dropping his voice to near silence, only just audible above the racket beside them, “you’ll agree that inimical events tend to find dishonest folk.”

Riley pulled his head away with an unflappable grin and beaming blue eyes. All Felix could do was stand idly in silence, the cold air of the night seeping into him.

A flash of anger filled his chest at the unsubtle remark. Collecting his thoughts once more, he blinked the irritability out of his eyes. “And is that a threat?”

“I don’t deal in threats,” Riley coyly breathed. Felix stuck him with a glare, but remained still. “Do we have an understanding?”

Felix shifted on his feet and looked away; a frown still held on his pointed face. “Yeah.”

“Wonderful!” Using two of his ribbons, Riley carefully adjusted the pink bow on his neck. “Now is there anything else we might need to discuss, or are we well and good? I’ve an auction to host, after all.”

Felix recalled the major reason he had come tonight. “You know, there is something else. That loan. I think I’ll need it.”

Riley’s round eyes began to taper, hungry for a deal. “Is that right? Finally come around to getting yourself stronger?” he keenly asked.

“No, not at all.” Riley’s eager peer waned at Felix’s words. Staring the sly sylveon down, he continued. “I’m looking to cross the ocean, and to cross it soon. Last I remember, you’re looking to share.”

The smile affixed to Riley’s face flattened. “I’m not looking to share. I’m looking to make folks happy- me among them.” A dull thud against the hollow wood floor inside turned both of their attentions towards the doorway for a moment before returning to their ocular trade.

“Well? How about it?”

“Well?” Riley chuckled. “Have you not just stated you’re looking to set sail across a grand sea? And leave me on my lonesome, stranded with my purse turned inside-out? Please, enlighten me: how would emptying my purse down to its lining come around to benefit me, when you’ll be a voyage over to who knows where?”

“Well, I-” the words dropped dead there. Felix hummed a thought, but could not formulate a good reason for Riley to agree to such a one-sided deal. He could only remain still, at a loss for words as a lingering thought tickled the back of his throat.

Then a flash of remembrance.

“That’s what I figured, fella,” Riley remarked as he trotted to the door. 

“You’re going to need help with that gang.”

Riley stopped. His dainty ears twitched. Slowly leering over his shoulder, his eyes burned into Felix. “And how have you come to that?”

“Easy, really,” Felix answered as he leaned against the cold wooden stock of the doorframe, “for someone with ears bigger than their head, you’re not too keen on your surroundings.”

Riley sucked in a breath, turning to face Felix. “And for someone with such a small nose, you sure found a terrible place to stick it. Maybe I am looking to find some trouble. And maybe you’re not aware of the magnitude of a fool you’d need to be to hunt this kind quarry.”

Felix scoffed. “Then what a couple of fools we are.”

A ribbon wrapped around Riley’s ankle began rhythmically tapping the floorboard beneath. A hum rang out from the sylveon’s throat as he churned through his thoughts. “We’ll discuss this further later. Tonight, we’ve a crowd to please.”

Riley turned and left inside. As Felix took a step away from the frame, he heard from behind and above him the distinct skitter of a many-legged creature noisily patter along a surface. Yet when he swung around, no source of the sound was found. Continuing into the broad entrance, Felix’s body became overwhelmed by new senses trampling over him at once.

The two-floored, spacious hall was stuffed, both in numbers and in temperature from the large group being confined in such a limited space. The sweltering heat was accompanied with the potent waft of cooked meats that overpowered the air; the enticing allure of simmered fat oozing in the atmosphere, an image of the marbling layers of sweet and umami fat spilling out from seasoned, piping-hot meats onto sizzling pans manifested into his mind. 

Some narrow windows along the walls both on the first and second floors had been propped open. Faded wallpaper bearing patterns of flowers had begun peeling and wilting away from the grand walls. A rustic, once-exaggerant chandelier hung loosely from chains on the ceiling, dingy lanterns honoring their disgraced king swung in many sporadic spots around the large, open room, painting the air with tamed fire. 

Most notable of all, was the great variety of monsters it housed. The conkeldurr from earlier had settled at a counter far smaller than itself near a side of the room, nestled atop a wooden stool that buckled and bent beneath his mighty weight: a true miracle that it remained intact.

Swellow, honchkrow, and a corvisquire, had found perches for themselves along the decorated banisters of the second floor and on the grand central staircase connecting the two levels. Caught in casual and excited conversations below laid zebstrika, cramorant, and countless more, either standing or sitting around damaged wooden tables scarred with time and indifference. Small pouches could be observed tied to many of the attendees, small rigid edges jutting along the surface of the bags. 

Closed doors barred entryways into many rooms scattered on both floors, save for an open door tucked in a near corner of the room, which Felix could distinctly hear was a kitchen as platters and plates clinked and rattled in a hurry.

Some of the monsters gave only a passing glance to Felix as he walked behind Riley, before quickly losing interest and resuming their chatter with friends. Arriving beside the lone stained counter with Riley, he broke into an uncomfortable sweat. 

Riley peered over his shoulder towards a slunken Felix. “No time like the present, right?” Softly clearing his throat, Riley’s ribbons theatrically straightened the pink bows they were attached to, before all weaved themselves around his petite body.

He leapt up onto the countertop and quickly removed his bag, stowing it beneath the counter.

“Fellas! Fellas!” he shouted. Within a moment, the hall fell silent; an avalanche of attentive eyes falling onto the sylveon. “My name is Riley! And what a truly blessed occasion it is for us to gather this wonderful night! Now, I’m certain many of you can agree that this has been an exhaustive year. We’ve toiled away from sun up to sun down, tending to bleak fields and building ourselves modest homes from the tissue of the land.”

Some members of the crowd nodded. Felix heard the quiet clatter of platter approach from behind me. A wide tray of silver appeared beside him, loaded with plates of thinly cut roasted meats and slices of tantalizingly red apples, divided amongst themselves into organized groups: meals of meats, and plates of plants. Diced mushrooms, vegetables, and speckles of black spice embellished the savory spreads. Most eye-catching to him were cleaved beige roots that accompanied each meal, their gnarled form jutting out awkwardly on each dish. The fatty meats seemed well-seared, marbles of their fat oozing off the sides and dressed in various spices. Yet he could see no one carrying this assortment.

He bent down below the tray and met the steadfast beady eyes of Petal, the tray apparently having been placed upon the splayed leaves on her head. “Come on, Blue!” she whispered. “You don’t fit the ‘pretty’ part enough to just stand there! Grab the plate, we’re almost on!” Heeding her words, albeit with a conflicted scoff, Felix took hold of the large plate off of Petal. Now freed from the culinary load, Petal darted back into the kitchen. 

The charismatic, welcoming smile of Riley’s had made itself known again. His ribbons fanned themselves away from his body, fluttering gracefully like streamers in the wind. “But we’ve made it work! From the dingy, suffocating darkness below the earth, we’ve come to make our homes, our dens, our nests, into a land where the wind guides us! And I don’t know about you lot, but I feel this calls for celebration! For as long as it takes for that brilliant sun to rise once more, all the food and drink in this here hall are entirely free!”

Hoots and hollers broke out, before settling down once more.

“I encourage you all to abandon any notions of frugality and to indulge yourselves, if but only for one night!” The sea of eyes that focused on Riley shifted to Felix and the plate he held. The hungry leers of many shapes and sizes latched themselves onto him, eagerly awaiting his move. A drop of sweat ran down his head.

Once again, clatter came from the doorway and another platter strolled to Felix’s side, laden with mismatching glassware of cups, mugs, and tall glasses filled with water- the surfaces of all of which were well-worn with scratches and chips. “Don’t wait on ceremony, let’s go!” came from beneath the tray. The tray beside him hobbled forward at once. To his surprise, Petal kept the variety of glassware perfectly balanced as she navigated around the room, patrons of the night snagging the passing cupware as she passed. 

Grasping the hint, he started forward. Hoisting the broad plate filled with succulent choice over his small body, Felix trudged around the edges of the tables, passing by groups of monsters around him.

“Now, fellas, I am aware that most if not all of you are eager for the auction,” Riley announced, “and we most certainly will get to it! But for now, I encourage you all to eat your fill and then some! And do treat our wonderful servers well tonight! Do not make them angry!” The crowd looked to Riley, curious. “That riolu right there, for example. I caught him in a bad mood once, during a wicked blizzard one terrible day, and they nearly had to bury me!”

A moderate chorus of laughter came from the crowd. Felix grumbled to himself, bumping into an edge of a table in his lapse of spatial awareness.

The platter he held became lighter and lighter as he made his way around the room, and the noise of the chatter around him grew and grew, until there was nothing remaining and he was forced back to the counter alongside Petal. Looking at her tray, it too was bare, despite neither of them having accommodated more than a fifth of the guests present. “I’m all out here,” Felix told her over the sounds of the room, “what next?”

“What next?” she repeated. Hopping up, Petal bumped her plate into Felix’s, knocking it from his grip and catching it atop her empty tray she held on her head. “We grab more and serve more, that’s what’s next!” Petal scurried to the kitchen entrance, the plates on her head justling and clattering along the way. Felix followed behind.

The air was thick with drenching steam and aromatic fragrance both that suffocated the air. Thinly clouds of vapor wafted to the chipped ceiling above, streaming to a window propped as far open as its hinges would allow.

Beside the countertops cluttered with countless plates filled with more steaming meals and an array of contradicting glassware and ceramic bowls, were a number of stepping stools and a tireless lilligant, whose thinly arms glowed vibrant green as they passed through meat and fruit seamlessly.

Petal the twelfth.

Numerous blackened pots and pans hung from the cabinets above, or could be found scattered around the countertop.

Woven baskets seemed full of those roots and tan mushrooms. Felix passed by a sizzling stovetop as he followed Petal, feeling the intense radiating heat that had come to saturate the room. Petal hopped up a stool and began grabbing plates with her leaves, hastily reloading a tray that Felix held behind her.

“Petal, dear!” called out the lilligant as she worked diligently on the foodstuff in front of her, reducing it to squarely diced bits in moments. 

“What, mom?”

In an instant, a tomato in front of the lilligant was swiftly annihilated, sprays of juice spraying away from the symmetrical remains and splattering to her arms. “The house is packed worse than a basket in harvest, so these needed to get out there yesterday!”

“I know, mom,” Petal irritably replied as she loaded another plate with a thunk, “me and Blue are on it already.”

Taking the broad side of arm, the lilligant diligently brushed the chopped fruit into a close bowl. “‘Already on it’ won’t cut it when you’re doing this all by yourself in the future. You know, when my own mother and I tended to events like these, we had the whole room catered to the minute the speaker called for it!”

“And you think I have the potential to be like you, I know.” Petal motioned to Felix, and he laid the full plate off to the side. Now grabbing hold of the various cups and bowls, she hurriedly began loading the empty plate. 

“Unfortunately for you, I know my budding daughter can be even better than her mother.”

Petal fumbled a glass, the water it held spilling across the counter and pooling around the remaining cupware. Small streams of water began flowing off the counter. “And if I’m not looking to spend my life as a glorified hostess?”

“Our family is more than just tending to tables. For generations, we’ve upheld a modest yet fruitful lineage. We’ve catered to the founding of Fango, celebrated the opening of the gateways in the capitol, and have grown the very food that has sated these souls. I’m sorry, dear, but -”

“Please, mom,” Petal interjected, “can we not do this again? Just let me work.” 

The lilligant looked over her shoulder to Petal, their eyes meeting for a brief moment, then returning to the dishes in front of her.

Having finished loading the trays, Felix placed one atop Petal’s splayed leaves and grabbed hold of one his own. The two left back out into the clamoring hall, the sounds of splitting fruits and boiling water being overcome by discord.

Readjusting his grip on his loaded platter, Felix looked down to Petal beside him- though much of his view of her was obstructed by the wide plate she held aloft. “So,” he started, “is bickering something of a pastime between you two?”

“It’s a game she just won’t put down.” 

Standing before the conversing crowd, many of those already attended to were seen gleefully chowing down on the provided foods and clumsily drinking from their cups and bowls. Felix scanned the scene and took note of the slices of apples that every meal seemed to have excessive amounts of. No matter where he looked, if there was a dish, it would be laden with many slices of those brilliant red fermented apples. 

“Hey, you sure giving out these apples this early is a good idea?” he asked Petal.

The plate held aloft at his side rotated towards him as Petal turned below, slightly sliding the glassware on top. “Wasn’t my idea, Blue. If the guy up top wants them out, they get put out. But hey, if there’s trouble, that’s what we got you here for, right?”

“And let us hope it doesn’t come to that,” called out Riley atop the countertop at his side. The sylveon leaped daintily down onto the fracted floorboards below. “And if it does, it’s as she says: at least we have you.”

The crowd before them prattled in evening delight. Some seemed deep in recounting past days, whilst others counted the coin they carried in close bags. The rest cast impatient glares onto Felix and Petal. “You drew quite a crowd tonight,” Felix remarked.

“Well, some say I do hold a certain cute charm about me.” Walking across the countertop, Riley’s ribbons wrapped around underneath the surface, then pulling up an amber bottle in each ribbon. The corners of his mouth pulled into a small grin.

A small cold nudge poked at his side from a metallic tray. “Come on, Blue,” Petal said, “we’ve got people to please.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Beads of sweat rolled down Felix’s face. His breathing had turned hastily, air quickly taking up and vacating the volume in his lungs as he ran about the room. 

“Two genuine bottles of iron! These tonics will change your life for the better! Your body will be like stone! Never again will you worry about scrapes nor grievous wounds, alike! Starting bid is two-thousand!” Riley shouted over the tumultuous crowd. In an instant, a few shouts rose from the crowd. 

“I’ll take them!”

“No, no! Me! Give them to me! I’ve got two and a half, friend!”

“My mate’s going to kill me… but I’d like to see her try after I take this stuff! Three thousand!”

The three voices continued contesting one another, becoming a mismatched shouting match as they nonsensically raised both volume of noise and of bid.

Leaping up to the tables to make up for his height, he grabbed empty plates and stacked them, then taking them back to the kitchen. 

“I totally can do it, just wait a sec, let me mentally prepare myself,” spat out a gengar between fits of spit at a table near him.

“No no no, I swear to you I saw a scavenger crawling around on the ceiling,” uttered a zebstrika as Felix passed a packed table, “it was a gray bug thing! I know I saw it!”

Collecting a small amount of dishes at a battered table in the corner of the room, a swellow and honchkrow perched atop stools began snickering as Felix passed. Try as he may to ignore them, their incessant, half-heartedly restrained chortles of broken caws and cheeps pierced through the ruckus of the room and bored into him. “What’s so funny?”

The two avians turned to each other and broke out in laughter, flapping their wings about randomly. Their eyes seemed to be gravitating to the ceiling, their laughter renewing every time they shot a glance up. Following where they had been looking, Felix cast his gaze upward.

A purple bulge hung from the ceiling.

One with a stubby tail and legs.

A gengar had gotten itself stuck in the dingy ceiling, leaving the lower half of its body dangling over the party.

Glancing around, he was relieved to see that no one else had appeared to notice the full purple moon looming overhead- after all, he was not sure how he would even begin to approach getting a gengar to phase out of a ceiling.

“Hey. Hey, you there!” the honchkrow croaked to Felix. “Notice anything… funny?”

“What, you mean besides from the two jokers in front of me?” he mumbled with his back towards them.

The swellow rasped out a dry laugh that wasn’t too far off from sounding like a deathly wheeze, then aloofly lying its head on the table. 

“No, I mean… maybe you sense something off?” the honchkrow pried, a sly gaze studying Felix from beneath its massive crest. 

Felix scowled. “I said I don’t see much of anything besides you two, haven’t seen much else,” he lied.

“No, no! Not see!” the honchkrow blurted, leaning over the table. “Sense!”

“Sense?” he repeated back. “What, you want me to sniff someone out? Or hear them? Swing my arms around ‘til I touch them?” 

“The thing you riolus can do! That aura-ey thing!” the black bird snickered. “Do the thing! See if you can sense something off around here with your mind’s eye or whatever!”

The swellow picked its head up and lazily peered at its partner. “Huh? riolus can do what now?”

“You know, the aura sense they got! They can like see emotions and spiritual stuff and ghosts I think. Look, check this out. Hey, riolu- what sort of emotion would you say I’m giving off right now?” it asked with a self-assured smile.

“Insufferable.”

The swellow laid its head back on the table and slid it across the surface to its black-clad friend with an amused tinkle in its eyes. “Say, I think you might be onto something!”

The honchkrow glowered, pinching a strip of meat on its plate and jutting its head to swallow the piece whole whilst it looked away from the others.

Nodding to himself, Felix simply readjusted the plates he held and went back towards the kitchen, leaving the now-docile birds to themselves. He would be simply content with the night if he could get through it with as little trouble as possible. For now, he had to resume work.

For some time afterwards, Felix had found himself darting across the stuffy room once more, working steadily alongside Petal for a length of time.

More cheers and racket filled the room every odd moment, drowning out his own thoughts as he worked; not even in the recesses of his mind could be alone in his thoughts. A troubling situation which made a frown grow across his face as he thought back to what that buzzed honchkrow had said- something about ‘aura.’ He could not shake an encroaching feeling about that conversation, one he struggled to describe as he grew physically and mentally exhausted.

Resting against the doorframe to the kitchen, he wiped the sweat off his brow. The hall had become like a sauna; the air was stifling and weighed heavily on him. The monsters that filled the room were absorbed in their own discussions, heartily laughing and sloppily recounting old memories.

Darting through the room to accomplish his many assumed tasks, he spied Riley cheerfully handing a blue-capped amber bottle to a blissful conkeldurr across from him, its eyes seemingly glazed over in a trance. One ribbon offered out the nutrient, another retrieved a tied bag from the mountain of muscle, and yet one more lightly wrapped around the forearm of the brute.

Felix snapped his head away, refocusing on himself. His blue fur felt like it was being pressed against him with the moisture it had accumulated through the night, spurring thoughts of washing bins filled with clear, refreshing water and blocks of soup he had enjoyed just a week ago. All he could do now was hold out his arms partially away from himself in a vain attempt to air out the sweat.

He needed some fresh air.

Exiting the building, the effect was immediate. The dim forest enwrapped him with cold, frigid air, and banished fever of the hall behind him. Darkness encroached on the fleeting amber light that had escaped through the open door and windows, snuffing out the glow before it could reach the gnarled and thick roots of the senior trees around.

Taking a seat on the steps and letting out a sigh, he was relieved to be away from the center of the turbulent noise behind him- even if the difference was slight. 

Closing his eyes, he took in another deep breath of the crisp air, immersing himself into the brisk night-

“Hey, Blue. You surviving?”

-then releasing an exasperated groan. “Unfortunately so.”

Soft footsteps approached him as Petal drew close, then a soft thump as Petal let herself on the step by his side. “Fun night, right?”

Felix shook, trying to fight off some fatigue that had set in.

Turning towards Petal, he could see how alert she remained: her beady eyes attentively looking back to him, her posture straight and alert, as well as her triage of leaves atop her head remaining perked up. A much better image of endurance than he seemed in the moment.

He remained slouched, resting his arms on his knees, and rubbed some creeping drowsiness away from his eyes. “How are you not tired yet?” he asked curiously. “We’ve been tending to that room all night, and it’s so god-forsakenly stuffy in there! I’m sweating like nothing else, and you look like you’re just starting. How?”

Petal stared into his eyes, her blank face betraying no hint of emotion. “Meat sack.”

Felix’s mouth was partially agape as he processed that singular word with his fried mind, all the while Petal began snickering. “What?”

“I ain’t a sack of meat and bones like you. I just don’t ever sweat. Sure, I guess it might be stuffy for a meat bag like you in there, but I think it actually feels nice. Nice and toasty,” she hummed.

“Alright, guess that makes sense,” he softly replied whilst he mentally chastised himself for thinking a petilil’s body would work like his own. “And you’re not tired?”

“Oh, I can’t wait for the sweet release of sleep, don’t get me wrong there. But you know, I’ve been doing this for some time, so I can power through.”

A small silence fell between the pair, little as it may have mattered with the ruckus behind. The darkness of the night seemed to have swallowed the forestry before them as they remained idle on that stairway. 

“So,” Petal spoke up, “thanks for not bringing Star along tonight. I’m sure she needed a little rest, even if she’d never admit to it. How’s she holding up, by the way?”

“Just fine,” Felix murmured. “Or at least I think, anyway.”

Petal squinted her beady eyes at him, but quickly dropped the glare, staring ahead. “She’ll be fine, she’s always been a stubborn thing.”

Felix sat quietly, still taking in lungful after lungful breaths of crisp air.

Petal fidgeted with her three leaves, slightly flexing them into small curves and then relaxing them. “Say, Blue… what’s it like, you know? Being on an expedition team?” 

“What’s it like?”

“Yeah, what’s it like? What kinda things they having you do?”

Felix leaned forward and rested his elbows on his black crooked canine legs, one palm up to his chin and humming in thought. “Mostly busy physical work, I guess. Shepherding our good fellow in here for starters, then that case with getting back your mom’s stuff along with some other thing’s things. Why do you ask?”

A loud hollow thump against the floorboards came behind them.

They both spun their heads over behind their shoulder, and saw the stumbling image of a red-faced farfetch’d. The bird swerved side to side as it drew closer. Felix and Petal got up from the step and cleared the way as the stubby bird tripped down the stairs and crashed into the dirt before them.

Sloppily hoisting itself up with its leek, it began muttering under its breath. “Not my fault I don’t remember where my money is,” it said through slurred speech. The farfetch’d tottered forward into the dark woodwork of the night, seemingly traveling towards the brilliant light of the village’s briar which towered in the distance. “Could’ve sworn I brought it…” it hiccupped.

The two looked on as the farfetch’d vanished down the road into the darkness beyond.

“Have a safe trip home, sir!” Petal shouted.

The farfetch’d continued stumbling down the path, oblivious to the farewell.

“He’ll probably be alright, right? Yeah, probably.”

“Petal? Petal!” came an irate shout behind them. In the doorway stood the lilligant, her arms and torso covered in various colors of culinary collateral damage. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Petal’s eyes shifted between Felix and her mother. “Just… talking. Literally. Why?”

“What are you doing ‘just talking’ out here? Do you know how many empty plates you need to grab right now? We aren’t done working, so get that lazy stem of yours off the stairs, and come and help me.”

Petal began rapidly sputtering as words struggled to be fully realized out of her. “Lazy? Lazy?! I’ve been helping out all night, grabbing dishes and dealing out refreshments, and cleaning spills and doing loads other stuff!”

“And you believe that excuses you to slack off now?”

At this point in the squabble, Felix had hung his head away and faced the road leading out, hoping to have as little a presence as possible in the moment. 

“I am not slacking off! We were just talking! I haven't even been out here five minutes! I swear, every minute I’m not doing stuff for you, it’s ‘oh, that Petal sure is lazy!’ That’s all I ever hear from you when we work!”

“It’s for your own good for the future! We both know well enough I won’t be around forever, so I need to know you won’t shirk any work when you come to inherit our heritage.”

“And if that’s not what I’m looking to do with my life?”

The lilligant’s eyes turned to daggers. “We are not doing this now. Come back inside. Now.” She turned and left.

After making certain that Petal’s mother had left, Felix looked to the petilil by his side. Her dark leaves were quaking, and her eyes burned with a visceral fire. Taking a moment to compose herself, Petal hopped back up the stairs, entering the doorway herself. “No time like the present, Blue.”

Hoisting himself up, he followed behind her. Back inside the offensively hot hall, Petal had already begun collecting plates. Holding a modest stack balanced on her head, she went table to table as patrons clumsily stacked plate after plate on her. Petal’s mother likewise could be seen collecting trays- though with her arms rather than her head. Riley was still shouting across the room, ever full of merriment and announcing the current bid.

Felix began going around the room as well, collecting dishes from tables taller than him. Picking up plates, taking them to the filth-laden kitchen, and repeating the process alongside the two Petal’s.

Silent as they may have been amidst the reckless shouting match between bidders, one could sense the animosity between Petal and her mother: the two had been exchanging unsubtle glares for the lesser part of their work. The room seemed to have quieted down a fair amount deep into the night. Much of the bidding had been accomplished, and what haze of noise remained was that of idle chatter as the late evening approached a close.

“Hey, miss,” Felix faintly overheard through the modest chatter. “Have you seen my bag? I can’t seem to remember where I put it,” a low, gravelly voice asked. 

“Haven’t seen any loose bags, sorry,” Petal replied. The conversation between the two seemed to fade into the background as he worked.

The night had been largely uneventful, much to his relief. Placing a stack of plates he gathered onto a counter, he took a moment to catch his breath from the hot room.

“It isn’t my fault I don’t have it! I won them fair and square!” cried out a shrill voice, shattering the peace. At once, the room’s attention anchored itself to a bagon shakingly balancing itself atop an upper-floor banister. “it’s… it’s not my fault!”

“Sit down!” cried a member of the crowd. A scrap of food flew from the crowd and past the bagon, splatting against the peeled wall behind.

The crowd laughed as the bagon clumsily threw its head to the side to dodge the attack. Then another piece of food flew up towards the banister. And another. Soon, both insults and fine-dining found themselves being slung. 

Felix grabbed his plates and hustled back into the kitchen, setting the items down inside and then returning to the countertop where Riley scowled as he examined the crowd before him. Petal and her mother hurried past him, retreating to the room behind him.

“Fellas, fellas! Please, settle yourselves!” Riley hollered.

The crowd did not yield, their continued efforts raising more havoc and food into the air. “I insist you calm yourselves!”

Again, no favorable response.

The sylveon huffed and leapt off the countertop, landing gracefully beside Felix.

A soft tap arrived at Felix’s shoulder from a dainty ribbon as Riley drew close. “I think this one’s due for home. Set him out, will you? I think it’s time we started wrapping up,” Riley whispered. 

Grumbling to himself, Felix steeled himself and crossed the chaotic room towards the central stairway, ducking and dodging as patrons much larger than him sporadically moved. Ascending to the second floor, the tipsied crowd began to quiet themselves as they poked and prodded one another to point their attention to him. 

“Go get ‘em, little guy!” a zebstrika cheered.

“Yeah, put on a good show!” chimed in a conkeldurr.

“Now, now! There is little need to concern yourselves over such a little matter, folks! No need to throw a thing! Settle yourselves promptly!” The crowd turned to Riley, chuckling amongst themselves.

At the top of the staircase, Felix carefully stepped towards the absent-minded bagon as it stood atop the banister. “Hey!” he called out, “what in god’s name are you doing? Get down from there, you drunken idiot!”

The bagon’s gaze glacially slid onto Felix, its eyes dim and void of coherent thought. “I was robbed! Those irons were mine, I got the money for them!” it pleaded. Hobbling along the beam of the wooden railing, it teetered across the length of the banister.

“Well, step down from there. Let’s go and get your stuff! It’s just down there! Oh, and I mean, just down this way, don’t just jump.” Felix reached out towards the dragon, poised to grab it and pull it down, before it suddenly spun its head to him and threateningly hung a foot over the ledge towards the floor below. 

“Don’t touch me! Don’t get near me! I’ll do it! My kind can fly! I’ll fly around and burn everyone and everything, and, and, everyone!” it spat out.

Felix pulled away his arm and gently lowered it down to his side. “Well, we don’t want you flying in here, you’ll scare the others if you do that! Just… step down like you normally would, and we’ll grab those irons!” 

The bagon’s eyes narrowed into a glare, which then melted into a frown. “But I can’t! I didn’t have enough money! Some other thing won them!”

Felix’s face became blank. Shaking his head, a scowl manifested on his face. “You didn’t even win the blasted things?!” 

“Oh, I’ll- I’ll win them, alright,” growled the red-faced bagon. The dragon’s body turned parallel to the banister, its stubby arms held away from its body. “I’ll show you all… the power of a dragon!”

The bagon hopped off the banister, falling backwards. Felix quickly ran to the railing and shot his arm out to grab the falling bagon, only to be too slow as the stubby dragon plummeted to the floor below. A loud crash of wood shattering broke out in the hall. Bits of plates, cups, and food flew up into the air and rained back down onto the area below in a culinary shower. Felix jumped up to the banister and leaned over it, eyes wide at the mess below.

The bagon lay still between the shattered carcass of a table. Unconscious. Gathering around, numerous shapes and colors of monster circled around the scene. A corvisquire was the first to break the hanging silence, gazing back up to Felix, and letting out a hearty rhythm of caws in delight. Then another holler in delight. Then another.

The room began cheering.

Riley seemed less than pleased; a scowl had manifested onto his small white face towards Felix. Stretching out a ribbon, he pointed at the bagon lying still in the middle of the mess, then flicked the ribbon towards the door.

Knowing the intent, Felix flew down the flight of stairs and carefully stepped over the shards of broken plates and glass to the dozing dragon, and irritability heaved the dense lizard over his shoulder.

Spits and spats of mocking praises engulfed Felix as he made his way past the crowd to the exit. At the doors, he used his foot to push the heavy door open wider and stepped out as he carefully balanced the bagon on his shoulder to avoid clipping its head against the frames as they left.

Once outside, he pondered a thought, thinking of an out-of-the-way spot he could throw his new cargo.

Jumping off the patio and turned the corner of the building, he threw the bagon off his shoulder and propped it against the wall, all while it blissfully snoozed away.

Dusting his hands off, he turned back towards the noisy hall. 

Which became suddenly louder. 

Blares of shouts and a cacophony of shattering glassware filled the air. 

He ran back inside.

The crowd was furious, far more agitated than he had seen before; limbs and tails seemed to swing wildly about, flailing towards something that drew their ire and meshing shouts. Siding on the sidelines he could see Petal being held back by her mother as she tried to squirm free, her eyes locked on the crowd in front of her. “Mom! Let go!”

“What do you think you’re doing?” her mother shouted back. “Stay away from them!” The lilligant tightened her grip on Petal, lifting her into her arms and holding Petal tightly to her chest whilst backing away towards the kitchen. He could not see Riley anywhere. 

“Blue!” Petal pointed towards the mass of the frenzied crowd with her leaves. “Don’t just stand there! Go help Riley”

Felix hurriedly ran to the thrashing mass of swinging parts, squeezing himself past limb after limb and avoiding being trampled by hooves and claws as they continuously shifted in the ever-shifting mass of bodies. Ahead, the conkeldurr crouched down and attempted to grab with its titanic arms something that ran low to the ground, its head and many others then following something that moved away from the crowd and seemingly up the stairs.

Squeezing his way past the legs of a zebstrika and conkeldurr, he finally found Riley.

Perfectly fine, with not a scratch on him.

“Where do you think you’re running off to?” Riley shouted towards the stairs. Dashing into the legs of the crowd in front of him, Riley squirmed his way partially into the sea of legs before a light tap at his back from Felix drew his attention. 

“What’s going on? I thought these people were tearing you into pretty little pink pieces, what happened?”

“A sneaky little thieving vermin, that’s what happened! Jumped out as soon as you left and took my bag! I nearly had him! He went to the stairs! Come on!”

The two pressed their way past the crowd, emerging out the other side at the base of the stairs. Surveying the upper-floor, a familiar pointed face stood at the top of the staircase.

A morgrem holding Riley’s black satchel, whose back was turned to the two as it frantically swiveled its head back and forth, scanning for an exit. A hole felt like it had gaped open in Felix’s stomach at the sight of the imp, stifling his breath for a moment.

“Hold it there!” Riley shouted as he ran up the staircase, startling the morgrem as it itself peeled off to a corner of the upper-floor. Chasing behind, Felix and Riley turned the corner as well past the banisters. The morgrem’s eyes flicked between the two as they rapidly approached and the crowd below; no easy escape for itself was in sight. The morgrem climbed onto the near banister and leapt onto the chandelier close by, escaping Riley’s outstretched ribbons by inches and creating a bizarre spectacle of golden light as the chandelier rocked back and forth, causing the shadows below to recede and advance continuously like a tide.

The crowd once more rose to a fever-pitch. “That’s gotta be him!” a cramorant squawked. 

“Hey, where’d you take my things, little guy?” the conkeldurr belched out from the depths of its throat.

Jumping up and planting his forelegs onto the railing, Riley tried and failed to grab the morgrem as the chandelier swung about. “Felix!” he called out as he pulled himself down off the railing. “Get on out there, and grab him!”

Felix shot glances between the murderous stare of the morgrem atop the swinging chandelier, and Riley’s dead-serious glare. “You want me to go out on that thing?”

“Think of it as an opportunity for future prospects in partnership.”

“What a load of… fine.” Felix planted his palms atop the banister and pulled himself him, shakingly balancing himself upon the thin beam. “You owe me for this.”

“I owe you nothing yet, go grab him!”

Sucking in a breath and crouching down, Felix leapt to the chandelier and grabbed hold one of its many beams, pulling himself onto the swaying iron web. The crowd below quieted down as they looked above. 

The morgrem wrapped its hair around the center vertical beam, tethering itself in place. “What are you doing here?”

Bending down, Felix grabbed one of the many sprawling horizontal beams, holding himself in place as the chandelier settled. “Looking to get on good terms with someone.” 

The morgrem nodded, a wicked smile brandishing sharp rows of teeth. “I don’t see the mutt. She got me good, I’ll give her that,” he pointed down to his leg, which was shoddily wrapped in bandages. “I still owe her for that.”

“You won’t get the chance. Give it up.” The chandelier now swung to a near stillness. Felix released his grip and stood back up.

“Oh, don’t it twisted,” the morgrem’s feet shifted beneath it, “I still owe you a little something.”

The morgrem jumped back into the air with its hair still gripping the beam, and swung down onto the beam with all the might it could muster, making the chandelier lurch to the side. Felix could only flail his arms helplessly as he lost his balance and begun stumbling towards the center of the light. Still remaining firmly upright with a taut length of hair, the morgrem threw a fist glowing in a black energy, striking deeply into Felix’s open side. Sharp, bitter pain filled Felix’s side and he recoiled back.

The crowd began hollering in delight at the brawl above.

 “Come on, Blue! Punch him! Punch him hard!” Petal yelled as her mother wrestled her back.

Steadying himself, Felix kept low and retaliated with two swift blows to the morgrem’s torso, ducking beneath a wild swing as they scuffled close, haphazardly teetering the chandelier. The morgrem quickly released the grip its hair held and swung a blade of hair towards Felix as he ducked. The sudden shift beneath his feet caused Felix’s balance to falter, leaving himself open as his arms thrashed in the air as he struggled to keep his two feet planted on the sparse, thin bars directly below him. 

The morgrem’s blade of hair whipped behind itself and rose above its head, poised to strike below. Felix raised an arm to block as it came crashing down onto him in a clash that sent sparks flying as it lodged itself in the large metal bead that resided on his arm. A roar of adoration rose from below. 

The blade pressed down further and further, inching closer to Felix’s head as his arm’s strength faltered from the unrelenting pressure. Felix grunted as he attempted to push back, pouring all his strength he could to stand once more with his legs, only to be met with the morgrem’s own vile smile as it pressed the blade down harder. 

“Come on, fella!” Riley shouted from the banister behind him. “Don’t just lay there! Do something!” Felix’s free hand fell back to stop himself from toppling over completely, firmly gripping a beam below him.

“A little stuck at the moment!” As the blade inched closer and closer, a hollow thud rang out ahead of him, and the blade retracted back as the morgrem flinched. Then another thud from the ceiling above sent dull shards of glass raining down, forcing the both of them to cover themselves with their arms as more objects flew.

Blurts of shouting and table commodities alike flew without end towards them. Still covering his face with his arms, the morgrem spun around and leapt off the chandelier, sending it rocking once more. The morgrem’s hair sharpened itself to a point like a spear and thrusted upwards into the ceiling as the morgrem was in the air, anchoring itself. Using its previous momentum, it swung ahead and pulled back its hair, launching itself towards one of the open windows atop the wall behind Riley.

As the morgrem frantically attempted to scramble out, Riley planted his forelegs against the wall and reached up towards the thief, desperately attempting to grab it with all four of his ribbons. Try as he might, Riley only managed to wrap one ribbon around his bag before the morgrem squirmed free and disappeared outside onto one of lower rooftops outside. The target of their ire gone, the hall settled into mere grumblings of insults.

Felix pulled himself up using the beam that held the chandelier, careful to not slip and fall in one of the many openings between the bars. He looked down to his hand. The metallic bead on the back of his palm held a large gash where the blade had fallen; the depth of the new nick seemed far deeper than the one before.

Glancing over to Riley, he could see the pink dealer strapping his satchel back around his waist. “Well, got your stuff back! I guess.”

Riley’s ears flicked. “You’re not done yet, fella! I need him! I hardly could spare a thought for these trinkets! Go on out there and bring me him!”

“Out there?” he pointed towards the window the morgrem clawed out of. “You want me to get on out there and grab him?”

“Thank you, fella! I knew I could count on you. Find a way to bring him down outside, and fetch me when you have him.” Riley gave a wink and walked across the floor and down the stairs to an impatient crowd below, his ribbons flowing behind him. “Alright now, fellas!” he announced at the bottom of the stairs, “time for you all to clear out! Go on, return to your homes! Thank you for your attendance on this eventful night!”

Some members of the crowd grumbled and began messily stumbling out. Others remained firmly in place.

A corvisquire approached Riley, its beady eyes lazily focused on him. “Hey, miss Riley-”

“Mister Riley,” he corrected.

“Mister Riley, uh, where is my bag? I had it on me but now I don’t see it.”

The remaining crowd drew closer, murmuring in a sloppy agreement Felix could not hear as he remained balanced upon the light fixture. In the corner of the room, he could see Petal’s mom finally release her, dropping her to the ground and waving an aggravated arm in front of her.

He could not tell if they were speaking as the constant hum of the room and the lack of mouths on them made it near impossible to determine if they were talking. At the end of the assumed lecture, Petal’s mother grabbed a nearby rag from the counter and tossed it on top of Petal’s leaves, then left for the kitchen. Petal’s head tremored, and she flung the rag to the ground. The ruffles of leafage on her body rose in a huff as she moved towards the main door and left outside. 

His eyes near-clenched shut as he thought how he might scale the wall and reach the roof outside, Felix looked behind himself to the opposite window in a vain attempt to spy anything he might be able to use to get on the roof outside.

A stubby pair of purple legs met his gaze, hanging passively from the roof in front of him. The gengar hadn’t moved from its own imprisonment in the ceiling throughout the night. Try as he may to ignore the option and find an alternative, he could not see any chairs or the like that would provide the sufficient height he needed to reach the window with his short size.

Covering his face with both his hands, he breathed out the apprehension that filled him.

Edging towards the edge of the chandelier, he crouched and leapt towards the legs. Grabbing onto the dangling pair of short limbs, he hung suspended above the floor two stories below, feeling the immense pull of gravity weigh heavily on him. The stubs he clung to began squirming, justling feebly with him attached. Felix pulled his legs back then swung them forward, then back and kicking them forward once more, now swinging like a pendant. With enough momentum, he let go as he came forward and launched himself towards the open window, clutching the sill. 

Pulling his small body through, he rolled out onto smooth tiles and into the cold blue world. Just standing up he could feel the spout of hot air that emanated from the hall seep past him into the night.

Looking around, he could see nothing but an endless sea of bare twisting trees around and the blazing briar of the village beaming past crooked branch after crooked branch. Atop the center higher level, the gengar’s head could be seen poking out with a self-fulfilled grin as it stared longfully towards the moon above.

The ceramic roof tiles clinked and clacked as he made his way across towards the opposite side of the building, the two flats connected by a lip that jutted out along the center. 

Flattening himself against the steep slope that led to the higher ceiling behind him, Felix crept along slowly across, feeling the back of his canine legs uncomfortably sliding across the rugged surface. He took slow shallow breaths, making a conscious effort to stare ahead to the other side; just a couple inches from him lay a two-and-a-half-story drop onto the dark earth below.

Throwing his arm around the corner and pulling himself around onto solid footing, he could see the morgrem ahead beside a messy pile of various bags: some dark and others colorful. Its piercing eyes entrapped by a bag that let out sounds of jangling coins as it appreciated the weight in its hand. A passing glance flickered towards Felix then back to the bag, then locking onto him at last in sudden realization.

“Can’t ever catch a break, can I?” it snarled.

Felix advanced slowly with measured steps, ever wary to stay a fair distance away whilst unbreaking their eye-contact. “That sylveon down there wants you. I’m not sure why he wants you so badly, but if he says to drag you down, I’m obliged to do so. Want to come down on your own terms, or do I need to use a guiding hand?” He stopped in place, fixing his stance to stand tall and firm.

The morgrem allowed the bag to roll off his hand. Standing up tall as well, it whipped its hair back behind itself. “That pink whelp will hear from me, don’t worry- your broken body will speak volumes!”

The morgrem lunged forth, driving a spear of hair right past Felix’s head as he threw himself to the side, rolling across tiles and feeling how loose they shook. He rushed the imp and tackled it down onto the ceramic surface below with his shoulder, taking the opportunity to squarely land a blow to the morgrem’s jaw before being kicked off by gnarled feet.

The fiend clambered up from the roof and stooped its head low, whipping out its hair from the side and snagging Felix’s legs in one motion. A powerful jerk flung Felix’s legs forward and painfully slammed his body to the ground, then dragging him across rattling tiles towards itself like a mallet across a xylophone. The morgrem’s fists curled and glowed in a dark malice, raising themselves in anticipation to meet him.

As he was dragged, Felix threw out his arms and tried grabbing hold of anything that might stop him, only being able to snag one of the hundreds of ceramic tiles and plucking them off as he ceased to stop. Now in reach, the morgrem slammed a fist into Felix’s shoulder as he attempted to swivel out of the way, laying him flat out in dull pain.

The morgrem jumped into the air with the brilliance of the moon behind it. Its hair drew back and trained itself straight towards Felix as it descended down upon him. Felix hastily swung his arm in front of himself and batted the pike away from himself as the morgrem crashed into him, making the point shatter the tiles a hair’s length away from his head in an explosion of terracotta as it plunged into the roof. In the brief moment that his hand had flew past his face, he saw he had been still holding a tile from the drag. He closed his eyes and slapped the piece against his assaulter's face, splintering it into many pieces as the morgrem reeled back and howled out in pain.

He threw out his hand and grabbed hold of the morgrem’s thin throat, clenching tightly. The imp wheezed and sputtered as Felix pushed himself back up once more, using his other arm to wrestle away its free arms as they clawed at him. The hair writhed as it frantically tried to pull itself free from the roof. Face to face, Felix’s eyes caught sight of how close to the ledge they had moved. Leaning his mass away and pulling with all his might, he attempted to pull them away from the drop.

The hair tugged ferociously, then with a great heave that sent saw its length grow taut, it freed itself with a burst of strength that sent wood chips flying and immediately went for Felix. It instantly wrapped itself tightly around his throat and began choking him, then pulling him away in a mighty swing that made the world a blur to Felix as he was dragged across the roof, only to feel weightless a moment later.

Felix’s senses reorientated themselves, bringing clarity once more- his feet felt no surface beneath him though he remained upright. A tight grasp on his neck constricted, crushing his throat as he hung over the earth below. He desperately clawed at the hair that choked him, trying in vain to free himself, his lungs burning as seconds passed. Writhing and kicking his legs, his hearing deafened, and his vision became smeared as suffocated sputters were choked out of his clenched throat.

He tried to call out for help.

Calling out for his partner.

But no plea could be heard.

His thoughts and the world began vanishing. His limbs grew still. The sensation of fire inside him hushed.

Then he fell. The silhouettes of the world rushed past his glazing eyes, and he felt himself crash against the earth.

And he sucked in a breath.

Felix’s frantic breathing filled his ears as he clung to consciousness. His vision remained locked towards the blacked sky as he laid on the ground, letting the darkness of his sight recede. He felt how his body ached from crashing into the earth from two stories above, but he was grateful to feel at all. He coughed and racked as he drew himself into a small ball onto his side. Then he saw her.

A little plant.

She remained firm in place, staring down a gangly figure that gathered itself off the ground.

It stood upright, clenching an arm in pain arm as it hunched forward. The length of its hair swung around, taper to a point and poised to thrust itself at her.

Petal’s head shook, her leaves curling inward. The morgrem took a step forward, and launched its blade at her.

A yellow cloud of spores was flung from Petal’s leaves in an instant, filling the air around the morgrem and freezing it in place as it and its hair became rigid and twitched fiercely. Its body contorted and shuddered, and it fell to the ground on its side, eyes wide open and still convulsing. 

Petal rushed to Felix’s side and leaned her head down. Muffles of her voice fought against the shrill ringing in his ear. Crawling onto his throbbing hands and legs, he sucked in more breaths and tried to focus on her voice.

“...Blue? Blue? Come on, bud! You’re alright!”

He guzzled down some more breaths and attempted to stand on shaking limbs, but collapsed down onto his face.

“Hey, Blue, come on.” Petal dug her leaves underneath him and flopped him over onto his back.

“How…” he wheezed out between labored breaths. “How… did you…”

“I heard you guys up there, dummy! You think I wouldn’t hear someone tearing up the roof while I was out here on my lonesome? Here, get up, Blue. Looking defeated doesn’t suit you.” 

Petal lowered down a singular leaf blade, which Felix grabbed weakly. With a firm pull with all her might, Felix found himself sitting upright once more, groaning in pain.

“No, I mean… how did you knock me free?” he gasped, massaging his aching neck.

“Well, less knocking you free, and more knocking him down. I nailed him from down here with some leafage! Pretty awesome shot, right?” She straightened her posture and flexed her blades proudly. Then her body went soft once more. “No, but seriously, Blue- you alright?”

“I’ll live. Maybe.” A dry cough left his throat as he stood up, feeling his bruises from the fall ebb into him. He could see the morgrem still lying stiff beside them, twitching every moment from their paralysis. “Say, could you do something for me?”

“Yeah? What?”

“Go and grab Riley, if you would.”

Petal nodded. “Alright, on it.” She hastily shuffled off around the dimly-lit corner.

Felix paced over towards the morgrem, each step racking new surges of pain in his bruised body, each heartbeat incurring throbbing aches. The eyes of the fallen imp followed him, and a wry smile grew across its face. “There’s- there’s always next time,” it spoke, “right?”

Felix stood there for a moment, looking at the morgrem before him with apathy.

He pulled his black leg behind himself and swiftly kicked it forward into the morgrem’s side. It spurted out several coughs as it remained twitching on the ground. 

The small figure of Riley passed around the corner. Spotting the two, a devious gleam shined in the sylveon’s eyes. “Well, if it isn’t the cud of Cobb’s chew, I presume?” 

The morgrem’s head wriggled choppily as it attempted to move, but only came to see Riley as he came over and lowered his head close to its face. “What- what do you want?”

“Just a couple simple questions, I assure you. Nothing more or less.” His ribbons unfurled and hovered close over the immobilized morgrem.

“Questions, huh?” Felix added. He knelt down and furrowed his brow as he bored eyes like fire into the thief. “How about we start with this one: what’re you doing here? Wasn’t one knockout enough for you?”

The morgrem returned the glare with equal fury. “And why- why would I tell you that?”

Felix leaned closer, feeling sensations of rage build in him as he looked into the pathetic monster in front of him. Then a gentle touch arrived at his shoulder; one of Riley’s ribbons came to rest on him. “This is my area of expertise. Now, may I?” Felix switched his gazes between the two, and with a reluctant exhale, backed away. 

A gentle smile washed over Riley. Carefully, a ribbon fluttered over to the morgrem and tenderly began wrapping itself around the morgrem’s arm, much to its confusion. “Hey- hey,” it angrily uttered, “what do you think you’re-” The ribbon tightened instantly. The scrunched brow and deathly stare of the morgrem bore into the ribbon as it tried and failed to control its rigid body. Its futile attempts then began slowing; its face softened, going from furious to irate, from irritable to neutral, then finally melted into a look Felix had never seen before from it: a genuine smile.

“Now, as my friend here was saying, what were you doing here, friend?” Riley warmly asked, his voice low and soft.

The morgrem’s curled lips parted. “I- I was going to grab some good stuff from here, to take- take back to my boss. I couldn’t go back empty-handed, not with him- him and his buddy taking my score from me a couple moons ago,” it said whilst looking at Felix.

Riley turned to Felix and flashed a smug grin, then turned back to the morgrem. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure it was nothing personal, just business. Say, I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of acquainting ourselves before. Name’s Riley. And what might your name be?”

“They- they call me Shane.”

“Well, what a pleasure to meet you, Shane!” Riley hummed. “Now, I am aware we have just been acquainted, but may I ask you something personal?” The ribbon tethered to the morgrem seemed to squeeze ever-so tighter.

“Sure, I- I don’t see why not,” Shane calmly replied. 

“Wonderful, wonderful! Now, just to confirm my suspicions, you are running with Cobb’s crew, yes?”

Shane shakingly nodded.

“That’s great to hear! One last, very simple question…” Riley leaned closer, brandishing a lovely smile, “where might I find him?”

Shane’s eyes drifted away in thought. “I- I don’t where he’s living or nothing, but I was suppo- supposed to bring a haul down the Dragonair River.”

Riley rubbed the bottom of his round chin with a ribbon. “Is that right? Nowhere else comes to mind?”

“No- none else,” Shane jitterily shook his head.

“I see.” Riley leaned in closer, his face now near touching Shane’s. “Then, goodnight, sweet prince.” A soft pink glow gathered at Riley’s lips and he pressed them against Shane’s forehead. Shane’s eyes flew wide-open as his body writhed and glittering sparkles seemed to be drawn from him towards Riley, being absorbed at once. Then Shane fell limp; no longer twitching, and his body falling flat against the ground.

Felix looked at Shane’s unconscious body and scoffed. “So, is that what you wanted him for? A kiss and tell?”

“A tell then kiss, but yes.” Riley straightened his postures and wrapped each ribbon of his around each of Shane’s limbs, pulling him close. 

Felix looked skyward, spying the edge he had been hung from a moment ago, and recalled something. “While I was up there, I saw a stash of goods he’s been keeping up there. Want me to fetch the stuff and bring it down?”

Riley’s eyes narrowed. “A stash of…? Oh, yes, yes, I understand now. No, no need for that; I’m more than capable of doing so myself, so keep quiet.” He peered over to Felix over his shoulder. “Understand?”

“Right, right,” Felix dismissively affirmed with a wave of his hand. Pacing around, he drew closer to Riley, rubbing his palms together. “So, I played waiter for you tonight, went out and cleaned up the guests when asked, and got a noose around my neck for the trouble, just to get the piece you were looking for. I need to know, Riley: are we doing this?”

Riley’s head turned towards the night sky. Soft breaths entered and exited his nose. “I cannot say presently if we are to see one another again, united in goal… but should you be curious as to my definitive answer, I’d suggest checking that job board tomorrow. And do look thoroughly.” Gathering up Shane, Riley dragged him along with him as he crossed the frosted grass below towards the back corner of the building. At the corner, he looked back over to Felix. “Any questions?”

“Uh, sure, I guess. Where you taking him?”

“Oh, him?” Riley raised an arm of Shane’s. “Can’t have him tattling on me to his friends, can we? I think I’m going to take him to the lock-up back in the village after tonight. For now, I need to stash him away for bit- nothing that should concern you. Anything else?”

“No, nothing.”

“Good. Take care, fella. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.” And just like that Riley and Shane disappeared around the corner.

Now on his own, Felix rubbed his sore neck and went to the opposite corner. The dark woodwork ahead and freezing air did little to numb his pain as he traveled along the great wall beside him. 

Approaching the opposite corner, he could hear the bitter pangs of an argument just around the bend- Petal and her mother once more.

“So what? You would prefer I’d just let someone die? Is that it?”

Peeking out, he could see Petal’s mother with her back to him. They were on the low balcony in front of the entrance, the grand doors of the hall shut behind them.

Petal’s leaves stuck up pointedly in the air, rigid and irate.

“It’s not about that! Helping others isn’t the problem! But you need to think of yourself! That stunt could’ve gotten you hurt! Or worse!” her mother feverishly pleaded.

The two leaned closer to one another, scowls both made plain on them. Petal’s eyes then flickered behind her mother, spotting a small blue head hovering by the corner. “Blue!” She hastily made her way down the steps and ran to him. “Blue! Tell her you would’ve literally died if I hadn’t shown up! Come on!” 

Felix walked out from his corner with his hands partially raised in the air, walking past Petal and heading towards the main path back to Fango. “Nope, I don’t want no part in-”

“Wait, Blue! Please!” Petal shuffled in front of him and firmly began pushing him towards the balcony. Lacking the strength to refuse, he begrudgingly went along and did not resist as he soon found himself before the lilligant. “Go on, Blue! Tell her!” Petal added from his side.

“It’s true, were it not for the sprig here, I… wouldn’t be speaking to you now.” The gravity of the situation before finally seeped into him. A cold shudder took hold of his body, and a tingle trickled down his spine. Swallowing some spit in his throat, he stared more intently into the lilligant’s eyes. “If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead.”

The lilligant’s stern mien wavered briefly. “And I’m glad to see you’re alright. But that doesn’t mean I don’t worry!”

“And I don’t blame you for worrying, ma’am, but I’m still thankful towards her.”

“Yeah, see! Come on, mom, for once just tell me, ‘Oh, I’m so proud of you, Petal!’ Let me hear those words without any other baggage attached!” Petal’s mother looked to her. Her eyes seemed to waiver, flicking between the dirt and her daughter.

“I do love you, dear. And I’m proud of the lovely daughter I’ve been blessed with, so very happy to know what she is capable of…”

Petal relaxed, the splay of her leaves flattening down towards the cool earth.

“... which makes it all the more frustrating when I see she doesn’t put her all into everything she does, or when she’s needlessly reckless!”

Petal’s leaves flew up. “Really? Even that was too much to ask?”

“I know you can do so much more, Petal. Don’t think I don’t know you snuck out when you should’ve been cleaning. You need to think about how little actions today can shape your future.”

Huffs left Petal continuously and deep, and the ruffles of her body had risen fiercely. “...So it’s my future, is that it? Want me to think about that?”

“Yes, that’s all I’ve ever asked for you. Now come,” the lilligant lowered itself down and extended her arm to Petal. “We need to clean-up, then we can head home.”

Petal stared emptily at the hand of her mother before her. Her eyes traveled up along the arm, then meeting her mom’s gaze. “You know what? How’s this for thinking about my future.” she turned and looked up to Felix, her eyes filled with determination, “Blue, I want in on your team.”

“What?!” both Felix and Petal’s mother exclaimed in unison.

“Yeah, you heard me! I’m done! I quit! You’re so ridiculous! There isn’t a day that I wish I could be doing something else with my life!” Petal prodded at Felix’s arm with a stiff leaf, “Come on, Blue! Say you’ll have me! I’ll do anything you want and more!”

“What? But I-” he stammered out, trying to think his way through the current development past the fog of pain that still lingered in his head, “I haven’t got nothing to pay you with. Sure, we’re taking on jobs, but Star’s been doing that out of her own will! We’re saving up all we can for something I need. I’m sorry, but there’s no way I could take you in.”

“Oh, you think I’m in it for the money?” Petal began nervously laughing, the beads of her eyes reflecting a contorted mix of sadness and joy. “If I were interested in making money, I’d stay with her and inherit this god-forsaken family business! We get so much from our monthly sales by themselves, let alone catering events like this! No, money doesn’t mean a thing in the end. Not for me! It all doesn’t matter when you’re gone! I’ll join up with you for free!”

“Petal!” cried out her mother as she descended the steps, “you can’t be serious! Who would help me in the fields, or delivery?”

“Oh, I don’t know, why don’t you consult the pile of cash we have and see if it knows anybody you could hire? Maybe somebody with arms?” She turned back to Felix, “Come on, Blue! Let me help you help me help you!”

“I…” Felix looked between Petal and her mother. One stared at him with disbelief, whilst the other gleamed with resolution.

“You wouldn’t dare…” breathed out the lilligant. “She’s a farmhand! She’s never been in any scrape before! She isn’t meant to be pursuing criminals!”

“Come on, Blue. I’m begging you.” Petal shuffled beside him, boring into his very being with pleading eyes. “Please.”

He thought carefully about the choice before him, yet no wonder how deeply he swam in his thoughts, he could not see a reason as to why he should not. He turned his body to face her and crouched down to her level and cleared his throat. Raising his hand to Petal, he pointed a stern finger towards her. “You got one chance for this.”

Her eyes widened, and her body began trembling, betraying her uncontainable excitement. “Ooh, thank you, thank you! I promise you, Blue, you won’t-” 

He pressed his finger against her forehead. “Ease up, now. Nothing concrete for you, yet. We’re just going to see how well you fit. Then I’ll make the call.”

“You can’t be serious! She doesn’t know how dangerous it is out there!”

“I’m not a kid anymore, mom! Haven’t been one for a while! Ignore her, Blue, tell me the plan. What do you want me to do?”

“We’ll meet at the square first thing in the morning, then go from there. You think you can handle that?” he asked as he stood back up.

“Of course I can! I’ll be there!”

Having heard enough, the lilligant threw out her arm and grabbed a blade of Petal’s head. “Petal. We are going to need to talk tonight. But before that, we finish our job like good Petal’s and clean what we can. Understood?”

“Yeah, I hear you. I’m not going to let you hang dry tonight, mom, but don’t expect me around in the morning.” The two began making their way back up the stairs with Felix following behind. At the doorway, Petal’s mother pulled open the door and ushered her daughter inside. “Oh!” Petal blurted out from the doorway. “Pay you tomorrow, Blue!”

 Petal’s mother shooed her in before following inside herself, attempting to close the door as Felix approached. “Hey, wait a second!” Before the heavy wooden doors could shut, he threw his foot out and propped the door partially open. The lilligant peered through the crack, clearly not happy to see him close. “Shouldn’t I help?”

“I think it’s best if you went on home,” she said with venom dripping in her voice. Her thin arm slid through the slight opening and gently pushed him away from the door, then finally shutting the entrance with a resounding thud when he was clear.

Staring at that cold door, he let out a soft sigh. 

The amber lights that shone through the windows seemed to be finally dimming, and sensing his expended use at the hall, he turned around and went back down the stairs. A lonesome road awaited him on the path back to the set of stones he called a shelter. 

The bitter cold of winter’s howl and piercing silver gaze above made for loathsome travel partners through the cruel woodwork. The beacon of the briar ahead could scarcely pierce the unending layers of jagged tree limbs above.

His aching body pulsated dull sensations of pain with every step, recalling his injuries with each heartbeat that he would need to soothe back at his nook.

But for all that surrounded him and permeated within himself, a small revelation illuminated his vision to the future.

Both behind and ahead of him, lay those he knew he could count on for the mission ahead.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 9

A Wolf on the Waterway

“Sounds like that was certainly an eventful night. It at the very least explains why you just crawled into our nook and collapsed right then and there without so much as acknowledging me,” Star stated to Felix.

Stretching backward as they walked, Felix partially relieved the tension he felt on his side from once again sleeping on the bare ground. “You’d collapse too if you were nearly hung by a rope.”

A gentle stream of autumn leaves fluttered down to the cold earth below from the many trees that filled the green clearing they traveled through, absolutely flooding the ground in a sea of red and gold. The Ho-Oh feathers tucked behind Star’s ears caught the golden rays of light that filtered through the sprawling webwork of branches above, and shone in brilliant colors of emerald green, white, and fierce red. Her many tails swayed gleefully in the air as Felix trudged along beside her, still shivering from the morning frost, and patting down matted spots of fur that had sprouted on him. 

Tattered and crudely assembled tents passed them by. Just ahead lay the cluttered board they had grown acquainted with, attended by its constant nightbird and the small flora that had saved him a mere night ago, a small bag by her side.

Petal caught sight of two as the pair approached, turning her round head towards them. “Hey! Blue! Star! Get your furry butts over here!”

Didja quickly batted his ivory black wings in front himself and leaned his head down closer to Petal from his lectern. “Hush, please! It is still very much so early in the morning, so I ask that you respect the tranquility of dawn, if you may!”

The leaves on Petal’s head sagged downward. “Geez, I’ll pipe down. Was just saying hi to friends.”

“Thank you,” Didja replied. Turning his attention from Petal to Felix and Star as they stepped forward, he brandished a wing in greeting. “Mister Felix, miss Star! Today seems a fine early morning for some service for the community!”

“Petal!” Star hopped further ahead, running to Petal and pressing her snout onto the small plant’s chest. “I heard a wonderful piece of news recently! You’re joining our team?”

Petal gently brushed her leaves against the top of Star’s head, before finally pushing the two apart. “Yeah, seems like it’ll be fun; sure beats picking produce and catering.”

“First of all, we’re just seeing if you’ll fit on the team, nothing’s set yet,” Felix dismissed, “and second of all: did you two figure out anything yesterday?” he asked as he flicked a finger between Didja and Star.

“Oh, we did!” Star responded. She took a few steps forward and pointed her nose to a corner of the paper-laden board in front of them. “See that one in the top-right corner? That one is yours. Didja and I had a few others like it whipped up and sent them out. With any luck, we should get a response fairly soon!” 

Felix rubbed his chin with the one undamaged metal bead he had left on his arm. “Alright, alright… how much would I need to pay them, if somebody does take it up?”

Didja and Star exchanged apprehensive looks. “Well, mister Felix, seeing as how the journey is one of great length across the sea, and as how your position has left you with presumably little in terms of assets, let alone if you have any at all, that puts your request in a… unique position.”

“And that position is…?”

Didja’s head slunk down, his eyes peering out from beneath the rim of his hat-shaped crest. “You would need around three-thousand poké for this job, mister Felix.”

“Five-thousand?” Felix repeated back in disbelief. Didja’s head nodded. He spun around to Petal. “How much am I getting paid for last night?”

Petal pushed the bag beside her towards Felix with her leaves. “Wait, what are you trying to do?” Petal asked as she tilted her head. “Anyway, it’s three-hundred! Pretty nice, right? But, uh… not as much as you probably need.”

He bent down and picked up the bag, feeling the weight and hearing the clinks of the many gold pieces within it. His eyes clung to the bag solemnly; a feeling of reprise filled his stomach. “Thank you,” he said under his breath to her. “What does this put us at, Star?” he more clearly asked.

“Well, with the fifty and the five-hundred from our first job, and the three-hundred from just now, that puts us at-”

“Nowhere near enough,” Felix cut off. A frown made itself apparent on his face as his thoughts lingered, and he began rubbing his temples. 

As he sulked, a warm tuft of hair brushed beside him as Star pushed her head underneath his arm. “Don’t worry. I said I’d see you off home, and I meant it,” she said. “Look how much you’ve gotten already! You’ve made fair progress quite quickly, I’m sure we can get the rest if we keep up the pace!”

“Sheesh, yeah, Blue!” Petal added. “I’m just finding this out now, but hey, I’m game! Sounds like you’ve already got a chunk of whatever it is down, yeah?”

Felix’s frown softened as he looked at the two; Star held a beaming smile across her face, and Petal’s leaves stood attentive as she brandished a steadfast look. “Right, right,” he muttered as he stowed the cash away in his satchel, “thanks.” He lifted his arm off Star’s head and walked towards the board. “Ignore all these papers,” he said as he made a broad sweep with his arm at the board, “that Sylveon said there should be one tucked away somewhere here.”

“On it.” Star went straight to the board and planted her forelegs onto its surface, leaning her head forward as she searched its surface for any hidden parchment. Petal joined her side, and the two’s heads synchronously scanned the board’s surface from right to left. Felix stooped down, checking the board’s stakes, then looping around to check its back. After a moment, Star’s ears flicked. “Up there, tucked between the boards.”

Where her nose had pointed, there was a corner of tan paper jutting out between two of the boards. With a single jump, Felix snagged the corner of it and pulled the crudely folded and torn paper out. Star and Petal peeked past his sides as he began to open the parchment.

“Took you a moment,” a shrill voice asked from somewhere above. The group looked up, scanning the near-naked treetops for the source.

Petal stepped forward. “Who’s askin’? Where you at?”

“Up,” the voice plainly stated.

The group’s heads instantly turned to the voice. Near a parting of limbs closer the tree’s top, they spotted a silvery bug with purple antennas and a folded paper pinned beneath one of its many stubby legs. A wimpod.

“You. The riolu.”

“And just who are you?” Felix questioned.

Its antennas twitched. “Doesn’t matter. Any name works.”

“Well, Wimpod, I’m still asking what you want. We’re busy here.”

Wimpod’s buggy eyes narrowed. “Call it curiosity. I saw you last night- brawl and all.” A sly leer creeped on his face. “Not impressed. Was wondering what sort of team you ran with if someone as skilled as you were hunting Cobb.” Wimpod shifted his sight to Petal, staring down onto her with unimpressed eyes. “And now you’ve gone and scooped up the waitress? You shouldn’t make your desperation obvious.”

Petal’s leaves began tensing up. “Oho, why don’t you come down here and say that again?”

“Just who are you to judge them?” Star cried out.

Wimpod’s gaze fell onto Star, and he opened his mouth to speak. No words came out.

The glistening feathers tucked behind her ears ensnared him, holding his attention to them. A moment of silence passed as he remained enticed by the radiant ornaments. “Those feathers… where did you get those feathers?”

Star raised her head proudly, beaming a confident smile. “These are gifts from my mother that I wear with pride; a symbol of my devotion to my faith.”

Wimpod’s eyes widened. His mouth hung partially agape and his antenna began twitching about wildly. “You’re Star.” The wimpod’s meager body shook as he looked away. He began backing away, inching towards the fork in the branches as he looked down between flashes of anger in his eyes and festering guilt. “Be careful.” Wimpod held his gaze on Star before finally skittering away behind the tree, quickly disappearing into the mess of dull branches looming above. 

Star simply stood there, her eyes drifting to the ground as she thought.

“That split-brow little… he’s weird.” Petal walked over to Star’s side and gave her a small poke with the tip of a leaf. “Hey, you know him or something?”

Star cocked her head to the side, humming in thought. “No. I don’t recall being acquainted with any wimpods. But… he knew me.”

“Well…” Felix rubbed his hands together as he thought how to best comfort her. He and Petal exchanged glances, and he motioned with a hand towards Star, signaling his forfeit in the matter. She rolled her eyes.

“You’re a go-getter, Star. He probably knows you through word-of-mouth when you helped someone’s grandma or something.” 

Star picked her head up. “Thank you for the reassurement, but I am not afraid of him or anyone else being aware of me when I do not know them.” She looked back up to the tree where Wimpod had been. “I simply am pondering where we might have crossed paths before. Nothing more than that.” She turned to Felix and gestured with a point of the nose towards the folded he held. “No use dwelling on the matter. I believe we should continue our initial purpose in coming here, yes? Felix, if you would.”

He unfolded the tattered paper and was greeted by a series of detailed footprint ink blotches arranged in a row. At the bottom of the page lay two pointed footprints separated from the rest, circled in red brushstrokes. He held the paper out towards Star. “It says something about Cobb, we know that, and we know already to check around this Dragonair River place. What’s it say about the payment?”

Star’s eyes quickly raced across the surface of the paper, line after line. “Cobb… Dragonair River… Hm. Felix, it also says something about him finding out through a new friend he has, that we should head downstream.”

“Alright, nice to know. What does it say he’ll give us for bringing in Cobb?”

“It says he will split half of the bounty with you on successful completion of the request.”

Petal joined Star’s side, standing on the tips of her stubby feet to read the paper as well as their heads brushed up against one another. “Yeah? And how much would that be?”

Star’s eyes remained locked on a few of the footprint runes. “A staggering ten-thousand. That would mean five-thousand for us.”

Felix violently shook his head in disbelief. “Ten-thousand?! What’d this guy do, rob a country’s worth of banks and loiter in the street?”

“Cobb…” Star mulled, “I know of him well enough. He’s responsible for so much evil against good people.” Her muzzle snarled, revealing her rows of teeth and the glow of flame within her mouth for a moment before she took a deep breath and recomposed herself. “From what I recall, he’s responsible for leading a small-time gang back in the Undercast. Under his leadership, they committed a number of attacks on locals and ransacked building after building before he made his escape here- even kidnapped a few folk to ransom them off. Now, it seems like it’s back to old habits for him.” She blew out a glowing ember to the dirt road below her, startling both Felix and Petal with the sudden flare. “I find myself eager to apprehend him.”

“Five-thousand…” Felix repeated to himself, “with money like that…”

“The money’s nice and all, Blue, but if we take out Cobb, we can make a name for ourselves! People would remember us!” Petal chimed in.

“To see the roads free from hesitation once more, and that those he’s wronged see justice for his crimes…” Star closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. Opening them, she looked to Felix, eyes burning with conviction. “I know the way. Let us depart at once if we are ready and able.”

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gentle winds carried with them the gold and red of the late fall, scattering the leaves about across the many lips and ledges of the blue river and orange shrubs that lined the landscape. Looming behind the calls of pidgeys and pidoves as they sang, the roar of the expansive current thrashing below them writhed as they crossed the damp planks of dilapidated wood of an old suspended bridge.

“This is going to be easy! All we have to do is get me close, and then I can hit ‘em with some stun spores! Do that, and we’re done! Easy!” Petal took small hops across each plank, measuring the distance between each strip of wood as she trudged along, careful not to fall between the cracks that her small body could potentially slip past and into the turbulent water below.

Looking up at the occasional flock of birds that flew by, Felix saw the distant images of a predatory flying monster and crane soaring far above in the amber sky, on the prowl for prey below. “If it were so easy to pull something like that, I’m sure that bounty would’ve been claimed long ago. Don’t just waltz in; last thing we need is more trips to Pechi.”

“Oh yeah, that,” Petal murmured. “Hey, Star, you doing alright? Blue over here said you got hurt pretty bad before.”

“I appreciate the concern, but don not worry on my behalf. I hold full faith we shall be protected, so let us keep our chins up and chests out!” Star sang out.

“That’s dandy, really, but you’re still a bag of meat that hurts when someone clobbers you- sun god stuff or not.” 

Once off the bridge, the river had swerved away sharply. Following the steep ridge, another rickety bridge dampened by the spray of water became visible. 

“I am well aware. So, what is our plan?”

The group began crossing the groaning planks. 

“Stick to the back; let me and Blue handle stuff up front! You just need to be a step away from the action and throw out fireballs, and Blue can… He can…” Petal stopped hopping across the planks, staring deeply into the back of Felix’s head. “Hey, that’s right: I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use a technique before, Blue. All you ever do is punch and get punched. You holding out on us?”

“Huh?” Felix turned to face her. “Say that again?”

“Why… that is right. I don’t believe I have ever seen you use a technique, Felix. Your fighting style has been rather plain, if I remember correctly,” Star chimed in. 

“No need to be so direct about it.” Felix stopped, as did the others behind him. He held the soggy twined rope that kept the bridge aloft, balancing himself on the loose planks. “I… Mind telling me what a technique is?”

Star’s brow furrowed, humming briefly as she thought to herself. 

Petal stared bewilderedly at him. “Blue, you serious?”

“A technique simply refers to the powers and actions we use. For example, I, a vulpix, hold within myself a modest drop of the sun, a mere sliver of the blessing that is fire. If I summon up the strength to do so, I can stir the blaze within me to conjure spits of fire! Imbue my fangs with righteous flame!”

Felix looked at her, his mouth left partially hanging open. “You have a bit of the sun in you?”

“It’s metaphorical, Blue. Yeah, she does have some fire brewing in her, but it ain’t actually the sun,” Petal explained with a hint of amusement behind her narrowed eyes.

“It most certainly is not metaphorical! It was only through the Great Dispersion that the whole of creation was gifted with the elements we hold now! We all carry within ourselves a part of this blessing.” Star’s many tails swept back and forth across the floor as she preached.

“Point is, Blue: I’m a plant, so I do plant-stuff. She’s a fire fox, so she does fire-stuff. And you are a little blue dude of muscle that uses muscle to do hitting-stuff.”

Star huffed. “That’s a regressive way of putting it. Here, Petal and I will demonstrate.”

“I will?”

Star closed her eyes and sucked in a deep, meaningful breath. Her chest rose and in a single great puff, she turned her head skyward and blew out a small blazing ball of fire that shot past the bare branches above and rocketed into the sky, then exploding in a smoldering pop.

“That was my ember technique. I simply inhale air, and use the fire within myself to ignite it into a small controlled fireball that I can use to defend others with.” She turned to Petal, who was still watching the black wisps of smoke above be carried away by the wind. “Petal, would you please demonstrate your leafage technique?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Petal swung her head around, looking for a viable target. Her attention then focused on the rushing waters below, that had been spraying out a fine mist of water around them as it raged. “Watch this, Blue! This is easy stuff.” Petal pulled her head back and the three leaves atop her head curled. In one quick flick, she lurched her head forward and sprung out her leaves, sending a large blade of grass careening into the current below, landing with a pitiful splash as it was instantly swallowed whole by the wake. She turned to Felix, brimming with pride.

“So…” Felix stammered out, “How does that work?”

“Oh, that? I don’t know. Still pretty cool though, right?” she chuckled.

Star pulled her ears and grumbled. “Anyhow, that is just a small example of the power we all hold. Felix, since you are, well…” She looked at him with pity. 

Felix knew the exact reason why and stared down to the boards below, hiding the shame that loomed behind his eyes as he sulked. 

“As with all riolus,” she continued, “you wield aura as an extension of yourself. With it, you can focus your life force into your every action and breath, and use it as a way to defend yourself.”

Felix looked down at his stubby blue fingers, clenching and releasing his grip to feel for any such force. There was none. “Like how?”

“There exists a simple technique all riolus learn quite quickly known as force palm. To my understanding, they are able to perform this technique by-” The planks behind her exploded with a resounding crack through the air, sending splinters and splattering water flying throughout the air. Felix held on tight as the bridge shook violently from the impact, which sent Petal toppling over onto her face and Star gasping as she struggled to find her footing from the crash behind her. 

Within a few moments, the bridge settled. Star looked to where the crash had come from and saw a shattered hole where several boards had been a second ago. Mere fragments of what remained of the planks dangled precariously from the rope, hanging over the churning rapids.

Petal picked herself up and quickly reoriented herself. “What just happened?!” 

Felix caught his breath, looking around but not daring to take his grip off the rope. Nothing stood out below them in the river that might have attacked, nor did he spy any figures on the ridges across from them or among the trees. 

He looked up.

A stone was careening from above down onto him. He quickly threw himself away from the edge to the opposite rope as the rock clipped the spot of the bridge he was in an instant ago, sending more wooden shrapnel and water in an explosion as they all cowered and turned their heads away.

Felix peeked past the blue arms that had found themselves wrapped around his head, carefully scanning the sky for any more of the attack. Petal slowly crept away from his legs that she had taken cover behind, and Star lifted herself up, shaking her body vigorously to dispel the woodchips that had stuck themselves to her. “Are you two alright!?” she asked.

“Not dead over here,” Felix answered.

“Just peachy,” Petal joined in.

Star blew out a held breath in relief. Then her head snapped to the other side of the bridge they had been traveling, only for her lips to begin pulling back, revealing rows of pointed teeth. A vicious snarl rumbled out of her mouth.

Looking where her disdain was held, he saw a short, thin purple figure approach from a nestle of trees ahead. A tyrogue.

Two white stubs with big round ears on the pair of them accompanied the tyrogue’s side. A tandemaus pair. 

A great shadow soared over the team and landed before the end of the bridge. The silver crane held its feathery apron in its mouth, and proudly stood upright with its wings outstretched: a bombirdier. 

Within the lump that protruded along its apron, he saw the protrusions of more stones jutting out from it. A quick glance behind himself proved they were stuck between this group, and the drop that had been opened up behind them. A squirtle and poochyena then joined the ambushers’ sides from their concealment in the orange bushes. 

All together, the group shared a hearty grin at the recognition of the advantage in numbers they held over the three.

“Now what were you thinking, sending off a bright fireball into the sky like that?” the tyrogue asked openly. “Double? Trouble? What do you think should happen?”

The tandemaus pair responded with a tandem, with one cracking their stubbed hands and the other cracking its diminutive neck, in what could be assumed to be threats.

“Double? Trouble?” Felix asked.

“That’s the little guys,” the tyrogue replied whilst pointing to the mice. “They don’t talk much, but they get their point across plenty.” Double-Trouble both rolled their small shoulders in sync.

“Such a stupid name…” Petal murmured.

“State your intentions- now,” Star demanded.

“Oh, easy enough, really! We’re here for the exact reason you think we are; so just hand over the bag the riolu has, and we don’t send you or your friends floating face down in the river, vulpix.” He pointed to the satchel on Felix’s side as he began inching across the bridge towards them. The gang behind the tyrogue filled in at the end of the bridge as he crossed, utterly blockading the exit with their bodies.

Star took a step forward, hints of smoke escaping the corner of her mouth, but a hand stretching out from Felix halted her. “Not again,” he said in a low voice to her. “Stick to the back.”

Star looked between him and the advancing thief, eyes flickering between contempt and discernment. “Understood. I will be right behind you.” She took a couple paces back.

With the new hole open behind them, a turbulent current on both sides, and the gang in front blocking their only exit, Felix took a deep breath and wagged a finger behind his back toward Petal. She nodded her head and began slowly inching towards him.

“Alright, alright,” Felix said as he raised his hand above his shoulders and began taking measured steps across the planks, “you can have it- so long as you tell us where Cobb is.” 

“Hah! Don’t’cha see you’re not in a spot to ask things of us?” 

“Alright, alright.” Felix began quickly thinking. “Then… just take the bag. We won’t bother you all, and we’ll go on our merry way.”

“Finally, you’re talking sense!”

The tyrogue came to stand before Felix and reached around his side to undo the knot that held his satchel, fumbling with the knot carelessly and leaned in even closer to better handle the stubborn tie.

Once the tyrogue was close enough and certainly distracted, Felix threw his knee up into the tyrogue's exposed stomach, eliciting a hearty blowout of air from the thief before he then shot his arms out and grabbed its shoulders to slam it down onto the crooked boards below. With one quick heave as he grabbed the prone tyrogue’s legs as they looked up hazily, Felix swept them off the bridge.

“What the-?!” The tyrogue splashed into the sweeping current below, and was quickly pulled away, arm flailing as they cussed a storm all the way across the powerful stream until they rounded a turn and disappeared from sight.

The gang, now one member less, stared with either blank stares or slack-jawed at the bend.

Double-Trouble turned to Felix, ever difficult to read with their blank faces. They both lifted an arm to him.

A piercing squeak left their mouths and the gang around them immediately snapped to their senses and sprung towards the team at the order.

The bombardier flapped her mighty wings and took off towards the sky above, leaving the tandemaus, squirtle, and poochyena to charge forward with their jaws open wide and letting out fierce cries.

An intense heat flared past Felix’s body as a brimming ember shot by his shoulder right into the poochyena’s chest, knocking it back into the foliage on the ledge in the blazing burst.

A crescent leaf whizzed past his leg and into the shell of the squirtle, bouncing off the turtle’s shell as it clumsily charged and putting it in a spin as it fought hard to remain balanced, then falling feebly in the roaring waters below.

The mice split their advance, Trouble scampering up the pole of the bridge and darting across the rope, whilst Double bounded across the boards. 

“I got this one!” Petal whipped her head around, launching another leafage at the mouse on the rope, narrowly missing the critter and slicing the rope, cleaving it in half.

The bridge entered a turmoil and began tilting, forcing the team to scuttle up the taut side to avoid the new dip. 

“Petal!” shouted Star, “focus where you aim!”

“Sorry! New to this!” 

Double reached Star whilst she was distracted and ran up her side. It bit down on her back, earning a yelp from her as she tried and failed to shake the rodent off with small hops and spins. 

Felix reached over and pried Double off with both his hands, holding the mouse up as it flailed about aimlessly and taking chomps out of the air. Pulling his arm back, he slugged the rat into the bushes back across the bridge, removing it from mind and sight.

Star looked to her back, wincing and letting out a small whimper towards a tuft of fur that stuck out, stained a darker red. 

Before Felix could comfort her, he spotted Trouble at the corner of his eye.

The remaining mouse crouched and sprang from the rope to him, mouth wide open with a tooth brandished. Felix’s arm shot out and caught the single tandemaus. 

Pinched behind the neck, the mouse hopelessly squirmed. Pulling his arm back once more, Felix casually pitched the mouse back into the same bushes.

Then the bushes shook and shook, and out jumped the singed poochyena, having recovered from the earlier attack now quickly bolting across the slanted bridge to Felix. 

It snarled and snapped at Felix as he ducked to the side, missing him and taking a vicious bite into the rope he had been leaning against before. 

His hand curled into a fist, but before he could act, a red blur zipped past him as Star headbutted the pooch in a quick attack. 

The poochyena rolled to a stop at the end of the bridge, only for Star to lunge once more at it as it scampered up, knocking the two clear off the rattling boards as they rolled together in a scuffle, wisps of fire and snarls filling the air as the two snapped at one another.

The rope the pooch had bitten began to see its twines snapping. Each crack of the sturdy line tilted them farther, forcing Felix and Petal to hobble up the planks further and further.

Petal poured her strength into climbing the slant that Felix held fast against with a hand on the strained rope, but with no limbs of her own, she began to falter and tumbled back, crying out as she slid back to the ledge. “Blue! Blue!”

Felix released his grip and slid to the slick boards to her, launching out an arm to her as she fell towards the ripping torrent below.

Petal slowly opened her eyes. She was dangling over the river, being held up by Felix who was holding her leaves, his other grip firmly latched onto the now vertical boards that had swung around at the complete weight imbalance. 

They swung just mere feet above the current, which was now drenching them in a churned thick mist.

“Don’t you dare let go, Blue!”

“Of what? You or the bridge?”

A rough object fell beside them into the water, causing an enormous explosive spray of water. Looking up, the two saw another rock falling towards them. He tensed up as the rock barely missed, crashing into the river below. 

“Get us out of here, Blue!”

Try as he might to lift her and himself up with one arm, he could only bring them up a few inches. He tried again in a similar vain. “Not happening this way!” he huffed out.

“So? What’s the plan?” Petal asked as she stared up at him.

“Woah! Are you two holding up?” Star shouted. Felix looked over and saw her eyes shot wide open. Her fur was matted with spit and some scratches from her tussle. 

“Holding up just fine!” Felix shouted back.

“Well, hold on as tight as you can, I’ll see if I can-”

A loud crack rang out as a large rock crashed against the bridge. Shards of wood flew out and the rope finally gave out, sending newly freed boards and Felix and Petal into the rushing creek as they both screamed.

The snap the cold water exerted on his body instantly clung to Felix as his entire body went under, filling his mouth with terrible grime as he tumbled beneath the surface. He felt himself bounce off the slimy riverbed, and flailing about aimlessly as he tried to reorientate and resurface. 

Springing his legs off the grime below, he breached the surface of the water and could breathe once more. Struggling to keep afloat and waving his around futilely, he desperately clung to a plank as it floated on by.

Catching his breath, he noticed the splay of three familiar leaves wiggling on the choppy surface close to him. 

Reaching out, he pulled up the green bulb with beady eyes. Placing the plant onto the board, Petal shook her body, spraying water around and onto his face. “Whew,” she exhaled, “thanks for the save, Blue!”

“Felix!” He turned his head to the ridge above them and saw Star in a full sprint after them along the ledge. 

“We’re good! Mostly!” he yelled back.

The distance between the two and Star grew; the speed the current carried them exceeded the gallop Star could manage as she hopped over exposed roots, navigated across loose limbs, and dodged sporadic bushes along the lip. 

“I cannot help you like this!” she called out, “I will meet you at the end!” 

Felix gave her a thumbs-up, or the closest to one he could muster with three fingers on his hand.

Star cocked her head.

“It means ‘okay,’ got it?” 

She nodded. “Very well! I shall remember that! See you soon!” She veered away from the ledge as the distance between them grew even larger, then disappearing into the red and gold brush.

“Yeah, see you soon!” Petal added. She looked to the churning waters that carried and bobbed them along its coursing surface, then to Felix as he rested his arms on the board that ferried them. “We are going to see her soon, right?”

“Well, hopeful- gah!” he yelped out suddenly at a new pain erupting from his lower body, and had to take a moment to place the persistent ache to his tail. Thrusting a hand below the rolling foam, he felt a round, hard surface pull away from his hand after unlatching itself off his tail. 

“Blue, what’s the matter?”

As he batted his hand to ward off the creature, he felt a piercing crunch now latch onto his arm. He yelped and pulled his arm up, revealing the head of the squirtle from early intently locked onto him as it poked through the surface.

“Oh, geez!” Petal’s leaves parted as she tilted forward. A hum emanated off her head as a yellow glow centered off of her began siphoning smaller orbs from the squirtle as it winced in pain, its energy being absorbed right into Petal. 

The color of the orbs from the turtle began to fade from yellow to gray, and the squirtle released the grip it held on Felix’s arm and slumped back under the water as it pulled away to avoid fainting.

Felix’s arm leaked small streams of blood into the river, pulses of pain throbbing from his arm all the while as he readjusted himself back onto the bobbing board. “Thanks for that one. Is that all of them?”

Petal leaned her head past his shoulder, her eyes catching onto something in the distance up the river. “Uh… Blue? We got someone coming!”

“Who is, Star?” He looked behind himself. Sailing above the turbulent waters was a crane, gliding low and fast towards them, carrying something in her apron she held in her pointed beak. “Nope! Not her!”

Petal launched one bladed leaf at the crane, then whipping her head around and slinging two more. The bombirdier swerved and rolled, dodging the leafage barrage before it quickly reached the two.

The crane angled its wings and began to slow, matching their speed and gliding across the air beside them.

Inside the pinched apron, two white, round objects quivered as they moved closer to the apron’s exit.

Double and Trouble stared at Felix and Petal as they stood on the apron’s edge, one beating its small furry fist into its open palm as it stared deeply into Felix’s eyes.

“Oh, you gotta be-” Petal’s grumblings were interrupted as the mice belched out a high-pitched screech and leapt onto their faces.

“Ah! Get it off, get it off!” Petal spun around, trying to shake off the rodent that had begun scratching her, whilst Felix attempted to pry off the mouse that was now pummeling his face repeatedly with its small fist.

The board suddenly dipped as the current picked up its speed, hurrying them down a slope with the barreling water past shrubs and trees that quickly passed them by as they scrapped with each other. 

Felix finally got a hold of Trouble and immediately flung it away to somewhere even he didn’t know, then reaching for Double and pulling it off of Petal as she helplessly flailed around, delivering a similar treatment to it as he threw the creature onto the close-at-hand bombirdier, sending the crane wavering and the two crashing into some bushes above on the ridge.

“Blue! Blue, Blue! Heads up! Drop!”

“What?” He pulled his attention back towards the river. 

Just ahead down the current, there was a sudden drop as a roar of a waterfall grew closer and closer far quicker than he would’ve liked. “Oh, son of a- Hold tight!” He reached out his arm and wrapped it around Petal.

“I- wha?! What’s the plan again?!”

 Pulling her closer as he shoved away the board from them, he nestled her onto his chest as he tucked in all his limbs, forming them into a sort of ball that began rolling beneath the forceful waves, spinning and spinning and spinning.

Then he felt a sudden drop, falling alongside partitions of water as a thunderous roar surrounded them.

The world entered a churning hum again as they crashed into the water, feeling bucket after bucket of water assault them from above as he toiled beneath the surface. The impact had knocked all the wind out of him, and he desperately waved his legs and an arm around to reorient himself, feeling for ‘up.’

His feet slid across the clay riverbed below. Kicking off of the slick surface, he tried in vain to swim up. No matter how hard he pushed his arm down or how he fluttered his legs, he could not rise to the surface. Bubbles escaped his mouth as he choked on water for air. He couldn’t see a thing past the murky water. In a panic, he sank down and hastily thrusted himself off the floor again with his legs to the surface, effectively jumping up and poking his head out for a second, allowing him to swallow a breath of air.

He sank and jumped several more times as he attempted to wade to a close shore. Once the depth started to wane, he was able to walk on the tips of his toes with his chin up to breathe on the surface. Soon enough, he was able to walk through the surface and reach the ebbing shoreline. Sopping step after sopping step, he made it off the small beach and collapsed down onto the dirt, letting Petal roll off of him as he breathed heavily.

“You’re so lucky… I don’t need to breathe as much as you do,” she puffed out. 

“Yeah, well, well-” he curled up onto his side and began coughing out water onto the dirt.

Petal chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what you… what you… Give me a second,” she cleared her throat, then groaned, “need to catch my breath first… then I’ll say something snarky.”

Felix rolled back onto his back, staring up into the orange sky, taking the opportunity to let his stomach settle.

Petal’s own short breaths mirrored his own, the two glad to finally have a moment of peace. 

Hearing the thunderous waterfall beside them.

…

Their beathing.

…

His pounding heart slowing.

…

Footsteps crunching the silt behind them.

…

His eyes shot open and he scrambled straight up, picking up Petal and standing her up-straight as well. 

“Hey! What’s the-?!” Petal looked ahead to where Felix had been staring: a ferocious red wolf stood before them, eyes like daggers skewered into them, and a wicked scar across its face.

Behind it along the bushes of their small opening, stood a dark rattata, a red darumaka, and a sopping-wet tyrogue, as well as a modest pile of objects underneath a hoisted tarp beside a log. 

The tyrogue began running to them, reaching the red wolf and planting his hands on his knees at the wolf’s side as he sucked in breaths. He raised a finger to Felix and Petal. “That’s them, Cobb! These two were asking about you!”

The red-maned lycanroc let his mouth partially hang, brandishing his rows of razor-sharp teeth as he glared at them with a piercing red eye. “So,” Cobb spoke in a low, abrasive voice, “I set up a small camp here, and within the day, two morons come tumbling in…” He raised a paw and dragged it down across his face as he sighed. “And ain’t that troublin’?”

“You’re Cobb,” Felix plainly stated.

The wolf huffed. “Perhaps. What’s it to you?”

“There’s ten-thousand pieces being offered for you alone.” 

Cobb began pacing the ground, looking up to the sky and scratching under his chin. “Ten-thousand poké for just me, is it?” He stopped on a heel and spun to them. “Could I turn myself in?”

His goons began chuckling.

“So it’s you, huh?” Petal stumbled forward, then balancing herself back up. “You’re Cobb? You’re goons have been harassing my mom’s farm for who knows how long!”

“What can I say? Everyone’s gotta eat!” he chuckled. A drop of drool fell from his mouth. He wiped away the salvia along his jaw. 

“Oh, yeah?” Petal’s leaves trembled. “Well, have you tried some of my spores? I hear they have a real hold on people!” Her leaves bunched up, preparing to release their paralyzing powder.

“Aww, isn’t that cute?” Cobb mocked. 

“What?”

The lycanroc raised his front paws and began taunting with them, flicking his digits back and forth towards him. “The little petilil thinks she’s something hot! What are you doing? Thinking that ol’ trick will work?” he taunted.

“Shut up! What are you blabbering about?” Petal’s leaves lost their composure, fanning back out.

“Hey, hey! Don’t go getting red with me! I’m just saying what’s known! You’re no fighter! You’re just a small girl! Why don’t you have that riolu behind you take a swing on your behalf? I’d prefer that. Maybe I’d actually feel it!” He and his gang laughed harder.

“You- You don’t know who you’re…!” Petal’s head began shaking terribly.

“Hey, focus! Just stun him already!” Felix instructed.

“Yeah, you should listen to him, best decision you can make all day, by the looks of it!” Cobb gibed with a smug smile. “Listen to your boyfriend! He knows better than you, isn’t that right. What can you ever hope to do? Oh, I got it!” Cobb waved to his crew behind him. “‘Ey, fellows! Watch tiny here!” He began tapping his cheek with a claw, staring deeply at Petal with a complacent eye. “First one’s free! Come on, don’t keep the crowd waiting! D’aah, what can the girlie do?”

“Oh, that is it!” Petal straightened out her leaves and swung her head around, launching a hooked leaf towards Cobb’s head.

Cobb smirked and lunged to the side, avoiding the attack and raising a leg up. He stomped on the ground with a tremendous smack, bulldozing the surface and creating glowing cracks that shot out underneath Felix and Petal, shooting the ground up from beneath them then dropping them down flat.

Felix grabbed his head and shook off the daze he was in, then looked to see Cobb approaching with an evil grin, closing in within seconds. “Petal!”

“I’m… on it,” she weakly replied. She stood back to meet Cobb, but before she could act, Cobb grabbed the top of her head and lifted her to his face, then reeled his head back and delivered a crushing headbutt that threw her back to the crowd.

Motionless.

Felix tried to scramble up, but his legs were exhausted and could not muster the strength he needed to move. 

Cobb snapped his attention to him and began stomping over, a hunched back and a vile laugh accompanying him. “Come on, then,” Cobb goaded, “can the mutt summon up the strength to survive?” Cobb grabbed Felix’s shoulders and forced him to stand. “We saw her best. What’s yours?”

The red-maned lycanroc leaned down to him, a mocking sneer plastered across the wolf’s face that hovered close to his. The monster had known it had won, as did he. Felix growled. 

He scoured his mind for any immediate solution. His bag held nothing useful for the moment; no healing berries, offensive items, or saving graces of any kind.

But he was a riolu.

An effective attack at the beast’s head right now could knock it out in one blow. He was aware enough of the existence of some elements being more effective against other monsters, and that typically, more muscular monsters tended to fare well when engaging others of stone. 

If what Star had said earlier was true, this force-palm technique was his only hope, yet he had only the name of the move to hint him towards how to perform it.

He had to try it.

Pulling back an arm, he sucked in a deep breath and opened his palm out flat. Slugging his hand forward, he produced a ridiculous smack against Cobb’s cheek that rang through the air.

Cobb’s head had moved a bit to the side, a confused and slightly offended look present on his face as he processed the bare slap. 

Some snickering from the others could be heard.

Cobb’s ears pulled back, a grin more cruel and spiteful in nature now present. “You shouldn’t have done that.” 

Cobb grabbed Felix by the throat and slammed him to the ground.

Shaking his head, Felix peered past the veil of pain that had obstructed his vision, seeing Cobb lunge at him with teeth bared.

Throwing out his arms, Felix caught the sides of the wolf’s jaw and tried to push him away, his heart racing as Cobb pushed back. 

The lycanroc’s maw snapped at the air between them, sending droplets of saliva onto Felix’s face. He tried to push the wolf away, but found he could not as Cobb’s teeth drew even closer. 

His mouth snapped shut again with a thunderous clack of teeth before Felix’s head as he pressed closer. In a final effort, Felix pushed away with all the strength he could find, leaning his head back as far as he could press it into the dirt below him. 

Cobb shoved against him even harder, pushing his arms down farther and farther, the wolf’s teeth just hovering a touch away from his prey. Parting his jagged teeth, the monster prepared to sink his teeth into warm flesh.

A sudden thwack arrived at Cobb’s back, forcing his attention away. As the beast turned around, Felix found he was able to scurry away. 

Behind Cobb, Petal stood partially upright, panting heavily with her leaves drooping. “Don’t say you’ve forgotten little ol’ me already?” she taunted.

Cobb stood back up, eyes glowing red with hate. “Why- I’ll dice you and make you into a fine salad! Come here!” Cobb ran across the ground on all fours to her, mouth hanging open in a snarl.

Petal stared him down unflinchingly, accepting her circumstance and unable to find the energy to act again.

A sudden red glare shot above Felix and crashed into Cobb’s back, exploding in a small burst. Cobb yelped and spun around. “Now who the bloody-”

“You will cease at once!” A vulpix with unkempt fur jumped down right in front of Felix, having scaled down the rocky slope of the waterfall near them. 

Cobb’s crew jumped up from the sidelines, rushing to their leader’s side, eager for their own part in the coming battle. 

“Surrender yourselves now!” Star ordered, a wisp of fire exhaled from her mouth. “Or I will deliver searing judgment now!”

The rattata hissed and bared its bucktooth. The darumaka flared its body, a tender orange glow pulsing from it, and the tyrogue spread his legs shoulder-width apart, then raising its fists in front of himself.

Yet Cobb looked at her funny. The once scornful gaze in his eyes began to simmer down. He took a step back. Then another. From anger, his crooked brows began to peel back to something akin to fear. “Boys…” he said to the crew that had gathered behind him. “Lads! Book it!”

His three underlings stared bewildered at him. “What?” the darumaka exclaimed. “She’s just one vulpix!”

“Yeah,” added the dark rattata, “she’ll go down quickly!”

The tyrogue prodded at his boss’s side. “Cobb! Two of the punks are already down! It’s just her left! We can take her out, easy! It’s four-against-one!”

Cobb shot his arm out and grabbed the tyrogue, pulling him closer. “You didn’t blasted say the third one was a vulpix!”

The tyrogue swallowed nervously. “W-was that important?”

Cobb slung the tyrogue to the side and began darting across the ground on all his legs to a cluster of trees behind them. “I said split!” Just like that, he leapt through the brush, disappearing into orange undergrowth.

The three remaining thugs exchanged confused and panicked looks. 

In an instant, they took off after their boss, not hesitating for a second to abandon the camp.

Leaving Felix.

Petal.

And Star.

All three breathed heavily, trying to catch their breaths, and looking at one another at what had just transpired before them.

“Geez,” Petal broke the silence, “I know you can be a bit scary sometimes for these sorts of things, but I don’t think you’re that scary.” She got up off the ground, as did Felix, and the three regrouped.

Star pressed her snout into Felix’s stomach, brushing her head against him before turning to Petal and enacting the same. “Are you two well? That was far too close!”

“I’m… fine enough. What was that, just now?” Felix asked. “They had us there. If they wanted, we’d be wiped out this second. Why’d they spook from you?”

Star looked down to the ground, then met his eyes. “Because it was not me he was afraid of.”

Felix thought for a moment, murmuring to himself. Then a spark of realization. “Willow, is that it?”

“Precisely. I do not doubt they felt they could overpower us decidedly if they wished so. But as you know, Willow and I have always traveled as a pair before you two. When Cobb saw me, he must have believed Willow would be close by, and he’s well aware that Willow would be a one-sided battle in his own right- not one he would choose to participate in.”

“Willow?” Petal asked as she shook some dirt off her leaves. “Oh, right. That trevenant. Haven’t really seen him in a bit, now that I think about it.” A thought crossed Petal’s mind. “Wait, so what if that dolt didn’t think Willow was with you? What’d be the plan then? You were just gonna fight them all?”

Star sighed. Her gaze drifted to the side and her ears flicked, the many tails behind her wavered. “To be blunt: I suppose that would have been our journey’s end.”

The three stared to the ground, recognizing the sheer luck they had experienced.

“I shall be saying a prayer in thanks tonight, should either of you wish to join me,” Star offered, “but for now, it seems our mark has eluded us- for better and for worse. Felix, how should we proceed?”

He thought for a moment. “If the enemy abandons their camp, usually we’d need to be real careful, search for traps and the like.” He gestured around them to the open spring around them, bare of any spots where anything might have been hidden. “Doesn’t look like we need to worry about that part.” He raised his arm and pointed toward the shoddy tarp where a small stash of angular and weird objects laid. “Best bet going forward is to look at what they got; see if we find where their true hideout might be, and not a small rendezvous point like this.”

They nodded their heads and walked to the mossy log. 

In the small campsite, some ashes and charred wood were found in a small circle of rocks, as well as a few discarded cores of eaten fruits scattered about.

“Petal: keep an eye out, shout if you see any of them. Any of them. If something seems off, call it out,” Felix ordered as he knelt to the pile.

“Right-o, boss.” Petal hopped onto the log and began surveying the area.

“Star: with me, help me find something.”

“Of course.” Star joined his side and put her nose to the pile.

Felix began pulling trinket after trinket out of the pile. Forks, spoons, some glass cupware, quills, and screws and bolts. Clean buttons for sewing, small twines of fiber, and a couple bricks and tiles were pulled as well. More and more of the goods seemed to come without end from the small collection, yet there was something about them that drew his attention. 

“Hey, Star, don’t all of these seem… a bit too clean?” Just as he said, all the items seemed to shine or were unblemished- a far cry from what he had seen at Caelum’s house. He grabbed a clean fork, spoon, and cup, placing the items carefully into his satchel.

“These are in rather remarkable condition. Caelum would be delighted to receive curios of such condition!”

“Why are they so clean, though?” 

“That is… something I am not keen to. Oh, what might this be?” Poking her snout into the mess, she justled her head for a moment and pulled out a strange black rectangular object in her mouth. Turning to him, she deposited the small box into Felix’s hand.

Aside from the small amount of spit from Star, the object seemed like it would fit comfortably in his hand when he was a human. Numerous small, soft buttons protruded from its surface, foreign words etched beneath them as well as numbers, all arranged neatly in rows. A puny, red transparent glass seemed to bulge from the top like a zit. Curiously, he pushed the buttons as Star watched. Aside from causing the dot to glow, nothing else seemed to had happened. He pressed the buttons again in amusement.

“Well, Felix? What does it do?”

He threw the strange object off to the side. “I don’t know. Seems like some toy.” He continued sifting through the pile, picking up another fork and stowing it away.

Petal giggled. “Geez, Blue. You a packrat or something? Why keep this junk?”

“Eyes up,” he immediately replied. 

Petal grumbled as he and Star finished pulling apart the pile.

Brushing off some small debris from the bricks, Felix pulled up a crumpled paper detailed with crude, inky-blank lines. Many swerves and childish drawings of trees filled the parchment. Some circles enshrined junctions of these lines at different locations. He thrust the paper underneath Star’s nose. “Your turn now. What’s this thing? A map?”

Star peered down at the paper. “It would appear so. I recognize this intersection as being along Route 91, as well as some of the other areas..”

Felix rolled up the paper and stuffed it into the bag, then stood up and motioned for Star and Petal to follow. “Good enough for me. Let’s clear off before they wisen up; we’re in no shape for any engagement.”

Petal and Star joined his side as they began walking down a bare path that seemed to stretch and eventually loop back up the waterfall.

“Say, Blue, we got any food? Or berries? Kind of starving here. And hurting. Mostly hurting.” 

Felix entertained the question and rummaged through his satchel, feeling nothing organic inside the sewn fabric. “Nothing.”

“Nothing? Really? We went after a gang leader with nothing?”

Star hummed. “I suppose tomorrow we should garner supplies through a shop. Some things to fuel our spirits and mend our bodies for what is to come. And Felix, if I may suggest,” Felix looked to her with a brow raised, “it would do us well to look for some sheets or the like. I’ve noticed you tend to shiver quite feverishly at night. Perhaps finding some ways to get yourself off the ground should help keep the earth from stealing your body heat while you sleep.”

“That’s…” he thought for a second, “actually not a bad idea.” It was true he had been terribly cold over his many nights in this new world. Maybe improving his living situation would be in order.

“Wait, don’t you have your own place with Willow?” Petal asked. “Where’ve you two been sleeping?”

“Underneath a rock around the outskirts of the village,” Star plainly replied. 

“I- wha- huh? Why not just sleep at Willow’s place?”

“Even in his absence, that still does not make his property mine to lend to others.”

The group began ascending the dirty slope, the spray of the thundering waterfall misting the air around them in a haze.

Petal tilted her head. “Yeah, guess that makes sense for a beating heart like you…”

At the top of the hill, Felix could see the sudden drop from the churning river that had deposited him and Petal right at Cobb’s feet. 

“Hey, Blue.”

“What?”

“Thanks for acting like a real pal and helping me out there, you know? Not going to lie, kinda thought you’d just sit in the back and do nothing.”

“Oh, well, uh… You’re welcome?” 

The sky above them had begun to darken, casting the golden foliage around them and the rushing river into a warm amber glow from the resting sun. Some golden leaves blew by in a cool breeze that rustled the radiant feathers tucked behind Star’s ear, as well as stirring her and Felix’s fur. Content to be somewhat away, he stretched his arms into the air.

Petal fidgeted her leaves, a pensive look about her. “So… what’s the verdict? Am I on the team or not?”

“Oh, is that what the sudden thanks was for?” Star teased, “I suppose now is the time to garner any last favor. Personally, Felix,” Star nuzzled Petal, much to her feigned annoyance, “I believe she would be a wonderful addition to our team. What say you?”

Felix did not even need to think about it. Truth be told, her ability to paralyze foes would be a very powerful tool, he had figured, but her unwavering actions throughout the day had more than sold him she could be a reliable partner. “Sure,” he reaffirmed, “I’d be happy to have her.”

“Oh, yeah!” Petal hopped up into the air, then began twirling along the ground in front of them with a pleased look in her eyes. “You’re not going to regret this!” She recomposed herself and fell back in line with the group, continuing down their fall path. “Say, what’s the name of the team anyway?”

“Oh, right, that. Don’t have one.”

“No name? Huh. We can always brainstorm one later, Blue. I’m good at picking names.”

“Oh I don’t doubt it,” he chuckled, “I don’t doubt it at all.”

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 10

Looking Backward

"One for you, Blue! And one for you, Star!" Petal offered both Felix and Star a clean rag swaddled around some lean item. She placed the wrapped goods on the small shoddy table they all sat at.

All three of them wore soft white strips of bandage. Felix's arm and tail were wrapped in some clean white strips of cloth, Star's back was similarly wrapped, and Petal had chosen to forgo any treatment, wearing her bruises and tears on her body with pride. They had procured the cloths from Pechi the last night for a generous discount once she had explained to them she simply had too little berries and juices to spare if the case was not immediately threatening.

Earlier this morning, the group had gone to Didja to get Petal officiated on the team, much to her enjoyment. At her request, she had Felix and Star wait at a small resting area near the outskirts of the village, filled with similarly shoddy wooden tables of various heights and widths, and no seats, leaving them to sit on the ground. No one else seemed to be around. On each surface lay a crudely twisted bundle of sticks, all of which seemed to have been bent in an attempt to make an image of a great bird. In truth, they came to resemble a goose with scoliosis.

Large tarps in the colors of red, white, and green swayed from the arching tree branches above and around them, catching the sun's rays beautifully as they danced in the wind.

Star leaned over the wrapped items and twitched her nose over the sharply-sweet aroma. In an instant, her eyes widened. "Are these… steak bites?" she quietly asked, looking around carefully for any stray eyes.

"They sure are. Put a little treat in yours, too, that I know you love," Petal responded as she sat on the grass with them.

Star began tearing at the fabric with her fangs, ripping off the clean sheets and revealing the granular cubes that had meat poking out from beneath the thickly salted layers, as well as a singular small block of rock salt.

A heartfelt smile spread across her lips. "Oh! I… thank you." She began snapping up the portions of steak immediately, making bite after bite vanish quickly.

Petal scooted closer to Felix. Leaning forward, she patted his still-wrapped serving with the leaves on her head. "Come on, Blue. Pulled these from storage at my house."

After stretching out the ache in his back from sleeping on the cold hard ground again, Felix pulled the cloth closer, and begun to unwrap it. "Storage? Don't tell me this stuff is old."

"It's been a little less than a week since we cooked this stuff up, it's still good!"

He stopped and stared at Petal with a brow raised. "And how do you store it?"

"We put it in a bag of salt, then fill it with more salt and tie it tightly to dry cure it, same as everyone else with an ounce of common sense." She shot him a smug look. "Don't worry, Blue, this stuff won't kill your stomach."

Hesitantly, he unwrapped the steak bites. They were each still deeply encrusted with a thick layer of salt, mostly hiding the cooked meat beneath. He slowly turned to her as he brushed off what salt he could, wearing an uncertain frown,

She still held a beaming look in her eyes and nodded towards the food. "God, Blue, it won't bite! It's just fine, I swear."

Felix gave in to his caution, opting to retie the bag.

"Aw, come on, Blue! Riolus are fangs, right? I know you'll love it like she does!" She tilted her head towards Star.

Star looked up from her rag as she made another chunk of salted meat disappear into her jaws. "If you are not going to eat, perhaps you might consider sharing?" she asked as small amounts of spit began pooling beneath her mouth.

"Actually…" he strained as he bought time, "think I might save it for later." He stowed the bag into his satchel. "Anyways, once again: welcome to the team, Petal."

Petal puffed out her small frame proudly and flexed her leaves. "Really glad you could have me, really," she postured. "I'll be the best dang teammate other teams never had! Just you watch, I'll do anything and everything for us! I think you'll be real happy to have me along!" She playfully bowed down.

"My, oh my," Star teased, "is there anything the great Petal cannot do?"

Petal looked up. "Ah, right, you got me," she humored, "For all my charm, my wit, my cuteness, my spores, and my just general awesomeness, I am just not modest."

Felix shook his head as the two giggled at one another.

Sifting through his satchel, he pulled out the map they had retrieved yesterday and laid it out flat on the table. "First order of business as our team has grown: figuring out what this means."

The wrinkled map contained crude drawings of the surrounding land. In a corner, he found a picture of a series of triangles and a tower with a fire atop it, all with one big 'X' crossed through it. Fango Village, he assumed. Numerous lines traced themselves across the paper, going through and around forestry, and skirting along cliff sides. A few of these lines were dotted, and these ones always seemed to break off from a whole line into a body of trees. At seemingly random points on the lines, they were circled in bold red.

"Either of you want to guess what this all means?"

Petal and Star huddled closer to the map with him, eyeing it curiously.

"Anything?

Star closed her eyes and hummed.

Squinting her eyes, Petal looked up to him. "It's a map. Shows stuff, right? So all these lines are obviously routes. Even I can tell that much."

Star flicked her tails and shot open her eyes. She placed a paw on the map, running it along one of the lines that lead to Fango. "This is Route 91. Here, it passes through the Central Pass," she patted the line that lay on a depiction of a coarse stretch of terrain, but slowly began easing her pace. Her brow furrowed and her ears became askew as she looked at the portion of the map. It looked like it had been recently erased and redrawn. Beneath the sharp line and crude depictions of forestry, lay a faded line that led to the same location as the new one. "Well now… I suppose they are not perfect at map making. Regardless, this is where we are," she patted the crossed village, "and this whole map should come to represent the territory Cobb operates in."

Felix placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, studying the map. "Right, right… but we need to figure out where Cobb's holed up. Do that, then we can make a plan of attack: find ambush spots, his sleep schedule, maybe even fashion some field traps…"

"Oh, well…" Petal murmured, "you two seem way better at this thinking stuff."

Felix and Star pored over the map, looking for any indication where Cobb's hideout might lie.

Rubbing his chin with his undamaged metal bead on his arm, Felix grunted as he scoured for any patterns or tells that may betray a possible location of the bandit's hideout. Star was in a similar state of ponder, tilting her head and raising and lowering her tails in a rhythm.

"Still stuck up a rut?" a familiar voice asked.

The group turned to look at the wimpod that had come near their table.

"Well, don't you just have a habit of sprouting out of nowhere?" Petal asked.

"Only when business needs to be taken care of," Wimpod replied. He scuttled over to their table and crawled onto the surface, looking at the map below him. "Where'd you find this?"

"Picked it up at that river spot. Found Cobb, too," Felix replied.

Wimpod glanced around the table, taking in the sorry state of the team. "I noticed. So this was his?"

"It was. The issue now is finding where might Cobb hide away," Star explained. "There is plenty of potential cover for the mook to cower; no one spot comes to mind where he would lie."

Wimpod quickly glanced down at the map, eyeing the red circles strewn about on the routes. "That's your problem: he wouldn't put his hideaway on this map. This map isn't meant for that. See these circles?"

"Yeah, what about them?" Petal asked.

"You lot aren't thinking like him- like hit-and-run criminals. I don't know about you, but these spots look well out of the reach of any quick help."

As he had said, the circles along the routes were some distance from Fango, with no other settlement close at hand.

"Wait…" Felix murmured, "are these spots where Cobb might hit travelers?"

"Travelers and wanderers aren't worth planning around, you'd find them anywhere, and they're typically alone. Makes for easy bagging anyway. No, think of what might travel through a stretch of road to a newborn village. Something big, something packed with goods, with many eyes that might dart away in a panic to help. What might pass through here?"

Star's ears slowly began pointing upright. "The caravans."

"A lot of things can be plucked from those carts… and people. Might find a good price in either, depends on who's buying." Wimpod's antennas twitched. "Who here might be able to tell you where and when these caravans appear?"

The table looked around at each other.

"Not me," Petal spoke up, "my family deals in food, not trade. We grow our stuff."

Star's brow furrowed; her eyes plastered to the map on the table before her. In a moment, her head snapped to attention. "Now that I think about it, would Didja not be privy to such a thing? I imagine his line of work would overlap in seeing transports here."

"You know… that actually wouldn't be out of place for the little guy." Felix pointed towards Petal. "Your first official order as a member of the team: go ask Didja if he has a map or something."

"Really? Just waltz up there and ask him?" Petal protested. "I'm just a new face to this whole expedition thing, and he hardly knows me! Why would he give something like that to me?"

"It's Didja."

"Do you really think he's so simple that he would just-" Petal stopped herself, staring ahead blankly. Taking a deep breath, she pushed herself away from the small table. "Be right back." Without another word, she left past the clearing and towards the tower ahead, where Didja's stand would be near.

Felix rapped his fingers against the table, while Star and Wimpod sat quietly.

In their silence, Star remained firmly focused on Wimpod, keeping her eyes focused on him. Noticing this, Wimpod looked away.

She did not stop.

Wimpod finally peeked back over to her, meeting Star's eyes. "Got something to say?"

"I simply am curious," she openly pondered, "yesterday, you appeared to recognize me, yet the same is not true for me to you. Why is that?"

Wimpod's twitchy eyes narrowed as he stared her down. "Who wouldn't know you? Your parents aren't exactly unknown," he coldly replied.

"My parents are recognized for themselves and their achievements; not many would know me from them alone. I ask once more: why is it that you seem to hold a recognition of me?"

"Sounds like a question for your god."

Star opened her mouth to respond, but no words left her. Twitching her nose, she sulked back down, brows furrowed again.

After some time had passed, Petal came trodding back, a roll of paper clenched in her leaves. She made her way to the table and threw down the paper onto the rough wooden surface beside the map, then flattening the paper with Felix's help.

To his expectation, it was more of those footprint symbols and thin black etchings, all lined neatly in rows. "What's this all about then?"

"It appears to be a schedule, listing the routes and expected travel times for numerous caravans," Star replied as she eyed the paper. "Take a look at this one, for example." She patted a line on the list with a paw. "The list claims this caravan was to deliver to the Undercast 'historical assets.' It should have been a completed delivery last week. Yet, I have heard it was only the personnel who arrived, claiming they were raided."

"Three guesses to say what happened to them," Petal chimed in.

"They traveled along Route 82, here." She switched to the map and pointed at a line somewhat away from the village. Along that line, lay a red circle away from any settlement. "Cobb must have found a delivery schedule like this, or used some other low-handed means to obtain one."

Felix leaned closer to the map, looking over each circle. "And what does this mean for us?"

Star smiled. "It means we are now on equal footing with him."

He hummed a thought, piecing together what she was alluding to. A similar smirk crept on his face. "Alright, now we're in business! Where and when is the next caravan coming?"

"It left one week ago and appears its destination should be here: Fango Village. Looking at the map, it looks as though it should have made much of its journey, and should be in the Great Pass now." She pointed at a line nestled on a flat expanse of land, marked with numerous bold footprints and frantic etchings. A red circle lay below the route as Star traced her paw along the path. "The schedule claims it will be ferrying some valuable cargo, and is being safeguarded by two Expedition members."

"What, like gold or something?" Petal asked. "This thing carrying some orbs or scarves?"

Star squinted at the list. "It does not say. No information is provided on that subject."

A soft scoff blew out of Wimpod. "And why would it?"

"Doesn't matter," Felix cut in, "so it hasn't been hit yet?"

"If we wake up far earlier in the morning tomorrow, we should be able to intercept and join the caravan before it is ambushed. It is quite the distance away, so we'll be traveling most of the day," Star said.

Felix softly grunted. "And he'll spook at the sight of you… we need to catch him, but we can't be seen 'til we're real close for Petal to hit him."

"Of course, but that seems rather difficult. Where might we hide that is close enough to ambush Cobb effectively, while also remaining concealed?"

Star and Felix kept their gazes down on the table, both lost in thought.

Petal bounced her sight between them. "You guys serious? Can't we just hide in the carriage or boxes or something in the caravan? Cobb takes a peek in the cargo, and boom! We're there, I stun him, you guys thrash any goons he has with him, and we're done!"

Star's eyes lit up. "That… is brilliant! I can hardly believe it- we are certain to apprehend this villain. Wonderful idea, Petal." She pressed her cheek onto Petal's face and rubbed affectionately.

Petal rubbed the top of Star's head with her leaves. "Yeah! I'm awesome, right? So, Blue…" She disengaged from Star and looked to him. "This sound like a plan?"

Felix eyed the route to the caravan, growing fixated on the red circle that lay in their path. "Sounds like a plan. We all in agreement?" He looked around the table.

"I hold full faith in this plan," Star said.

"We've got this! Cobb won't know what hit him!" Petal excitedly added.

Wimpod stared awkwardly back at the group when they looked to him. "What do you need my approval for?"

"Plan's set." Felix grabbed a hold of both the schedule and map, rolling them up and stuffing them into his satchel. While the flap was open, he took note of the lack of tools they had. Pushing himself away from the diminutive table, he motioned for Star and Petal to join him. "Come on, we shouldn't go in without supplies like last time."

"Oh, yeah, we need stuff," Petal said as she waddled towards him with Star, "I'll take a look around home and see what I can bring. Hey, Star, why not poke your nose around Willow's place and see if he left any goodies behind?"

Star's focus remained steadfast on the ground, ears perked and eyes burning with a found determination.

"Hey, come on, girl, focus over here." Petal poked Star's side, snapping her attention to her. "You gonna see if you can find anything we can use at Willow's?"

"Oh! Right, I will take a look." Her head hung back to the ground, deep in thought. "He will actually be stopped…" she murmured. She shook her head. "Anyhow, we should head to the square. We'll split off there. I know of a fairly high-end shop there that might carry some valuables. Felix, can we trust you to procure useful goods from there?"

"Probably not," he replied, "but I'll try and get some useful stuff."

Star stopped in place, turning behind to see Wimpod still lying on the table. She stepped closer to him. "Pardon, but would you care to join us?"

Wimpod's antennas shot up. "Why?"

"Simple curiosity; perhaps we can learn more about each other. Like, for example, why have you come here to us today? Did Riley send you?"

Wimpod looked away and grumbled something beneath his breath. He crawled off the table and made his way past Petal to Star and Felix. "No, Riley did not send me."

"Then why have you come?"

The group began proceeding to the tower.

"Listen," Wimpod protested, "do you want me with, or not? Besides, why take me?" His eyes shifted away in a scowl. "You know the crowds won't like seeing me."

Petal hastened her pace, walking alongside the group. "Because… they think you're some kind of jerk?"

He sighed. "Because I'm worse."

—-

"No, I am quite certain the New Galar Expedition Company was not founded over a decade ago. It has not even been five years since the last Illumini first proposed the idea."

"It's felt like ten years."

That had been the third lie Star was able to identify out of Wimpod as she asked him questions about himself.

When asked where he was from, he told of a black sea blotted by the fallen smog of the Darkest Days. No such sea existed near New Galar.

Star had also questioned what his name truly was, he continued insisting 'Wimpod' was his name: despite their first encounter suggesting more.

And just now, when asked why he was here and allied with Riley, he recounted his experience over the past decade of working alone in the Expedition Company, until he joined with Riley in a coincidental encounter to find Cobb.

"If you will not be truthful," Star warned, "then I see little reason to continue this."

"Finally," Wimpod tiredly exhaled.

Along the way as the group chattered down the road, they attracted many sympathetic and soft eyes towards their bandages and wounds.

Many of the same stares turned to venom at the sight of Wimpod amidst them.

Passing by some stalls and tents, a familiar person came into sight: Petal the Twelfth.

Petal's mother.

She was handing a small bag of produce to a grateful delibird before it walked away. Behind the lilligant, a machop worked diligently, frantically looking over the many fruit-filled stocking crates that lay behind their stall, desperate to locate some item. She saw them.

"Petal," the mother calmly stated as the group drew close.

"Mom," Petal replied.

The lilligant circled around her low countertop, switching her gaze between each member of the group. "Is this the team you've left for? The- the dream you've told me was more important than the trade we've passed from generation to generation?"

Petal stared back at her mother with a glower. "Yeah, this is the team. Just became an official part of it this morning."

The lilligant looked over at the group. "So, this is the great and wonderful ragtag group?" She looked at Felix and Wimpod. "The rat who filled your head with that nonsense of adventure? And a scavenger? "

Wimpod's eyes turned to daggers.

"Hey, she was the one who approached me, she already had the idea," Felix countered.

"And you, Star," the lilligant stated dryly. "Tell me: we've talked before, so you knew how reliant I am on Petal for help. You knew she has no experience in any sort of fight, save for chasing off critters in our storehouses. You knew I offered a prayer for my family's safety! You said she would be safe! Look how battered you all are, how torn she is! So tell me," she leaned forward, "did you try to stop her?"

Star tore her gaze from the lilligant, her mouth trembling as she looked for something to say. "I…"

No other words left her.

Petal's mom straightened her back, leering down onto Star. "I expected better from you."

Star hung her head.

"Mom, are you going somewhere with this? Or can we go?" Petal asked.

The lilligant raised her arm to the still-struggling machop as it hurriedly gathered some fruits off the ground it knocked over. "Yes, actually. I need your help today. I hired this good-fellow in your place today, and he can hardly remember which storehouses have what, and what the fields need each day. Could you do me this one favor before you go off on your great adventure, and show him how we used to do things? Please?"

An irritated huff rose out of Petal. "I- fine. Sure. Whatever. I'll show him some tricks." She broke off from the group and headed towards the counter.

"Thank you, darling. And tonight, I feel it's best if we share a heart to heart."

"Yeah, yeah… I know the kind." Petal disappeared around the corner of the small counter, the tips of her leaves poking out over it. "You!" The machop between startled and dropped an apple as she brushed past. "We're gonna do some learning today! Lesson one: fruits on the left, vegetables on the right! Lesson two: we have to toss them if they get bruised, so don't fumble the stuff!"

"So you're leaving right now?" Felix asked over the counter.

"She's still my mom, Blue. I'll catch you tomorrow. I'll bring stuff then." Her splay of leaves disappeared behind the counter, then reemerging with a handful of fruits clenched in them that were then deposited into a crate of fruits that lay on the ground.

"Right, well, see you soon," he called out to Petal as he walked away. The splayed leaves behind the counter flicked towards him in acknowledgement. "Uh, take care, miss-"

"Good to see you. Please, on your way," the lilligant dismissed as she went back behind the counter.

"Right…" Felix and Star continued onward with Wimpod in tow, still seemingly crossed.

At his side, Star let out a sigh. "I am sorry, but could you find your way to the shop by yourself? It's the large, dark one at the end of the road. The owner's name is Dimas, and he should be carrying a nice selection of supplies."

He looked ahead, spotting the tent. "Yeah, can do. You breaking off now?"

"I am. I should do something, then I'll head to Willow's old space and see what I can scrounge up. I will meet back up with you at our little hole."

He tried snapping his fingers in acknowledgment, only to have his fingers glide past one another without a sound. Grumbling to himself, he nodded to her. "Sounds good."

"I thank you." Turning around, Star went behind them.

Looking back, he saw Star bowing her head to the lilligant, frantically repeating something in a hushed voice that he could not hear too well.

He continued on, giving Wimpod a side glance. "You know, you're free to go."

"I've always been free to go," Wimpod bluntly stated. "Riley wants you to be… informed of something, so he says. And it has to be just you that knows it. No way that red brat would agree."

—-

Having entered past the heavy, sagging entrance of the great tent, past the many bold-printed and carefully etched signs that lay and hung at the entrance, Felix, and Wimpod looked up past a modest mahogany countertop to the golden merchant behind it, and the shuckle before it.

Delicately grabbing a white rag from below the counter, the gholdengo began patiently polishing its hand as the duo observed the many pristine orbs, clean scarves, and shiny spikes that lay perfectly aligned on thinly stacked shelves around the dark room, lit by only one swinging lamp from the cross beams at the ceiling. Many golden laces and silver bird-like charms decorated the room.

Pechi extended out a tendril, picking out a set of goggles off a shelf of similarly finely-crafted specs. The pair she held seemed to be reminiscent of a hoothoot: round, red lens with black juts of cold metal jutting out.

She held the strange lens before her weary eyes, glancing through the glassware around the room before she finally spotted the three.

"Mm," Pechi murmured, "are you healing up fine, Felix? And Petal the Thirteenth?"

"We're shaping up well, and she's doing fine," Felix replied.

Pechi's mouth gaped open in an unapologetic yawn as she set the ocular device back onto the shelf. "Just a bit more, my sweet…" She turned to the exit and began sliding herself across the floor, keeping a flimsy, inattentive gaze on Felix. "Good, good. You guys are good. Good." As she came to the exit flap that bright light eclipsed from, her neck suddenly straightened and she looked towards Wimpod. Their eyes became glued to one another as they looked each other up and down.

"Got something to say?" Wimpod asked.

"Just… don't linger around the cleric like usual unless you actually need something."

Wimpod glowered. "Didn't mean to rattle folk with my oh-so threatening presence."

"Well, it tends to be unnerving for most when they see you following them afterwards." Wimpod averted his gaze. Giving him one final glare, Pechi huffed and opened the flap, briefly flooding the room with light as she left, before returning to darkness as the heavy drapes closed once more.

"What's that about, then?" Felix asked.

"Nothing. Did we come here for supplies or not?" he irately shot back.

Felix glared at him before relenting. "Right, right, stuff."

"Healing supplies: do you have any? Make sure you have enough for the two do-gooders."

Felix hummed. Flipping open his satchel and peeking inside, he spotted: the escape orb Willow had given him, some chutes he picked up at the river, the map and schedule, and the meats and apple Petal had given him.

"Nothing, so we'll need berries or bandages," he muttered, "then there's also picking up some stuff to improve the little hole we got."

"Healing items?" the gholdengo finally spoke, not looking up from its glistening fingers. "I'm afraid my shop does not carry those."

"Huh?" Felix looked around.

It was true. All around them lay an assortment of glowing orbs that hummed quietly in the modest dark, as well sashes and scopes that lay still. Nothing to patch wounds.

"This place came recommended to me by a vulpix. She said you'd be carrying a good selection of stuff."

Dimas clenched his fingers together, finally looking to him. "I would enjoy carrying those, yes. I requested a shipment of healing orbs and seeds. The delivery begins to travel here. The delivery never arrives here. I submit a formal request on where my purchases had gone. I then come to find out that the delivery had been stolen by-"

"Cobb," Felix interrupted.

"So you understand my situation, then. Frankly, I'm not sure how this keeps happening. I paid extra for more bodies to defend that cart, and they still couldn't make it. If the Illumini were still amongst us, I have no doubt she would have personally put a stop to these ruffians herself long ago."

"Illumini?" Felix asked. "I heard that name before. What's so special about her?"

Dimas gave him a deathly glare.

To his side, he noticed even Wimpod was angered. His puny eyes stayed plastered on Dimas, and his carapace seemed to quake.

Clearing his throat, Dimas recomposed himself. "I find it hard to believe anyone would not know of the Illumini, but for the unwitting: she was a fearless hero among the people, a true pillar of hope within the community. Within our plight in the Undercast, with no sun, no wind, no will of our own, she had offered to us a purpose. She gave us a faith most comforting, and led by example, making matters her own to foster an atmosphere of safety for us all in those cramped confines. When the gates of the Undercast first opened so she and an expedition team could initiate their pilgrimage, and while I cannot confirm this myself, the people and returning expedition members say the sun itself favored her, following her everywhere she traveled."

"Sounds like quite a tale," Felix remarked. "Where is she now, then?"

Dimas sighed. "She has returned to the cycle."

"Oh…" Felix softly spoke.

The air became heavy as the three stood silently amongst each other.

"So, have you got nothing else here?" Felix asked, quickly dropping the subject.

"What you see now is what I can offer; this is the last of my inventory."

"This all you have, huh," Felix remarked. He walked over to a low shelf, eyeing a blue orb that rested on it, seemingly containing a brightly glowing orb inside it. "What's this do?" He reached out to touch it.

Dimas' finger instantly snapped between Felix's face and the orb, halting him completely. Retracting his hand, Dimas pointed his finger right at Felix's head, allowing him a view of the indent that partially hollowed out the inside of Dimas' golden finger like a barrel. "Do not carelessly touch those," he ordered.

Felix brushed the finger away. "Why? What does this one do?"

"It's a sunny orb. Rather self-explanatory in what it does, and I would strongly like it to remain sellable rather than being used by careless touch."

"The girls might want that," Wimpod suggested. "Under a bright sun, the brat's fire should burn stronger, and the waitress would get a move on."

"How does that work?"

Wimpod leered at him. "How should I know?"

Felix grimaced, turning to Dimas for answers. "Is that true? Would a vulpix and a petilil like something like that?"

"Almost certainly. Those who have inherited fire and those who hold chlorophyll in their veins would thrive under such a blaze."

Felix nodded his head, thinking of the potential situations where improving Star's and Petal's combat potential might be the break they need. "Alright, how much?"

"One-thousand," Dimas nonchalantly replied.

A small spurt escaped Felix's mouth, garnering a small chuckle from Wimpod. "Not to your budget?" Wimpod asked with a sneer.

"No! I can't be spending money like that!" Felix dropped his gaze off the sunny orb, looking around the dimly lit room for other options. Everything glistened and glittered, holding both an expensive air around it all. He sighed. "Do you… have anything more budget-friendly?"

Dimas looked down on him, holding a judgmental stare against Felix. Reaching down behind his counter, Dimas pulled up a small sack and placed it on the counter. "Maybe these are more to your standing."

Pulling open the sack, Felix saw between clumps of lint and crumbled up strips of paper lay: several worn sewing needles stuck in a small ball of cork, a modest ball of white thread, a bent iron spike, and a glistening rock of flint. The needles and flint in particular caught his eye. "Sure, I might take this. How much?"

Wimpod crawled up the wall of the counter, looking inside the sack as he peeked over the lip of the countertop. "You're taking scraps?" Wimpod asked. "You might as well go to the dustheap if you're looking for junk."

"Get off of there," Dimas said as he prodded Wimpod off with a finger. "I do not need a scavenger's soiled legs spreading disease on my property."

Wimpod's feelers and thorax twitched violently, then settling.

Dimas looked back to Felix. "It costs you nothing. That's simply a bag of leftover odds and ends that I never got around to disposing of. Feel free to take it with you out of my shop; I'm afraid everything else here will not be so easily procured by you."

"Well, thanks, I guess." He grabbed the bag of junk and stowed it away. "Probably not what we need, but it'll do, maybe." He motioned towards Wimpod. "Come on, take me that dustheap."

His expression went awry. "That was a joke," Wimpod said as the two went to the exit. "Nothing but trash there from building this scab of a village. Broken and useless things."

"Things that are free," Felix retorted. "I'm sure I can find some things of use in there. You just have to be keen. And while we're there, we can talk about what pinky wanted."

Wimpod crawled ahead and passed beneath the flap. Opening the flap, Felix was once more blinded by the light of the world as he exited the tent.

"Alright," Wimpod quietly spoke, "this way."

—-

Nestled between the looming stone pillars Felix had seen on his first night here, lay a heap of boards and panels, old and worn tarps, boxes, handles, and other weathered supplies used for the construction of the tower and tents here.

Long shadows were cast from the tall stone towers, as the sun had begun to set.

Felix was down on his knees, messaging his tail after it had swung into an exposed nail. Looking at it, he felt a bitterness well up inside him. It had been a week since he had become a riolu, and he still had no control over his tail.

Wading their way between broken wooden crates and splintering wooden poles, Felix and Wimpod navigated through the haphazard maze. Felix kept his eye out for anything that might be useful, whilst Wimpod begrudgingly followed behind him, crawling over the heaps of junk.

"So what does Riley want me to know?" Felix asked as he pushed aside a fallen plank of wood.

"It's Cobb, and what he does," Wimpod explained. "Riley says that Cobb's crew have been gathering some things. Like old stuff, by the sounds of it. They've been entering those dimensional holes when they pop up, and look for anything humans might've made, and snag them."

Felix stopped lifting another board they lay in his way. "Yeah? And what's that got to do with me?"

"Looks like he wants to know how they're doing."

"How they're doing?" Felix repeated.

Wimpod shrugged the layers on his back forward, a gesture Felix assumed to be a shoulder shrug. "If Riley says they have something worth stealing, then it's worth stealing," he explained. "I have it on good word that he and his gang have been moving these round chunks of rocks and pieces of it they found back to the Undercast. Seems like something we could take."

Throwing a ruined tarp off to the side, Felix found nestled in the shortgrass a shovel, broken in two just near its base. Picking up the half with the spade, he felt its heft in his hand and brushed off some packed dirt that clung to its metallic lip. He stowed it in his satchel, leaving the broken handle poking out of the too-small bag.

"Are you listening?"

"I am," Felix shot back. "Never know when it might come in handy."

"Or we'll never know why Riley took in an idiot on this job." Wimpod scurried off a leveraged board, scuttling to Felix's feet. "And I don't need that idiot to screw things for us. Understand?"

Felix scuffed at the sight. "Oh, I'm sorry, is the little bug worried I'm gonna screw up this whole operation?" He went around Wimpod, ducking under another tattered piece of canvas and going further into the center of the junk pile.

"Just you wait."

Deeper in the midst of shattered planks and boxes, Felix's foot caught on a loose piece of fabric and he fell forward onto his face, arms too slow to catch his fall. In no rush, Wimpod came to his side, merely observing as Felix got up and dusted himself off. "Thanks for help," he grumbled.

"I'm not here to help you; I'm here to watch."

"What? Didn't pinkie send you to check on us?"

"No. Pinkie has been out for a few days now; I'm here of my own choice."

"Really now? You've never seemed to care before." A thought flashed across Felix's mind. He stared deeply into Wimpod's bugging eyes. "What's so important about her that you've come here?"

Wimpod's face drew back in surprise. "Her?" he repeated.

"Star," Felix continued, "you changed your tune real quick when you saw her. You seem to know her, too, yet she claims to have never even seen you. So tell me," Felix knelt down closer to Wimpod, "what's your deal with her?"

Wimpod stared back coldly. He lay there in silence, making no attempt to move nor to speak.

Felix sighed, rising back to his feet. "Fine then. But I'll be looking out."

He continued forward, taking cautious steps over splintered wood towards a loose piece of fabric he saw tucked between a pile of collapsed boards close by. Tugging at the corner of the tan cloth, he saw how its surface had been unstained and held minimal amounts of small tears; a good condition compared to the rest he had seen.

Planting a foot on the boards and with several firm tugs, he freed the canvas from its wooden prison.

The canvas seemed to spill out before him, draping over the ground in front of him like a flood of fabric. A frown formed across Felix's face. He knew he would have to drag it across the village and up the hill to their hole if he wanted to bring it back. It was simply too large to fold and put into his bag, and even if he held it whilst folded, its large size would undoubtedly spill out onto the ground from his very short height.

"How's that going to help you?" Wimpod asked behind him. "You going to try throwing it over yourself and hope Cobb doesn't have object permanence?"

Felix's brow furrowed. "Object what-now?" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Point is: I want this to not get dirty- well, not anymore dirty than it already is." He swerved his head around, looking for anything that might help him.

A wooden crate caught his eye.

"Are you always this dense? How does a tarp help with bagging Cobb?"

Felix rolled up the tarp into a massive ball that he had to peek around as he made his way to the crate. The crate's top had been pried off and lay to the side, while the crate itself was nearly twice his size. He threw the tarp inside, then threw the top back on.

"And what are you doing now?" Wimpod asked impatiently.

Felix bent over and dug his hands beneath the crate, and found that he could comfortably lift it, much to his surprise, though he had to look behind himself to see anything. "Just making a little home improvement."

—-
"Whaaat are you doing?" Star asked with her eyes firmly glued on the crate Felix clumsily carried up the hill to her.

Felix took deep breaths, forcing himself to the crest of the hill in one final effort with his cargo.

Finally at the front of the rock they had been sleeping under for days, where Star laid now, Felix dropped the crate onto the ground, kicking up some dust.

"Felix, what is all this?" Star got off the ground and began circling the box, staring in disbelief. "Pardon my asking, but… Why? All this?"

Felix planted a foot on the side of the crate and tipped it over onto its side, letting the top panel fall off with a plap on the ground. "We're moving up in the world!" He grabbed the tarp in the box and fetched the bent spike in his bag, using it to slice off an amount of tarp he was satisfied with for a blanket his size, then throwing the smaller piece back into the crate. He knelt down on the ground in front of the crate and began tearing off the grass and scooping out soil in a small circle shape. "Help me out here, I want to get a fire going."

"I-" Star sucked in a deep breath, then blew out a small lick of fire into the air. "Very well." Using her paws, she was able to quickly kick out the dirt from the circle faster than Felix could have hoped for, throwing the soil into the air in a frenzy. After achieving a comfortable depth and radius of bare ground, she stopped. "Felix, in the name of all that is pleasant and righteous in this world, what exactly is all this?"

"It's a little box!" he excitedly exclaimed as he affectionately patted the crate. "This thing can be our little home for a bit! No more sleeping on the dang ground!"

Star's gaze grew more concerned at his each word. "This is not quite what I had in my mind when we agreed to improve our conditions," she lamented.

Felix folded the canvas and threw it on top of the crate, then putting the lid on top to hold it in place. "Here, watch this," he instructed as he dug through his bag. "I thought of a neat little idea." He pulled out the flint and some wood shavings and splinters.

"Why do you have all this…" Star murmured to herself. Regardless, she joined his side as he stuck the splinters into the clearing they made and stuffed the shavings below it. "So, what is this idea?"

"Back when I first enlisted with the Toreros, they taught me a thing or two for surviving out in the field. Things like wildlife, treating injuries, and how to make fire."

"Ah, yes. I believe I am familiar with the process." She looked over to his hand and observed the flint he held. "I see the flint, but are you not missing something else?"

A small smirk crept across Felix's face. Raising a free arm over the wood stack and shavings, he began striking the metal oval that resided on his arm with the flint, spending a myriad of sparks down onto the wood below. After a few strikes, a small glow began blowing within the shavings. Felix began chuckling. "Still got it! Having a fire is crucial to survival in the wild. We can use for cooking food, it can keep us warm, maybe even dry-"

"Felix," Star interrupted.

"What?"

"Trust me when I say I know what good fire can do."

Felix thought for a moment, staring at her emptily. "Oh, well, it's still nice to have." He lowered himself down to the ground and began softly blowing on the ember, making it glow brighter with each soft breath. "In a minute, it should become an actual fir-"

Star pulled her head back and flung out a spit of fire forward onto the wood, making it roar to life. Felix jumped back as the campfire burst into a small blaze in front of him, falling back onto his rear as he stared at the blinding fire in front of him.

Just beside the campfire, he saw Star wearing her own small smirk. "Sure," he mumbled as he got up, "rain on my parade, why don't you." He went to the crate, taking the cut piece of tarp and laying it out inside the box, then sitting on the edge of his new home.

The fire settled in a moment, becoming a comfortable flare of respite; the warmth banishing the cold that had enveloped him just moments before, replacing it with a blanket of security.

Star calmly walked over to him, lying down in front of his feet that hung outside the crate. Her tails raised and fell one after another as they stared deeply into the heart of their fire.

"You know, you can lie up here if you'd like," Felix offered, patting the open space next to him.

"I thank you for the offer, but I prefer to lie here: at least I can feign having a shred of dignity out here. Should I guess you found all this in the scrapheap?"

"And if I did?"

Star sighed.

The two sat in silence once more, enjoying the comfort the fire released as it illuminated their humble shelter.

The scent of crisping wood never had felt so welcoming.

Felix clasped his hands together then dug through their bag, pulling out one of the dingy tubers he had unearthed a few days earlier, and the cup he had found yesterday. "You know, they taught us other things, too."

"Like a guide to shipping-crate-based housing?"

Placing the cup in front of him, Felix began crushing the tuber between the palm of his hands with an ease he had not expected, grinding the chute into a fine, gray dust over several moments as Star watched curiously. "These little plants are called sootfoot roots. Can be ground into real powdery stuff." He fetched the spike and tore off a small piece of fabric from the excess tarp, then dumping the powder into it and loosely wrapping the pouch with a small amount of twine. "Watch this."

Star leaned her head forward.

Felix stood up and pulled his arm back, aiming the pouch at a small opening a small distance away. "Smoke bombs are a great thing: we can use them to cover a retreat or an advance. This just might save our hides." He threw the pouch at the ground, letting the sack collide with the grassy terrain as its loosely-tied opening ripped open. The bag feebly puffed out a small out of haze into the air, not at all thick enough to hide in, while the rest of the grounded contents simply spilled out onto the grass.

Star stifled a small chuckle, instead blowing out a faint wheeze from her nose and looking away to hide the smile on her face.

Trudging over, Felix blew out an exasperated breath as began shoveling what soot he could back into the bag.

Star recomposed herself, sticking her chest out once more. "You know, I am not too sure about the 'smoke' aspect of this trick of yours, but it certainly bombed. "

"Yeah, yeah," Felix dismissed as he returned to his seat in the crate, holding the refilled sack. "Been a while since I made one of these. Probably need to work on how much soot is here and tightly packed it is. I'll workshop it tonight, I really want to get these to work."

"And how about that?" She pointed her snout at the splintered handle protruding from his bag.

"Oh, this?" Felix pulled out the broken shovel. "It has a good heft to it, don't you think? Might be good for gardening, though I'm probably going to use it to clobber folk," he joked.

Star's smile faded. "Felix…" she dropped her voice, "you're a riolu now. You do not need to rely on such brash methods to combat our foes. All this punching you do, and more punches and kicks, and now a broken shovel?"

"Hey, in my defense, I've found that with enough punches, problems stop being problems," he countered with a weak smile.

"I am being serious, Felix. By the sound of it, you were not able to use force palm yesterday, even when faced against Cobb. What would have happened had I not appeared? What would have happened to you? To Petal?" Her ears began to pull back.

Felix opened his mouth to let out another half-hearted joke to calm her down, but found no words. He could see her worry worn plainly across her face. "I… you're right. Sorry."

"I am not looking for an apology. But I do want you to learn." She got off the ground and stood before him, eyes fixed with a steadfast resolve. "Get up."

"Wait, why?"

"Get up."

Feeling her pressure, he stood up. "Okay, now what?"

"I am going to attempt to guide you into using force palm. Close your eyes, and clear your mind."

"Wait, now?" he protested, "seems kinda late to be doing-"

" Felix. "

"Right, right." He closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind.

He could not find any peace in his head as thoughts clashed with one another in light of the day's events. His thoughts bounced between his encounter with Cobb, the vicious sneer and power the wolf wielded. He thought back the plan they now held, and the new directive Riley had in mind. And now learning of a power alien to him. All obstacles.

His home came to mind.

His face began contorting as he fought against the tide of his mind. "Not working."

He heard a dry leaf being crushed. "Do not try to force a clear state of mind; focus on the world around you. Become attuned without sight."

At her instruction, he began to focus on his senses, save for sight.

The comforting air of the fire that enwrapped him. A gentle breeze blew past him, which he could hear swaying the leaves around him. Many chirps rang out in the distance, calling to one another. He relaxed.

"Good," Star softly spoke, "now focus on your palms. Feel the surge of life you hold in them."

He clenched his fists, trying to feel for any power. Deeper and deeper he immersed himself into the depths of his own mind.

His surroundings had tuned out now. Only aware of his own breathes that swelled within him.

Yet that was all he could ever feel. No matter how still he sat, how calm he was, no inkling of latent power dwelled within this cage.

Felix opened his eyes and kicked the dirt below him. "Blast it all, couldn't feel a darn thing," he lamented. Blowing out a frustrated sigh, he sat back down. "I can't even raise my own… tail , let alone get a feel for this 'aura' junk."

Star sat once more near his side, letting her tails rest on the ground. She hummed. "Perhaps you are right: maybe we should start small. You have only been a riolu for a week, and I cannot fathom what it must be like to be in a body different from what you would be used to."

He fidgeted his hands together as he dueled with a thought within himself. No matter what angle he looked at his situation from, the mystery of his predicament still eluded him, much to his displeasure. He dropped his hands to his side, and stared deeply into Star's eyes. "Tell me," he murmured, "why did I become a riolu?"

Star opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. She looked to the fire and became lost in thought as her eyes followed the embers that floated away into the dusk sky.

"Got nothing?"

"No, it is just… a personal idea of mine. I am not too sure if it would be what you would care to hear."

"Tell me," Felix asked as he slid himself off his spot onto the ground near her, "just tell me something."

"Well, very well…" Star lowered her head towards him, seemingly showing off the two red, white, and green feathers she had always worn tucked behind her ears. "You have no doubt seen me wear these, correct?"

"Yeah, all the time."

"And you likely know that I hold a religious belief."

"It's fairly obvious," he admitted. He fiercely blinked as he saw where she was going. "Does your religion say something about this?"

Star bobbed her head from side to side as she searched for an answer. "Something akin to that," she affirmed. "Felix, in your time as a human, were you aware of a land called 'Johto?'"

Felix's lips sputtered as he thought deeply. "Can't say I have."

"Well, in this region, before the Darkest Days, there existed a community of humans, who had come to worship a great phoenix, known as Ho-Oh. These feathers you see on my person come from the very same being."

"Wait, really? There was some great-" Felix stopped himself, noticing Star giving him a small glare. He motioned for her to continue. "Go on- tell me about it all."

"These humans, unlike many others before them, had come to survive the wilds with Pokémon, not against them."

Felix felt a small tingle crawl up from his back like a cold shock, but remained focused.

"Long before the Darkest Days, there existed a humble village amidst bush and foliage at the base of a mighty mountain. One day, enticed by the growing homesteads, the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh, graced their land and homes. At first, the people were afraid and drove the great phoenix away. Yet the visits never ceased. As the seasons changed, the Pokémon became a familiar sight, and was welcomed in time, and even came to work together. They lived harmoniously: Ho-Oh would defend their homes and fields from aggressive wildlife, or aid in their hunts of even the most ferocious game and share the spoils. It even helped by scorching the forests close by, reducing them to soot and ash.”

"How in god's name does that help anybody?" Felix blurted. Star leered at him once more. Clearing his throat, he meekly motioned for her to continue.

"This may surprise you, but farming land created from smoldering fields of incinerated forestry tend to foster incredible growth. Together, they prospered, becoming a community of merit and warmth. In time, they had come to construct a tower that reached the heavens, which became the grand monument of their deity in celebration of what it had brought, and what it had inspired." Star's head drooped; a sorrowful frown took hold of her. "But the heart of nature grew cold, and the world shivered for it. During a scornful summer wrought with treacherous typhoons that flooded the land, strange men had come from the seas, bearing foreign flags and speaking with farflung tongues, who boasted of conquest. The people of Johto had thankfully eluded these conquerors- either through sheer chance, or perhaps through the grace of a plan yet to arrive."

"Eluded?" Felix leaned closer. “I thought they had the favor of some god or other on their side.”

Star nodded. "They did. For some time before, at least. Before these foreigners had taken to their shores and mountain ranges and loomed over them, the Sacred Fire, had long left them.”

The tinder in the fire snapped, shooting out sparks that quickly faded into the open air. “Did…” Felix started, “did this Ho-Oh… you know…?”

She shook her head. "The Sacred Fire had not smoldered. Ho-Oh still drew breath." Star’s head tilted down, a firm frown cementing itself on her face. “Not yet, anyhow. For reasons even I don't know, the Sacred Fire abandoned them well before this encounter. From what I’ve read and studied, the people of Johto were virtuous and faithful to the Sacred Fire and its faith.”

Felix murmured to himself, dumbstruck by what he was hearing. “Some god.”

Star shot him a defensive leer. "I know the Sacred Fire had its reason. It must have.” Catching herself, she clenched her eyes and rattled her head. “I’m getting off track. Anyhow, the people of Johto believed themselves to be responsible for this neglect, cursing themselves for any perceived slight they may have unknowingly committed, and turned their eyes to the great mountain that crowned their village. They watched it intently, believing it to be the roost of the phoenix. One day, a great fox wearing eight tails descended from the steepled heights of mount Silver, joining the villagers below. The humans believed this nine-tailed fox to be an emissary from the Sacred Fire, and offered her gifts and prayers alike, worshiping her and what she represented. To their cries, their woes, their praise, the fox would gaze to the horizons, watching as the sun rose and fell each day. Once every month, on nights when the moon swelled, she would depart the village and ascend the mountain she had arrived from. She howled questions of rebirth, questions of worth from the snow-capped mountain range, convening with the Sacred Fire, they believed. She would then return, wearing an inscrutable face and resume her post as the first Illumini, guiding the people in their faith. The village came to understand: they, as with all life, were bound to eternal return. They were to be reborn time after time again, until they have lived their perfect life, for that is the will of the Sacred Fire." Star finally took in a deep breath, calmly breathing after her story had concluded.

Felix let the air sit quietly between them, giving Star a chance to catch her breath. After a moment, he spoke. "And what does that all have to do with me?"

Star closed her eyes, feeling as the gentle wind stirred around her and shifted her fur. "Marea," she whispered. “You… may not find what you desire. I know you hate to think on the idea, but I am honest when I say so much time- a century, at the very least- has passed since the beginning of the Darkest Days- of when the fall of man and their civilizations came to be.”

He looked up. Above in the expanse of the dusk sky, a cluster of stars could be seen directly above. Behind them lay a swath of yellow, that spread into space and spiraled out. He said nothing.

"But that’s just mere speculation on my end," she continued. "To say your situation is quite unique would be an understatement. There is a chance I am mistaken, that some fact eluded me, and that your home is well and truly there just as you remember it. Just maybe, everything is okay." She dropped her gaze. "But should what I believe to be correct… be correct…”

He looked to her, ears listening intently to her every word.

Star's lips trembled as she searched for the right words to say. She leaned forward, each word slow and deliberate. "Perhaps in this cycle of eternal return, you’ll find your loved ones born anew, as you. And that though they might bear strange new faces, perhaps you’ll love them then, as you do now."

Felix dropped his stare to the fire, blankly staring at the flicker of flame.

"Felix?"

He pulled his head back, eyes clinging to the fire in front of him as he thought deeply at her words. A cold sweat began to form across his body. "I… I don't know." His face hung low, becoming planted in his paw-like hands. "Can I tell you something?" he whispered.

Star scooted closer. "But of course."

"Right, right… Remember that night with Caelum? The house and all those odds and ends?"

"Quite vividly."

"Well, it's just…" A hand curled into a tremoring fist. "That room, and all that history , and that note… That note came from the Mesagoza House of Defense Affairs- it had the stamp and everything. And it talked about pulling our forces back from Eastern Unova. Eastern. "

"Eastern…" Star repeated. "There was an Eastern and a Western Unova after their civil war, occuring a couple years prior the Darkest Days. I gleamed as much from recovered documents myself. Why? What is so vexing about Eastern Unova?"

"There isn't an Eastern Unova," Felix dryly said. "Back in the Toreros before I was sent to that thing , there was just Unova, not some Eastern and Western split. I mean, I have heard that there was some bad business brewing in Unova with that dragon they had, and that they were at each other's throats, but…" He paused, now wanting to admit it.

"... But now time has passed, and the bad blood finally spilled over."

"...And how much time has passed?" he muttered softly.

"As I’ve stated, they occurred…" Star stopped. Her eyes fell to the ground, mirroring Felix's own downtrodden look.

"Star, tell me," Felix ordered. "Say it again ."

Star sucked in a breath, then blowing out softly as she steeled herself. "The Darkest Days occurred over a century ago."

The two sat in silence; the ambience of the early night surrounded them with the crackle of flame and gusts of cold wind.

Star finally looked up to see Felix blankly staring ahead, his glazed eyes locked forward. Not breaking his stare, Felix slowly dug his hand into his satchel, pulling out another sootfoot root. He grabbed the bent spike, and tore off another piece of canvas.

"Felix?"

He crushed the root between his palms, grinding it into a fine dust. "There's… there's only one way to know for sure." Tensely, he poured the soot onto the piece of cloth. His wide-eyed gaze fell onto the bag, carefully watching the amount he poured. "I… we just need to get Cobb. Get the money. Then I can go see. Go find out for sure." He wrapped the new smoke bomb with twine.

Star's tails fell flat to the ground. "We will get him, don't worry. Trust me on this."

Felix grabbed another root and performed the same process on it. "We just need Cobb. We just… need Cobb." Reaching down, he grabbed the hilt of the broken shovel, dragging it across the golden-tinted grass to him. Raising it up, he looked at his disfigured, blurry reflection on its dirtied metal surface. "That's all that matters."

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream

Chapter 11

Soot and Sand

Gently did the drops of rain fall from the dark rolling clouds above, into the fog below. The teardrops of the world pattered against the low, round trees that surrounded the small group as they advanced through the muck and mire of the violet swamp. Amongst the soft azure and emerald glows of morelulls as they slinked in the gloom, sickly flowers shaped like razor-point starfish and tall tan cattails caught the frail drizzle, as did other deathly plum-colored plants warped beyond rationality. They let the rainfall stream off their bladed petals and languid stems into pools of ash and soot below in the wayside.

Ash and soot black like apathy.

At the head of the group, a small petilil kept her head raised proudly, adamantly forging the way ahead along the raised wooden bridge they traveled on. Hanging lanterns only-just lit their creaking and winding path with lavender flames that flickered near death. Just behind her, a sopping vulpix shuddered, her head, ears, and many tails low as she begrudgingly moved forward with the group. By the fox’s side, a riolu, whose head swiveled this way and that as he adjusted the crudely-fashioned poncho on himself, which kept him somewhat protected from the elements. He had assembled the garment the last night from a piece of old tarp, using a worn sewing kit and bent iron spike to make and mend holes as needed.

Looking behind herself, Petal took notice of the sorry state of Star and wandering gaze of Felix. “Argh, you guys,” she grumbled, “what’s with the looks? We’re about to nab the big bad wolf today! Couldn’t hurt to be excited, you two!” Petal rallied as she playfully spun around.

“I would have to ask for your forgiveness in this instance, I’m afraid. I find this weather to be-”

“Horrid, I know. You’ve only said it like four times this night alone,” Petal interrupted. “Come on! I know you hate a little bit of rain, but you should be the one most excited out of any of us! We’re taking down a big baddie! You practically live for this kind of thing!”

“Make no mistake: I am quite eager to apprehend Cobb. But surely the weather could be kinder to us? If it rained any harder, I am quite sure we would be surrounded very shortly.”

“What, you worried about grimers? It’s not that bad! Look at Blue! He’s handling it like a real trooper.”

Star shook her head, which let the curls of her bangs become frayed, much to her frustration. “Felix fashioned himself some form of cloak! He hardly counts in this regard.”

“Hey! Not some cloak- a trashy cloak!” Petal corrected. 

Felix shot her an unamused leer.

Petal spun away back towards him, returning a sly eye of her own. “Don’t give me that look. What even is that getup you’re wearing?” she asked as she leaned in closer to his garment, taking in the way the fabric loosely hung around his body from the base of his neck. “Like, I don’t mean to be mean or anything, which is why I didn’t ask when I saw you in this, but I’ve never seen something like that before. What is it? Some kind of blanket?”

“First of all: it’s a poncho, not a blanket,” Felix sighed. “And they’re real good from where I came from. Easy to wear, comfortable, and handy in just about any weather.” He raised his arms beneath the poncho and dropped them, letting the garment rise and fall to accentuate his point. “Even weather like this. Second of all: grimers?”

Petal’s face twisted. “What, you don’t know about grimers?”

“Can’t say I do.”

“You really don’t know a lot around here, do you, Blue? Anyways, grimers? Muks? Big living pools of this mire stuff and filth that likes to come around whenever it rains hard in areas like this? Ring the bell?”

“No,” he admitted. “I’ve seen and heard of plenty of strange and powerful monsters. Ones that create invisible walls out of nothing, some that cannot be matched in strength or speed, and many that command the elements. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of a pile of mud and muck being a problem.”

“Lucky. I haven’t been around long, but even I know those things can be a real pain. Just hope we never have to meet one, Blue. You’ll be prettier and healthier for it.”

Star’s eyes narrowed, glaring deep into something ahead. “There,” she spoke, “I believe we have finally found them.”

Just further ahead through the dense fog, a large shadow loomed behind the churning mist, passing beneath one of few dim ghastly lamp posts about. The shadows of a small framed deer-like creature and a bipedal dragon accompanied the moving mass along the raised walkway as its boards creaked and groaned beneath their weight.

The dragon raised an arm to its companions, halting them on the track. It took a step forward. “ Who goes there!? ” a low voice boomed through the mire.

Star’s ears flicked; a sheen of familiarity shining in her eyes as those words reached her. “Jeral?” she responded. She cleared her throat. “Jeral?” she called out, “is that you?”

The figure dropped its arms to its side. The deer approached the dragon, getting its attention as the two exchanged words much too quiet to hear.

Focusing back to them, the deer called out through the fog. “Star? Is that you?” 

Star’s head quickly perked up. “Fawna?” Star quickly took off into the fog, darting across the boards.

“Star, where are you-” Felix blurted out as he raised a hand towards her, but it was too late.

“Well,” Petal murmured by his side, “guess we know we found them.”

Catching up behind her, they had finally cut through enough of the mist to see the shadows’ true colors: it was indeed the caravan they had searched for. A large open-top wagon filled with a few crates and objects covered in tarps was being towed by a steadfast mudbray, who seemed to have hardly broken a sweat in spite of the large payload it had attached to its back with taut ropes. 

From beneath one of the tarps rose a furry creature’s small head, clearly having just awoken and still fighting off the remnants of sleep that still held its disheveled head. A linoone, and one whose striped fur was disheveled all over itself. It wore a lop-sided pair of thick goggles.

Star was beside the wagon with others Felix himself had come to recognize- the hakamo-o and orange deerling he had seen the day he escorted Riley. They seemed lost in conversation with one another, Star smiling fondly as she spoke to them.

The hakamo-o’s gaze slid off Star, and onto Felix. “Hey now… are you that riolu we’ve seen before? The one that took that sylveon?”

“Sure am,” Felix confirmed. 

Star stepped between the two groups. “Felix, Petal, this is Jeral and Fawna!” she introduced. “I have known these two for some time when we lived back in the Undercast.”

“Wait, Fawna?” Petal asked. “Is she the deerling you told me you were real sweet on?”

Felix looked between Star and Fawna, both of which were exchanging fond, nostalgic glances with one another. “What now?”

“That’s in the past,” Star spoke. “We are simply good friends now. So, as I was saying…” Star turned back to Jeral.

The linoone in the cart opened its mouth big and wide in a ferocious yawn, then snapping to attention once it saw Petal, its lazy eyes becoming sharp and focused in a second. “Petal?” she asked.

“Huh?” Petal looked up at the long rodent.

“Petal!” The linoone frantically scurried off the cart and jumped down beside them, then furiously shaking its coat to dispel any lingering drowsiness. “Oh, it’s been two years now, hasn’t it?”

Looking the linoone up and down, Petal’s growing confusion was apparent. “Do I know you, lady?”

“Of course, silly! It was you that-” the excitement that illuminated the linoone’s eyes began to fade as she stared at Petal, becoming overcast. “Oh…” the linoone mumbled, “it has been two years, hasn’t it?” 

Petal stood silent.

“You’re not her, sorry. But you’re still Petal, yes?”

“...Yeah.”

“The thirteenth, I assume?”

“Yeah,” Petal softly repeated, “Petal the thirteenth.”

The linoone lowered her head to the walkway. “So very sorry, Petal. It’s just that I was good friends with your mother. Name’s Lyniar.” She took the opportunity to adjust her goggles. “Say, do you know if your mother and I’s get-together with another friend is still on? She hasn’t penned me back.”

Petal huffed. “I don’t know. This is the first I’m hearing anything about it. Just ask the twelfth when you get there,” she grumbled.

Lyniar frowned, but her gloom was quickly cast aside when her eyes latched onto Felix- in particular, the garment he wore. “Is that a poncho?” she enthusiastically asked. She darted straight across towards him, which made him reel back suddenly. “Nice fit! Obviously custom-made, but its silhouette is still recognizable,” she remarked as she held a part of his cloth with her claws. “Oh, oh! Tell me: did you base your design off of southern Unovian cultures? Or was it Paldean? Oh! Or maybe central Hoenn? Hm, no, the skirt of the cloth is much too loose to be multicultural. Methinks you had this made for an impression of Paldean discernment- the unfastened cloak is a dead giveaway.”

Felix snatched the corner of his poncho away from her. “Wha- I- what in god’s name are you even saying? Are those even words coming out of your mouth?”

Lyniar hopped past the mudbray back into the rear of the cart. “Sorry, sorry! Just a bit of a xeno-cultural buff, that’s all!”

“Is that right?” Jeral bluntly asked, his back towards her.

“I mean, you knew that already. Kinda am your client, you know,” Lyniar chuckled.

Jeral turned back to face her. “Not you.” He looked back at Star. “You’re certain Cobb is going to ambush us shortly ahead?”

“I am. We have seen his plans ourselves. That is why we are here now.”

Jeral rubbed his chin. He looked at Felix and Petal and frowned. “Some team you’ve found yourself. Where’s the big guy? Wasn’t he in charge of watching over you?”

“Willow is no longer in service to me. I hold full faith in the band I run with now,” Star boasted. 

“High praise from Miss Sunshine herself.” Looking back, Jeral looked at one of the few crates that lay in the back of the cart, each one spacious enough to fit some odds and ends inside. “And you’re sure this frankly simple plan will work? You don’t become a gang leader who raised havoc in half of the Undercast and escaped into the plots of New Galar by falling for amateur tactics like this.”

“He’s never met amateurs like us!” Petal beamed.

Jeral stared emptily at Petal, holding the glare for a few moments before relenting with a sigh. “Well, if we really are walking in an ambush, suppose it couldn’t hurt to have some more bodies to throw at him. One second.” Jeral walked towards the back of the cart and hopped on, beginning to flip one of the crates and prying the top off easily with his robust arms. 

As Jeral fidgeted with the wooden box, modest clops along the walkway quietly approached Star. A wet nose then poked at her side from Fawna, grabbing her attention. “I realize now is not the time to discuss this, but I do want to talk about it at some point,” Fawna whispered.

 Felix’s ears focused on the quiet voices behind him.

“Hm? May I ask about what?” Star murmured in kind.

“That night. You know the one. I just… want to clear the air, and get a final answer.”

“Oh…” Star looked around, seeing how many others were around them. Even in the thick of the murky fog and looming night, she felt no privacy here. “Well… how about tomorrow? I know of a little nook beneath the briar we could talk in.”

Fawna leaned in closer to Star. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Fawna nodded, then walked away towards Jeral as he hopped back off the cart.

“Hey, you lot!” Jeral waved Felix and his team over. “Right- in you go, then.” Jeral lifted a tarp covering one of the crates nearly teetering on the edge of the cart.

Beneath the tarp Jeral held up, it had become apparent that Jeral simply had torn off the cover of one of the crates and flipped it onto its side, judging by the tossed garments and writing instruments inside the cramped box. A few green bulbs of fruit rolled on the floor, each producing a faint emerald glow from in-between their yellow cage-like husks. Felix, Star, and Petal, exchanged weary glances with each other.

“Well… no time like the present.” Felix clambered up the lip of the cart and into the crate, trying to find a comfortable position to sit amidst the mess. 

Star kept a pensive look about her.

Petal nudged Star’s side with her splay of leaves. “Come on, Star! All for taking down the big bad wolf!” With one mighty hop, Petal jumped into the box as well, stuffing herself into a corner beside Felix, much to his annoyance. “Stop holding up the ride, we’re on a quest for fun!”

Star sighed, then crouched down and leapt inside the crate.

Jeral released the flap, encasing the team in a suffocating green glow.

As the caravan began moving once more, something scuttled beneath the cart.

—-

“See? Told ya, Blue! Knew you’d like it.” 

Even in the dim light inside the crate, Petal could see the stunned reaction Felix had from finally trying the salted meats she had made yesterday as something akin to joy, teetering on shock.

The food had been absurdly salted to the point where Felix felt he had to crunch through the layers of mineral to reach the meat- yet once he found that cooked cut beneath, he was enthralled by its simple yet powerful hold on him through the savory, tender meat.

In truth, the dish reminded him of the arrachera he knew and loved back home. Felix sniffed. He never knew how much something so simple could strike him so. 

“Yeah, yeah, I guess it’s good,” he choked out, then cleared his throat. Peeking up from his lap that held the bag of meats, he noticed a small stream of drool leave Star’s mouth as she intently focused on the food he had. He grabbed another small cube of the prepared meat and tossed it to Star’s feet. “Here, come on, eat up. We traveled all day and night. You’ll need it.”

Star’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I thank you!” In an instant, the cube of meat disappeared as Star snapped it up and swallowed it in one quick motion, much to Felix’s astonishment.

“I swear. I know you’re a fox and a critter and all, but at least try chewing next time.”

Petal leaned her head back against the wall of the crate, letting out a chuckle. “Tell her all you want, Blue, but ain’t nothing changing that girl like that.”

Star wiped her jaw on the back of one of her paws, leering at Petal as she did so.

“What? Am I wrong?” Petal joked.

Star opened her mouth to speak, but closed her mouth and looked down shamefully.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Believe me, Blue: she’s all posture and formality and all that fancy stuff, but all that high society comes crumbling down to earth when she senses salt.”

“Salt?” Felix repeated. “Not meat?”

“Meat can be quite nice, too…” Star mumbled.

“Yeah, salt!” Petal rubbed in. “Everyone’s favorite church girl just has a weakness for the stuff. Quite shameful for someone so prestigious, really,” she teased.

“Oh, hush. But enough about me, what of you? Aren’t you hungry, Petal?”

Felix shook his head. “Nah, she shouldn’t be. There was plenty of sun on the way here, so she should be set.” Both Star and Petal shot him baffled looks. Met with the bewildered stares, Felix looked around himself, thinking he may had missed something. “What?”

“Felix,” Star calmly spoke, “Petal needs to eat, too.”

“Huh?” He looked at the plant beside him, which was now boring into his soul with her eyes. “She’s a plant! Plants don’t eat!”

“‘ Oh-oh-oh plants don’t eat ,’” Petal mocked with a half-hearted imitation of his voice. “I’m a petilil , genius! Not a houseplant! Do you really think half-a-day of sunlight is enough to keep me going?”

“Er- I- How should I know?” Felix stuttered. “You’re the first plant-thing I ever knew! Plants need sunlight and water, simple as that. And last I’ve checked, you don’t even have a mouth!” Hearing his own words, his haze became unfocused as he reflected on what he said, occasionally glancing back at Petal’s featureless face. “How in the… how do you even speak?” he quietly muttered to himself.

Petal sighed, dropping her head down to the ground. “Oh, Blue, you’re so hopeless.” She then nudged his legs with her leaves, tapping them a few times. “Here, give me the apple I gave you. I’m going to show you something cool.”

Felix was stumped on what she could mean by that, but obliged and fetched the apple from his satchel, then placed the brilliant red fruit in front of her. “Alright then: impress me.”

"Felix, have you never seen how those like her eat?" Star asked.

"I guess. Why?"

A sly smile crept on Star's face. "Then you'll not want to miss this."

“Yeah, Blue. Check it!” Petal grabbed the apple with her stubby arms. In a moment, the green surface on her small arms began to slightly quiver.

Felix’s eyes grew as he saw tiny roots like tendrils emerge from the tips of her hands and implant themselves into the apple. The fruit’s red sheen began to dull and wither as its vitality was drained by Petal’s roots, soon becoming a gray husk that she dropped to the floor.

Petal looked at Felix with beaming eyes, proudly holding up her spindly roots. “Pretty cool, right?”

Felix had already moved himself to a corner of the crate away from her, a hand clutching at his chest as he stared at Petal with a mix of fear and astonishment. “Y-yeah,” he stuttered, “that’s a neat trick.” As Felix leaned back off the floor, something rattled.

Something akin to what sounded like many tinks , rattling away like small pieces of hail rapping against a window on a cruel winter’s night, began to quietly stir inside a small red velvet case beside him, softly revealed to him by the glow of the green plant bulbs.

Petal retracted her roots back into herself, going back to her usual, non-appalling form. “Don’t act like it’s not freaky both ways, Blue. Imagine how I feel looking at meat bags like you two,” Petal continued. “Like, you guys have these weird flesh holes called mouths? And they’re filled with weird stuff like teeth?” She shuddered at her own words. “Usually, you want bones to be inside you and not seen, Blue.”

The rattling continued. His interest piqued, Felix reached over and grabbed the case, dragging it closer to himself. On the top of the box, it bore an insignia: two black sharp horns adorned up an angular head, with sunken eye sockets, affixed with a prideful black mane with red and blue marks. A tauros. A simple lock consisting of a hook around a thin metal slot kept the container sealed.

“Hey Blue, still snooping? Whatcha pull there?” she asked as she drew closer to him, eyeing the case curiously herself. 

“Petal, no,” Star ordered with a stern mien. “Felix, I must ask that you refrain from prying into others’ property. We owe them that basic courtesy at the least for agreeing to work with us.” 

“I’ll respect others’ privacy later,” he replied. The tinks and patters from the box had grown louder. “Just… I know this symbol. Just curious, is all.” He planted his hand on the latch and undid the simple hook that locked the case shut.

“The symbol?” Star got up and looked at the insignia herself, crowding around him alongside Petal in the already uncomfortable position he had put himself into a moment ago. “Ah, I see. This is Paldean, yes? I recognize the emblem from an old text Caelum reviewed with me.”

“So you know why I’m going ahead with this, right?” 

Star grumbled and rolled her tails up. “Hmph. I suppose so.”

“Come on, Blue,” Petal prodded him, “open it already! Anything that makes sounds like that is just begging to be looked at!”

Flipping open the case, a soft glow of a myriad of colors came to rest on their curious faces, like light refracting from a prism. A clear orb of glass rested halfway into a raised black velvet platform inside the case, with a silver cast wrapped around its circumference, letters long since faded etched into the metal band. Inside the bauble, many splinters of shards, each different in their vibrant colors that shined like a rainbow, danced and pinged against the walls of the orb.

“What is that? ” Petal leaned in closer to the device. “What’s this gizmo do?”

“Wait a second…” Felix murmured to himself. He stared deeply into the orb, his distorted reflection staring back. Behind the glow of the swirling shards, he saw the metallic shavings that produced the brilliant lights. His pupils grew. “She shouldn’t have this.”

Star broke her trance off the light show, shaking her head briefly as she recounted what he had said. “Pardon?” 

“Petal, she said she’s going to your place, right?”

“I mean, yeah. Why? What’s it to you?” Petal replied.

“These shards,” he continued, “I know them! They’re-”

The crate they sat in rocked violently in a sudden burst of movement as an explosion rang outside, throwing the three of them and the bulbs and bauble around the crate like toys as they cried out in surprise, as well as some shouts from coming from the outside. The force from the blast pierced Felix’s body and rocked him to his core with its resounding shockwave.

The crate settled. Outside, they heard as shards of wood and muck rained back down and pelted the box feebly.

Star groaned as she picked herself back off the floor, looking towards Felix and Petal as they recovered as well. “Are you two well?”

As Felix opened his mouth to answer, another explosion rang out further away and rocked the crate once more, but with less force than the last time, sending the fruits and the now loose glass orb rolling along the floor. Felix instinctively dove back to the ground, not before wrapping his arms around both Star and Petal and taking them down with them as he clenched his eyes shut. Some more debris fell on the roof.

Through it all, the mysterious bauble still had not ceased producing tinks .

“ Jeral! ” A muffled cry from Fawna rang outside. “ Jeral! Get up! ”

A low groan pierced the wooden walls. “ I’m moving, I’m moving. ” A piece of wood creaked as a weight pushed itself off the board.

After a moment of silence, Felix’s eyes crept back open. Star wore a steadfast grimace as her eyes remained locked forward towards the flap in front of them. Petal had her eyes clenched shut.

Taking his arms off them, he crawled forward and lifted the flap just enough to peek outside.

The fog of the night had made it difficult to see what had happened, but he was able to notice how the platforms behind the caravan had been utterly destroyed. The planks of wood were nothing more than splinters and spindles shot across the area, and began sinking into the bubbling purple mire below.

Before he slinked back into their cover, he noticed an odd image. 

Hidden behind the veil of the fog, its form barely illuminated by the flicker of the nearby violet lampposts, a ball rolled. It was moderately big, just his size he figured. Caked in layers upon layers of muck and grime from the swamp, it had somehow managed to roll seemingly effortlessly through the mud, away into the fog, disappearing. Before it had vanished from sight, Felix swore he saw the texture of the ball peek through its accumulated filth: something like smoothed stone.

“ Come on out, lads! ” a deep voice boomed.

Felix retreated within the crate, dropping the flap.

In an instant, he heard tree branches snap and shake as numerous footsteps of various weights jumped down onto the flimsy boards.

Small scratching sounds hastily dug into the wooden panels outside their crate, pulling some creature up from its interrupted sleep. “ Wha- What’s going on!? ” Lyniar asked. “ Are we being attacked already? ”

“ Lyniar! Keep your head down! ” Jeral ordered.

“ Quiet! ” the deep voice commanded. Something was grabbed, then slammed into the wooden planks.

“ Jeral! ” Fawna cried out.

Star’s lips curled, revealing her fangs as her brows furrowed. She was tense; ready to spring out of the crate in a moment. Felix stuck his arm out in front of her, then gave her a slow shake of his head. Understanding, she snorted.

“ Whose the little ferret? ” Cobb growled.

“ Linoone, not furret! Do all you rock types have nothing but stones rolling in your heads? ” Lyniar corrected.

“ Wait a second, ” a new, lighter voice chimed in. “ Linoone? As in that egghead? Boss, do you think that’s her? ”

“ Well, is she? Talk to me, boy. ” 

“ I’m not telling you… nothing! ” Jeral choked out.

A loud smash rang out as more planks shattered as Jeral cried out. “ I always get what I want, boy. Lads, keep an eye on the deer, the donkey, and the ferret. Tyson, check the cart and see what we’ve got. I need a word with our little dragon friend here. ”

“ Aye, boss! ” the younger voice replied. 

Something clambered up the side of the cart and began carelessly shifting around items beside the crate the team laid in, haplessly tossing them off to the side after a moment of inspection. 

“ Keep your grubby hands off my things! ” Lyniar ordered.

“ Seems like a bunch of stuff an egghead would have, boss! Look, there’s a bunch of papers here with nothing but words on them! No pictures at all! She’s got to be the nerd! ”

Cobb cackled, sounding like stones grinding together as his breath wheezed. “ Is that right? ”

The glowing orb beside them in the crate shone even brighter now, and rumbled furiously as the shards within it seemed to rage, creating an even louder racket than it had before. Petal grabbed the orb, and despite it nearly being as big as she was, clung to it in a vain attempt to get it to quiet down.

“ Huh? Hey boss! I think there’s some thingy or another in here! It’s making some kind of noise! ”

“ Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Looking for permission? Go and get it! And Hariet! Get on up there and keep a lookout! I don’t want any surprises! ”

Some beating of wings passed overhead. Someone jumped over the side of the cart, landing on the planks below, then taking agonizing footstep after footstep closer to the rear, a process the team heard and dreaded as he drew closer.

Then the orb grew dull. Its light vanished, leaving the space they were in back in a humble green hue from the fruits, and it became silent. A loud crack like thunder pealed through the air, sounding so close to where they were. A bright light briefly flashed outside, easily seen past the thin veil of tarp that covered them.

Silence.

“ Well, would you look at that? ” Cobb finally spoke. “ What are the odds of that happening here, boys? We’ll check it out right after this. I’ve got a feeling this is going to be a very good day! ”

Some murmuring continued between unrecognizable voices as the band of thieves remarked about something with one another.

Then the light footsteps continued.

Felix waved Star and Petal over to him, near to the exit of the crate. The footsteps finally reached directly outside where they had been lying. Jumping up, a small figure had leapt onto the back of the cart, and reached down, grabbing the hanging tarp with its small purple fingers. Lifting the tarp, a tyrogue bent down and entered the crate, its eyes fixated on something glowing outside as it did so, before returning to focus on his objective once he was fully inside.

Turning around, the tyrogue’s complacent face soon turned to surprise as he saw a riolu, vulpix, and petilil, all staring him down angrily.

Before he could shout, a hand shot out and covered his mouth. A few thwacks and tussling passed in a moment as the crate shook, and soon, the team now had an unconscious tyrogue lying inside with them.

“Tyson! What’s keeping you? ” Cobb shouted. The three readied themselves, crouching down near the covered opening. Petal’s splay curled, building within them fine yellow spores within her grasp.

Sturdy stomps began approaching, racketing the bridge with each footstep. “Tyson! Answer me, boy! I swear, if you’re trying to hide away some trinkets again, I will-” a white, gnarled paw reached below the tarp.

“Got something for that fur coat of yours, brickhead!” Petal jumped out of the cart into the rain and threw a cloud of stunning spores forward. Cobb quickly ducked away, but was not quick enough, catching a scant amount of the powder on his nose. He slinked away back around the cart, hacking and coughing.

Star jumped out right after her. In one quick breath, fire flew from Star’s jaw and struck a very surprised bombirdier off the lamppost she had been perched on, knocking the bird down to the planks with one wicked burst of flame. Whipping her head around, Star tensed herself as she saw a dark rattata leap at her back with buck teeth bared. 

Before it could reach her, a sudden metallic thwack from a broken shovel had slapped the rattata out of the air and into the muck with a splat. 

Felix brushed some dust off the shovel, smirking at a relieved Star. “Got your back.”

“Lucky me. I shall count my blessings,” she quipped back. Dropping her brief smile, she snapped back to a disciplined focus. “We can banter later! First, Cobb!”

Cobb’s nose had wrinkled. That small dose of spores had been enough to cause spurts in his movement, though he wrested control as best he could. Cobb sucked in deep breaths where he could through his pointed nose. His ruby eyes began to glow.

“Hey, stones-for-brains! Try reading a book!” Lyniar shouted. Cobb irritably stared up at her as she ducked back into the cart, then popped back up with a thick volume in paw. “I hear it’s good for your headstate! ” She lobbed the novel at his head. Try as he might to move or intercept it, Cobb freezed in place as his muscles seized, taking the book head on with a painful smack.

“How’s this for some talk?” a bruised Jeral shouted as he lunged at Cobb alongside Fawna, fist coated in a white glow.

“You bully! How’s this for treating others?” Fawna planted her front hoofs into the floor before Cobb, spinning around and extending her rear legs in a double kick.

Cobb raised his arms up defiantly into a cross as they began to glow white, letting their attacks slam to a stop against his limbs. A sneer formed. “You shouldn’t have done that.” In one motion, Cobb threw his arms out and released a blast of stored energy in one swift counter, sending them flying through the air as they screamed, landing a ways away in the muck and mire. The lycanroc scoffed to himself, but that confidence ebbed away when he turned around to see Felix, Star, and Petal waiting for him. 

Lyniar let out a quiet ‘eep’ and ducked back within the cart.

“You are through, Cobb!” Star barked. Her fur on the back of her neck seemed to stand on end, and thin wisps of embers seemed to seep out the corner of her mouth.

“Surrender nice and easy, wolf, and we’ll all head back nice and quiet,” Felix remarked, waving the shovel in front of himself to accentuate his point. Felix’s own confident smile faltered once he glanced behind Cobb. Through the looming fog and silhouettes of trees, past the lines of faint blue glows and shroud of rain, a large, violet dome seemed to bloom in the distance like the sun through clouds.

“What’s the big idea, fox? And don’t think I don’t know you’re slinking in the shadows, Willow!” Cobb howled as he backed away from the cart. “We’ve stayed well-away from that village! We’ve never had problems before! Why now!?” His lamentations were cut short as his legs buckled from his paralysis, forcing him to his knees as he struggled for control once more.

“Why now?” Petal repeated. “Why, because now you’ve got a team the likes of us coming to take you down!”

Cobb pulled his lips back and snarled. “And just who do you think you are to challenge me? ”

“Me? I’m Petal! And you’ll remember that name! I’ll douse that ragged coat of your with my spores as long as it takes for you to realize a little nobody like me took you down! So long as me and my buds here are together, we’re coming out on top!”

“Willow has been far too lenient for the likes of you!” Star interrupted. “The people shall know security in traveling these roads once more!” Star began creeping towards the weakened wolf, eyes locked on him.

Straightening his back, Cobb snorted great and long before finally spitting out a gob of mucus that seemed to glow yellow with spores.  He stood back up, shaking out his rocky mane and sticking out the many jagged rocks that seemed to spike out from it. “Pretty speech, fox. But I’m not going with anyone.” Cobb covered his eyes with crooked hands. “Everyone, scatter!”

“Now just what do you think you’re-” Felix was interrupted when the rocks covering Cobb’s mane suddenly began to glow white and then exploded into a flash of light that blinded him and the others. He threw his arms out and began to grapple at his own face, waving his other arm in front of himself as he swung his body around for any sense of orientation. “Argh, I can’t see a thing!” His eyes were open, but the only image in front of him was that of a black afterimage that seemed to warble and warp.

“Neither can I! Just watch where you’re- Gah! ” Star shouted as Felix tripped over her, making the two collapse to the ground.

“Guys, I can’t see! I can’t see!” Petal shouted, then shrieked as something light sounded like it tripped off the walkway into some puddle below.

As Felix rubbed his eyes and his vision slowly returned to him, he heard just enough to recognize the beat of wings and the faint scampering of small feet to know that they were fleeing. After a moment or two of fiercely blinking, he could see once more, albeit with a small receding blob of darkness at the center of his view no matter where he looked. Frantically scan the area as he may, he could not see Cobb or his lackeys.

“Blast it!” Felix stomped the floor beneath him, then quickly turning around. “He’s getting away! Anyone seen where he went?”

Some hollow rumbling came from behind them. Inside the cart, a small box popped up from the carrier and landed back inside as Lyniar’s head once more poked out. “Seen where he went? Sure, the guy went towards the Distortion! Saw him right as he turned tail and ran after a flash went off over my little hidey-hole.”

Star was still hazily swerving her head around, her eyelids flickering open and closed as she fended off the rain from her wandering vision. “Of course! The Distortion!” She got off the ground quickly, shaking her head and refocusing. “He thinks he can lose us in there? We pursue! He will answer for all he has done! Who shall we leave to protect the caravan?”

“Oh, we still going for him?” Petal cut-in as she rolled back onto the walkway from the purple and brown muck. She stood back up, and was covered with the filth all over her small body. “Sure! I’m still game! Let's go!”

“Wait-wait-wait! You guys are still going after him?” Lyniar asked.

“We are, miss,” Star replied, head held high. “We shall apprehend him!”

A holler came from their sides in the wet brush. Looking over to the racket, everyone saw Jeral waving to them as he and Fawna trudged through the sludge towards them, their heads hanging low and wincing. “That Cobb fellow sure does smart,” Jeral remarked as he shook off the grime.

“That hurt a lot, way more than I thought it would,” Fawna agreed as she did the same. Both their bodies seemed well-bruised from the counter, being blemished and beaten.

Lyniar’s ears pulled back. “See here? We’re hardly in a good shape to defend ourselves! You can’t just leave us! What if one of them comes back?”

“Well, that is…” Star trailed off.

“What’s this about leaving?” Jeral asked.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. I’m sure nothing will happen to you or the others,” Felix assured. “We’ll be off to pursue that wolf. The longer we’re talking, the more ground he covers!” He waved his hand towards Star and Petal. “Now, come on, we need to move now!”

Star did not move. “We?” she repeated. “As in everyone? Felix, are you certain this is the correct action to take, given the circumstances?”

“Yeah,” Jeral chimed, “we’re not in good shape.”

Felix scoffed. “They’ll be fine on their own, now come on! We’ve wasted enough time. We’re going after him, and consider this a direct order from your team leader.” 

Star glared at him. Once more, she made no attempt to move.

“I mean… sure. You heard the boss man! Let’s go!” Petal exclaimed. As she went towards Felix, her small body was nudged by Star’s nose. “What?”

Leaning in close, Star’s mouth quietly murmured something to Petal as she listened intently. Once Star finished, Petal shot her an inquisitive look. 

“Wait, really? You think you can manage that?”

Star nodded. Her eyes were lit once more with a steadfast determination.

“Alright… take the lead, boss man!”

“We move at once. Lead us, Felix.” Star finally broke from the group and joined him.

Felix turned his back to the caravan and began sprinting towards the distortion, Star striding by his side with an equal swiftness. “About time! Let’s move out!”

A third joined them. Scampering faintly below the boards.

Together, they darted across the slick and creaking boards towards that looming dome, passing underneath lantern after lantern and through the brush until the Distortion was well in sight, clear from fog and no longer dimmed by distance. Coming closer to that dome that hummed, Felix slowed from a sprint to a trot, and from a trot to a crawl. Only now was he getting a good look at this thing up close. Its violet surface hummed and churned with magenta hues that swirled with an underlying vigor. Bolts of shock seemed to ripple across the surface, writhing like pests that crawled along its imposing surface. Not to mention the sheer scale of the wonder. It was far larger than anything he had ever known; far larger than even the ships he had seen from the Paldean Empire. Larger than anything that could exist. And here it was, right in front of him, resting at the side of the walkway in the muck and mire.

Star came to his side, also in a trance at the sight, albeit one of contemplative respect rather than awe. “Quite the sight. And these cursed spheres seem to be spawning more and more…” She calmly advanced towards the Distortion, not taking her eyes off it for a single moment. “No use standing on ceremony. Shall we?”

“Right,” he murmured to himself. “No hesitation.” He leapt into the wall.

His fur seemed to stand on end as he passed through the crackling surface, feeling like he was breaking through water’s surface as he crashed into sandy ground below him. Picking himself up, he felt the warm grains of sand dig themselves into the spaces between his fingers, as well as the particles of the grains falling from his face as he stood once more. Wiping his eyes with his arm, he was stunned.

Inside the dome, hot winds brewed over rising dunes of sand, howling in a heated fury. Tall, thin trees had filled the area as well, like a mix of desert and woodland, laden in layers and layers of sagging vines and shrubbery. No matter where he looked, sand washed over the jungle like a flood, burying all that was not tall in the churning sandstorm. A thunderous roar like an eruption cracked and reverberated through the air, a ways away through the woodwork in front of him. 

Star landed softly beside him, avoiding the tumble he had taken as she nimbly stuck the landing on the loose surface.

“Nice weather, huh?” While the sandstorm was churning with hot winds and wisps of sand that battered against him, Felix found he did not mind the desert storm so much; the grains could only harmlessly pelt against his fashioned poncho. “Kind of reminds me of home.”

“It certainly is somewhat an improvement compared to out there.” Star shook something fierce to dispel any accumulated water she had on her red coat. “This is quite the locale. I do not think I have ever heard of a jungle blighted by sand. What caused all this?”

“Don’t really know, don’t really care. Where do you suppose he might be in all this?” Felix scanned the area, cupping his hands around his eyes to avoid the flying grains. In the distance, he saw a tower of fire shoot out from a cluster of the trees into the air, then dissipating into flickering embers. 

“Does that answer your question?”

“Sure does.” Taking a step forward, he let himself slide down the sandy slope towards the buried jungle. “Plan still sticks: Petal, you try to nail him with those spores, and me and Star will mop up. Understood?”

No response.

“Petal, did you hear me?” He turned around. Up the slope, only Star stood before him. He swept his head side to side in a growing vain to spot her. He could not. “Hey, where in the- Where’s Petal?”

“I had asked her to stay behind,” Star promptly replied.

Felix’s mouth parted open and stared at her in disbelief. “I’m sorry, you what?”

“I had asked her to remain with the caravan to offer assistance or protection should they need any. Lyniar was correct: they are hardly in a position to defend themselves should any of Cobb’s gang return.”

“I- what- Just what do you think you’re doing?” Felix exclaimed. “Forget them! What about us? We’re the ones who need her! Cobb and his cronies are in a full-blown retreat! None of them are coming back! We need Petal’s spores!”

Star slid down the slope as well. Lifting her head up, she looked at him seriously. “We have the guise of Willow’s protection, they do not. And I would not trust any of those crooks to not try their luck and return on their own accord.”

Felix blew out a long exhale through his nose. “You shouldn’t go against your leader’s orders.”

Star leered. “You should if it’s not what’s right.”

The two leaned in closer to one another, exchanging glares. As much as Felix leered, Star would mirror the glare. “Fine.” Felix broke off. “We hurry and nab him. But don’t disobey orders going forward.”

Star nodded.

Giving her one final glance, the two proceeded. The sand shifted little under their unimpressive weight, which made running across the loose ground far more achievable than Felix initially thought as the two entered a cluster of tall trees closer to the swathed woodwork. Mounds of sand rose and fell like great waves within the desertified jungle. Past buried trunk after trunk, through dangling vine after vine. They were protected from the sandstorm by the same trees they slipped by. Curiously, the glitter of the odd colorful stone could be glanced on occasion as they ran.

Ahead, a bright light flared through the cluster of trees. Felix grinned. “He has to be there! Let’s move!” Ducking past a final stretch of woodwork, they entered a small opening of protruding, jagged, tan rocks that had risen against the sands, producing a divet in the landscape that held grass and flowers amidst the sea of sand. In the center stood Cobb, and a two-headed, red and green lizard that wore both a sneer and viscous grin: a scovillain. 

Cobb had not yet noticed them. With a snarl, Cobb raised his fist above his head and plunged it into the shortgrass below, breaking the crust of the ground in a viscous smack. In an instant, the ground tremored as a line of bulging rock piles thrusted out from beneath the wolf towards the scovillain, steadily gaining speed with each beat they shot out before reaching beneath the plant monster and exploding out a large stone’s edge into the beast’s chest like a tectonic punch, launching it backwards into the tan rock wall as it roared out in pain, then quieting down as dust shrouded it. Cobb sneered in delight. 

He turned to leave, and that is when he spotted Felix and Star, both looking down on him from the rising slope. “Oh, you’ve got to be bloody joking!” Cobb cried out.

Wisps of flame escaped the corners of Star’s mouth. “Your crimes end tonight, Cobb!” She bolted down the slope, opening her jaw wide as the fireball inside grew larger.

“Not tonight, or any day after!” Cobb ruffled his coat, displaying the rugged rocks in his mane once more as he shut his eyes. 

Felix raised his poncho to his face. Once he heard a distinctive burst of the flash out of Cobb’s mane, he dropped the cloth to see Star wincing and dazed by the flash, then tripping and tumbling down the rest of the slope to the grass, releasing the ember she held in a pathetic ball of smoke she breathed out.

Looking ahead, Felix saw as Cobb frantically climbed up a sanded slope the opposite way of himself, eventually able to claw his way out as the sand slipped and fought against him every step of the wolf’s way because of his weight. 

“Up!” Felix commanded as he slid down the slope to Star’s side, wrapping his arm around her side and helping her up as she refocused out of her daze. 

“Where has he gone?” she asked as she shakingly stood. “If we can intercept him, we can whittle him down in a two-on-one fight!”

Felix pointed up the slope, towards the cluster of protruding treetops. “Just that way. Come on, let’s go.”

As they turned to pursue, a low hum quickly grew in intensity behind them. Looking behind, a green sphere of energy barreled towards them from the dusty rock outcrops, whizzing over their heads and crashing into the rising sands in an explosion of debris and dust as they ducked down. Stepping out from settling dust of the outcrops, stood the scovillain, hissing and cackling from both heads. A large gash was in its crumpled chest.

“We’ll catch up to him in a minute, the sand will slow him down!” Felix barked. He grabbed his broken shovel from his pouch. “Sort out this thing!”

“Gladly!”

The scovillain lunged at them with flaring red fangs from the red head in a terrifying charge, just grazing past Felix’s arm as he threw himself back. Behind the two-headed beast, Star shot a ball of fire at its back which bursted its exposed flank. The heads hollered and swiveled towards her. 

Felix took the opportunity to slam the flat of the shovel against the creature’s back, earning another howl, but also the green head’s ire as it swung around and flung out thick-shelled cores of seeds from its mouth to his feet, that exploded on contact with the ground and sent him flying back and yelling from the shockwave. He could only shakingly push himself from the dirt to his knees as pain seized him.

“Felix!” Star shouted. As she darted around the beast’s side, its red head launched out and grabbed her with its pointed teeth, making her yelp as it then lifted her up and slammed her back into the ground. Lifting her head, Star saw the scovillain’s red head building a bright ball of flame within its mouth, swirling and swirling as it grew in volume. 

“Star, get out of there!” Felix desperately shouted.

She only looked up at the growing attack, staring at it without emotion.

Reeling its red head back, the scovillain lurched forward and unleashed a torrent of flame onto Star, lighting the area in a bright orange glow. Even a fair distance away, Felix felt the intense heat engulf him. She could not be seen under the intense plume of fire.

“Star!” Felix cried out. He scrambled to his feet, pushing through the pain in his side to rush towards them. His breath staggered as he looked towards the tower of flame. Nothing he knew could endure such an attack. A cold, empty feeling swallowed him whole.

The scovillain closed its mouths, ceasing the flamethrower and admired its work. A thick cloud of smoke had concealed the very spot it had scorched, and the earth directly below it had been charred black. Only a faint orange glow could be observed within the volume of fume.

The green head of the scovillain swung around to face Felix, gathering up more of seed bombs within its jaw as the red head turned to join its twin, gathering more flame itself.

Felix scowled. He knew he could not avoid the coming attack, and tensed.

As the heads both reared back in preparation for their final blow, a growing intensity of light appeared behind them like the sun. In an instant, an explosion rang out like an eruption, enwrapping the area once more in a blaze of heat and blasting the scovillain across the ground and into a slope of sand that collapsed upon it, burying the monster save for its legs.

It lay still.

Felix breathed hard, glancing towards where the scovillain lay, then towards where the great fireball had come from. The smoke had dissipated, and the orange glow became clearer: it had been Star. There she stood, brows furrowed and equally panting for breath in worry. Her body radiated like a glowing drop of the sun.

“You’re…” Felix struggled to say. He raised his arm towards her, eyes focused solely on his friend. Dropping his arm, he raced towards her, much to Star’s surprise, then wrapping his arms around her in a hug before pulling back at the sudden burn he felt from her still glowing-hot body. “You’re actually alive!” he exclaimed, then blowing on his arms. Even being this close to her, he could feel the scorched air flaring at him.

Star fondly smiled. “Aw, so you do care!” She noticed his confusion buried beneath his joy. “Yes, I am fine. Do not worry about attacks from fire on myself; my kind are among a lucky few to become strengthened by the lick of flame! It does us no harm.”

“Well, that would have been good to know before I thought you were a pile of ash.” He turned around, pointing towards the earlier slope. “Now let’s go!”

Racing up the dune, the two darted past the exposed and low treetops across the sand, towards a break ahead. No matter how quick they ran, nor how sharp they turned, the desert did not slip from underneath their small forms.

Breaking past the overgrowth into the open desert air, they were once more battered with the blight of sandstorm, reaffirming Felix’s fondness for his new wear that shielded him from the slicing winds. Taking a moment to stand upon a rising dune, he cupped his hands around his eyes and scanned the area for the wolf through the pummeling storm.

Star kept buckling at his side, still flinching from every peck of sand sailing through the air. “Do you see him?” Her glow had diminished quickly over their jaunt, returning to her usual red self.

“No, not yet,” Felix replied. “He can’t have gone far. Monsters like him are far too large for this kind of terrain. The sand will give under him and slow him down.”

As he scoured the turbulent desert, a guttural roar thundered through the air, echoing across the area and forcing himself and Star to tense from the sudden cry. The earth shook, and layers of sand on the dune peeled away as the ground trembled. After a moment of relative silence against the howling desert storm, Felix and Star warily looked at each other.

“That was quite the roar! Just what exactly was that?” Star asked.

Felix grunted, a lingering dread running through him. He knew very well what it could be. But the mission was more important. “Nothing we should worry about.” As he spoke to her, he noticed a faint figure stumbling through the dunes in the distance behind her. “Wait a minute, that’s him there!”

Star craned her head around, spotting Cobb further off as well. Together, they bolted across rising and falling banks and drift towards the wolf, quickly gaining on him as he fought against the failing ground beneath him. “Cease at once!” Star shouted.

Cobb whipped around, spotting them. He began shouting something in anger, a crooked frown frantically cursing, but nothing could be heard through the sandstorm. He refocused forward, redoubling his futile efforts to slog across the desert.

“We’ve got him now,” Felix cheered as they got even nearer. “Star, hit him with a-” a plume of fire crashed in front of them, forcing them to stumble to a stop. Ahead, Cobb himself seemed to halt as explosions from green glowing seeds detonated themselves in sequence after flying through the air at him.

From the shroud of the storm to both their sides, the scovillain staggered into view from the dunes. Its body and lower portions of its neck were now tinged ash black, but the new grave wounds had not slowed it down in its hunt. Rearing its heads back, it roared, shooting pillars of fire and beams of energy into the air in a display of defiance.

“Again!? We don’t have time for this!” Felix shouted. He reached into his satchel, digging for any useful items. “Star, first we need to-”

The dunes quaked once more, fiercer than any time before. As the sand beneath their feet rolled away into the waysides around them, a monstrous roar pierced everyone’s ears with its intensity and command. Felix, Star, and Cobb had all cowered down and covered their ears, whilst the scovillain seemed to flinch. The ground trembled in terror as a giant dune rose to the opposite side of them all. 

The sand upon the hill tumbled away, revealing thick, brown and black skin. Many holes were dotted across its massive body, each pouring out torrents of sand into the air. Its jaw was enormous: larger enough to swallow any of them whole with room to spare. Its snout was wide, its eyes blood-red.

A hippowdon. One that was as large as a house. And with none of the intrinsic welcome or invitation that might be offered.

Felix stumbled back and fell to the ground in shock at the beast. Star stood her ground, not budging an inch. Around them, Cobb seemed to take a step away whilst keeping an eye on the gigantic threat. Only the scovillain seemed to take a foolhardy step closer, fangs bared.

“What the-?! That’s a titan!” Felix yelled as he got back to his feet.

The scovillain pulled its heads back and fired a tower of flame and a solar beam at the titan hippowdon, striking the beast’s thick hide in a ferocious explosion of the elements, scattering sand into the air. 

From the blinding shroud, the hippowdon walked forward, unscathed by the attack. 

It roared once again, branding its many crushing teeth. At the beast’s beckoning, many of the sunken dunes began sifting, slowly churning in many circles around the group, then turning faster and faster until whirlpools of the desert had formed, threatening to swallow any of them whole in their pull. Not content, the hippowdon shifted its monstrous body into the sand, shaking until it had buried itself wholly, receding below the desert’s surface until no trace of it could be seen.

Felix’s heart beated faster. As he swung his head around, he could only see the many sand tombs, Cobb, and the scovillain around himself. Nowhere to retreat. Everywhere to risk his life. “Forget Cobb! We need to leave!” He dug back into the satchel, searching desperately for something big, smooth, and round.

Star nodded. Turning her attention away from him, her eyes shot open. “Felix! Watch out!” She thrusted her head into his stomach, knocking them both to the ground as a luminescent energy ball flew over their heads and crashed into the sea of sand.

Felix let out a tense breath as he watched the plume of sand fall back to the earth, thankful to have been spared the blow. “Good instinct,” he remarked. Feeling the cold sphere, he pulled out the escape orb Willow had given him some nights ago. “Alright,” he began, “get us out here!” His command elicited no response from the silver device. He began furiously shaking the orb. “Come on, work!”

“An escape orb?” Star asked. “A marvelous idea perhaps, but not so much here! We are in no dungeon! It will not work here! These baubles are wholly different from a dungeon!” 

“What?” Felix shouted back. “I don’t care about the rest! This thing won’t work here?”

“I am afraid so!” A bright flash of light briefly shone on Star’s face, causing her to wince fiercely. 

Back behind Felix, the scovillain’s red head wailed with its eyes shut, having looked at Cobb as he flashed. as the green head swung focused intently on the both of them. Cobb who had backed away towards a dead end of sand tombs swirling behind him. 

The green head snarled and began charging towards Felix and Star with the red head still flailing behind. Felix reached for the handle of his broken shovel, pushing himself off the sand alongside Star, who began creating an ember within her mouth. The ground beneath them began quaking vigorously, forcing all to stumble to their knees. Rising from the sea, the hippowdon’s red eyes peered out towards them, drawling closer as it swam through the dunes with ease.

In a sudden burst of speed, the alpha lunged at Cobb with its jaw in full span, closing the fair distance between the two in seconds. Not sparing a moment, Cobb had once more covered his eyes and flashed his mane in brilliant light, stunning the creature as it bellowed in surprise as Cobb quickly hid behind a mound of sand.

Averting its attention away from the lycanroc, the hippowdon leered down the scovillain, as well as Felix and Star. Propping its impossibly large maw open once more, it charged at them while shouting a terrible roar.

“It’s coming right for us!” Felix shouted as he hurried off the ground. “Scatter! Get out of the way!” Heeding his command, Star had gotten up and quickly dashed away from the hippowdon’s charge as it snapped at the scovillain in front of them, but missed, instead continuing onward towards Felix as he ran.

“Felix! Don’t stop running! It’s after you!” Star followed her warning with several shots of fire against the beast’s hide, which ineffectively smoldered against its thick protection, not staggering its progress in the slightest.

The titan pried its mouth back open, revealing the black abyss that threatened to swallow Felix whole as it tore through the sand after him, quickly gaining on him. In one final effort to save himself, he thrusted his hand into his satchel and pulled out one of the smoke bombs he had fashioned last night, and hurled it at Star’s feet as she watched the scene in alarm. The small pouch’s loosely-tied neck burst open as it made contact with the ground, throwing up a fine cloud of smoke around Star, completely hiding her within the shroud. Running towards the veil, Felix threw himself inside and covered his head with his hands as he lay prone on the ground, feeling the earth tremble like an earthquake as the roaring beast only just missed them.

As he laid there, eyes shut tight amidst the cloud, he heard the alpha roar once more, followed by the defiant cry of the scovillain against it. A massive, bone-crunching snap popped in the air, then the sounds of a great force plunging back into the earth, churning the sands until it was quiet once more.

After a few moments, Felix opened his eyes. He could see Star laying down in front of him, her eyes shut as well, though her ears remained perked and alert. The cloud of smoke around them had somewhat vanished, allowing him just enough sight to see that the dunes had returned to rest once more, yielding in their swirl. The sandstorm was almost calming, thick as it may be.

The scovillain could not be seen anywhere.

Felix reached out to Star’s shoulder, tapping it twice. “Hey,” he whispered. “I think it’s gone.”

Star pried open her eyes, peering towards him. “So we are safe?”

Before Felix could respond, a great force slammed into his back and pinned him to the ground. No matter how much he wriggled to free himself, he could not get himself loose. In the same moment, Star had been startled and began to thrust herself up, but a claw with red fur lurched forward from beyond his vision, clasping around Star’s jaw and forcing it shut as she too was then pinned to the ground.

He turned his head to look over his shoulder. Standing over him, with their foot pressed on his back, was Cobb. The lycanroc’s face was furious, a wicked grimace displaying white fangs pointed at them. Looking around, he saw his shovel close by. Reaching for it, his arm came up short by an inch, and he could not muster the last bit of stretch he needed to grab its broken handle. Star was still pinned to the sand, wisps of smoke pouring from the corners of her held mouth as she squirmed to free herself.

“What are you doing here?!” Felix shouted. “You trying to get Willow to snap you in half?!”

The claws on Cobb’s foot dug into Felix’s back, making his flinch. “Shut it!” Cobb barked. Cobb raised his head, looking around the sandstorm and desert. “ Willow! ” he cried out. “ You’ve never let things get this close with the cur here before! ” He raised Star’s head and slammed it back into the ground, earning muffled yelp peeped from Star. “ I couldn’t get within fifty feet of her before without you showing up! But now, you let her nearly become fodder for the desert!? Show yourself, coward! Show me you’re still here! ”

A moment passed as Cobb waited, and the two squirmed to free themselves from under him. Nothing moved through the storm.

Cobb gently lowered his head down, staring at Felix and Star as they leered back. His expression was plain. But once more precious seconds passed, his many fangs were beginning to be shown one-by-one, outlined in a growing grin.

They struggled harder than before to free themselves, both failing.

With a sneer, Cobb turned his hand on Star’s smoking mouth up, forcing her to expose her throat as she writhed to free herself. He raised a claw into the air.

From the sandstorm, a small, silver bug lunged out and clasped itself onto Cobb’s low face as it began emitting green wisps that whipped at the lycanroc, making him howl in surprise. Cobb’s grip and footing failed, and in an instant, Felix reached out and grabbed his shovel, twisting his body to throw the spade into Cobb’s gut as Star shot a powerful burst of flame in the same vein, exploding against him.

Wimpod released his grip and landed beside Felix and Star as they stood back up, eyeing down Cobb as he stumbled back with a vicious sneer. Cobb’s gut was scorched black, and a cut had made itself apparent as some blood began trickling out in a line where Felix had thrown his shovel. Using his hand, Cobb softly traced his wounds with a finger, picking up some of his blood on the tip of his claw as he held it before himself. Looking back to Felix and Star, his frown once again crept into a smile. “Not today, but soon.” With one last chuckle, he covered his eyes and flashed the stones in his mane once more, blinding the party as a loud crunch rose from the earth.

Blinking out the dark afterimage, all that they could see in front of themselves were several jagged stone’s edges, blocking them from where Cobb was like a wall.

Felix ran around one side, picking up his shovel as he passed, while Star went around the other way. Cobb was not there on the opposite side. All that could be seen were his footprints, trekking out further into the ferocious sandstorm of the desert, which were already quickly being covered up by the storm. 

Felix was breathing hard as he stared at the trail, which had nearly vanished by now. At his side, Star slowly walked near him, equally exhausted, with a similar forlorn look.

“This is not good…” she muttered.

“ Star! Other guy! ” a voice called out behind them. Turning around, they saw Jeral and Fawna running through the dunes towards them, both wincing as they fought to keep the winded sand out of their eyes. “Miss Sunshine! Her partner!” Jeral exclaimed happily as he reached them. “Glad to see you two are still kickin’! Where’s this big bad wolf?”

Star looked at him feebly, then dropped her gaze to the floor somberly.

“He’s out of the picture for now,” Felix replied in Star’s stead. “What are you two doing here?”

“A wimpod had hurried to us, and told us we needed to come as quickly as we could to help you two,” Fawna explained. “We left your friend at the caravan. The wimpod said the situation was urgent, and so we hurried here as fast as we could.”

“A wimpod?” Felix repeated. He raised his hand and pointed. “What? You mean this guy?” He looked at where he had been pointing, where Wimpod had been.

Had.

He was not there, and no matter how much he swiveled his head, Felix could not find him.

“Likely the same, if he were here. We followed him here, but he seems to be a few paces quicker than us. Sorry if we were later than you would’ve liked.” Fawna poked her nose into Jeral’s side. “We should leave now. I’d hate to think of what might lurk in this desert.”

Jeral nodded. “Come on, little guy, Miss Sunshine. We need to leave.”

Accepting the invitation, Felix walked beside Jeral as he turned to leave. Looking over his shoulder, he could see Star remaining in place as her gaze remained locked on the ground. Noticing as well, Fawna came to Star’s side, whispered some words in her low ears, and nudged her cheek with her nose. Soon, Star raised her head up as Fawna led her out behind Felix and Jeral.

A small, silver bug following in tow.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 12

House Call

Felix rapped his hand against the old wooden door. Much like the building it safeguarded, it too was seemingly broken. Many cracks and splinters lined its beaten surface, and where there should have been a doorknob, was a strange device that stuck out and down with a protruding bronze handle, hugging close to the door. Though it was late in the night, he knew there were residents inside. Just within the cracked lit windows, through the wisps of overgrown grass, he could hear the murmurs of familiar chatter and see the occasional animalistic shadow creep on the surface.

After a moment, the improvised handle on the door began creaking, being pulled to the side like a ball on a tether, before the door finally opened. Beady eyes from a familiar plant looked him up and down. Then, becoming irate with a small furrow. 

Petal the Twelfth. The old lilligant who was mother to the Petal he was more accustomed to.

“Well, you’re the last person I expected,” she stated, “but the first I’d like to see the least.”

“I know, I know,” Felix replied as he fumbled with his hands. “Look, if it’s alright with you, ma’am, could I come inside? I need to speak to my friend. I don’t intend any foul.”

Petal leered him down. “And may I ask what you intend to say to this friend of yours? Do you intend to fill her head with more nonsense about insane jobs?” Felix looked down to his feet. “Or are you trying to put her up to more wild adventures that could get her killed?”

“Look, I’m sorry that’s how you see things, but I really do need to speak to her.” He raised his hand towards the entrance, meekly waving it at the door frame where she stood. “So… may I?”

The lilligant stared quietly at him, making no attempt to move. Then closed the door, turning the misshapen handle back into its original position. On the other side of the door, he could hear her shuffling away.

“Well,” he murmured to himself, “figures.” As he turned to leave, the handle began to turn again, slower than last time. “Got one last thing to say?” he asked as he spun back around. The door slowly crept open, a small grunt worming its way out of the growing crack. Once it was adequately open a small amount, a small figure poked her head out from behind the old wood.

Petal. The one he had been hoping to see. “Heya, Blue.” She grunted again as she pushed the door open slightly wider, letting some of the yellow light spill out onto the rich grass. “Hurry up and get in.”

He accepted the offer, slipping through the cracked door into the dim home. “I thought momma Petal didn’t want me in here?”

“Oh, she for sure does not. She definitely doesn’t want you in here.” Petal’s splay of leaves were wrapped around the low-hanging handle, which was just low enough for even someone as small as her to grab it. Try as she might, she could not get the door to budge once more. “A little help? I’m sort of not very good with this thing.”

Grabbing the handle from her, Felix pushed the door shut with little effort. Looking around the interior, much of the wooden boards on the floor and nearby stairs were well-strained and rough; the stairway in particular was strange, having been laden with broad planks of wood on top of the steps, creating a flat slope up to the second floor. The walls even more so, their paint cracked and a few large holes dotting their surfaces. He could even see the golden leaves of the trees outside through them. Not to mention the ceiling, which also seemed to hold a few holes and cracks that had yellow light passing through them from the floor above. Hanging from the wooden planks above were nets, each holding more of those glowing yellow fruits that were shaped like lemons, which lit the room.

But something strange about the household caught his eye. The furniture, such as the very low chairs and table he could see in one of the adjacent rooms, were pristine. Numerous black vases decorated with beautiful golden-crowned flowers topped every flat surface on clean, white sheets. Thick-framed paintings of azure coasts and vibrant forests were on every crooked, moss-covered wall as well.

“You know, I can see why that Shane fellow stole from here,” Felix remarked, “and yet simultaneously, I can’t see why anyone would want to target this place.”

“Shut up, Blue.” Petal walked past him, stepping onto the broad planks of wood leveled on the stairs. “Up here. Doesn’t do me any good to sneak you in here if you’re just going to get caught immediately.”

Following her up the slope, he noticed that along the wall of the stairs, many portraits of lilligants sitting quietly adorned the space. Most were painted, being recreated in the image of the tender plant. One however was in black and white, and was remarkably life-like: a photograph. All in all, there were twelve of these portraits. “Hey, what’s all this?”

Petal slowed to a stop, keeping her back to him. “Petals.”

“Petals?”

“Petals.”

Up the stairs at a split in the hall, Petal led them right, herding Felix into a small bedroom before she shut the door with another strange handle. Inside was similarly spotty and similarly extravagant. A fine red rug had been draped over the floor and its many holes, with golden lacings dancing around its circumference; a small ribbon decorated in a similar fashion hung around the door handle. A very low, small desk sat against a wall with an impressively small book opened on it, an inkstone, and a glass cup with a glowing fruit wedged in it, shining light onto the text and vial. But to Felix’s surprise was the fact that a corner of the room was missing. Where two walls should have connected, there was a gaping hole of missing architecture, letting the sea of golden leaves and glowing and growing produce outside from the nearby field be easily seen in full from the room. A beaten cushion lay at the exposed corner.

“Quite the decor,” Felix kidded as he looked around. “Whose room’s this?”

“Mine. This is my room,” Petal replied.

“Your room?” he chuckled. “What? You mean to tell me this is all your junk?” He went past her to the low desk, spying the strange yellow fruit in the cup. It looked like a lemon, yet its surface was covered in vein-like grooves, and its short stem seemed jagged. “I’ve been wondering: what even is this fruit?” He plucked it from the glass and held the glowing produce out. “I’ve been seeing them a lot.” 

“Oh, really? You don’t know what that is?” Petal asked perplexedly. “You get stranger and stranger, Blue. That’s a lemon.”

Felix shot her a bewildered stare, then began chuckling. “I’ve seen plenty of lemons before, and this ain’t one of them.” He dropped it back into its cup.

“No, I’m serious. That’s a lemon. Like, me and my family grow fruits and stuff for a living, Blue. I know a lemon when I see one. And I’d be more careful handling those- the acids in these things are no joke, and they can literally zap you real bad if you’re not careful with them.”

He scoffed. “Sure, fine, lemons here are different from the ones I know. If this stuff is so acidic, what’re you doing growing it then? You’re not exactly painting a picture of something I’d want to get from the market and give to my mom- I like her unfried, thank you.”

“People use them to stay up on their feet when they’re drinking or eating fermented apples. Just chomp on a slice, and it’ll shock some sense back into ya.”

“Give me an afternoon, and I bet I could find a funner use for them.” 

“Oh, I’m sure that head of yours is filled with fun ideas that keep you awake at night. Now look, you wanted to talk, right? What’s got you knocking on our door in the middle of the night?”

“Two things. First, about yesterday.”

“Oh yeah, that…” Petal’s tone sank. “That Willow trick isn’t going to work going onward, huh?”

“No, it’s not.” Felix cupped his hand around his chin, murmuring in thought. “Me and Star are going to discuss tactics going forward with this job, and try to scrounge up more supplies from the square. We’re going to need you there, no helping out here. Got it?”

Petal nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be there,” she solemnly replied.

A smile crept onto Felix’s face. He reached over to her, giving her a small pat on her small shoulder. “Hey, chin up! We didn’t nab him yesterday, but those spores of yours definitely slowed him down- even if for a bit.” Petal lifted her head. Her eyes seemed to be sparkling at his praise. “I know with you in our corner, we can do this.”

“Huh…” Petal murmured. “Thanks. There’s also something I need to talk to you about, too.”

“Yeah, and what’s that?”

“Remember that day back in the fields, Blue? The one where I told you that you shouldn’t be trying to get Star killed?”

Felix raised his head from his hand, squinting in suspicion at her. “Look, what happened yesterday was not at all something I was planning on.”

“Yeah, that too! I told you to be more careful with her! But that’s not just it, Blue!” Petal swung her head around, once more struggling to meet his eyes. “Look, I- what I’m trying to say is that it applies to you, too! You and her!” Her expression became much more serious.

Felix was taken aback. “Me?” he asked almost mockingly.

“Yeah, you. Look, you probably already know this, but you can be kinda of an idiot sometimes.”

“...On occasion.”

“Yeah, uh-huh,” Petal teased. “Look, if we’re going up against the big bad wolf and his cronies, can you do me a favor and not die?”

He nodded. “No promises. But I’ll try if I’m feeling like it.”

“Good,” she sighed. “So what was that other thing you came here for?”

As Felix opened his mouth to answer, a small chorus of laughter entered the room from the cracked floor below. Standing over a plank of wood with a hole the size of a can in it, he was able to spy the room below. “Her,” he replied, looking down through the floorboard.

“Wait, what now?” Petal blankly asked.

Felix went prone, lying down on the floor as the light below flooded onto his face. Just through the opening, he saw Petal’s mother rounding a small table with a plate of drinks, setting them down for her guests: Caelum, Lyniar, and Lyniar’s kid, Trace. One of the cups became enwrapped in a pink aura, floating towards the musharna.

“Scoot!” Petal ordered as she laid beside him. Pushing against his head with her own, she was able to force a small viewport beside him. “There we go,” she remarked as she made herself more comfortable. “So who are you looking at? There’s like three different ‘her’s down there.”

“That one.” Felix pointed a finger at Lyniar. She was lying on some red carpet, wrapped around the zigzagoon who seemed close to nodding off in his mother’s embrace. A small bag rested at her side.

“Oh, her? Specs from yesterday? What about her?”

Another round of laughter from the women rose from the room. Felix raised his hand to Petal, silencing her.

“Yes, yes,” Petal’s mom spoke, “it was that rat boy. He was looking for my daughter, but I just closed the door,” she mimicked her arms slamming a door shut, “and sent him on his way!”

The three chuckled once more. 

Lyniar cleared her throat, getting the others’ attention. “Anyhow,” she announced punctually, then turning her body to fetch a small bag beside her. Flipping it open, she retrieved some battered papers. “Here’s the papers, Caelum. Again, thanks a million for this!”

A strange pink aura surrounded the papers as they were lifted from Lyniar’s small paws, then floating towards the musharna. “But of course,” she spoke, “I am always willing to aid in these matters; you know this well. And you are sure these documents are of utmost importance?”

“Not a doubt in my mind! I would’ve loved to see the look on my face when I found these!” Lyniar’s eyes closed contently as she began rubbing her own cheeks with her claws. “When have giant human buildings surrounded by flags of a bygone evil empire never been fun to read?”

Caelum’s brows furrowed at the eccentric researcher’s remark. “Do not be so rash as to dismiss the Paldean Empire as ‘evil,’ Lyniar,” Caelum reprimanded. “We must approach eras not of our own with the understanding that we do not possess all the information to make such a broad claim.”

Felix’s pointed ears perked. “Paldea… evil?” he murmured to himself. “What a load of-”

“What about some old empire, Blue?” Petal whispered. “This human-stuff interesting to you?”

“They’ve been a real good friend to Marea,” he recounted. “Had our back when we needed it, and gave us some nice tools to play with.”

Petal’s eyes narrowed. “What? You’re acting like you knew them.” 

He raised his hand between them. “Pipe down for a second, they’re still talking.” 

“Regardless…” Caelum continued after giving a huff. The documents began folding themselves, becoming a small square that was then tucked into the Caelum’s curled form, vanishing from sight. “You simply could have had these mailed to me.”

Lyniar began snickering to herself. “Maybe. But we both know we can’t trust the attendants lately to do anything right. I kinda want to make sure these got to you, and didn’t wind up in who knows what sector in the Undercast. And also…” Lyniar’s head turned to Petal’s mother across the low table from her. “It’s good to see you again, Petal.”

The old lilligant nodded her head contently. “And it’s wonderful to see you as well, Lyniar! It’s been far too long!”

“For you, maybe,” Lyniar teased. “How’ve you been holding up?”

The lilligant notched her head to the side. “Been doing well, I suppose. Had a big client recently: a cute sylveon had me and my girl cater an auction of his, and our payment was absurd. By far the biggest profit we’ve turned from catering I’ve seen in my life!”

“Oh, do tell! How much are we talking?”

The lilligant let out a soft chuckle. “Enough that if we wanted to, we could close up shop for a few months and rest. I do have to wonder where that sylveon got all that money, but that’s the least of my worries.” She let out a groan. “The event wasn’t without its share of troubles. They left one mother of a mess, and I still have people walking up to me in my shop asking if I’ve found their bag yet after some thief worked the crowd.”

“Mm,” Lyniar murmured in acknowledgement. “Sorry to hear that, but…” Using her snout, she gently prodded at a tuft of hair on the resting zigzagoon’s head tucked in her side. “Tell me: where you surprised when this little tyke showed up here?”

The lilligant threw her head back with an exaggerated gasp. “Oh my god, I was so shocked! I could never see myself turning my little girl loose on her own in some new place! But you just sent your boy here without you or your other half!”

Lyniar chuckled as she used a single digit to comb her son’s hair. “My parents were pretty hands-off with me, but I’m grateful for it. It gave me plenty of room to grow, so I’m hoping it’ll do the same for him. But of course,” she pressed her muzzle against Trace’s head, “I think I might try being there more for him than they were for me. Especially now that my workload is lightening up.” She readjusted her focus back onto the lilligant. “And yeah, that’s right! Last I saw you, you were a little chute, but come a year later, I meet your kid on my way here!”

Petal began softly grumbling. “I’m not a kid.”

“Yes, I have my little girl now. She’s…” the lilligant trailed off. Her eyes swung about the room as she looked for the right words. “She’s my baby girl. And I know she doesn’t like hearing me say that, but it’s true.” The lilligant reached across the table, grabbing a teacup for herself and dipping the tip of her flat, round arm into its earthly brown content. Its liquid began to slowly drain into nothing.

“Is she… drinking it?” Felix asked with a disgusted squint.

Petal snorted. “Still getting used to how we do it?”

Her mother blew out an exhausted breath, slinking back against the battered couch. “She has her head in the clouds. Lyniar, I’m so very sorry to drag you into this, but I’m sure you understand: I don’t have a lot of time… just… I do not.”

The linoone looked down somberly, and nodded. “I know,” she stated. “But it can’t be helped; it’s just life.” 

“I have a month or two left in me at most,” the old lilligant continued. Petal’s head stooped down, turning away from Felix. “And when I’m gone- when, not if- I want to have gone knowing that my girl has a bright future ahead of her. This farm, the catering we’ve done… I inherited it all from my own mother, and she got it from her mother before her. This business we Petals have been running so passionately for so long is our lifeblood. When I give the house, the fields, even the plates and all this junk to her,” she gestured her arm about the cluttered room, “I want to know she has her life figured out. Maybe even meet someone nice for her. But…” The lilligant’s head drooped as she leaned towards the tabletop.

“But…?” Caelum spurred. She levitated the cupware closer to her curled mouth, taking a brief sip. “Has she been receptive to this?”

“No,” the lilligant muttered, “not at all. She has her head filled with these ideas- and I’m not saying they’re bad, but… they’re not for her. She always tells me she wants to travel, go out and see the world. I keep telling her ‘no,’ and we go at it and blah-blah-blah, you know. But she doesn’t understand that’s just not the life for our kind. We don’t have the time for that. I just hope she sees that, and that she sees the wonderful opportunity she’s been blessed with.” Her bladed hand began tracing the rim of the cup. “She has a successful business to inherit that won’t be going anywhere, and a beautiful, calm village with a modest house to live in. So many people would kill for the opportunity she has.”

“And what has she been doing now?”

“She’s been off doing who-knows-what with some riolu boy that just showed up here someday, along with that Star girl.”

“Riolu boy? Ah, I’m familiar with him.” Caelum took another sip from her floating cup. “He’s a strange character.” Caelum began softly chuckling to herself.

“What’s so funny?” Lyniar asked.

“Felix, I think his name is. I think he’s one of those Darkest-Day deniers. He’s been in my home and seen for himself how the land and civilizations might’ve been ravaged by those black skies, and sulked off rejecting the whole notion.”

Lyniar made an exaggerated gasp, covering her open mouth with a claw. “No way! There’s still people like that out there?”

“I am afraid so. You could give them all the evidence they would want: texts, photographs, ruins, and they will still deny it all. But we know better than to pay them any mind. You cannot reason with someone out of a belief when they never used reason to begin with.”

Felix began grumbling to himself as the two chuckled amongst themselves.

Caelum’s laugh quieted, becoming a contemplative frown. “I still wonder why Star is traveling with him. That old log should’ve been the first to keep her away from such a bad influence, but knowing him, he’s likely slunk away somewhere again.”

“Oh yeah,” Lyniar added, “the vulpix.” Lyniar glanced around the room as if to check for any prying eyes, failing to scan the ceiling above. “Do you think she’ll do alright? I mean, I’m not saying I doubt her, but that is a pretty big role to fill.”

Caelum’s body rocked softly in the air as she thought. “I’m sure she will do fine. She has everything she needs to excel: an understanding of her position and its expectations, excellent teachers, if I may say, in myself and… though it pains me to admit it, Willow, and the wisdom and knowledge required of her for the role. Just this summer, I forged her diction into something eloquent and fluent. I hold full confidence in her.”

“Yeah, guess you’re right. Still…” Lyniar paused. “It couldn’t have been easy on her when she heard her mom died. I mean, could you even begin to imagine how that’s gotta feel? Finding out your mom’s dead and all that responsibility just thrown onto you in the same notice?” Her cheeks puffed out as she blew out an empathetic breath. “I don’t want to gossip, but I’m sure there’s some baggage she’s got under wraps from that. I guess I just hope it all works out for her in the end.”

“Dang,” Felix quietly remarked. “I… didn’t know that.”

Petal finally looked up from her averted state, meeting him with lukewarm eyes. “Yeah, happened awhile ago when she first came here with that deerling girl and some others.” She slowly got up off the ground, seemingly avoiding looking directly at him as she did so. “Come on, Blue,” she said. “I know you’re a big fan of snooping, but I think that’s enough for now.”

Felix peered back down through the cracked floorboard. The three were back at it, talking mundanely amongst themselves. “Yeah, suppose you’re right.” Looking back at Petal, she still was hanging her head down. “Hey, you doing alright?”

“Blue, I…” She stops. Closing her eyes, she takes in a deep breath and exhales. “No, Felix: let’s maybe not talk about this.” 

“Oh, uh, sorry.” He was not sure what topic she wanted to avoid, but he thought it best simply comply. Over the soft ambience of the room below, he heard the all-too familiar scuttle of short, stiff legs over wood behind him. Reluctantly turning around, he saw Wimpod clinging to the remaining boards of the collapsed corner of the room. 

Giving Petal a soft tap, she looked up and saw the bug as well. “Oh, now isn’t this just great,” she remarked. “We’ve got the little scamperer here, too.”

“You really do have a habit of just showing up whenever, don’t you?” Felix added.

Wimpod leered at the two. Twitching his antennas, he forced his focus onto Felix. “Come outside,” he ordered. “You need to see this.”

—-

Wimpod had shown him it there in the sky. something that stirred concern within him. Gliding across the black night, upon silver and obsidian wings silhouetted upon pale clouds, was the bombirdier allied with Cobb. It loomed nearly as a speck above the village, encircling it throughout as long as Felix and Wimpod had observed it, not making any advance towards the location.

Observing, as they were.

Having briefly thanked Wimpod, Felix dashed past the golden trees of the village, past tent after tent towards where he believed Star would be: the briar.

Getting closer to the illuminated tower, paper lanterns tied to the limbs of trees and colored like the leaves of summer and fall became more abundant, blanketing the area in a warm orange glow. And warmer. And warmer. At the briar’s foot, the chill of the night had been kept away by the blazing emerald fire atop the tower: even three stories up, the magnificent green flame emanated below.

Felix began looking around, only spotting a few creatures with their heads low, almost in a trance, about the area, much to his confusion. Beasts could not worship, after all; they were only ever in service to themselves.

Realizing the thought that had crossed his mind, Felix fiercely shook his head, dispelling the notion. He had met a few individuals here that proved otherwise, that he knew would help him or others of their own will.

He continued his search, spotting a taillow rested on a nearby laced branch, eyes closed in either prayer or sleep- he could not tell. The conkeldurr he had seen on occasion sat stiffly on one of its pillars laid on the ground, hand on its chin as it pondered a thought before the altar. And to his surprise, Jeral, the hakamo-o that traveled with the deerling, was kneeling right before the briar, in front of a statue larger than him which lay in the tower’s center. It was marvelously crafted. The effigy was chiseled to near perfection with impossible minute details, depicting Ho-Oh as if it were to take flight off its stone pedestal at any second. Many bundles of crimson and gold flowers were piled around it.

Jeral held in his claws a bowl of various seeds, then delicately placing the dish before the stone statue that depicted the great phoenix, joining other offerings like it. Bowing his head, Jeral quietly whispered something, then stood up. Turning around, he spotted Felix as he drew near. “Didn’t take you as a religious type,” Jeral stated. “Here to offer thanks? Or ask for favor?”

“I’ve done well enough on my own. Tell me, have you seen Star? Small, red, wears two gaudy feathers?” Felix motioned about the area. “I can’t find her.”

“Her? You know I know her, and I’ve seen her. She’s with Fawna, just there.” Jeral pointed to a large tree a stone’s throw away. “They’re talking now.”

Felix nodded, but before he could take more than a step towards the tree, Jeral grabbed his shoulder. Felix looked at him with a raised brow. “Something you forgot to add?”

“Just a couple things: first, wait for them to stop speaking, yeah? Judging by the looks of their faces…” Jeral winced, “I’d say it’s pretty serious for them. And second of all…” He pulled Felix closer, then leaned closer to his ear. “Keep an eye on that bug-eyed freak,” Jeral whispered.

Felix’s head twitched as he did a double take. “What?” he finally was able to get out. “You mean Wimpod?”

Jeral raised a finger up to Felix’s lips, hushing him. “That waste of breath, yes.”

Though he hardly knew the bug, Felix felt a tinge of anger build in his throat at the remark. “That ‘waste of breath’ saved Star’s life!” He brushed away Jeral’s hand. “Maybe even my own, too, if that wolf had the mind to keep going after her!”

Jeral took quick glances around to see if they had attracted any attention, then leaning back closer once more. “True as that may be, anyone could’ve done that,” he said in a slightly louder tone. “And keep your voice down! I saw the bottom-feeder scuttling around here- I think that thing likes to hide about, listening, looking, observing. Where did he even come from yesterday? You know scavengers can’t be trusted.”

Shaking his head, Felix walked around Jeral towards the tree. “Like I even know what a ‘scavenger’ is,” he remarked as he walked past.

As he approached the tree, he could see the tufts of Star’s tails peeking out from behind it. Star was revealed, as was Fawna, as he circled the tree. Illuminated by the faint glow of an orange lantern above, he could see both of their faces seemed saddened. Though the two were alone, they were struggling to look one another in the eye. A small bag laid beside the orange deerling.

“So…” Fawna sighed, “I see you’ve found a little team. They seem nice. Are they with you on Team Horizons? Or is it a new team?”

“Oh, uh…” Star stuttered. “It’s a new team. We’re still thinking on the name. We want to make it really sound great, you know?” She began awkwardly giggling, then cleared her throat.

The two once more looked down at the grass beneath their feet.

Felix opened his mouth to get Star’s attention, but the situation in front of him made it too awkward for him to get a word out. Begrudgingly, he propped himself against a nearby tree.

“I suppose we shouldn’t drag our feet on this…” Star continued. “You want my answer to what I want to do going forward.”

“I do,” Fawna agreed. “I just… it’s been eating at me. Are you going to go through with it?” She lifted her head, eyes filled with a stone-cold formality. “The ordination?”

“I…” Star pressed her paw into the ground, grinding the dirt beneath her. “I am. I need to. There are so many people who expect it of me.” She finally looked up, staring into Fawna’s gloomy eyes with determination. “And so many more who I can help by doing this.”

Fawna held eye-contact with Star for a brief moment, then let her head slump back down. “I had a feeling it’s what you wanted to do. You really do take after your parents.” She softly chuckled before frowning once more. “And… you’ll be way out of my league.”

“Don’t say that,” Star interrupted. “We can still make it work. Remember the summer here? How we agreed we could do anything if we put our hearts into it together?”

A fond smile etched its way onto Fawna. “It was a fun summer,” she reminisced. “Hard to believe we actually thought we had any chance of taking on Willow together.” The gloom returned. “But… we need to be realistic. They’ll have you swamped with work, tied to one spot, and I need to travel with Jeral. We have jobs to do, and you’ll have your own responsibilities, too.”

“I mean… you could still visit,” Star feebly stated.

Fawna shook her head. “I appreciate you trying to make this work Star, I really do. But you’ll be a household name, and I just can’t see myself being comfortable in the spotlight with you.” Taking her hoof, Fawna gently pushed the small satchel towards Star. “So… I’m sorry.” Star stared emptily at the bag, her mouth slightly parted. Taking small steps towards her, Fawna leaned in and pressed her muzzle on Star’s neck, then pulling away slowly. They stared at one another with sunken, shimmering eyes. “We have to move on. But know I will always be there as your friend to support you. And…” Fawna’s voice cracked as her lips trembled, “I know you’ll do great.” Fawna quickly turned away, taking quick steps as she left Star alone beneath the lantern, and disappeared into the night. 

A tinge of guilt encapsulated Felix like a blanket of shame as he peeked around his barked cover. He knew this was not something he should have been prying on. Star had not moved an inch since Fawna left, staring deeply into the bag she had left behind with a look he had not seen from her before. Her eyes seemed to shimmer against the pale light of the lantern above, betraying the building well of tears she was fighting to hold back. The many tails behind her sagged to the cold earth, as did her ears and mouth. Deftly, Star threw her head down and grabbed the bag with her jaws, then turned and ran towards the tower.

Cursing to himself, Felix ran after her as she ascended the ramps that encircled the structure, winding their way up to a small platform near its peak. Following up the slopes, Felix slowed his pace as he looked at the tower’s skeletal interior, wrapped in colorful ribbons and filled with more lantern glow. Looking out, he ascended past the pointed tips of the many tents that laid below like rising teeth, and further up the tower he was able to see the fall treetops below as if they were a sea of gold, ebbing slowly in the night.

He finally reached the top of the tower. Just above was the iron casting that held the intense heat of the village’s fire, burning with such ferocity that he immediately broke out into a sweat. Sitting at the opposite edge of the platform was Star, the bag laid beside her. She was quietly staring out into the calm, dark horizon. Taking quiet footsteps closer, Felix could see far off in the distance three dark spheres that protruded from the earth like tumors: more of those distortions, he figured. She had not yet noticed him.

He cleared his throat.

Star’s ears perked. She began to turn her head around towards him, but stopped before he could see her face as she stiffly looked back to the distance. “Oh, uh, is there something you want?” As if realizing what she had said, she meekly cleared her own throat. “I meant… has something urgent occurred?”

Felix walked over and sat down beside her, dangling his legs over the edge. Star turned her head further away. “Come on then,” he softly spoke. “You can drop it.”

“...What are you suggesting?” Star asked.

“That’s not how you normally speak, is it?”

She did not answer.

“You can drop the act. I won’t judge you for it. And… not really my place to say it or anything, but sorry for... you know…” 

Star’s head slowly turned to face him. The corners of her mouth were pulled down, and a glistening streak had traveled from her eye down the side of her face. “I…” her voice trembled.

Felix lifted his arm, gently placing his palm on her back, then rubbing it sympathetically. “Look, can’t say I know what it’s like to be in your shoes, but… I don’t know, just keep your chin up is all I’m saying. You’re a good friend, so… so… bah.” He groaned. “Never was any good with this ‘pep-talk’ stuff.”

A small, brief giggle escaped Star, followed by a sniff. “You’re right,” she said more clearly, “you’re pretty terrible at it.”

Looking back at her, a faint smile was on her face, though her eyes remained saddened. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m pretty terrible at it.” He patted her back.

“Thank you.”

He retracted his arm; his expression becoming serious. “Look, something urgent did come up. That bombirdier, with Cobb? That Wimpod fellow spotted it scouting above the villager here, see?” He pointed at the distant bird flying in circles far, far away. “There’s no two ways about it: he’s planning on making a move here soon.”

Star took in a big sniff, blinking fiercely to get the tears out of her eyes. She looked up at the bird, and leered. “I guess we should’ve seen this coming,” she spoke confidently. “Cobb knows that Willow isn’t here with us anymore. I suppose it figures he would come after here.” Taking her eyes off the distant bombirdier, she looked to him. “You’re time with the Toreros: how long would you say scouting would take for a small area?”

“Not long,” Felix frowned. “Not long at all. He’s gonna be on us soon, and who knows how hard he’ll hit us, but at least we can prepare.”

“Prepare…” Stare repeated. She looked up with a renewed strength. “That’s right! We can prepare!” She hastily stood up, nudging Felix back onto his feet with her snout. “We need a plan. I’ll go out right now and warn everyone that they’re coming!”

“It’s the middle of the night, they’ll all be sleeping!” he protested.

“It’s better they wake up to a fox than a wolf,” she countered. “When you were with the Toreros, they had organized roles and tactics in their operations, correct?”

He nodded. “Yeah, but I was just only ever in those plans, not the one creating them.”

“Then let’s hope you saw what worked and what didn’t. I know you’re the leader, but I need to ask this of you: while I wake everyone up, I need you to look at who's willing to help defend the village, and sort them out. We also need to find a location where people can hide safely. Then, when Cobb comes, we can defeat him!”

A sly smile crept on Felix’s face. “Oh, I’m liking this side of you better. Alright, I’ll give it a try. I can think of a few who’d help off the top of my head: Petal, Jeral and Fawna, and if that Wimpod is so keen on keeping you alive for whatever reason, he’d probably help, too. I’ll see what others I can find. And I think I know a little offshoot place where we can send the rest.”

Star smiled fondly. The heartache in her seemed to have largely been forgotten for now. “Alright,” she stated as she turned towards the ramp. “Sounds like a plan.”

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 13

Weaving a Welcoming Mat

Felix rubbed his eyes, wiping away the sweat and fatigue he felt as he stood atop the briar’s platform and beneath its fire. Even now, the weight of his dreariness weighed heavily on him as he fought against the lack of sleep. Down below, underneath the late evening’s receding light, he could see much movement as the villagers carried old wooden beams and beaten fabrics from the dustheap and carried them to sporadic spots around Fango. They had been initially reluctant to listen to him when he first approached, but they had become far more willing once Star had intervened, for a reason he could not explain. Regardless, thanks to his idea and initiative, they now hastily began fashioning tents akin to the ones around the location. If they were not creating these false homes, then the rest of the inhabitants were collecting their possessions and stowing them away in a concealed nook only known to them. Just ahead was a flying black speck, circling the village in wide berths across a golden sky: Didja.

“So this is the spot you want us to watch from?” a voice asked behind him.

Turning around, he found Jeral awaiting his response, Fawna nearby anxiously peeking over the ledge. “Right. Just to be sure, you two are fine with staying up here for the night?” Felix asked.  “We’ve been up here only a minute, and I’m already sweating.”

“It’s no problem for me,” Jeral boasted, spreading his arms out. “I think the heat is pretty great up here! Sure beats the chill down below.”

“Yeah, and what of her?” Felix pointed at Fawna. Beads of sweat were already dripping off her brow. 

“Oh, I’ll just be down below helping around the tower- don’t worry for my sake,” she affirmed.

“Alright… if you say so. See that little thing over there? That’s Didja. Give him a wave when you see something, or he’ll come to you if he sees something.” The black speck seemed to slow a little, then raising one wing in the air to wave at the trio and falling towards the earth, before spreading out his wings once more and returning to flight. “Yeah, just… wave to him if you see anything. Any questions?”

“Just one: when does Didja take a break?” Jeral asked.

“That’s the good part- he doesn’t. Or he doesn’t need to, he claims. He says he doesn’t need to sleep, so here’s to hoping that’s true. Anything else?”

“No, I think we’re clear.”

“Good.” Felix began rubbing the bridge of his nose. “That’s… good.” A dull sensation began to grow inside his skull, causing him to reach out towards one of the corners of the freestanding tower for support as he rubbed his head.

A certain tingle peeled at the nape of his neck, like ice-cold fangs had pricked at his skin. In a sudden spell of dizziness, he clenched his eyes shut and irritably rubbed them, enticing forward many blurs in his dark vision as his eyes were stimulated by his touch. 

But many of the colors and shapes did not disappear, even after he had opened his sight once more. Many shapes of blue, one even seemingly burning brightly, appeared below him, as if painted ethereally on the platform he stood on. He looked around in confusion, swiveling his head to watch these ghostly images as they worked below him, watching as their ghastly limbs swinged and bent. A faint bloodred smudge ebbed into his vision, seemingly growing in size very slowly, down below past the ledge.

“Felix? Something the matter?” Fawna asked behind him.

He snapped back to his senses, looking back up to address the perplexed deerling. “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just tired is all.” He shook his head. Looking back around, the visions had left him.

Curiously, he peered over the ledge towards where the spots had laid, and found a familiar pink figure in their place: Riley. The sylveon seemed a mix of perplexed and impressed as he glanced around the bustling village, greeting each busy passerby with a flick of a ribbon as he came closer. At the briar’s foot, he looked up at Felix and beckoned him down with four ribbons.

“Anyhow, thank you for this opportunity,” Fawna continued, “You can count on Team Backfire for this!”

Felix began frowning as he looked down at Riley. He had been gone who knows where ever since that auction night. Now, here he is once more as the situation was about to turn. “Alright,” he pronounced as he clasped his hands together, “I need to be going now. Give Didja a wave if you see anything. He’ll be flying around looking for any trouble, too. Again, thanks for this.” He waved them a quick goodbye, barely hearing their returning farewell as he flew down the ramps towards where Riley waited. At the bottom of the tower, he found the sly sylveon with a small grin worn across his face.

“Been quite some time, fella,” Riley warmly said. “What’s happened now? Any particular reason for all the busy work, or is it something in the air?”

“Well,” Felix stammered. “You know how you want us to grab Cobb for you?”

“I believe so, yes.”

“Well, I’ve got some good and bad news.” 

Just behind Riley, Star was seen sliding a heavy bag across the ground with her jaw, using all the strength she could muster as she brought it before the gholdhengo Felix had met before. Wimpod was not far behind her, sticking to the trunk of a close tree. Depositing the bag in front of Dimas, Star’s sight fell onto the group and she hurried over. In the same heartbeat, Wimpod scurried down the old tree’s bark and followed behind the gholdhengo as he hauled his treasures away.

Star skidded to a stop in front of the two, her own weariness was apparent in her sagging eyes, though she still wore a welcoming smile. “Felix! Good to run into you!” she gleefully pronounced. She circled her way to Felix’s side, giving him a content nod. Riley stared at her quizzically, a gesture she did not return as she maintained her glowing smile. “Hello, sir! I don’t believe we’ve met!”

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure; no. Am I to assume this here is Star, fella?” Riley asked as he levered a pale ribbon at her.

“That’s correct,” she replied. “I’ll be working with our friend here to apprehend Cobb; you can count on us!” She gave a small smile that displayed some of her pointed fangs.

“She seems like she’s in a fine mood for a tussle… good, that’s the exact attitude you’ll need. I've got a little something for you, fella.” Riley swung a ribbon around into his black bag tied around his waist, pulling out a folded paper and handing it to him.

Unfolding the paper, Felix’s trademark grumble emerged once more as he saw more unknown footprint runes scratched into the parchment. As procedure, he held it before Star as she understandingly began reading without instruction. Her mouth slowly became agape.

Riley grinned. “Sounds like that should be plenty of incentive to hurry. Wouldn’t you agree, ma’am? In fact, what were your words? Oh, yes, this is ‘some good and bad news.’”

“Well…” Felix began, “guess I invited that one. What’s it say?”

Star took her heavy eyes off the parchment and gave a self-assured nod. “I think this will sound quite pleasant to you. How does…” Looking up at Felix, a growing, knowing smile crept onto her face, “someone claiming they’ll ferry you to Marea sound?”

Felix looked to her blankly. “Sorry, come again?”

“I believe you heard me the first time,” she said with a brash smirk.

His gaze remained locked on her as he processed what she said. Within a second, the meaning of her words began to run through him as a smile formed on his face. A soft chuckle left him. “This is all serious?” he asked as he looked back at the paper himself, though he could not read it.

“I am. They say they’ll fly down here in a few days or so. No name listed, but it looks like they’re a braviary. I remember reading that species is fantastic for long distance hauls, be it passengers or cargo!” She lowered her head beneath his hand and brushed against his side. “Go on. Be happy. A great piece of progress for going back home has come to you today.”

Felix was still in disbelief. Chuckles rose out of him, his smile growing larger and larger until he felt compelled to conceal it behind a hand. As if to indulge and accept this feeling of joy, he began heartfully petting Star’s head with his hand as she began giggling with delight at his excitement. “That’s… that’s great! Really!” He gave her a final scratch behind the ear and pulled away his hand. “All that’s needed now is the money.” He looked to Riley.

“Hm?” Riley murmured. “Ah, of course. Rest assured, dear fellow, once you bring me that wolf, you’ll have your reward. Five-thousand was our agreed amount, wasn’t it?”

Felix nodded. “Right. And hopefully,” he pointed towards the arch that signaled the village’s entrance, just a ways down the dirt path, “our little game ends soon.”

“‘Hopefully’ is one word for it. Personally, I’d go with ‘certainly.’ Our mutual bug-eyed friend tells me you’ve met Cobb twice already, and nearly had him tear the head off your friend once.” He looked at Star with sympathetic blue eyes. “Sorry to hear you went through such a harrowing experience, ma’am. No one would blame you if you were frightened.”

“I’m not afraid. We let our guard down then, and he got the drop on us. This time…” she looked around as if to illustrate her point, observing each Pokémon as they either secured their possession in bags and carried them away, or helped in creating false tents that harbored nothing, “this time, we’ll be the ones surprising him.”

Riley cackled. “I’m quite envious of that enthusiasm. But perhaps before making such brave statements, you should consider resting first, ma’am. You hardly look ready to fight, the both of you.”

Felix and Star both examined themselves. The fur on both of them was dirtied and disheveled from working without rest since yesterday, either helping the locals evacuate to their concealed location within the woods beyond the rock grotto they lived in, or giving detailed instructions for countering the coming attack. The demand for sleep their bodies begged of them was quite obvious.

“If what you’re implying to me is correct, you two should want to rest up while you can. Cobb has a mean-streak as wide as the horizon, and I know more than a few people will be upset if anything happens to that pretty face of hers,” Riley said as he pointed at Star.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got a good team behind me,” she countered with a smile.

“Just asking her?” Felix asked. “What? No love for my pretty face?”

“No,” Riley simply replied. The two held a stare between each other as a smile grew on Riley’s face. With a wink, the sylveon turned around. “Good luck,” he wished, “your friend is going to need it.” With those final words, Riley left down the path once more, disappearing into a crowd of Pokémon as they hurriedly worked and carried items.

“...Jerk.” Star plainly stated after Riley was well gone. 

Felix scratched his chin. “Yeah, I’m inclined to agree. But hey: after this whole Cobb business is done, at least we won’t have to talk to him ever again. I’d ask him to help out around here, but I get the sense that-”

"Mister Felix! Miss Star!” a familiar, excitable cry rang through the air from above. Craning his head skyward, a murkrow black as ink soared down from the waning sky, diving past the canopy of fall leaves towards him and Star. Flapping his wings fervently to stop himself, Didja fluttered down onto the ground before them. “I bring an update, as per Mister Felix’s request!”

“What? Caught sight of them already?” Felix asked in a raised pitch.

“I’m pleased that I have not! Something far more mundane has occurred! Over at the dustheap while gathering more materials, a large quantity of stolen bags have been found!”

Felix stared at the little murkrow absently for a moment. “And I should know that why?”

“Just providing local updates as they occur, per your request! Until we next meet, I bid you both farewell!” With a folded wing, Didja offered a brief salute before flapping his wings and sailing past the gold canopy above.

Left alone, Felix and Star stared at one another. “Well,” Star began, “at least he takes his orders seriously.” As she finished her sentence, a large yawn began to force her mouth open, despite her visible attempt in fending it off. Before she knew it, she had already leaned back and pulled her head down to release the infectious gesture.

Felix raised his hand as he was about to say something, but found himself covering a yawn instead. He cleared his throat and shook his head. “I hate to agree with pinkie, but he’s right: we should probably get some sleep.” He dragged his hands down across his face as if to make his point. “We’ve been up for nearly two days straight now. Jeral and Fawna are up on lookout now, so now’s our chance for some shut-eye.”

“Right, well, let’s head on back, then.” Star motioned for him to proceed with a flick of her head.

“Yeah, let’s… do just that.” He waved her to move first. 

They ended up standing motionless, waiting for the other to break first. Star began to giggle softly. “Let me take a guess: you’re also waiting for the chance to slip away and do one other thing before heading back for the night?”

Felix swiveled on his feet, looking away to avoid her knowing gaze. “Just... a couple of things. Then I’ll head back. I want to head to that dustheap and see about those bags. Maybe we could find a use for them.”

“Look at us, still trying to work,” she sighed with a smile. “I’ll help anyone else who needs it. Packing and the like. Meet you back at our little hobble?”

“Meet you back at our little hobble.”

—-

Felix took the top cover off the wooden box he had called home for the last few days, propping the loose side against his modest living space so that he could tear off a piece of the tarp beneath. The night had fallen like a great curtain, utterly blanketing the land in pitch darkness; the small campfire beside his shelter, as well as the torchlight and tower in the distance were the only sources of light now, save for the stars above. He had agreed to meet Star back here, but she had yet to return. Alone, he had taken to taking inventory on his current supplies while he waited for her to return. It was only fair to sleep when she did. Right now, he was replacing a loose bag of one of his smoke bombs with fresher fabric.

As he worked silently in the night, sitting on the edge of his home as he emptied the grounded sootfoot root into its new sack, another spell of fatigue struck him. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, messaging his head as he fought against the growing call for rest. But once again, those blurs of color manifested themselves inside the darkness of his clenched eyes. He raised his head and opened his eyes once more, still seeing the shaped masses as they buzzed around where the light-speckled village was. Unsure if this was real or a trick of his mind, he got out of his box and looked towards Fango.

He stared in disbelief. The shapes seemed so distinctly shaped, yet he could not focus on any one as he processed what he had been seeing. Raising his hand, he waved it back and forth in front of his face, and yet the sight of the specters remained uninterrupted, ever visible. He looked on, unsure what to think, and after a minute the visions began to vanish once again back into normalcy.

He sat back down, pondering what he had seen. The many shapes of the toned spirits seemed familiar. Before he could entertain the idea further, a rising cacophony of voices began to rise behind the box he sat in. As he tuned into the rising fervor of the voices, he groaned once he realized who the two were.

“I don’t care what you say!” Petal yelled, getting closer. “Do you think being another waitress, another farmer, in this family is what I want to do with my life!?”

“It’s a life worth living! Worth waking up for each morning!” her mother retorted. “For generations, our family has led a stable, meaningful life! We work hard, provide wonderful service, and have earned every bit of the house and the land we live on! I’m not going to sit back and watch as you throw your life away to some spur-of-the-moment decision! Come back home, now!”

Petal scoffed. “This is something I want to do! I don’t want to become just another Petal! I want to make my own name!”

There was silence for a moment. “You want to make your own name? There are so many ways you can do that here without waking up one morning and deciding you want to risk your life fighting criminals for someone who showed up without a trace one day! There is no shame in sharing a name with me! Or my mother, or her’s before her! We are more than one name! I don’t want you getting hurt over something as silly as this!”

“You don’t want me getting hurt, is that it?” Petal repeated quietly. “Then here’s an idea: stop choking me! Let me breathe! This is something I want to do, and I don’t need you managing everything I do with my life!”

There was another break in their argument. Felix simply kept quiet, leaning back further inside his box to avoid becoming a part of the familiar familial dispute behind him. He could hear someone shuffling away through the shortgrass. “When you calm down, come back home tonight. I don’t want you out here when that lycanroc can attack at any minute.” After a brief moment, the shuffling continued until it faded away.

“...Thanks,” Petal murmured, “I won’t.”

Petal could be heard coming even closer now, and soon she appeared around the corner of the box looking at Felix as he stared back while he laid down. Her splay of leaves were clenching around a handful of glowing lemons. “So, what’s got you here?” Felix asked as he propped himself back up.

“Catch, Blue.” Petal lightly tossed the bunch of fruits towards Felix as he threw his arms out in surprise to catch the produce, only to clumsily catch one as the rest were fumbled onto the grass. “...Oh. Probably should’ve done that one at a time,” she murmured. She leaned forward and helped him scoop up the lemons. “You said last night that you could think of some fun things to do with these, right? Well, here’s your chance.”

Felix examined one of the lemons. Its tough exterior seemed to pulsate along the cyan veins that crawled along its glowing surface. The fur along his hand seemed to stand on end as he held it. “Huh, thanks.” He stowed the five lemons away into his bag. “These things apparently can zap pretty badly, right? I’m sure I’ll find a use for them.”

“I hope so.” Petal planted herself beside him, her head hanging low. “I hope so,” she repeated.

Felix leaned forward, planting his hands on his knees as he looked at the dejected petilil. “So… another spat with her?”

Her leaves furled. “What gave it away? The shouting?” she asked with some bite in her voice. She looked up to him, seeing Felix’s prying stare past her remark.

“...Want to talk about it?”

She let out a sigh. “Mom always hounds me about my future. She wants me to be like every last Petal before me and her, and inherit the business and cater and wait tables and work the crops and all that junk. She says it’s a good life that’ll keep me working and happy with a stable job. And you know what?”

“She’s right?” Felix guessed.

Petal stared at him, holding a glare before dropping it to the campfire. “Yeah,” she admitted, “she’s right. It’s a good job with plenty of clients, so we’ve never been left begging for more. And honestly?” She let out a soft chuckle. “I kinda maybe don’t mind the work. And I know you’re not gonna believe me about this, but I actually am kind of a good cook.” Her eyes lit up as she claimed so.

“You? A cook? What do you hold the pepper mills with? Those little stubs you call hands?” He pointed at her small nubs on her body as he joked.

Petal leered at him playfully. “I don’t know. Maybe when I finally evolve you’ll have a good look at these ‘small hands’ when I strangle you with them. But seriously, I am a pretty good cook, and I do like it. But, you know…”

“It’s not the life for you.”

“Yeah, exactly! I like cooking, and I didn’t mind helping my mom with work, but we’ve only ever got one life, you know? I want to stand out, be a Petal like none other.”

“So that’s why you’ve went and joined up on this team?” Felix hummed a thought. “Do you even like the work we do?”

“Ha, I love it! Mom would- well, she’s already blown her lid when she found out I’m throwing out blades of grass left and right at crook’s heads! Growing up, she’s always wanted me to be prim this and proper that. And for a long time, that’s how I was: mommy’s perfect little daughter. But that changed when I met Star a few months back. She planted an idea in my head that just sorta clicked with me. Pretty soon after that, I don’t know. I guess all that lady-like stuff just sort of fell off of me. Being loud and proud is way more fun!” she chuckled.

Felix laughed alongside her. “Yeah, I get what you're saying. Part of the reason I enlisted with the Toreros was just that: loud and proud. Just an unashamed statement of who you were and what you’d do.”

“Toreros?” Petal repeated.  “I’ve heard you mention them a couple of times before. What are they about?”

“I suppose they’re sort of similar to this,” Felix explained. “We were all about protecting people we cared for. But I suppose the circumstances were… a bit different than what they are now.” He looked down at his blue paws. “You know, my own mother didn’t want me joining up for some dangerous cause, either. But, still, I went and did it.”

The small petilil leaned in closer to him. “Yeah? And how’d she take it when you just… did it?”

“She…” He thought for a second. “It was all sorts of complicated, to say the least. I went in with a good friend, Jhett, and we stuck together where we could, so she knew she could always write to him if I ever didn’t reply. Of course, she absolutely hated it when I told her I went and enlisted. Wasn’t an easy week after that. But on the day I left, she still caught me at the train, and, well…”

“You guys have trains set up already back where you’re from?” Petal caught what she had said and shook her head. “Nevermind that. Doesn’t sound like she was real happy with you. What was she doing there?”

Felix cupped his own cheek, rubbing it fondly as he thought back. “She was crying. But she was smiling. She grabbed me before I went on, pulled me down and… pinched my cheek, telling me she loved me, and to come back when I could.”

“Huh…” Petal murmured. She looked directly into the fire, remaining silent.

“Moms are all like that, I’m sure. They just… worry. But sometimes, we just have to do what we have to do.” He leaned forward onto his knees, sighing.

“Yeah,” Petal scoffed. “But good luck telling that to them. I just wish my mom would trust me, you know? Like, trust that this is what I want to do. I don’t need her to decide it for me!”

“Gets pretty annoying, yeah. But I’m sure she nags you about it because she loves you.”

“Yeah, well, I love her, too. Just wish she loved my choice, though.” Petal’s head began to hang low. “Hey, Blue?” she asked. “You’ve got trains up and running already where you’re from?” She looked up. “And you just show up one day out of nowhere, too. I guess it’s about time I asked this: where do you even come from?”

A grimace crested Felix’s face as he thought how to best answer that. “That’s… a bit more complicated.” Looking out into the night sky, he found the constellation of nine stars he had seen his first night here, shaped together like a great throne. His arm rose up, pointing at the speckles of light. “My home is just under there,” he spoke softly. Petal looked up. “Marea, that’s her name. She’s cruel, hot and cold, and dressed in layers of sand.”

“Oh, so some kind of desert?”

“My kind of desert.”

“So… why’d you come here?” 

A small finger found itself onto his forehead as he thought. “Didn’t really come here out of any choice. Just waltzed into one of those giant spheres with my old team and woke up here.”

“So does that mean some of your buddies are here, too?”

Felix froze, a blank stare now plastered on him. “I… don’t know,” he murmured. He became mute, thinking about what she had just asked with a growing wrinkle on his forehead. Not coming to any answer he was satisfied with, he blew out his exhaustion, settling back and focusing on the crackle of flame.

The two sat in silence a little longer, letting the warm air hang between them during the brisk night. They both were content to simply sit beside one another in comfort by the fire.

After a minute of stillness, Petal let out a long-winded sigh, throwing herself back inside the box, staring up. “Thanks for letting me ramble, Blue.” She leaned up a small amount, staring at him. “You’re a pretty swell guy, you know that?”

“Huh,” Felix plainly stated. “Thanks. And you’re not half-”

A blue orb glowing at its center suddenly dropped in front of Felix from above, surprising him and Petal back upright as it thudded against the earth.

“What in the-?” Felix stammered.

“What the-?!” Petal yelped as she sat back up. “What gives?! Me and Blue were having a sweet moment here!” she called out.

From the top of the crate a pair of purple antennas poked out, followed by a set of shifty eyes that peered towards them. “Found this,” Wimpod stated. 

“Yeah, that’s great,” Petal continued, “but what are you doing here?!”

“I’m making sure the brat makes it back here.” Wimpod crawled around the side of crate’s interior, navigating his shining body around Felix as he peered out back behind the box. “And here she is now.”

“Brat?” Petal repeated. “Oh, yeah, that wonderful name you have for her.”

Staggering into view in front of the campfire was Star. Her eyes seemed to struggle to remain open as she looked towards the trio. “Petal! Wimpod” she tiredly exclaimed. “Nice of you two to come here!” She took a step forward, but nearly fell to her side as her foot slipped. 

“Woah, now,” Felix said as he got up, putting his hands around her shoulders. “Petal, out, let her lie there,” he ordered as he guided Star to the crate.

Petal shuffled out of the crate, steering clear of Star’s path as she entered inside and curled against the box’s side. She leered up to Wimpod, who had not moved off the wall. “Come on, give the girl some room, ya lug.” Wimpod merely squinted at her, but obliged and scuttled out beneath the propped lid outside. “Geez, you look worn out,” she continued towards Star. “What’ve you been up to?”

Star’s eyes clenched tightly as she let out a terrible yawn, arching her back as she did so. “This morning, I have gone and warned everyone I was able- sleeping or not. Then past that, I’ve went and helped them any way I can: helping Pechi secure her medicinals, helping Didja organize and hide his papers, helped Lyniar hide with her son… Just some small things for the morning. I made sure to help everyone I could. It was mostly helping them pack and moving personal items, really.” Her head began to sag. Catching her own drowsiness, she pulled her head back and shot her eyes open.

Felix grabbed hold of the sunny orb he had seen in Dimas’ shop before, pulling it closer to himself as he sat beside Star. “That’s a lot of people. And Dimas gave you this as thanks? Or to help?” he asked.

Star feebly shook her head. “No, I never asked for anything in return, nor did I receive any items. Why? Where’d you find that?”

Wimpod’s antennas clicked together, grabbing Felix’s attention as Wimpod glared at him silently. Taking the hint, Felix stowed the orb away into his satchel. “Just found it, I guess.”

Star half-nodded, clearly about to doze off as she listened to his answer. Opening her eyes once more, she turned to Felix. “Could you do one quick favor for me? My bag is tucked in the corner back here. Can you give me the item in it?”

Felix reached back further inside, pulling the bag Star had the night before closer. Reaching inside past the flap, he felt a cold, metallic object and pulled it out. It was a gold symbol in the shape of Ho-Oh in flight, a string fed through a small hole at its top. “What, this?” he asked, holding it out in the fire’s light. 

“Yes, that. Put it down in front of me. I want to take a moment and pray.” 

As instructed, he laid the idol in front of her on the grass.

“Thank you.” At once, she rose to sit. She looked at the amulet plainly, but soon a certain frown had taken hold.  Closing her eyes solemnly, she lowered her head, the sullen expression disappearing.

Wimpod scuttled closer, peeking out from the darkness of his cover towards Star as she prayed. “A lot of good that will do,” he scoffed.

Star remained silent, intently focused as she remained still.

Wimpod eyed the figure irately. “If you were interested in keeping everyone safe, you’d get stronger yourself,” he added. “Faith is no substitute for strength.”

“I like to think I can do both,” Star quipped, her eyes remaining shut.

Wimpod scoffed and looked away. “Just make sure you have the one that counts when you’re in a scrape.”

Petal leered at Wimpod from across the fire, eyeing him suspiciously as he evaded her glare. “You know, we’ve been seeing you more lately, and it seems like it’s always behind her. What’s your game, anyway?”

Wimpod remained silent, staring off into more nothingness.

“Come on, you can tell ol’ Petal! What is it? Did you meet her before after she saved you or something, and she just doesn’t remember and now you feel like you’ve got to help her? Or is someone paying you to keep an eye on her? Or you’re trying to get into our little friend circle, so you can backstab us later!” None of her guesses had garnered a response from Wimpod. Petal hummed, and within a moment, a sly spark crossed her eyes. “Or maybe… you follow her around because… you love her?”

A round of sputtering erupted from Felix, Star, and Wimpod in unison. Recognizing her ploy, Felix began stifling a laugh.

“I can promise you,” Wimpod began asserting, “that is not the reason at all.”

“I hope so,” Star said as she readjusted herself back into prayer. “I don’t exactly go on that route.”

“Come on, then!” Petal continued in a devious tone. “Why are you always at our heels, then?”

Wimpod began grumbling. “No thanks to that religion, I had a chance encounter once. Met someone who tried to help- just didn’t know it then. And because of that…” Wimpod exhaled deeply through his nose, closing his eyes in anger. “That doesn’t matter now. They deserve to know she’s safe.”

Star propped a single eye open, focusing on Wimpod. “I’m sorry, but… ‘no thanks to that religion?’” she repeated.

“Don’t act like you don’t know. All that nonsense about ‘eternal return’ and the self-righteousness that comes with it, following some code of morality that they force on others. And what do they use all those ‘morals’ for? Sneering at us for doing what we’ve always done. Closing shops when we pass. Attacking us when they think we’re weak.” He spoke with venom behind each word.

“Oh…” Star breathed. “I’m sorry. I never noticed…”

“You wouldn’t.”

The group entered an awkward silence, each set of eyes glazing over to the ground.

“Well, if you’d like,” Star began, “would you like to join us?”

Wimpod gave her a puzzled look.

A warm smile seemed to spread across Star’s face. “Join us on our team. We may be a little small and a little inexperienced, but I promise you that we’ll treat you with the respect you deserve. And it’ll make it easier to keep an eye on me by my side, for this mysterious someone. Am I correct?”

Wimpod looked away in thought. “Respect?”

“Yeah, respect!” Petal chimed in. “Just look at me, her, and Blue here! We’re all chums.”

“I wouldn’t say calling someone ‘Blue’ is respectful,” Felix chuckled.

A devious spark crossed Petal’s eyes. “Oh, I can think of plenty of other things to call you, especially with how you snoop around all the time.”

“Yeah? And what does the little plant have to say?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Mister Pincher, depends on if you’re still trying to nab our apples in the dead of night.”

Felix leaned closer to her. “Shrub.”

Petal got closer as well. “Stumblebum.”

“Herb.”

“Punch-dog.”

A cold glare from Wimpod arrived at the two’s antics. “Is this the respect members of the team give one another?”

Felix and Petal held their leers at one another a moment longer, then breaking out into soft laughter amongst themselves as they pulled back. “Oh, don’t worry,” Petal giggled. “Blue knows I’m just messing with him, and he’s cool with it! Part of why I like him.”

Felix nodded. “I’m fine with it, so long as she’s fine with me hitting back.”

“Those two, they always bicker like that,” Star sighed. She readjusted herself, lying back down and propping herself against the side of the crate. “So? Would you care to join this little family?”

A low grumble left Wimpod. “I’ll pass for now. I’ll still tag along, but don’t expect much ‘bickering’ from me; I’ll earn my respect.”

Star frowned. “Well, if that’s the choice you want, then very well.” 

“Can’t be helped,” Felix added. “If he doesn’t want in on this team, then that’s fine.” A question flared in his mind, making him rub his chin in contemplation. He had not thought of it any time before, yet now he was curious. “Star?”

She looked at him expectantly. “Yes?”

“Why did you join me on this team?”

She pulled her head back in surprise, taken aback by the abrupt nature of that question. “I joined with you to help others more freely, you included, since Willow seemed more keen on us patrolling old stretches of road than helping. Why do you ask?”

“Wasn’t that your parents’ team?”

“It… was,” Star sighed. “But they’re no longer a part of that team. Certain… circumstances saw them struck from the team. If you’re wondering if I have any regrets about leaving, then don’t worry for my sake. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to grow.”

“That… wasn’t quite what I was getting at,” Felix continued. “Why not just help folk anyway while on that team?”

Star thought briefly. “Disagree as I may with Willow and his passivity, he’s still- well, he was my leader, and my caretaker. I couldn’t go behind his orders in good faith and take on requests on his behalf.”

“So you joined me because when I created this team, it gave you an excuse to pull away from Willow and act more in your interests, right?”

“I suppose that is a way of looking at it, yes.”

“So why didn’t you just make your own team then?”

Star froze. For a drawn second, her eyes remained locked forward. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?

“Yeah, just make your own team. Instead of waiting for someone else to join up with for months, why didn’t you just make your own team and strike out on your own? Help people that way?”

“Hey, Blue’s right!” Petal contributed. “You were moping about Willow stopping you from doing what you wanted before. What was stopping ya from just seeing that murkrow and making your own group?”

Star’s gaze remained locked forward in a blank stare, almost in a trance. The dance of flame reflected off her glazed eyes as she remained locked in time.

“Well?”

Star’s head fell to the ground as she released a groan most antagonized, racked with regret and embarrassment. Her paws flew to cover her face as she continued her cries of realized-ineptitude. “I could’ve done that the entire time?!” she suddenly wailed.

Felix and Petal began snickering, both looking away to conceal their reaction towards her outburst and mistake.

The ashamed vulpix pulled herself up, slinking away into a corner of the crate far from wandering eyes and falling to her side into a curl. “I think now’s as wonderful a time as any to finally turn in for the night,” she dryly stated. She opened her mouth in a titanic yawn, hardly even attempting to suppress it, then closing her eyes.

Felix stretched out his arms into the night sky, pursing his lips and blowing out air. “Yeah, I think we’ve had enough teasing for one night.” He grabbed the amulet and put it away, then lying down atop the folds of tarp inside his little home, beside his partner.

As he closed his eyes, a familiar meek shuffle pulled itself past the crackling fire towards them. “Hey, scoot on over, Blue,” the small voice commanded.

“What now?” Felix asked as he pulled his head up. “Ain’t you running on home?”

Petal hopped inside the crate in one tiny leap. “I’d rather not sleep home tonight. Now come on, scoot.” Begrudgingly, Felix scooted himself against the rough interior wall of the shipping crate, creating a small amount of open space between himself and Star. Petal fell into that small margin, wedging herself between the two. “Thanks.”

“Eh,” Felix muttered, flimsy waving his hand. “Wimpod, you want in on this? Might have room for one more,” he dully joked.

“I’m fine where I’m at,” the bug replied.

“Suit yourself.” He tried to get comfortable against the small plant laying beside him, looking up at the plain wooden top above him. “So Star, about tomorrow,” he muttered. No response came. “Star?”

“I think she’s passed out already, Blue,” Petal answered.

Looking to his side, he could see Star’s side rising and falling steadily past the splay of leaves beside him, faint breaths wisping out of the calm fox’s mouth. “Oh.” He burrowed against the crate’s side, finally closing his heavy eyelids. “Night, herb.”

Petal gently wormed her way closer to his side, softly nestling herself against him and sighing. “Night, Blue.”

Carried by the waves of warmth, by the tides of comfort wrought by the fire, sleep would soon find them.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 14

Foul Play

Empty streets, still air.

Once alive with fervor and bustling of folk on the cleared roads, these cold trails reflected which no more. Only the pale morning light peering through the golden canopy illuminated the village- none of the countless paper lanterns adorning street poles were lit through the night. No sound, save for the whisper of wind and the crunch of cluttered footsteps, were heard.

A red wolf traveled the lifeless road, lumbering forward on two legs as he cautiously looked between still tent after tent. Behind him, a gathered crew of those like-minded: a tyrogue, poochyena, wartortle, tandemaus, and a new face- vigoroth, as well as many others behind.

Many others had already broken off from the pack, wandering the barren streets with arms filled with a pathetic amount of stolen goods. Impatiently, the vigoroth peeked through each dull tent the gang passed by, hoping to add to his poor hull, but left leaving fiddling his claws together in frustration at another empty home. “Nothing in this one, either,” the vigoroth bitterly stated.

A nidorino moped around a dark-blue tent, crossing in front of the crew while shaking his head sourly. “Nothing.”

“Something’s not right…” Cobb muttered as he eyed several empty stalls ahead. He raised a red paw skyward and in an instant, a bombirdier flew down and perched herself on a near branch. “What say you?”

“Village’s good as dead, as far as I can see,” she coldly replied. “I’ve looked everywhere: couldn’t find any movement no matter where I looked. And I don’t recall this number of tents before.”

“Must be planning a little welcoming party for us,” Cobb smiled.

 She turned her head to have one eye leer at the lycanroc. “It’s a trap.”

“Obviously.”

Looking behind Cobb, she could see that the bunch were getting impatient: shifting eyes and swiveling heads were evidence enough of that. The bombirdier fluttered down closer to Cobb, leaning close and whispering so that the group behind did not hear. “ Shall we retreat while we can? ”

“ No, ” Cobb immediately replied. “ I need to find that egghead here, she’s our big break, Harrier. She was in that shambled house two nights ago, yeah? ”

Harrier nodded. “She had something fancy by the look of it when she left. Took it to her home when she left.”

Cobb leaned in closer. “Take me there. ”

“ And what of this little predicament? You’re pulling it awfully close. We should leave while we still have the option. ”

“ Our little friend will be around. It’ll buy us time. ”

Harrier peeked over to the tetchy group. Many of them looked back expectantly, curious as to what they had been discussing in hushed words. “ And what of them? ”

A sneer grew on Cobb’s pointed face, punctuated by fangs and spit. “ They planned out this lovely trap for us, didn’t they? Let’s make the most of it. ” He turned over towards his crew and threw his arms out boisterously. “Open-season, lads! Finders keepers! And if you run into any trouble, sort it out yourselves!” Harrier spread her wings once more, enticing Cobb to turn to leave alongside her. Struck with a sudden remembrance, he looked over his shoulder towards his now eager pack. “Oh, and one last thing: seven-hundred pieces to the lad who brings me the insufferable fox, that blowhard plant, some lowly bug, or that insufferable leader of theirs! Any one of them! They’ve been feeling awfully cocky as of late, and I think an example is in order!”

Amid the now excited crowd, the vigoroth stepped forward, raking its claws against one another in anticipation. “Yeah? And where can we find them?” he asked Cobb as he was leaving with Harrier.

“Somewhere around here, probably,” Cobb muttered, not even turning around. “I’m sure you’ll find them soon: they’re not shy. If you want a fair guess, I’d say check the farmhouse thataway.” Cobb pointed down a split in the path, past some still trees and hollow tents towards a fair wooden farm surrounded by fields in the distance. “That plant said her name was ‘Petal,’ last I remember. I hear that farm is run by a Petal or another. Seems a good place to start.”

“Aye,” the vigoroth nodded. Flexing out its black claws, it stuck them into the trunk of a close tree, then pulling itself up and into the branches where it swung from limb to limb towards the farm, bending branches with each lunge forward and raining down golden leaves as he went.

“Any more questions?” The pack remained silent. “No? Then get on with it!” he barked. At once, Harrier took wing and glided through the packed trees with Cobb in tow.

The crowd’s spirit broke into a fever. With Cobb now gone, they broke out and spread throughout the village individually. Both the wartortle and nidorino began tearing open the tents around them, frantically searching for goods that were not there, whilst many others went further towards the center of the village, where the blazing briar lay. Empty home after empty home greeted them, as did stalls filled with nothing as they tore down the cold street. 

A tyrogue wandered the street as his allies tore apart the location around him, taking steps over newly tossed, worthless pieces of string and canvas that now darted the street. Ahead, he spotted a promising looking home ahead. Whereas many of the other shelters were fitted loosely with unsecure layers of tarp and hastily strung together wooden beams, this one and others ahead seemed quite more agreeable. They did not have cloths that swung in the wind. These ones were taut, stiff against the breeze. The tyrogue messaged a large bump on head he had acquired a few nights ago as he approached the promising spot. Reaching out, he pulled back the entrance flap.

A flash of iron was the last sight he held before he blacked out, flung out onto the cold earth behind from the cold smack of steel that pealed throughout the still air.

At once, the many heads of the pillagers turned to look at the source. From in front of their fallen friend, a riolu dressed in a simple poncho stepped out from the dim tent behind, carrying in his hands a shovel split at its handle, and a glossy blue orb that glowed brilliantly at its center.

“Hey! We’ve got trouble over here!” a poochyena yelped from the motionless crowd. Before anyone could act, a sudden soft light rose from behind them, blanketing them in the drawn shadows of trees as it rose into the sky: an ember, shot upward, where it then fizzled and boomed in the open air. 

Some low rumbling toiled around them.

Bringing its attention back to Felix, the poochyena growled and began tearing through the dirt towards him, sprinting at him with fangs bared. But as distance shrunk, the rhythmic pace of the rumble grew faster as well, and soon fell upon him and all others around as dashing figures descended onto them from behind trees and tents.

A wicked bolt of lightning crashed in front of the poochyena, forcing it to a stop as a zebstrika barreled down the road to them, brandishing a threatening coat of raging yellow and pitch black. It began circling the fiends, forcing them nearly into a huddle as they fell back to one another. A mankey reached its hand out as if to threaten the zebstrika, but was quickly pushed back with a jolt of electricity laid at its feet.

Felix spun around, peering past his hideaway down the road and spotting the reinforcements he had planned. “Round them up!” he called out to Fawna as she led the charge of herself, Jeral, and a conkeldurr, ferrying Dimas on its back.

“Already on it!” she replied as she and the others passed him by. 

As soon as they came in proximity of the thieves, Dimas leveled his arm at their feet and began popping off slivers of gold from his fingertips, kicking up dirt from where the bullets landed before the fiends with each shot, forcing them further and further back.

“Scatter, now!” Jeral commanded. “Break them apart!” The hakamo-o lunged at the huddled mass alongside Fawna, swinging his plated arms at them as Fawna whipped her head about and launched a barrage of razor-sharp leaves at the crowd. Many of them recoiled back and began retreating away with the crowd, scattering further away into the village whilst Fawna, Jeral, and others pursued them in the ensuing dust cloud. From that whir of kicked-up dirt, some figures broke away from the frenzy, evading the force that threatened them by scurrying away from the chaos to any cover they could find, be it the odd stack of wooden boxes or nearby trunk of a tree.

“Good work!” Felix called out to Jeral and Fawna as they left. “You all focus on that bunch! We’ll handle the stragglers!” The hakamo-o shot him a quick nod before returning to his chase.

The poochyena, nidorino, wartortle, and the pair of tandemaus had broken off from the pursuit, watching briefly as their accomplices were driven further and further away into the distance. Once the others were well and gone, they turned to look at Felix with eyes that could cut through stone and brandishing the fangs they all had, ill with intent.

Grabbing hold of the sunny orb, Felix raised it skyward. “Orb! Do your thing!” No reaction came. “Come on,” he muttered. “How do these things work?” he asked as he slapped the device a couple times in a misguided attempt to get it to function.

The poochyena once again charged at him now that it was free from the earlier interference, keeping its body low to the ground as it bolted at him. “Boss will make me his right-hand for sure if I drag you in!” it snarled.

It knelt just ten-feet before Felix, then springing through the air towards him with its jaw wide open, ready to snatch at him with the many dagger-like teeth that lined its mouth. Whilst the poochyena was airborne, a thick-curved blade of grass shot from behind Felix from within the tent, curving through the air and striking the mutt in its side, launching it away in a tumble.

“Don’t just stand there, Blue!” Petal chastised him as she came outside. She whipped another blade at the attacker’s feet, making them leap back. “Look, if you want the long answer, ask Star! But those things just work , like leafage or ember! Don’t think about it! Just do it! ”

“Right, just do it,” he softly repeated to himself.

The poochyena had already begun getting up, but Petal shot another bladed leaf at it, which the dog managed to shirk away from as it leapt back towards its friends which had now begun to gather around. “Hurry up, Blue!” Petal called as she looked at the four Pokémon around them. “Don’t think about it, just do it!!” 

The wartortle shot a torrent of water towards them, passing between the two of them as they reeled away and tore a hole through the canvas behind them. Petal shot a blade at the wartortle, only for the attack to ricochet off its shell as the turtle turned in anticipation of the attack, sending the blade careening through the air and crashing into the gold canopy above.

As the wartortle prepared another blast of water, a shot of fire burst from behind it, slamming into the assailant’s shell and forcing its attention onto the vulpix that had appeared behind them. Wisps of flame snaked from the corners of her mouth. “Not one of you are escaping!” Star snarled. 

The wartortle sneered, spinning on its heel and launching another azure torrent of water targeting Star. She instinctively fired off another ember towards the rushing water, only for the ball of flame to be swallowed without resistance by the deluge. Before the attack could strike her, a silvery bug dropped from the branches above and took the blow against its layered shell as it fell, being launched back and recoiled off of Star as she stumbled back from the blow.

Wimpod shook his carapace, throwing water everywhere. “You’d do better to keep your head down,” he remarked.

“I’ll take my chances,” Star stated as she reignited the fire in her maw.

Star lowered her head and quickly bounded across the ground, circling the thieves and joining Felix and Petal. Wimpod scoffed to himself, quickly scuttling up the same tree he leapt from only a few seconds earlier and hiding in the autumn leaves once more.

“You took your time getting here,” Felix said. 

“But got here I did!” she smiled. “Anyhow, I take it you’re still hung up on how to use the orb?” she asked as she leered at the volatile group ahead.

Felix looked down at the orb perplexedly. 

The poochyena knelt and growled, eyeing them with wide-open eyes as it took a cautious step forward. The tandemaus beside it followed, drawing closer. More confidently, the wartortle and nidorino joined behind them, coming ever nearer. “Boss’ll pluck those leaves right off you when we bring you to him, shrub!” the nidorino threatened through clenched teeth.

Petal threateningly lowered the splay of her leaves at the crowd. “Uh, Blue, might want to hurry up!”

“Remain calm. Just hold the orb up, and as you would command your limbs to move, animate this tool with the same power,” Star instructed. Bubbles began rapidly forming at the wartortle’s mouth, locking eyes with Star. “Now would be preferable.”

The wartortle blasted another volume of water towards them, forcing Star to duck to the ground as the attack sailed above her and punched another hole in the tent behind them. With fangs glowing with fire, she lunged at the group, forcing a reaction as they all threw themselves forward to attack. The poochyena charged forward, meeting Star head-on as the two snapped at one another and fell to the ground, both frantically snarling and biting at each other as they tumbled only for the dark mutt to pin Star to the ground with a jaw locked around her foreleg as she writhed to take back control.

“ Blue! Get to it!” Petal shouted. Running forward, she threw two crescent blades of green at the remaining group as they ran, causing them to stumble for a moment before they continued their advance, but it was only a moment before they charged at her as she froze.

Felix frantically held the orb back up, staring at the glow in its center with no thought, just the hope that something would come of it. 

Just a hope.

The light within the glassy sphere flared to life. As if possessed, the now blinding light threw itself against the container that bound it, shattering the orb into countless pieces that made Felix flinch in the ensuing sharded rain.  The blaze flew many stories into the air before stopping suddenly in the air. All eyes had fallen onto the spectacle, captivated by the radiance the miniature sun had now been flooding the ground floor below in heat and rays. Felix found himself utterly bewitched by such a strange and mystic power.

The poochyena that had pinned Star had been one such whose attention was stolen by the display, only to be reminded of its situation when a burst of fire so fierce erupted from below from Star and blown it off of her, sending the cur smoking across the open space and falling into a collapsed, smoldering pile at the foot of a tree, unmoving.

The nidorino and tandemaus pair immediately moved to crash upon Star. Lowering its horn, the nidorino’s formidable spine began oozing a thick purple sludge from the tip, then running at Star as she recovered off the ground whilst the mice broke apart and moved to attack from her sides.

As the nidorina approached, a barrage of leafage had soon filled its vision as Petal whipped her head at such a speed she had never before, flinging blade after blade in quick succession that tore at the nidorino’s hide and forced the mice to scatter behind close tents to avoid the leafy onslaught. “Ooh, no you don’t!” Petal laughed as she quickly darted off after one of the tandemaus. In one swift motion, she ducked around one of the tents that one of the small rodents had fallen back to. “I got this one, Blue!” She was much quicker than he had ever seen before.

The nidorino had flinched, clenching its eyes shut as it continued its blind charge towards Star, which she was able to easily leap out of the way as it continued to run beneath her. Unaware of its doomed attack, the nidorino continued until it had slammed into the trunk of a tree, embedding its horn in the wood as sprays of poison splattered outward from the impact. There, it dug its heels into the dirt and reeled back, failing to dislodge itself as it struggled.

Star looked at the humiliating sight with a self-assured smile, but her ears perked once a familiar called out to her.

“Behind you, twerp!” Wimpod shouted.

At once, Star whipped around to see the wartortle once again foaming bubbles at the mouth, its head reeled back. In one motion, it threw its head forward and unleashed another beam of water towards her- though this one was thinner, and clearer than the azure shot it had produced before. Star immediately shot an ember towards the stream that burned intensely beneath the guide of the new sun, vaporizing the weakened shot of water into fine mist as it continued unopposed right onto the wartortle’s head, bursting in a small explosion that rang in the air.

The wartortle pitched back, reeling in pain but remained standing on its feet. Star turned towards Felix, her eyes aglow with confidence. “Felix, round up that last tandemaus! I’m sure Petal would appreciate the help!”

“You sure you got this?” he asked in turn. 

Star took her eyes off of him and returned her focus onto the wartortle. Throwing its head forward, it now had a charred burn on a cheek of its enraged face. Tucking its limbs into its shell- save for its bristled tail- water erupted out of its armor like exhaust and propelled itself forward, spinning wildly as it careened across the road. Star dropped her body low to the ground and leapt high into the air, evading the attack as it crashed into a stack of crates and sent the boxes scattering across the ground, though the wartortle skidded to a stop a moment after. “I can hold my own!” she shouted, now behind the turtle.

Felix nodded. “Right.” He took off towards one of the disheveled tents he had seen the other mouse scamper off to, leaving Star as he heard the crackle of bursts of fire and the slosh of water behind him.

He found himself facing a great number of potential hiding places for the rodent: so many newly fashioned homes, thick bushes, stacks of simple building supplies and countless trees served to obstruct him. He did not know where to even begin looking for the small creature, given that it had ample time to reposition itself in the brief period it was left on its lonesome.

“Second tent to the right!” a familiar voice called to him from on high. Looking up, he could see Wimpod latched underneath a large branch, just visible through the cloak of fall leaves around him. “The rat should be in there. Take care of it.”

“Thanks, on it.” Wimpod stared briefly at him, no discernable expression present on him before scurrying down the length of the branch and vanishing into the ruby and gold foliage.

Left to his task and now given direction, Felix passed the first tent to his right and continued to the second, slipping in through its loose flap. It was considerably darker inside the small hobble, having to have his eyes adjust somewhat to see. Once his vision settled, he could tell this was one of the many false homes they had created the night before. Nothing lay inside, just a singular box he knew to be empty. Though, that initial belief was contested once he heard a small skitter of a critter within the container.

Kneeling down, he lifted the box and looked down the opened side. Inside, surrounded by a very modest collection of glittering jewelry and silver rings, was the tandemaus, clutching at its ill-gotten gains. “Well, look at you!” Felix chuckled. “What’s the little mouse gonna do?” he mocked.

The single tandemaus looked around its cramped surroundings and found a single glass vial amongst its stash. Sparing little time, the mouse grabbed the clear flask and with all the force its small body could muster, smashed the end of the bottle against the side of the box, shattering it. The newly jagged weapon was then pointed at Felix, each of the many cutting edges threatening to cut him should he come any closer, all while the mouse maintained an empty gaze.

Felix simply looked at the sight unamusedly. Using both his hands, he shook the box as quickly as could, sending the mouse bouncing between the walls like a rubber ball. After a moment, he reached inside and pulled out the dazed critter, carrying it by his side as he left back outside.

Back in the intense light, Felix could see both a muddied Star and Petal dancing around an exhausted and filthy wartortle, nimbly evading its desperate attacks in a now thoroughly muddy environment. Pushed to its limits, a pool of water had formed around its feet; its eyes were wide and manic. Just behind them, he saw the nidorino and the other tandemaus writhing on the ground in sudden spasms of their limbs- both paralyzed.

“Oh, Blue!” Petal shouted. In her momentary lapse, the wartortle’s tail became cloaked in a watery veil which it then swung towards Petal. She noticed the swing too late, and was struck by a visceral aquatic tail that crashed like a ceaseless wave upon her, sending her tumbling away in a violent roll across the muck.

“Petal!” both Felix and Star shouted.

Star took a deep breath and shot out an ember onto the wartortle, stumbling it back briefly as she went towards Petal’s side, helping her up with the push of her snout, only just getting her onto her feet.

Felix saw as the wartortle began winding up an attack from its mouth, beginning to foam once again in preparation for a ranged assault at Star and Petal as they frantically recovered. He was too far away to make the distance and interrupt the blow; he would have to throw something. In a flash of insight, he quickly reached into his bag with his free hand and slung the fruit stored on the very top: one of the strange electric lemons Petal had given him the night before. Quickly dragging the rind of the lemon across the chipped and jagged surface of the metal on his arms, he felt the sharp tinge of an electric current course through him as the emerald juices of the now torn lemon spilled out. In a brisk movement, he slung it. “ Heads up! ”

The wartortle only saw the improvised projectile for a glance as it sailed across the air, then landing on its shell with a small plop .

A bright green flash instantly engulfed the wartortle; electric currents arced from the wartortle in sharp crackles of energy that locked its body in place from the jolts. After a second of continuous electrification, the light ceased, leaving the wartortle standing there with a blank expression on its face. Then a look of anger.

Summoning the remains of its strength, the wartortle shouted a defiant cry and began one last attack. Turning to Felix, it wrapped its tail in a veil of surging water and sprinted towards him. Felix could only take a step back, grabbing the handle of his shovel in anticipation of the devastating blow as the wartortle came right on top of him, spun around and… dropped to the floor after a sharp smack was heard from behind it.

Looking on the back of its head, he found the cause: one of the blades Petal’s leafages had slammed against the back of its head, and now rested on the now unconscious wartortle. Felix caught his breath.

Petal came cautiously closer and examined her work, remaining silent. After a moment, her head spun towards him, a proud spark behind her eyes. “Ha! Did it!”

The prideful look from Petal caught him off-guard. She had always been prideful, of this there was no doubt, but something about seeing her reveling in her accomplishment stirred something within him. Even when she was slightly lurched forward in pain, covered in mud and bruises, she was still boasting. It was rather endearing. A genuine smile was soon coaxed out. “Nice shot, herb.”

Petal delivered a small kick with her near-non-existent foot on the head of the collapsed wartortle. Star had taken a moment to shake some of the mud and water on her coat off before joining them. By this time, the light from the sunny orb had already begun fading rapidly, returning the forest to its natural shade. 

“Watch it, Blue- this herb’s packing some spice!” she beamed.

Felix gave her a brief pat on her muddy shoulder. “Good job.”

“There was some nice force behind that one, Petal,” Star added. “You’re getting stronger. Be proud of that.”

“Yeah, well…” Her gaze quickly fell, unable to meet their praise. As her sight looked downward, something dangling in Felix’s hand caught her attention. “Blue, you just carrying that dude for show?”

“Hm?” He looked down. In his hand was the tandemaus he had caught just a minute earlier, still in a daze from his simple extraction method. “Oh yeah, him.” He gently tossed the mouse onto the ground in front of them, which Petal quickly doused with a small yellow puff of paralyzing powders. “Right- we have any word yet on the others?”

“They’re fine,” Wimpod answered from behind. 

Felix spun around and saw the silver bug crawling down the length of the tree beside him, joining the group. “You know, you could just be a part of the group when we’re already talking, and not have to scuttle down here every time you have something to say.”

“How are they?” Star asked. “Any injuries?”

“They’re just wrapping up now; they’ve cleaned up nicely from what I’ve seen,” Wimpod answered.

A small grin formed on Felix. They were near the end now. Much-if not all- of the village’s assailants had been defeated. All but the one he cared about most. “Everyone up for trying their luck?” Felix asked. “I know of one last target we can go after here.”

“Cobb,” Star glowered, her ears pulled back. “I’m prepared to engage with him again.”

Wimpod’s antennas shifted concerningly at her words. “He nearly had your throat, last I recall.”

Star shot him a glare. “I’ll do better this time.”

“Where can we find him?” Felix asked.

“Saw him a ways on the eastern side. He was tearing apart the tent that linoone’s kid lived in.” Wimpod turned towards the intended direction, which would have them off the cleared roads and cutting through trees and bush. “Ready?”

“Lead the way.”

—-

Before long, they had come across a wrecked tent, torn apart by claws and misshapen like a crumpled piece of paper.

In front of that ruined home, was the red lycanroc, holding the clear orb filled with colored shards Felix had seen on their second encounter. The bombirdier was beside him, holding her apron out with her beak. Cobb held the device with a devious grin, transfixed by its sheen, as if knowing something more about it than its intrinsic value. He turned to the bombirdier, tucking the device into the bird’s feathery apron. The two exchanged some brief inaudible words, and the bombirdier took flight, leaving into the canopy and out of sight.

A sly chuckle left Cobb as he saw his avian friend steal away the device, but when he turned to leave, that sly grin left him. Four of his least favorite people were standing a ways across from him, each none too pleased. Strangely enough, his focus was largely focused on Petal, staring at her in a certain disappointed disbelief. 

He planted his face into the palm of his hand. “Not only did they not find the egghead linoone, but the blasted idiot grabbed the wrong one,” he said dryly. Looking back up, his ire was replaced with an oozing vitriol. “How about we skip the whole song and dance, and just let me on my merry way?” he said through pointed teeth. An ember seared across the air and just missed Cobb’s body as it soared further away. “I suppose not.”

“You’ve only got one chance to give up, Cobb,” Star growled.

“Listen,” he sneered, “I’m already running late on a very important business meeting, and prefer not to dally.” Cobb pointed a jagged claw at Petal. “And now I’ve got the mess of sorting out what to do with that shrub’s mother.”

Petal’s fierce look melted down. “What?” she mumbled.

“Suppose that one’s on me for not clarifying to those idiots whose who,” Cobb said with a shrug.

She looked down at the ground, at a loss for words. “Felix…” she whispered. “He’s just lying, right…?”

“Probably,” he responded.

“ Probably? ”

Felix looked towards Wimpod, the small bug looking back. “Check,” he whispered. With a short motion, he briskly waved him off. Understanding, Wimpod scurried off, climbing once into a nearby tree and disappearing towards where they had securely moved all the villagers for their safety.

“You better be bluffing, Cobb,” Star warned. “We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.” 

Cobb’s jagged finger reached under his chin, scratching it as he humored a thought. “Tempting offer, really. But I think I’ll be taking the easy way.” His eyes flashed red as he raised his foot and stomped the ground below, bulldozing it and sending tremors beneath Felix, Star, and Petal that knocked them to the ground in the sudden quake. “Listen, I’d love nothing more than the chance to beat the daylights out of you all, believe me!” he chuckled. “But fortunately for you, I’m already far behind schedule and have to get back as soon as I can- business and what-not, I’m sure you understand.” He turned to leave, planting his fists onto the ground.

“Oh, you think we’re just gonna let you leave?” Felix shouted as he stood back up.

“We’ve already defeated all your friends, Cobb! I must say, I expected better! All I must look forward to now is dragging you in by the scruff of your neck!” Star taunted.

Cobb let out an exhausted sigh. “Quiet, girl. I wouldn’t call them ‘friends,’ more-so… work associates. Do with them what you’d like- helps to keep my share bigger at the end of the day.” Another ember rocketed across the air. Before it could reach Cobb, he had turned and punched the flare with his stone-cold swing, bursting it before it could strike him. Pulling his head back and sucking in a great breath, he howled. The sound was sharp and cruel, almost like a blood-curdling scream, but it remained distinctly monstrous- like a man becoming beast. “But don’t worry- I wouldn’t dream of leaving you all begging for a good tussle. I’ll leave you all in good hands. I trust it won’t hurt you all too badly.” Digging his front claws into the dirt once more, he took off in a burst of speed, using all four of his limbs to propel himself forward like a misshapen wolf. “ So long, chumps! ”

“ You don’t get to leave! ” Star shouted as she took off in a chase after him. As she gained ground, something caught her eye ahead that made her skid to a stop- something that Felix could not see from where he was, his sight blocked by thick trunks and tarps. She turned around, sprinting back towards the group.

“What is it?” Felix asked as she returned.

“ Why aren’t you grabbing him? ” Petal frantically asked in turn.

Her eyes remained sharply focused, her ears pulled back, and her fangs visible from the pulled corners of her mouth. “ Golett! ” she shouted.

That word struck a tinge of fear into him. He had not heard that word for some time, especially because of his time here. Yet the constant drills and tales he had heard of those deplorable machines from overseas had done enough to instill into him the same wariness he felt now. He reached out his hand slowly, as if to make a point. “Are you sure you saw a golett?” As if to answer his question, a sound akin to the rolling of a stubborn stone rumbled from beyond. In that moment, he knew she was telling the truth.

“A golett? What do they look like?” Petal confusedly asked.

From the stretch of trees Star had retreated from, the source of the looming roll finally appeared: a modest sphere, not much bigger than Felix, had rolled into view. It was covered in dark stains of dirt and had patches of moss strewn across its round body- the same way Felix had seen a distant sphere before when Cobb had attacked the convoy.

It came to a stop some distance away. Center on the stone ball, laden between dinged crosses of bronze, was a crest, lightly pulsating on its center in a wondrous, soft glow like a flickering heartbeat. Then it stood. Manufactured limbs shakingly deployed from the itself: first small legs, then a thicker arm, and then its small head. Now that it was closer and fully activated, it could be seen it was missing its right arm, leaving an empty notch of ethereal light in its side where one should have been. 

It looked to the frozen group with cold eyes- if the faintly flickering lights at the front of its head could even be called as such. Lifting its one arm, it leveled it at the group, retracting the stone fist and leaving the hole empty. Shadows began to amass in the darkness, forming a dark sphere.

It hollowly beeped, as if suffering.

“ Get out of the way, now! ” Felix commanded.

A shadow ball launched itself out of the arm like a cannon shot, zipping past the three as they all threw themselves to the side and exploding into a visceral shower of splinters and shrapnel as it blew off a trunk of a tree in a single strike, leaving the towering timber to fall to the earth in a loud crash as it tore open the canopy above on the way down.

“What is that thing!?” Petal shouted in a daze. Before anyone could answer, the golett retracted its limbs once more and rolled into a ball, then launched itself towards her at a blistering speed. She let out a yelp and managed to lurch to the side, evading the attack as the golett smashed into the splintered tree bottom behind her, becoming wedged as it continuously let out weak beeps like an alarm as it tried to unstick itself with sudden twitches.

“That thing is a war machine!” Felix shouted as he picked himself up off the dirt. “Destroy it!”

“R-Right! On it!” Petal got herself closer to the embedded apparatus and threw a cloud of stunning spores onto it as it struggled onto it. “Alright!” she shouted. “I got it paralyzed!” The cloud of yellow spores came to coat the golett like snow on a log in the winter. Yet it did not cease, continuing to writhe. Petal began trembling as it continued to move.

Its arm deployed out of its socket, pointing at the stump that trapped it and began humming with dark energy once more. “Petal! Get out of there!” Felix shouted.

She froze.

The golett shot the stump with a point-blank shadow ball, utterly destroying it and kicking up a fierce dust cloud on itself in a sudden detonation that Petal was caught in.

“ Petal! ” both Felix and Star cried out. They both moved into the large cloud as fast as they could, and their sight instantly became obscured. They both began coughing as they waded through the debris, trying their best to remain focused on the ground in front of them as they searched for their friend. “You check that way, I’ve got over here,” Felix ordered.

“Right,” Star responded with a wheezy breath.

 The tumbling of the golett gave away that it had already rolled out of the cloud, but they did not care. Keeping his eyes on the ruined earth below him, Felix soon came across Petal. She was lying face down and covered in cuts from the chips blown off the stump. And she was not moving.

“Found her over here!” Felix shouted to Star, who was somewhere in the cloud. He reached down and picked her up, holding her close to his chest as he began moving out of the cloud.

“Get her to someplace safe!” Star shouted back, still not seen. 

“Already on it! You keep that thing busy, I’ll be right back!” He exited out of the storm of dust, and took in a lungful of fresh air. Looking around, he spied a tree amidst a cluster a ways away. Hurrying over and looping behind, he placed Petal gently down against its base and looked her over. Just as he suspected- though still to his relief- she was just unconscious. “Come on, wake up,” he muttered as he tapped the side of her head. Her closed eyes stirred a little, but she otherwise did not respond. He sighed.

The familiar sound of Wimpod scuttling above forced his attention up, and sure enough, there he was. Wimpod looked down with mouth agape, his attention focused on Petal below. “I heard the commotion. What happened to her?” he asked.

“Got too close to a shadow ball attack a golett used,” he responded.

“A golett?” Wimpod repeated after coming down. “What’s a golett doing here? Those things should’ve all been decommissioned!”

“You say that as if they still aren’t making the darn things. Last I checked, those scum-sucking Unovians were still producing them as fast as they could,” Felix lamented. Looking back at Petal, he rested his hand on her shoulder briefly, then stood back up. “You stay here with her, try and wake her up. I need to get back to Star.”

Wimpod looked defiantly back at him, then to Petal. He grumbled to himself, but then looked back to Felix and nodded.

Knowing Petal would be looked after, Felix ran back towards the lively commotion.

Ahead, he saw Star exhausting fireball after fireball at the golett, each slamming against its stone shell with cracks of flame, yet it only just stumbled back after each attack. Whipping its arm out, the machine thrusted its arm into the earth beneath itself. The golett let out a terrible whirring noise, growing in pitch as the light within itself began to grow in intensity, then flowing to its arm and into the earth as cracks began to form below. With one final push, the golett sent that energy into the earth below, sending the cracks snaking underneath Star at tremendous speed. Before she could react, the earth below her split and poured out light, then blowing out with mighty power that sent her flying back in the attack as she cried out, crashing into a stack of wooden boxes that collapsed on top of her.

“Star!” Felix swung his attention back onto the golett as it pulled its arm out from the earth. In a desperate move, he pulled out another of those strange lemons and tore open the skin the same way he had before, feeling once more the tinge of electricity. He threw it onto the golett, creating another lightshow as the juices of the torn fruit splashed out onto the drone. Once the flashes of electricity settled, he was surprised to see that the golett remained upright, not having been affected at all by the shocks.

Tucking in its head and limbs, it began to roll out towards him, tearing across the newly upheaved dirt, to which Felix evaded. Undeterred, the golett’s arm shot out as it continued rolling, planting its hand into the ground which allowed it to swing its momentum back around and towards Felix once more. This one came at him faster than the last one, and he knew he could not dodge it. In a desperate attempt to protect himself, Felix grabbed the shovel tucked at his side and held it in front of himself, and braced. The rolling stone crashed right through him, splintering the already broken shovel into many pieces and bent metal that flew around Felix as he himself was knocked to the ground in heavy pain. 

Looking up while he lay prone, trying to catch his breath through a chest in turmoil, he saw the golett stop and redeploy near him. Its head locked onto him, and it began to march, raising its one arm with a fist cloaked in shadow. Right by his head was the metal head of the shovel, now bent and completely missing the handle, but still serviceable for what it needed to do at this moment. Grabbing it, he stood up just in time to avoid his head getting smashed by the golett as it thrusted its fist down onto the earth where he was a second ago.

Grabbing the spade with both his hands, he raised it above himself and slammed the edge of the metal into the front of the golett’s head, embedding it deeply into the machine as its lights began to flicker widely and its beeps sputtered.

Felix stepped back, taking deep breaths as the machine began twitching whilst remaining upright, the golett looking down at the ground emptily.

Its split head then twisted to him.

Throwing out its arm, it grabbed Felix by the throat and slammed him to the ground, pressing the full force of its weight onto him as he struggled with all his might to gain some sort of leverage, some sort of way to get it off him. That struggle turned to desperation as his arms wrangled around the golett’s own and could find a way to get it to stop, strangling him longer and longer. The golett’s cold stare was all he could see.

Just as the golett leaned in further, a bright flash of fire boomed across its back, showering Felix with warmth as the golett stood back with him still in its grasp, and looked to a battered and disheveled Star leering it down. She readied another ember in her mouth, but before she could shoot, the golett twisted its body and held Felix between itself and her, forcing her to smolder the attack into smoke.

She darted at the pair, whilst the machine kept Felix positioned between the two. Star swung her body around to have her tails fanned between herself and the golett, effectively blocking its sight of her movements behind the impromptu curtain as she suddenly spun back around and beside Felix, her head cloaked in darkness as she headbutted the golett’s body with a sinister smack. Caught in surprise by the feint attack, the golett stumbled back and released Felix, dropping him to the ground in a coughing fit. 

“Stand up, Felix!” she shouted. “Stand and fight by my side!”

“We’re not done yet!” A green blade soared across the air, striking the golett with a satisfying crack. Looking over to where the attack had come from, there was Petal, standing back up though still wincing with pain. She hurried over to the teetering machine and together with Star, threw their bodies on top of it, about to topple it over.

As it looked down at the two as they struggled to push it over, the golett raised its arm. As it pulled its fist back, Wimpod dropped down from the tree branches above onto its arm, pushing it down with his sudden weight. “Put your backs into it!” he shouted.

The machine teetered, pushed to the absolute limit of its balance. Scrambling back up, Felix joined their efforts and planted his hands against the wavering golett, pushing with all his might alongside Star and Petal and they all heaved in one final effort, finally toppling the stone drone with a satisfying thud as it crashed to the earth. 

Giving it no opportunity to recover, Star’s fangs glowed fire-red as she clamped down onto one of its legs, searing it as smoke rose from the limb. Petal herself grabbed hold of the other leg with the splay of her leaves, wrestling for control as the golett began wildly beeping and flailing its limbs. Wimpod remained firmly attached to its arm, unable to be thrown off.

“Come on, Blue!” Petal yelled as she fought to keep the golett still. “Take it out already!”

Felix scrambled on top of the writhing robot and grabbed the spade embedded in its head. Pulling with all his strength, he pulled out the metal and then thrust back into the machine’s face.

Over.

And over.

And over again.

Chips of stone were sent flying, and the frantic hollow beeps that filled the air soon stopped, as did the spastic movements of its body.

—-

A fair amount of time had passed, allowing for a sunset to come.

Felix sat against the trunk of a tree, watching as the trinkle of villagers entered back into the village. Though he was not as comfortable as he would like. Pechi, the shuckle nurse he had met on his first night, had her tentacles wrapping some bandages on his wounds after applying some gauze. He was still repulsed by the sight of her limbs, but had grown a bit more tolerant of them treating him after his last couple of visits. 

There was going to be a lengthy clean up. Though much of the true tents that the pokemon who lived here resided in were untouched- thanks to the false ones- that did not stop the destruction and strewn items and cloth from being tossed into the streets, not to mention the many spots of battle that had taken place between his group and the one Fawna and Jeral led. Then there was the issue of waiting for a detachment of authority to arrive and retrieve the swath of criminals they had tied up.

“That should do it,” Pechi murmured as she wrapped the last roll of bandage around his chest. She looked out to the trickling in of residents. Her eyes were caught on the younger ones, such as a weedle and taillow, as they gawked at the mess around them. “It’s terrible the kids had to experience this,” she sighed. Her attention then turned towards the briar, still flaming brightly above. “But at the very least, I’m glad we know we’re safe now. Really, thank you for this, and extend my thanks to the others- even that wimpod.”

“Weren’t nothing,” Felix grumbled as he got up. 

“I need to get back to the others, see how they’re faring,” Pechi explained as she retracted the rolls of bandages and bottles of gauze into her shell. “Those wounds should heal very quickly. I used gauze dipped in a solution utilizing an oran base. Not cheap stuff. You should be feeling better very soon.”

As she had said, much of his pain had already began subsiding under the effects of her treatment. “Thanks.” She gave him a final nod and dragged herself away, towards the village center.

When she had left, he saw a group coming towards him: Star, Petal, and Wimpod, as well as Fawna and Jeral as they escorted the tyrogue from earlier, his hands bound in rope. Star and Petal both were covered in bandages as he was. Star had wraps across her chest and front leg, whilst Petal’s body was mostly bandaged, as well as some of her head. A forlorn, worried expression was painted clearly across Petal’s face. “Was it true?” Felix asked as he approached them.

“I wouldn’t have gotten them to drag this sorry sap over if it weren’t,” Star said as she pointed her snout at the cowering tyrogue.

“ Just have him tell us where they took my mom! ” Petal suddenly shouted, on the verge of tears.

Jeral struck the tyrogue in his stomach, earning a cough from the pathetic sight as he dropped to his knees. “That’s the plan, little lady.”

Star leapt up and planted her front paws on the shoulders of the tyrogue, leaning in close with fiery breath. “Where?” she angrily asked. “Where did they take the lilligant?”

“I’ll… I’ll show you guys! Just please let me go!” the tyrogue tearfully replied.

The tyrogue felt a disturbing tingly sensation on his back, which tickled closer to his head. “And why should we believe that?” Wimpod asked from behind his head.

“You just gotta believe me! I don’t care what happens to Cobb! It’s everyone for themselves in this world! Please, if you promise to let me go, I’ll take you right to him!”

“ Where? ” Star asked again, her teeth dangerously close to his face. “Where did Cobb take her?”

“Rip Rapids!” the tyrogue shouted as he turned his head away. “He’s holed up in a cave at the end of the currents! We have a whole operation set-up from all the stuff we find in those distortions!”

“Rip Rapids?” Felix repeated. The name was familiar. “Hey, isn’t that…?”

“That’s the dungeon you and I first went to- our first mission together,” Star said. She leered back into the tyrogue’s watery eyes. “There’s a dozen currents in that area at least , which one is he at the end at?”

“I- I’ll show you! Please, just say you’ll let me go!” he begged.

“Why would we ever let someone like you go!?” Petal burst out once more. “You’ll be lucky if you aren’t too banged up by the time the attendants get here!”

“Please! Cobb’s not a patient guy! There’s no telling what he’ll do to her if you guys take too long! Cobb doesn’t like additional baggage…” he whimpered.

Petal’s eyes trembled.

Jeral raised a fist and brought it down against the top of the tyrogue’s head. “Don’t try lying to weasel your way out of this!” Jeral growled.

The tyrogue cowered, closing his eyes firmly as his lips trembled. “It’s true! You guys don’t have a lot of time! Let me just show you the way, then turn me loose! You’ll never see me again!”

“I…” Petal whimpered, her head towards the ground. She suddenly looked up, tearful. “Let’s just let him take us already! We don’t have a lot of time!”

“ Petal! ” Star responded. Petal looked down sorrowfully. “I know this is a lot for you right now- trust me, I understand . But we can’t trust him! He’ll just lead us on and try making a break for it when he sees the chance!” Star drew her head closer to the cowering tyrogue, a low growl rumbling out her mouth.

“Let’s take him,” Felix suddenly stated.

Everyone looked at him in varying states of surprise. 

Everyone but Petal, who looked alleviated.

“The coward there’s right,” he said while pointing at the tyrogue. “We’ve been here too long already, and we’ll spend even longer looking for the right current. That’s time we don’t have. If he’s telling the truth, we let him go.”

Star looked between him and the tyrogue. Relenting, she pulled herself off of him, but maintained her leer on him. “Very well.” The tyrogue let out a sigh of relief. Star immediately bared her teeth at the tyrogue, making it jump in fright. “But if you dare lie to us, I’ll singe the bottoms of your feet so that’ll never walk again.” She leaned in closer. “Understood?”

“Y-Yeah! I’ll take you right to him! No funny business!” the tyrogue whimpered.

Felix walked up to the tyrogue and grabbed the rope that bound his hands, pulling him forward and pushing in the direction of the village’s exit. “Then we leave now.”

“Now?” Fawna asked. “Cobb’s serious business. Want me and Jeral to come along?”

“No, stay here,” Felix ordered as he continued pushing the tyrogue forward until his legs would stop buckling. Star, Petal, and Wimpod followed behind.

Fawna’s face grew concerned. “Why not?”

“We appreciate the offer, we really do,” Star responded as she looked back. “But you two should stay here and make sure none of our rogue’s gallery cause any trouble. Can you do that?”

Fawna did not respond, instead looking away.

“For me?”

“...We’ll keep everyone safe. I promise.”

Star smiled fondly at Fawna, a gesture which she returned, but both their expressions dampened after a moment.

“Come on,” Felix ordered. The tyrogue had begun picking up his pace, finally letting the group travel at a more reasonable speed. Star returned to his side, looking back one last time at Fawna. “This hunt’s gone on long enough,” he commented. “But we end things tonight!”

Whilst they traveled the road together, Petal came closer to his side. 

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Soon, they had passed beneath the village’s archway; past the paper lanterns and familiar golden leaves of the village, leaving the light of its briar.

And into the young night.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 15

Blood Thicker than Water

The mud was slick and practically oozing water at the touch. Just as his previous visit to these rivers, it seemed the heavy rain sought no end. Felix continued to snake his way across the muck alongside Star, both keeping their chests buried in the cold, wet soil and their heads brushing against the low, dripping foliage as they slowly crept their way towards a small drop-off ahead.

At the stone ledge, Felix pulled back a sagging leaf and looked down below. He felt Star stop by his side, looking down with him.

Below, about a good stone’s toss away near the mouth of a dark cave with hushed flickering light within, stood a vigoroth drenched to the bone and a bitter houndour by its side. The night had made it quite difficult to see them, but the white fur and bones of the two made it easier to spot them. The sullen vigoroth looked up to the overcast skies, a wide frown apparent on its face. 

“I make just one mistake,” it moaned, “and the boss has me standing out in the pouring rain on guard duty.” It waited for a response from the houndour sitting beside him. “Probably didn’t help that he seemed super angry, too. Guessing that the deal he was hoping for didn’t pan out the way he wanted. Why does he want us to pack so quickly, anyway?” it continued. The vigoroth glanced over to the houndour to see if any reaction had been stirred. Nothing. “Well? Ain’t you got nothing to say, or are all you good for is sitting like a drunk in this weather?”

The houndour’s eyes remained locked forward under staunch eyebrows. “Just shut up,” it growled. “The time goes by faster if you don’t think. And it ain’t my fault you can’t tell the difference between a petilil and a lilligant.”

The vigoroth threw his arms up into the air explosively, looking around as if to find something to break. “And it ain’t my fault the boss doesn't know to tell us there’s two different Petals!” No words came out in reply from the houndour; it had already frozen in place again as it tried to ignore the streams of dripping water pooling at its feet from the lip of the cave overhead. With a scoff, the vigoroth leaned back against the glistening rock wall. “Hope you catch a cold, mutt.” No more words were exchanged between the dour two.

Felix scratched the bottom of his chin as he peered out at them. “I’m guessing that’s the hole Cobb’s trenched in,” he remarked.

“Right. No doubt that’s it.” Star’s gaze became serious as she peered into the darkness within the cave. “And to think, her mother’s in there…”

“And that’s where she’ll remain for now,” he whispered. “Who knows what they’ll do to her if they see us coming. Then there’s the issue of not knowing what’s going on in there. Before we know what’s what, we might find ourselves in a bad way.”

Star hummed a thought, letting the rainfall roll down the feathers tucked behind her ears and then off her nose. “If push comes to shove, I want us to keep Petal’s mother safe- no matter what. Do you find that agreeable?”

“Sure, sure. But I want us to try nabbing Cobb finally tonight if we can. If I can finally get that bounty money… that’s my way home. That fair?”

“Of course. But that’s then. Now, we need every edge we can get. Got any more tricks in that bag of mine?”

“A few.” He pushed himself back slowly from the ledge, Star following him. “Let’s get back to the others; see what we can come up with.”

Turning back around, they ducked past the wet growth around them, taking careful steps through cold puddles and over slick rocks until they came to a small opening amidst the forest where Petal, Wimpod, and that cowardly tyrogue had remained. As instructed, Petal and Wimpod had both been keeping an eye on the captured rogue. A pile of dirty bandages they all had taken off was piled nearby.

Petal turned to face Felix as he emerged from the undergrowth, eyes dripping with worry. “So it’s there, right Blue?”

Felix and Star turned to one another, and nodded.

He walked over to the trembling tyrogue and stood face to face with him, even as the thief turned to look away. Felix reached out his arms and grabbed the soggy ropes that bound the tyrogue’s arms, and with a quick effort, undid their binds and pulled them off, wrapping them up quickly and tossing them to the side. “Get out of here.”

Between splayed fingers, he could see the tyrogue looking at him with confusion and terror. “W-what?” he meekly asked.

Star took a step towards the tyrogue, making him take a shuddering step back. A dry ‘hmph’ left her mouth. “You’ve kept your side of the bargain, we’ll keep ours.”

The tyrogue looked around in disbelief. “R-really?”

“Go. Don’t let me catch you in this type of life again,” Star ordered. “I know it’s not easy, but at least try; find a simple job and get yourself stable. If you need more help, come to the church- we’ll aid however we can.”

At first, the tyrogue made no attempt to move, yet his eyes seemed to squint before growing as he stared at the Ho-Oh feathers atop her head. “It’s you, ain’t it?” he muttered. “You’re her daughter? Not just some random vulpix?”

“Go!” she barked. The tyrogue yelped, turning to run and nearly slipping on the slick mud as he made trail away from them, quickly disappearing into the green. Star looked at where the tyrogue had ran off to, then turned her attention back to the group.

A scoff escaped Wimpod. “So we just cut him loose?”

“Fair’s fair,” she replied. “Now come on- we need to come up with a plan going forward. The situation’s too precarious for us just to waltz in there without a clue.” The three others moved in closer to her, forming a small circle of trust.

“So what’s the game plan?” Petal impatiently asked. “They’ve got my mom in there. I swear, if they’ve even touched her…” Her splay of leaves began angerfully curling.

“You seem worked up,” Wimpod observed. “You and mommy dearest aren’t all too close, I recall.”

Petal gave him a baffled look. “ What? I mean, yeah, we have our bickerings, but she’s still my mom! I still love her and I never wanted this to happen to her!”

“Watch it, shrub. Never said it was wrong to get worked up here. Just making an observation.” A flicker of recollection seemed to flash across Wimpod’s eyes, freezing him for a moment. For a split second, a tinge of empathy seemed to take hold of Wimpod before vanishing again into the rain. “Look, I’ll help get your mom back. She’ll be fine, I promise. That should at least shut you up.”

Petal seemed taken aback by Wimpod’s statement. “Right…” she sighed. “Right.”

Felix crouched down and got to a more equal eye-level with the rest of the team. “Here’s things as we know them,” he grabbed a nearby fallen stick and began tracing images into the mud. A crude picture of a high ledge and a cave with two circles placed in front of it soon took form. “He’s got two lookouts standing at the entrance: a vigoroth and a houndour. We can’t take them both down at once, and I don’t doubt for a second one will run and holler for the others if the other goes down.” He then drew a box and an ‘x’ behind the cave’s entrance. “We don’t know where they’re keeping her,” he said whilst tapping the box, “and we don’t know where Cobb is in there,” he tapped the cross. “Even if we do get inside without raising an alarm, it’s like Star said: we don’t know what’s in there.”

“So what’s the plan, Blue?” she asked. “Lead us through this.”

Felix shut his eyes tightly, rubbing the bottom of his chin in thought. He knew the idea: they needed a way in without raising an alarm, a direct route to her mother, and to safely get her out. That alone would be a victory, but it would not be the end of his own work. An idea flickered in his head, making him look up to the others with confidence. Digging around in his bag, he found the bent iron spike the gholdengo shopkeep had given him days ago. Looking beyond the spike, he could see the mud beneath him- just perfect for what he needed. “Petal, eyes up.”

She immediately became attentive, hanging onto his every word. “What do you need, Blue?”

He began undoing the tie that held the bag to him. “I think I’ve got a good idea. First, whip up some of those spores?”

“Sure, easy. But on who?”

“Not ‘who.’ On this,” he held out the spike. “And another thing: remember that night in the cart?”

She nodded. “The night where we ambushed the ambush?”

“That’s the one.” He knelt down and scooped up a small amount of mud into his hand. “Remember that funny little trick you showed me?”

—-

Some time had passed since the vigoroth had tried to initiate conversation. Only the chorus of rain and passing gusts seemed to fill the air between himself and the dark mutt. Despite his best efforts in attempting to seek cover beneath the lip of a ledge above, his dense fur coat still seemed to find itself deluged, a fact he could not change even with a thorough shake. For another repetitive and dull minute, he held his stare ahead. Daybreak would soon wake.

His hollow gaze suddenly caught sight of a rufflage of undergrowth some paces ahead. The greenery had moved plenty before from the rain and wind, but these movements were far more deliberate. As if to confirm his suspicion, emerging from the glistening bush was a petilil, balancing atop her head a modest bag.

“Hey, who’s that?” the poochyena finally muttered, eyes focusing. Finally snapped awake, the corners of the dog’s mouth became pulled back. “Stop right there!” it commanded. At his instruction, she stopped.

The vigoroth’s eyes remained glued to her. The cold air and drenching downpour had done much to keep him awake, yet he still was not sure if this was some kind of dream, though he knew the truth. “Hey, that’s her,” he finally spoke, nudging his partner’s shoulder. “Boss’ll definitely be happy to see me bring in the right one!” He began to saunter closer, stopping once the cuff of his arm was grabbed by jaws, only letting go when he stopped.

“What are you doing?” the poochyena asked.

The vigoroth pushed him back. “Getting back in the boss’s good graces, now be a good boy and sit!” The poochyena gave a small huff, but said no more, regressing back to statue-hood. Turning back to the petilil, he was pleased to see her still unmoved. “Hey there, little lady! Coming here looking for mommy?” he sneered.

Her face seemed to momentarily tense up before quickly relaxing. “Look, bub: I’ve got some money right here,” she said as propped up the bag. “Give me back my mom, and I’ll pay anything you want.”

“Sure, sure.” He waved his hand forward, inviting her. Understanding, she came forward and began to follow behind him as he turned to enter the cave. “I’ll take you right to where we’re keeping her, miss! Then after paying a pretty little something, we can all forget this all ever happened!” Soon, they both entered the confines of the cave, their flickering silhouettes drowned out by the growing darkness within.

“Moron…” The houndour kept its idle stare held forward.

Much of the rain and cold wind began to whip at its face once more, making him wish- not for the first time- to be anywhere else. The scenery had become far too familiar to him. If he had wanted, he could recount each and every facet of the area before him in his sleep, which is something that had been proven once before. Each plant, stream of running water, the ways the wind pushed, and the sounds of howling gusts, pattering of rain, and the crushing of foliage above.

His ears perked.

That was not a detail he was familiar with.

He looked up. In an instant, a blue blur had dropped on him from the ledge above, tackling him into a frigid puddle in a daze. Before he could reorientate himself, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his throat and began crushing, suffocating him as he kicked at the mud below in a desperate attempt to escape, trying his best to scream out for help, though no sound save for faint sputters could leave his throat. The world soon became black as night, and his struggle ceased.

Felix gently propped the now unconscious mutt against the rock wall, taking care to ensure he would be out of sight from anyone standing directly inside the cave. Once disposed of, he double-checked inside the entrance: no one there. The only standing between them and the interior were a few dull, dirtied, metal cans strung up near the entrance, likely to stir some sound if passed between without a thought. He looked up and waved at Star and Wimpod, who had both been peering over the ledge silently. Star deftly leapt down, landing quietly beside him as Wimpod crawled diligently along the surface of the wall.

“How long will he be out?” Wimpod quietly asked.

“Long enough,” Felix replied as he took cover by the entrance. He pointed down the dark tunnel. “Do what you do best, bug.”

“It’s all I know how to do.” Keeping his body tightly clung to the wall, Wimpod scuttled underneath the rugged lip of the cave’s opening and began silently traveling along the ceiling, disappearing into the darkness as he went further in. 

As Felix cautiously peered past the entrance, Star crept low just underneath his arm, also looking in. “I pray we find good fortune in this,” she whispered.

“Of course we will,” Felix smiled. “Do any of those prayers of your’s solve this little problem for us?” he joked.

“I know one does.” A fond smile grew on her face. “And we are the answer to that prayer. Now, we have work that must be done.”

Checking for the final time that the coast was clear, he took a step into the cave, brushing gently past the veil of cans that timidly clattered behind with Star right beside him. 

The effect was immediate: the deluging storm of the outside world that had soaked them could not touch them inside the humid confines. Each footstep became measured as to avoid slipping on the wet floor beneath: even inside, it seems some of the rain had managed to seep in. But most of all, the absence of light swallowed them like a veil. Only the weakly burning torches sparsely mounted on the stone walls lit their way, and even then, they flickered as if on their last breath. At many points, the tunnel broke off into dark corridors and blind turns. Strangely, broken shards of mirror seemed to have been stuck to the rocky walls within, laid between the far distances of the torches to reflect their light past what reaches they would normally permit.

Something that soon caught their attention was the many knotted bags and small chests seemingly packed at every other turn, stacked as if they were to be taken at a moment’s notice. Crumbled papers were stacked on some of the luggage, a quick glance revealing them to be in a language distinctly not the same used by these Pokémon, easily discerned by deliberate lines and curves and not crude symbols of footprints, yet the language itself was one that eluded Felix. Tapered bottles of water were organized in pallets as well. Each seemed soaked at their base, shards of reflective glass swept into a haphazard pile close by. An open cover of one box revealed it to be sparsely filled with some apples. 

They soon came across an obstacle in their travel: the tunnel had split into two paths, one leading down a steep incline on the left, attracting a small stream of water, and another continuing rightward. Something caught Felix’s eyes on the stones below. Raising his hand, he and Star came to a stop. “There,” he murmured, pointing at the sight. It was a small, thinly trail of mud that had been quickly scribbled onto the floor below, drawn towards the right path.

“To the right, then,” Star whispered. As they went rightward, Star suddenly stopped, her eyes locked upright. Wimpod was there on the ceiling, cloaked in the darkness though his thinly antennas could be made out if one squinted hard enough. They were shaking intensely: the sign. “Someone’s coming,” she whispered. As she had said, Felix began hearing a pair of faint, sturdy footsteps heading their way from the dark decline on the left, growing louder and louder. Star looked around, looking for any sort of hideaway they could use in this tight corridor. Her eyes fell onto the apple crate. “Here, hurry,” she faintly instructed as she deftly leapt inside.

Felix followed suit, clambering inside after her and grabbing the loose top leaned just beside the box and covering the top. They were completely in the dark; he could not even see his hand as he held it in front of himself.

The pair of footsteps soon arrived beside them. With a heavy grunt, a loud thud shook the boards beneath them, followed by the sound of an exhausted sigh. “Haven’t seen the boss this angry ever since that tree guy showed up.”

Another set of footsteps drew near, more delicately setting and shifting a different load. “Can’t say I blame him,” a weasley voice commented. “I was there with him when the deal went down earlier tonight. Some sandcastle dude strolls in all polite like, like the most spineless coward you’ve ever seen. Boss turns his back for one second, and bam! The treasure boss pinched is gone, the sandcastle’s nowhere around, and now we have a sandy mess to clean in the back like if a beach just took a vomit back there.”

“No way, really?” the other voice scoffed. “I knew we got had, but you mean to tell me some sandcastle did it?”

“That’s not the strangest part!” he continued. “Those sandy sons-of-beaches are all supposed to be-you know- colored like sand! That sort of pale brown. This one was as black as night!”

“Huh, weird.” Just above Felix and Star, the wooden cover groaned and flexed as if someone began leaning on it. “Say, why’s boss having us pack all of a sudden, anyway?”

“I’m having you idiots pack because we’re leaving!” Cobb yelled. Though he could not see her, Felix felt Star shift in the box. “Our luck’s been rotten here since the very start: first, it was that tree and fox that what stopped us. Then it was some rookie team that you pathetic lot can’t even fight! And now of all things, of all the bloody things, we’re the ones being robbed! And now I’m stuck with you idiots and the two out front!”

“Um, sorry, boss,” a voice meekly responded. “But where are we even going to?”

“Back to the Undercast! Where else? I’ve already sent Harriet to find ourselves a good path we’ll take tonight. I’m thinking somewhere lower in there, where the eyes of the law can’t see in the dark. I hear things ain’t exactly looking all peaceful like there as of late. That might be just the break we need!”

“The Undercast?” the lower voice asked. “Usually, I’d be all for screwing over that place, but won’t that fox be going there soon? Don’t you wanna snuff her out now?”

“What?” Cobb asked. “Oh. Her. What does it matter? She’ll have her stubby paws tied up with the church, and she’ll be out of our way for good. Besides, with how this night went, we don’t need to be picking any more fights until we find our feet again.”

“If you say so…” the weasley voice mumbled. “Say, boss! This might put a smile on that mug of yours: the ol’ vigoroth guy came by just earlier, and it looked like he had one of those brats with him! The leafy one.”

A low growl rumbled. “Her? How did she know how to get here?” No response could be heard, save for the occasional drip of water. “You idiots… where did he take her?”

“Same room we’re keeping the bigger one.”

“I’ll be there in just a minute. You, check on the plant. Make sure she doesn’t move an inch! And as for you,” the lid groaned some more as it sounded like someone was being pressed on top, “I want you to keep an eye open for any more of those brats. I don’t buy for a second she came alone. Go outside and let the mutt out front know!”

“G-Got it, boss!” a voice choked out. The weight was released, and the lid stopped groaning. In a moment, a pair of clawed footsteps began trekking away. A relieved sigh soon was released. “Guess I better go let him know. Hate for someone to get the drop on him.” The lid flew open as a pair of blue arms wrapped around the mouth and shoulder of a now startled gligar, then pulling him inside the box before a sound could escape as the lid fell back down. A few whacks and a chomp of glowing fangs later, the box fell silent and still. 

Carefully propping the lid open, Star was the first to exit followed by Felix, letting the lid close snuggly.

“He’s leaving tonight?” he repeated.

Star nodded. “That’s what I heard. He’ll be heading back towards the Undercast…” Her brow furrowed. “I’ll ruminate on that later. Let’s find Petal and her mother quickly.”

“Right. This way.”

Returning to their method of following small dashes of mud made discreetly on the floors and walls, they began to once more navigate the dim tunnels of the lair, avoiding breaks in the path that led towards rooms they did not know and conversations they could scarce hear. Wimpod quietly crawled ahead of them along the ceiling, signaling to them with his antennas when someone was approaching, to which they would hide among the many supplies laid out along their path. After several turns and avoiding the growing puddles underfoot, the mud markings came to an end before a gaping hole in the wall. Felix and Star’s ears both perked. A tense conversation seemed to grow louder and clearer as they approached.

“And you’re sure she came alone?” the heavier voice from earlier asked. The two peeked around the cold, jagged corner of the entrance inside. The vigoroth was standing in front of Petal, who had placed herself between the white chimp and her mother, who had her leafy arms wrapped around her daughter’s shoulder as if she were trying to be the one in front. A dark purple pig was ahead of them, dark pearls protruding off its skin like lustful blisters: a grumpig. A set of larger crates was just at the back of the room.

“Course I am!” the vigoroth shouted. “She came here alone with a bag of money, ready to pay for dear ol’ mommy back!” he said as he held up the bag.

“I don’t know,” the grumpig mumbled, rubbing one of the pearls on its belly. “I say we just attack them now and be done with it, play it safe, you know?”

The vigoroth scratched its chin, contemplating for a brief moment before readying its claws, honing them against one another. “Sure! It’ll be fun.”

Petal’s anger flared and she took a step forward, but her mother pulled her back. “You can have the money. Just don’t harm my daughter!” she pleaded.

Petal looked up at her, eyes gleaming with confidence. “Get back, mom. I don’t want you getting hurt over this.”

“But I don’t want to see you getting hurt… That’s all I’ve wanted for you, just to be safe and happy.”

Looking up, Petal saw Wimpod on the ceiling behind the pair of crooks. His antennas were not shaking, but crossed. Petal began slowly etching her and her mother backwards near the crates as the vigoroth and grumpig approached, keeping her splay of leaves stiff towards them. “That’s the thing mom,” she explained. “That might be how others want to go through their lives, but I want to be remembered past the gravestone.”

Her mother shook her head. “But the world is a cold place. You’ll be hurt, and…” The vigoroth and grumpig were getting closer now. The white chimp brandished a pair of razor-honed claws whilst a sinister smile grew on the pig as its pearls began to glow white.

“You want me safe and happy, I know. But I can’t be happy living on that farm, I’m sorry. And if I get hurt?” A fond expression took hold. “That’s what friends are for, right?”

As the vigoroth crouched down to lunge, a ball of fire soared through the dark room and smashed into its backside, sending it spinning and howling across the slick floor as it looked back to see where the attack had come from. There it saw Felix and Star, both hurrying to their friend’s side. The grumpig spun towards the duo, then prepared to attack as it rubbed the pearls on its head and stomach rapidly with a sneer.

With one quick movement, Petal pushed away her mother, leaving her behind a crate. “Stay here, mom!” she shouted as she ran towards the fight. “We’ll get out of here!”

“Petal!” her mother shouted back, throwing her arms out to her daughter. But it was too late. Petal was already shortening the distance towards the enemies.

A psionic swirl of warped pink and azure rings flew out of the grumpig’s pearl on its head, dancing through the air like a hornet as it swerved towards Felix. He leapt to his side, scarcely avoiding the psybeam as it racked the rocks below where he once was, spitting up chunks of shattered rock as each ring bore into the surface and produced a gnashing roar of heavy echoes that reverberated through the cave.

The grumpig took aim at him once more, rubbing its pearls again only to find that a sharp pain had smacked the back of its head, lurching it forward from the impact. Turning around, it saw the brazen petilil standing behind it, whipping her head around as another arched leaf flew from her towards itself. Firing off a psybeam, the colorful rings engulfed the leafage and crumbed it into a small ball faster than one could blink as the blade sailed through the attack, landing feebly on the ground. The rings continued onward, nearly crashing into Petal as she threw her body to the side, letting the attack destroy a chunk of the wall behind her as she yelped in surprise, her mother covering her mouth in worry. Picking herself up, she saw as Felix joined her side, a stone and a will to fight in possession.

Star was creating another ember in her mouth, but noticed in the corner of her eye a flash of white lurching towards her. Quickly leaping back, she avoided the swing of the vigoroth’s razor claws, then leapt back again and again as it slashed out at her in successive furied swipes. “Just! Sit! Still!” it shouted between each attack, whilst taking swings at her legs and face, each motion of its claws getting but a hair’s width of tearing her apart. 

With each dodge, she had been pushed closer and closer into a dark corner, and was now boxed in with the seething vigoroth just in front of her. Firing off an ember, her attack was snuffed out of the air with a clean cut from the chimp, splitting the flare into many flickers of flame. She was backed into a corner, left growling at the attacker.

As the vigoroth reeled back to attack again, a sudden weight dropped on its back. Turning its head, it saw the vindictive glare of Wimpod. It quickly reached back and yanked him off, holding the squirming bug in front of himself with a hostile glare. The vigoroth prepared its claws, but a sharp burning pain shot through its leg as Star chomped down with fiery fangs, pulling its leg out from beneath itself and toppling it to the ground and releasing Wimpod. It looked back up just in time to see Star lunging at him, quickly reaching out and grabbing hold around her neck as she snapped her smoldering fangs at him, trying to wrangle her off as she fought to free herself. Just as it was about to throw her off, a firm whack on its side from Wimpod’s head caused it to lose its grip, allowing Star to finally thrust her head squarely on its face with a satisfying smack, making the vigoroth go limp.

She breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Wimpod with a smile as he scuttled back up the wall. “Thank you.”

He did not respond, instead glaring at her before looking away in shame and scurrying back onto the ceiling.

The unmistakable sound of shattering stones boomed throughout the cave. Shooting her attention to the source, she saw as the grumpig produced ring after ring of shimmering light, slinging them indiscriminately at Petal and Felix as they ducked and weaved around the cumbersome pig and its destructive attacks.

Pulling his arm back, Felix slung a stone at the grumpig’s head as it shot forth another marvelous ring. As with Petal’s attack, the ring seemed to swoop through the air and swallowed the stone, producing a grating crunching sound as the rock became instantly pulverized within its grasp, becoming mere rubble on the floor within a second, and tearing open a hole in the wall even faster. A sharp frown took hold. “A little help here!” he ordered.

“I’ve got him, Blue!” Petal shouted back. Whipping her head around, she launched another bladed leaf at the grumpig’s head, who had turned far too slowly to counter-attack, and was struck on its temple with a brilliant splash of green as the leafage slammed into him, knocking the pig flat to the ground with its robust belly flat on the floor.

Petal squinted at the fallen form, beginning to relax as she saw it had not continued to move. “Ha!” she triumphantly exclaimed, swinging her body back and forth. “Got another!”

A growing grin formed on Felix as he saw her dance. “You sure did. Now come on,” he waved to everyone. “Let’s get out of here.” Petal’s mother slowly crept around the crate, hesitatingly scanning the surroundings before joining Felix and the others as they formed up at the entrance to the room. “Everyone good?” he asked as he looked at the party.

“I find myself well!” Star sung.

“Just peachy, Blue,” Petal quipped.

“I’m fine,” Wimpod added as he scaled down the rocky wall.

Drawing closer to her daughter, Petal the Twelfth’s head still rested on the curve of her hand. “Petal…” she sighed.

“Yeah, yeah,” she scoffed. “It’s dangerous or what-” Petal’s eyes flicked over to some movement just near the center of the room. A stubby hand raised on a glowing pearl, the grumpig leered at the group and fired another shimmering ring that sailed through the air, directed at her mother. “Mom! Watch out!” she shouted as she leapt up in front of her. The ring’s circumference slammed into Petal’s body, collapsing in on itself in an array of colored lights and bursting, knocking Petal flat on the ground in front of her mother.

“Petal!” she shouted, kneeling down over her.

The other’s attention shot to their downed foe, but before any could make a move, a green blade soared past them and crashed into the grumpig’s head with a bang, reeling its head back and dropping to the floor with a thud.

Turning around, they saw Petal already upright, though bruised, glaring at the pig. “And stay down!”

Before she could boast more, Petal was suddenly picked up and wrapped in a tight embrace by her mother. “Oh, dear!” she breathed. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“ Y-yeah ,” Petal choked out. “ You’re kind of- choking me. ”

Realizing her brutal chokehold on Petal, the lilligant placed her back down, letting her take in a huge, freed breath. Her eyes caught sight of the bruised and slightly torn surface of Petal’s body, lingering on her injuries. “Are you hurt?”

“Yeah, it smarts,” Petal scoffed. Seeing her mother’s worried look, she puffed out her chest. “But I’m fine. I’m made of tough stock.” Her mother’s worry seemed to melt away, if only just a little.

“ Oi! ” a voice shouted and echoed from farther outside. “ I knew this would happen! I just knew it ”

Felix gave her a small tap on the shoulder, motioning for her and others to follow. “We’ve been here long enough; we need to get her out of here.”

With the group in tow, they exited the room in the damp confines of networked tunnels once more, turning to follow the path they used earlier to head back to the entrance of the cave. The air was getting lighter, no longer dripping with humidity like it had before. They were getting closer.

They skidded around corners and sprinted down open stretches of darkness, their way illuminated by flickering torchlight. Behind, the ruckus of claws scraping against stone underneath grew louder and louder in pursuit of them down the long hall. 

“ Don’t think I’ve forgotten what I owe you! ” Turning around, Felix saw two red eyes down the path behind them, piercing the dark like burning iron. In the feeble light, he saw as the red lycanroc bounded off the imperfect walls, using his feet to launch himself off the wall and launch himself towards them, each stride growing longer and longer as he came rapidly closer, jaws hanging loose.

The others had turned around as well, spotting the predator’s approach. “He’s coming closer!” Petal’s mother warned.

“Star! Petal!” Felix shouted. As if already understanding, the two skidded to a stop, turning to face their target.

“We’re on it!” Star responded. Her mouth grew aflame and she fired off a ball of fire that rocketed down the dim corridors on a direct collision course with Cobb as Petal too unleashed two grass blades that tore through the air. Cobb continued onward, unperturbed. His claws glowing, he swatted the fireball out of the air in one swift motion and slunk down then pressed himself against the corridor’s walls to evade the leafage. Digging his back feet into the ground, he made one final dash towards the party, jaw open wide towards Felix.

Petal quickly shoved her way in front of him, the leaves on her head curled up and creating a faint yellow glow of spores within. “Out of the way, Blue!” She threw out the cloud of paralyzing powder in front of them.

Seeing the attack, Cobb snarled and dug his claws into the ground, coming to a sudden halt. His eyes glowed red-hot with frustration as he looked past the cloud that separated him from the team he so hated. “Don’t think you’re slick,” he growled. Raising a curled fist, he slammed it into the ground and shattered stone, creating a tremor that quickly rose in intensity that exploded into a pointed, jagged stone’s edge thrusting from the earth towards them. Thinking fast, Felix grabbed Petal and threw her and himself onto the ground, escaping being speared by the rock that now stood stiffly where they had been. Cobb turned his back to them, beginning to trudge away back into the darkness. “Consider yourselves lucky. Next time, I will not be in such a generous mood.” Spitting on the ground, he receded back behind the corner: gone.

Petal released a tense sigh as she and Felix got up. “Wow…” she remarked. “You still going after him?” she asked Felix.

“I’m afraid we have gotta,” he remarked, then pointing down the hall Cobb had fled. “We overheard his plans on hightailing it out of this place tonight, on account of his bad luck around here.” He chuckled. “Guess we’re partly to blame for that. But we need to catch him now if we want that bounty.”

Petal fanned her leaves at the pollen cloud, blowing away the yellow dust and clearing the path forward. “Tonight? Jeez, talk about being pressed for time.” She looked at her mother, waiting patiently beside Wimpod, who clearly did not share the same feeling. “Do you want-”

“We’ll be fine,” Felix cut-in. Grabbing her shoulders, he gently ushered her to Wimpod’s company, then letting go. “Won’t deny it’d be nice to have the help.” He pointed at her waiting mother, eyeing her tenderly. “But I know what you want to do.”

Petal looked at her mom for a brief moment. Turning to face back to Felix, she held an expression of relief dripping in her small eyes. “Thanks, Blue. And… you know… you better be safe.” 

“You too,” he earnestly replied. “Oh, and remember to wash.”

“Huh?” Petal grunted. “Oh, right.” She sprouted thinly roots from the tips of the knubs of her hands. They were covered in a thick layer of sloppy mud, which she had been using to trail her path. Retracting the small roots, she hurried over towards her mom, grabbing hold of her leafed hand with the splays of her leaves. “Come on, mom,” she said as she tugged on her arm, “We’re outta here!”

“Right! Of course,” she responded, letting her daughter hurry her off towards the sound of rainfall, soon vanishing behind a corner.

Wimpod remained still, looking to Felix with his trademark irate stare. “This your last chance?” he dryly asked.

“Afraid so.”

Star puffed out her chest, taking on a look of confidence. “We’ll make it count!”

Wimpod solemnly nodded. “Right. Remember, Riley won’t pay for an absent criminal.”

“I know,” Felix said. He raised his arm, gesturing to the cave’s entrance. “You run along with the herb and her mom, make sure they make it back safe. Then tell ol’ pinky we’ll be back soon with the wolf.”

Wimpod snorted. “Can do.” Turning his silvery shell around, he scuttled towards the entrance, looking back only for a second. “Good luck.” And then he was gone.

Star came closer to Felix’s side, looking at where Wimpod had been. “Always curt with him, isn’t it?” Together, they faced back to where Cobb had retreated, beginning to advance back once more into the damp and humid air. “The least we can do is match that quickness and make this job swift!” she sang with confidence.

Back on the trail, they slipped past the protruding rock and retraced their path back inward. Passing mounted torchlight after torchlight, taking turns that had been traveled before, they soon found themselves at the entrance of the room they had engaged in just minutes prior. Peeking their heads inside, the grumpig and vigoroth still laid on the floor, gently breathing in their state of unconsciousness, but Cobb himself was not present.

They moved on.

The stream of water underfoot picked up in both volume and intensity, washing across the floor more sternly as they progressed further up a gentle incline. Breaks in the halls ceased, leaving only one clear path forward. Star’s ears twitched, turning forward to focus on a sound Felix could not hear yet.

“Rainfall,” she whispered. “An opening.”

Taking a deep inhale, Felix could feel the air had become lax and crisp as it was outside. He understood. 

The pitch darkness of the tunnels receded, pulled away by the dim ambience of the outside world and replaced by a veil of heavy rainfall. Roots danced and traced themselves along the dripping ceiling above, holding aloft a cluster of rocks and boulders at its center where the base of a tree was raised. It fell in buckets at the center of the leaking ceiling ahead, pooling around a grand peaked rock in the middle, from which the water ran down the halls they stood in. A mess of fractured limbs and cracked round chests of goletts lay in heaps around. Moss and mushrooms decorated the floor and the towering spires of rock that stood sporadically inside, which could conceal the monster within. Some light filtered in through the cracks, gently filling the lair alongside the roar of water and peal of thunder. He could not place a finger on it, but the walls seemed… wrong.

Felix stooped low, waving for Star to do the same. “This is it,” he whispered.

While crouched low by his side, Star raised her nose to the air, sniffing. “He’s here.”

Giving her a nod, he took a small step forward. Just from that one small movement, the walls appeared to shift ever so slightly, causing him to stop. Focusing intently on them, a small gleam sparkling on the stones surfaces betrayed what had happened: each rocky wall of this circled room had been plastered with shards of mirrors, reflecting the stones around them, though thick smears of black sand seemed to be stuck around, both on the reflectors, the floor, and ceiling, oozing off like grained sap. He had mistaken these reflections of black sand and stone for the true walls themselves.

Taking a step to the side to face one-such surface head-on, he was greeted by a reflection of a small riolu, covered with mud and muck on his head and the flimsy poncho he wore.

“You had your chance to run,” Cobb’s voice echoed around them, piercing the light air. Felix and Star instantly grouped together, watching one another’s backs as they looked around for the wolf himself in the decrepit lair. “Had your chance to run, had your chance to tie this up nicely.”

Star’s ears frantically swiveled around the turbulent room, trying to discern where the voice had come from, her eyes darting from potential hiding spot to hiding spot. “And tie this up cleanly we will, Cobb,” she growled. “People cannot live in earnest while you prowl the routes, preying on good folk who are just getting by.”

“Didn’t you hear, girlie?” Cobb’s voice continued, bouncing off the glistening and stained walls around. “I’ve had enough of this little game here. The pickings were good at first, but ever since you and that ghastly tree showed up, I should’ve known our luck had turned,” he growled. “It was hard enough getting by with the two of you’s on our backs, but things started looking up ever so gingerly when he had the sense to cut us some slack.” Star winced at this truth. “Yet you never gave us the good grace of some good-old fashioned robbery. Who are you trying to impress? The people who will lap up every word you’ll say? Maybe trying to take some initiative, and show those bigwigs in the Undercast you can hold your own?”

“Enough, Cobb!” Star suddenly barked.

“Oho, I see now!” his voice cackled. “Or is this about dear ol’ mummy?” Star remained silent. Though she had not said a word in response, a quick glance by Felix saw how furious she was: the way her brows furrowed, the way the fur on her back stood on end, the way wisps of fire fumed out the corners of her mouth. “That’s it, ain’t it? Cheer up, girlie, I’m sure dear mummy will understand when you fail just as she had, and everyone will bawl their eyes out for you like they did her.”

“Stop posturing, and face us like a man, flea-sack!” Felix shouted into the cold, hollow air.

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, boy. You’re a new kind of trouble, aren’t you? Doesn’t matter. After I finish the both of you’s, I takeoff for greener pastures and heavier pockets. Regardless, this little dance of ours ends tonight.”

“You’re right, Cobb,” Star muttered. “We end things now.”

Whilst the two circled one another, covering their flanks, Felix’s eyes caught sight behind stones of a looming figure draped in shadow, red eyes glaring. “There! Behind the pile!” he shouted while pointing at the wolf. Star turned her head immediately at where he had pointed and let loose a glaring fireball that lit the room in a red glow from the reflectors around, coming to smash the distant mirror that had fooled them both with a disheartening crack.

A hearty cackle boomed from the other side. Whipping their heads around, they found a mess of red eyes piercing them, prodding them, the wondrous walls reflecting the image of the predator on repeat whilst the true form lunged forward from the depths of the abyssal dark. A pair of white fangs flashed through the dark as Felix ran towards the rising form of stone, crunching the air behind him where he had been. To his dread, he saw the distinctive hue of Star’s burning red flashes betray she had begun to fight the lycanroc head-on: a mistake. Star’s red-hot fangs found themselves embedded in the ankle of Cobb as he snarled in pain, but that brief moment of success fleeted away as he spun around and kicked her off, rolling her away in a heap of dust.

“Get away!” Felix shouted. He knelt down and scooped up a viscid handful of black sand and lobbed it at the pair of red eyes in the dark, a wet smack filling the air as Cobb reeled back to wipe the sand from his eyes, snarling. “We can’t face him head-on!”

“Then we wait for an opening!” she shouted back as she scrambled upright. Seeing a chance for a parting gift, she fired another blazing ember into the abdomen of Cobb which he could not block, landing a searing blow that made him stumble back. 

As the red lycanroc threw off the final grains and smear from the sand, his eyes flushed with rage as he spotted the retreating vulpix. “Nowhere to run!” he sneered, “nowhere to hide!” 

Cobb covered his eyes with his arms, and the rocks around his mane began to glow. Knowing what came next, Felix ducked around the base of one of the lair’s natural pillars, concealing himself from the direct line of sight of the incoming flash. But he had made a mistake: looking ahead at some of the countless shards of mirrors on the walls around, he could still see Cobb. A brilliant flash of light erupted from the wolf, flooding the room with an instantaneous burst of rays as mirror after mirror reflected the attack, blinding Felix as if he had just stared at the sun. He fell down to his side, covering his eyes and trying to control his breathing as he desperately waited for sight to return.

The sounds of a distressed scraping of claws against cold stone raked through the heavy air: Star. He could hear her, trying in vain to find her own footing. 

A distant cackle rebounded off the walls. “And now here we are: know where to fight?” Cobb mocked. A meaty whack arose, followed instantly by a sharp grunt of pain being released by Star. Then another. Then another. In a small gap between strikes, Felix heard the crackle and snap of Star’s fiery fangs, though the hollow clack that followed revealed them to hit nothing. “Ha! I was close to there, girlie!” Cobb cackled. Another smack, another shout of pain.

Felix pushed himself up off the ground, though he could not see past the shroud of messy blurs and chaotic colors that still yet fogged his vision. But she needed his help, and she needed it now. 

He took a step forward, guided by sound. More repetitions of strikes echoed across the air. Directed by this chorus, he took several more steps across wet rock and stone, opening his eyes again to try to see, but lost his footing on the slick ground beneath and fell to his knees into a puddle.

Another whack, another cough. Closer.

Sight could not help him, not now. And even if he did reach Cobb and Star, he could not fight blind. He needed another way, and fast. Vulpixes could command fire, summon incantations. Petilils wielded blades of grass as weapons, and spout debilitating powders. But what could he do, as a riolu?

“Don’t think about it!”

Those words from Petal rang in his head as he got back up.

“ Don’t think about it! Just do it!”

He took measured breaths. Emptied all thoughts. And looked inward. Nothing.

Just do it.

Deeper.

Look deeper. Do not seek. 

Observe. Listen.

What is needed cannot be seen. Only found, only attuned.

A familiar hum sang to him, like a chord strung between body and soul, ringing in the tassels that hung below his ears. Rich and vitalic, singing strings of the spirit and weaving them into laced forms before him that were colored like strokes on a painting, filling in the absence of light that surrounded him. 

He stood up, and continued walking, not slipping once more. He could not see the floor beneath him, nor the walls or ceiling around him, but he found that he could still sense: above him, where the roots had held up the collapsing ceiling, he saw the emerald greens and jade hues of grass, root, and plant, resting above like a canvas as they project their life into onto him.

And ahead, where he had drawn so close now, more colors. Where the ground had been- where pitch black now laid in its place- a brilliant white light emitting hues of a rainbow was curled on the ground, recoiling back as a surly blob of blood-reds and sickly purples stood above it, cackling and striking down on his groaning friend. And here he was, standing just behind this apparition of Cobb.

Still blind, but still able to fight. He pulled back his arm, letting the resolve of iron flow into his packed fist and moved to strike in one quick motion. He felt as his hand became as stalwart as steel, felt the rush of wind glide over it as his punch flew as fast as a bullet and came to strike the red apparition’s leg with a crunch like rock shattering by hammer.

A loud howl of pain erupted from Cobb, signifying to Felix he had struck true. The purple and red strings swirled in front of him, turning around to reveal the distorted face of a lycanroc as it swung its arm towards him. Felix’s own arms snapped forward, stopping the chords in their place with a vigorous smack against the palms of his hands and beginning a contest of strength as he and the wolf struggled to overpower the other.

“Fighting with your eyes shut, boy?” Cobb sneered. “Scared to see what comes next?”

Opening his eyes, he found that the oily vision and blurs that had afflicted him from the flash had dissipated, allowing him to fully see once again. Whilst Cobb was snarling at him and had one forearm pressed against Felix’s palms, the other hand was pinning a battered and bruised Star to the floor, her hair and tails disheveled. But something caught Felix’s eyes as he struggled and pushed back against the overwhelming strength of Cobb’s singular arm. “Not at all afraid,” Felix grunted. “Wouldn’t look away for the world.”

The red lycanroc had made a mistake: in trying to both overpower Felix and keep Star subdued, his hand on her was pressed against her chest, not her head. Cobb realized this fact too late as he suddenly looked towards the downed vulpix to see just in time a growing light burst from Star’s mouth, launching a blazing ember into Cobb’s face and making him stagger back and yelping in pain, reflexively covering his face with his claws. 

Seizing their chance, Felix’s steel-cold fist launched forward into the joint of Cobb’s leg with a crack, knocking the wolf onto one leg and kneeling. Star scrambled off the ground and with teeth flared, latched onto Cobb’s leg that remained propped up, dragging his weight out from under him and making him fall flat on his chin onto the stone ground below. Cobb pushed himself barely off the ground with battered arms, seeing Star twirl around to curtain his view with her many tails, and snapped at her with pointed teeth only to see as she leapt over his crunch and battered the top of his jagged head with dark energy emitted from the soles of her paws from her feint attack, shoving him back to the ground with a slam. As Cobb pushed his chest off the ground once more, Felix was there in front of him, holding something in his free hand. Cobb lunged out fangs bared once more, but Felix’s newly hastened fist quickly planted itself against the back of his throat, opening the smoke bomb pouch he had held. The pouch began to spew volumes of smoke out of Cobb’s mouth as the wolf began sputtering and coughing, more and more black plumes of smoke spilling onto the ground and into the air around him.

Star prodded Felix’s side with her nose as he took a step back from the smoking wolf. “Over this way!” she shouted, beginning to run over the streams of leaking water and behind the large mound of stone ahead. Felix turned the round after Star, seeing the ends of her tails vanish behind a line-up of broken and ruined goletts, and quickly pushed his way beneath the loosely hanging arms and chipped chests after her.

Together, they sat in silence, catching their breath. Peeking out past the row of ruined goletts they used as cover, Felix’s eyes and ears remained alert to sense if Cobb was upon them. His sight only witnessed the advancing plumes of smoke that ebbed closer, filling the space in front of them and engulfing the bases of pillars like a flood. His ears only gathered the sounds of the ceaseless leaks dripping from above, and the hacking of Cobb somewhere further away in the lair.

He leaned his head back and let it rest on the stone mound behind them. “You think we put a dent in him?” he whispered.

A loud, earthshaking slam rocked the ground beneath him and Star, making them brace. The sounds and shudderings of the strained ceiling rumbled from above. “ Turning tail and hiding already!? ” Cobb’s shout echoed. “ Just wait ‘til I find you! No one will be able to recognize your sorry hides when I’m through with you! ”

Star looked at Felix. Though she was clearly battered, her gaze remained steadfast. “Does that answer your question?” she whispered back.

“I guess,” Felix murmured, quietly beginning to dig through their bag he kept on himself. “He got a good few licks in on you. You holding up okay?”

“I won’t lie to you: I’m hurting. But I can still fight,” she reassured.

“Well, alright,” he sighed. Reaching over, he fixed one of the feathers tucked behind her ear which had gone askew.  “Just… don’t get hurt too badly.”

Star smiled fondly. “Nothing can keep me down. And hey- was that ‘bullet punch’ I saw you use back there? And aura… ” she questioned curiously.

“If that’s what you call it, then sure, maybe, I don’t know. I just… did.” Another tremor shook the ground beneath them, causing the loose arm of one of the deactivated goletts to fall feebly in front of them. “Right, he’s not gonna be waiting. Let’s see what little tricks we have left…” He felt around inside the canvas, feeling the smooth glossy surface of the escape orb Willow had given him nearly a week ago, the iron spike he had Petal’s help with, and… “This ought to do nicely.” He pulled out a veiny lemon Petal had given him, still gently glowing a humble emerald shade of light.

“I imagine this defeat to be one most sour for Cobb if this works,” Star softly giggled to herself. “But if we really want to make it sting, he’ll need to be doused in water, or hit him while he’s standing in a fairly sized body…”

“Hm, yeah. Know a way?”

“Maybe,” she mused, beginning to slip past him and crouching behind the torso of the furthermost golett. A sudden rumble trembled deeply far overhead, briefly letting gentle streams of water and silt filter down before ceasing. From this tumble, a small pebble trickled down, bouncing off the head of the golett Star was close to and landing on her hair. She shook her head and threw off the small rock, her eyes falling to the loosened pebble, lost in thought. “Actually, I have an idea… and a favor to ask.”

“Sure, what do I need to do?”

Star’s head poked out of their hiding hole, looking up to the ceiling held up by nothing but roots and a blockage of rocks and deposits of soil. “Get Cobb somewhere underneath there.”

Felix looked to where she had stared, and caught on. “Alright, I’ll do it. But I ain’t exactly keen on getting my head smashed by one of those rocks.”

“Then I suppose you’ll have to be extra careful about it,” Star smiled. She silently scuttled out and kept low to the stretches of shadows, taking care not to be seen in the mirrors left visible and vanishing around one of the natural stone pillars.

Felix grumbled as he himself left their concealment. “Suppose I shall…” The smoke had now pooled around the lower floor, a fact he took advantage of as he snuck down into the black plumes and made his way towards the rising rugged slope he knew lay ahead. Curious, he closed his eyes and tried to find that ‘aura’ sensation to enlighten him once again. He thought deeply into it, thinking about how he had performed that miracle just minutes ago. Nothing.

He mentally berated himself for not yet being able to grasp this power. Yet as he opened his eyes and looked to hand, he balled it into a fist, and saw a growing reflection of himself on his hand as a silvery metallic sheen encompassed it. At least this he understood. Punching was punching, and it was what he knew well enough.

Weaving his way through the smoke and around juts of stone, he found himself against a sudden rise of rock. Throwing his arms up, he clambered up the cool and wet surface and up onto the mound, passing over rises in stone and the odd limb or chest of goletts strewn about. The mirrors on the walls reflected him from nearly every angle as he carefully climbed his way up the slope and through small streams of leaking water, yet beyond the clacks of claws echoing somewhere in the lair, he could not find a sign of Cobb. Finally reaching the pinnacle, he scanned for Star and spotted her partially concealed face observing him from behind a distant pillar. A wet drop fell onto his nose, and he looked up: a network of roots, holding up what he could only assume to be tons of silt and stagnant water.. Now or never.

“Where you at, you mange’d coward?” he shouted out, hearing his own words echo around him. Instinctually, he opened his bag and grabbed another smoke bomb pouch.

A grating sound pierced the air as shining claws raked the side of an unfortunate pillar of rock, tearing chunks off like wet paper. From out behind came Cobb as he leered at Felix from a distance, still at the base of the large mound, a low growl tremoring out of the wolf’s throat through a sooted jaw. “You’re mine, boy.” The lycanroc immediately began his assault, barreling towards Felix on all fours and making great strides up the slope past each large jut of rock and stone, the rocks on Cobb’s mane beginning to glow again. 

Knowing what this was a prelude to, Felix threw the pouch directly onto Cobb as he advanced, clouding the red lycanroc instantly in a plume of smoke that glowed brightly for an instant as it absorbed the flash, then returning to an ashen shade. A warm light blazed from lower behind him as an ember sailed above him and bursted against a cluster of roots above. The fire soon caught, incinerating and cracking root after root as the blaze spread, soon engulfing the lair in a bright glow and filling the space with smoke. Emerging from his own shroud, Cobb peered out of the gaseous veil that surrounded him, only for his attention to be stolen by the raging fire above that began to snap the roots and fibers above, each twine’s split heralding a collapse as the ceiling soon sagged and water soon poured from growing cracks like a fountain.

“Felix!” Star called out to him from behind her pillar, bringing him back to reality. “Get out now!”

The first chunk of the waning ceiling fell from on high, crashing into the stone below and shattering into an explosion of dust and dirt, a surging stream of water gushing in from behind from the now revealed outside world. Felix turned around and fled, feeling as though he were flying as he leapt over tumbling rocks and sprinted past arms and legs of the past as the ceiling collapsed around him, burning roots snapping above and raining down ash, stone, and pools of rainwater. Just behind, he could hear Cobb yelp.

Star leaned out from her cover, beckoning him to her with flicks of her head. “Come on!” she shouted as he came closer.

Felix slid down the muddied incline of the hill towards her, quickly rebounding onto his feet. “Make room!” he ordered as he spun around her side. The two quickly cowering behind the pillar of stone as a deluge of water soon began ceaselessly pouring in from the now grand hole above, beginning to quickly pool around their feet as the water level rose. Loud splashes echoed around them as the final pieces of the loose ceiling crashed into the rising pools below alongside the cascading impromptu waterfalls. The water level continued to rise, forcing them to stand as it rose to their hips. Soon, the fiery glow that had filled the lair ceased. The splashes of falling rubble stopped. And the fury of rushing water raining down began to wane.

Felix and Star both got up, soaked to their ankles in the cold that had pooled around them. Grabbing the electric fruit from his bag, Felix took the first step out. Turning to see if Star was behind him, he saw how soaked and miserable she looked, her fur clinging to her like a wet blanket. He opened his mouth to say something, but she had him beat. “If it means we catch him…” she muttered as she waded past him.

At the foot of the mound, they climbed out of the water and up onto the soaked incline. Felix and Star looked around their devastated surroundings: the lair had flooded, filled with a considerable depth of water that had reached their waists and now rushed down the tunnel they had entered. Blackened chunks of roots lay around in smoldering heaps, resting beside the fallen boulders and clumps of dirt and grass that had fallen from storming night sky above that yet still poured inside, coating what broken fragments of goletts that had not been buried in the collapse in a coat of rainfall.

“Where you at, Cobb?” Felix called out as he juggled the lemon in his hand. “Got a little something for you.” Still nothing. No matter where he looked in these toppled ruins, he could see Cobb. The many boulders and fallen branches made searching difficult, not to mention the now present rainfall that fell into his eyes. “You see him?” he asked Star as she sniffed a pile of debris.

She flipped a small rock over, smelling beneath it. “Haven’t.”

“You think we buried him?” Felix asked jokingly.

“If we did, good luck getting him back for your bounty.” Star continued sniffing the air, taking in lungfuls of scent. “I know he’s here somewhere,” she remarked. “Cobb’s too stubborn to be buried and gone just like that,” she remarked.

“I thank you for the concern, girlie.” Felix and Star turned to face where Cobb’s voice had come from and saw as a log coated in a thick layer of moss came soaring at them, forcing them both to dive to the ground as it sailed over them and crashed into splintered halves behind them. The red lycanroc’s red eyes seared with hate, his waterlogged mane sticking to him and making the stone spikes he had pop out even more.

Star readied a fire inside her mouth, but her eyes shot open as Cobb suddenly tackled into her shoulder-first, launching her back down the slope and falling into the water below.

“Star!” Felix called out. He ran the fruit across the jagged metal oval his arm had, tearing the skin open and feeling as a tinge of electricity raced across him in a pulse. As he pulled his arm back to lob the sparking lemon, Cobb had already raced over to him, grabbing his arm and chest and forcefully slamming him to the ground, making him drop the lemon as it rolled down the slope and became caught on a ledge far out of reach.

Cobb opened his jaw and lunged at Felix’s head with black teeth, crunching the stone behind Felix’s head like glass as he weaved his head out of the way and frantically reached into his bag. Pulling his mouth back with fragments of rock tumbling out, Cobb moved to crunch again as Felix knocked his mouth away with one lightning-fast punch then stabbed Cobb’s exposed side with the iron spike he had, making Cobb shout in pain as some blood spat out of his wound.

Eyes filled with murderous rage, Cobb reeled back a claw to strike Felix as he remained pinned, but became seized by a sudden spurt of paralysis as Petal’s spores that coated the weapon entered Cobb’s body.

Taking the opportunity to free himself, Felix knocked Cobb’s paw off his chest and kicked the wolf away as Cobb’s limbs fought to regain control as he himself growled in broken spurts.

Back upright before a paralyzed Cobb, Felix steeled himself as he locked eyes with Cobb, as if taunting him to make a move. Curling his hands into fists of steel, he struck Cobb at first with one bullet punch, barely even moving Cobb as it smacked into his stone coat. Then another free strike. And another, and another. Soon a flurry of silvered punches were let fly at Cobb, each blow only just budging Cobb as he finished with one final strike, throwing all his weight behind it.

Cobb remained standing, still caught in spurts of seizure and now covered in blemishes across his body, but still standing. His shaking arm finally reached his side and pulled out the bloodied spike, throwing it away into the pool below, and falling to his knees gasping for air. After just a few deep breaths, he rose back up and wiped his snout dismissively. “Clever,” Cobb growled. 

A frail fireball boomed against the back of Cobb’s head, causing him to turn around to find a now thoroughly soaked Star weakly charging at him as she went back up the difficult terrain. Trying to take advantage of his inattention, Felix swung once more with a steeled fist, but was intercepted by the broadside of Cobb’s glowing raised arm as he looked down on him. With one push, that energy was countered back onto Felix, sending him crashing into a fallen rock with a grunt. A fierce shout rose from Star as she lunged at Cobb with burning fangs, but as she leapt at him, Cobb slammed his fist into the earth below, raising a fierce tremor that erupted with a stone’s edge punching from the surface of the hill and slamming into Star’s chest with a thunderous smack, launching her into a piece of the ceiling above, then falling to the ground by Felix with a weak thud.

Felix hastily crawled to her as she lay unmoving, grabbing her shoulders and dragging her close to him. Her eyes were scarcely open, watching him loosely with shallow breaths. “Come on,” Felix begged, “get up!”

Star planted a vigorously shaking paw onto the ground, trembling as she fought to get back up. A fierce stomp planted itself by them. Looking up, Cobb was hunched over close by, his jaw hanging open. Her ears and tails drooping, Star pushed herself back up, stumbling to her side but catching herself. A faint flicker of flame smoldered out of her mouth as she glared down Cobb.

Felix came to her side, gently pushing her back without much resistance as he kept his eyes on Cobb as he loomed nearer, and reached inside his bag feeling for anything that might help.

“Just had to walk away,” Cobb muttered, pushing aside a sizable boulder that lay nearby as he came closer. “Just had to recognize when you’re outmatched.” As Cobb’s claws clacked against the stone below, Felix felt something round inside the bag, something smooth and glossy.

Just do.

Cobb came to a stop, standing tall before Felix and Star just a few feet in front of them, his face hovering closer and closer as they pulled back. “Just had to know when you’re done.” Cobb’s lips curled back, proudly displaying his countless fangs. 

He lunged.

In that split second, Star had weakly opened her mouth to fire anything she could muster, while Felix threw out an iron fist at Cobb’s eye as the wolf’s head snapped near, at the same while his desires for the both of them flooded the orb inside the bag.

The sensation of his fist hitting something soft, and bursting something- something small and soft- was the last sensation he felt as he and Star became instantly wrapped in a white light, feeling weightless.

Felix’s eyes remained clenched shut, waiting for the fangs of a wolf that would release him. But that feeling never came, never arrived.

He could hear it.

The sounds of a rushing river.

The dire howl of a turbulent wind.

The way the leaves and branches of trees bent to the will of the gust.

He slowly opened his eyes.

They were sitting in a puddle, surrounded by mud and bush, a raging river just some ways ahead of them. The cold downpour was uninterrupted, battering them from the open air from rolling gray clouds above.

They were outside, just at the beginning of the dungeon. Far away from Cobb.

He looked to his side and saw Star’s mouth still hanging open, finally releasing a weak flicker of flame that fizzled out just a few feet in front of her, that would have arrived far too late and done far too little had they not been transported. After the flame vanished into the rainy night, her head fell down, hanging from her shoulders as she panted weakly.

As he looked worriedly at her, he pulled his hand out of their bag, still holding onto the orb. It had been a deep blue when he first received it. Now, it was a dull gray. Before he could do anything with it, it collapsed in on itself, becoming a pile of dull shards at his feet.

“Where…” Star weakly gasped, finally looking up, “no, I know… where. What… what happened?”

Felix picked up one of the shards, then let it fall from his fingers. “Escape orb.”

They both sat in silence, their heads hanging low. They were in no condition to go back and continue fighting, a fact that was understood between the two.

That was their final chance to apprehend Cobb before he fled.

As Star’s breathing became gradually stronger, her eyes fell onto one of Felix’s hands. “Felix,” she muttered, her sight locked. He looked up silently. “Your hand. It’s all bloody”

He looked at his right hand. He was a riolu. His hands for a while now had been a soft blue. But now, his right hand was dyed crimson red, caked in blood.

Star forced herself up with a groan, stumbling closer to his side. “How bad is it?”

Felix turned his hand over and continued examining it. He was hurting terribly all over, but his hand did not seem to be hurting any more than the rest of him. Then the realization struck him. 

“It’s not my blood,” he muttered.

Star stopped, his words sinking into her. Once again, neither moved. Star’s bruised frown lingered, but for a moment, the corner of her lips rose into a soft smile, and a soft chuckle of relief left her.

It was infectious. They had failed to get Cobb, nearly losing their lives in the process, a fact that still sulked bitterly inside Felix like the blackest of coffee. And yet, he himself began softly laughing beside her, smiles returning to their faces as they sat aching in the cold rain. 

They fought someone they were no match for. Yet he made it out, as did she. Injured. But alive. That alone was cause for joy, even if small.

Once they quieted down, they picked themselves up. Their bodies ached and groaned as they hobbled upright, struggling to remain standing. Star kept one of her front paws slightly raised off the ground, clearly attempting to avoid putting pressure on that leg, while Felix kept one hand grasping his side and he grit his teeth.

A deep frown once again took hold. There would be no bounty reward. No money for the way home.

He sighed. “Come on,” he groaned towards Star. “We… need to head back.” He began hobbling off, trudging himself towards the roads that would lead them back to the security of the village.

As he limped along, he felt something warm pass beneath his hand. It was Star, brushing her muddled head under his palm. “I know… I know what you’re thinking,” she said softly. She gently pushed her side onto Felix’s, supporting one another’s weight as they shambled forth. “And we’ll be here for you, until the end. Petal, Wimpod, and I. All of us. I swear to you, we’ll find you a way home. I will endlessly for this, endlessly for you: you will be home.”

They continued onward, passing by drenched bushes and cold puddles, solemnly continuing through the whipping rain.

A tear joined the countless water droplets that fell to the earth.

“Thank you.”

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 16

In From The Cold

It was a cold enough afternoon, in Felix’s eyes. All around him, many of the inhabitants of the village had begun to bundle up to combat the coming chill. Strips of fur wrapped around layers of plain cloaks seemed to become the norm as he looked around, dressing smaller critters like wurmples into densely packed bundles of linen as they inched across perched in golden trees, whilst larger Pokémon like zebstrika traveled away on the cleaned roads from the market’s center, bundled alike, and having harnessed behind them on wheelbarrows some rubble and hacked segments of a fallen tree. The battle of yesterday left a mess, but with time, the damages and debris would be sorted. With Cobb out of the picture for the foreseeable future, many would look toward the coming change eagerly.

Felix was not among them. He and Star stood somberly side-by-side, heads hanging low in front of the displeased bundled sylveon before them. 

He knew Petal was nearby, failing to watch the scene discreetly through side-glances as she helped her mother reopen the stall they had run in the square. He had seen her eyeing him from atop a wooden ladder as she hung a rope of hanging red, green, and white decorations, then quickly feigning focusing back on her work when he looked at her. Wimpod was undoubtedly close by as well, likely hidden in the shimmering breadth of the trees above, though he had not seen him.

“Is that so?” the sylveon finally asked calmly. Riley’s tone sagged, dripping with disappointment and laden with a subdued frustration.

Felix remained silent, looking down.

“It is,” Star replied in his stead, also ashamed. “We could not get him, and he’s likely… away by now.”

Riley’s lips shifted back and forth, his eyes glazing over the pair with displeasement. “So, you couldn’t get him,” he murmured. “You had well over a week for this. And as you know, I won’t pay for what I don’t get.”

A soft breath left Felix’s nose. “I know.”

One of Riley’s ribbons tapped impatiently against his shoulder as he stared at the silent pair. “It was quite important that I had brought him in,” Riley finally lamented. “ Very important.” He sighed. “I suppose there isn’t anything more we can discuss.” Riley retracted his ribbons, wrapping them around himself as he turned away. “Goodbye.” He began walking down the path, not looking back as he slipped into the afternoon crowd. Gone.

Their heads remained hanging low. Glancing to the side, he saw Petal say something he could not quite hear to her mother, then carefully hopping down the rungs of the ladder and coming to them, an inquisitive look on her small face.

“Hey there, Blue,” she hesitantly said as she came to his side. “What, uh… what’s got you so blue, Blue?”

“Kind of hungry, I guess,” he muttered.

Petal’s expression seemed to stiffen. “Oh, ha-ha ,” she sarcastically laughed. “Come on, Blue, spill the beans: what’s got you so glum?”

“Oh, you know,” he shrugged, “don’t have the money to pay for a ride that’ll be here tomorrow to head back on home to my country, so now I’m stuck here with no plan,” he explained, only just barely hiding the frustration behind his voice.

Her eyes shot open. “Oh,” she softly murmured. “ Oooh ,” was her next open attempt at forming a thought as the situation became clear to her, causing her to wince and her leaves to curl. “Sooo, what’s the plan now?” she finally managed to get out.

“I’ve got nothing,” Felix spoke frankly.

“Right, right…” She looked over at Star, the vulpix’s head hanging deep in thought. “Well, what about you? Got a plan brewing for our boy here?”

Star’s lips shifted back and forth as she hummed, her brows furrowed. “I…” she finally spoke, “don’t know.”

The three stood silently.

After a moment, Petal’s face seemed to quiver with a building vigor, the sound of a small grumble growing inside her as Felix and Star worriedly looked at her. “Okay!” she finally boomed out, turning around and quickly heading back to her mother’s stall. “Be back in a minute, Blue!”

The pair squinted at her, watching Petal as she prodded at her mother’s side as she put down a box of fruits and began frantically speaking to her. They could not hear much, but judging as the lilligant’s head reeled back once Petal had finished, it could not have been good.

“What do you think that sprout’s trying to do…?” Felix asked as he looked on. The lilligant folded her arms and glanced at him, then turning back to her daughter as she began speaking once again.

“I don’t know,” Star added. “But she seems to be trying… something.”

The lilligant began tapping the tip of one of her leafy arms as she looked to the sky in thought. Petal herself seemed still now, waiting eagerly for some sort of answer. She dropped her arms, raising one hand and telling something to Petal in but one sentence. 

Petal hopped into the air with joy, hugging her mother as she leaned down and then breaking away to come back towards Felix and Star as her mother returned to tend to the stall.

“Okay, okay!” she beamed. “Okay. Nothing is set yet , but I think I can butter my mom up some more today while we work.”

Felix leered at her suspiciously. Petal seemed quite excited: her small body was bobbing in place, and despite having only eyes and no mouth, a certain confidence seemed to be radiating from her expression. “What exactly are you planning?”

“Nope. Not saying a thing,” she dismissively said as she looked away. “Like I said, nothing is set yet, so I ain’t gonna give you false hope or whatever, but I’ll try to warm my mom up to the idea and see if it works out.”

“Alright, alright,” he grumbled. A stray thought entered his head. “Say: so now that the Cobb-thing is done, are you going back to working with your mom?”

“Huh?” Petal murmured. “Oh, nah. I’ll still buddy-up with you if you’re still taking these jobs that are way out of our league and almost certain to get us killed!” she joked. “It’s kinda fun! But two things: one, you’re not on any jobs right now, yeah?”

“I mean… yeah,” he halfheartedly agreed with a small wave of his hand.

“Uh-huh, ‘yeah,’ he says…” she mocked with a poor, deep imitation of his voice. “And two: are your eyes working?”

He chuckled as he wiped his eyes. “Last I checked, yes, they’re fine.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Petal snarkily congratulated. “Then I’m sure you noticed the mess we have around the place ever since yesterday’s little hoedown!” She gestured to the locale around them. Plenty of others around had been gathering debris and scrap from the messes made, and piled them up into small heaps of trash at each corner of the road. Numerous pop-up tents lay in ruin, and many trees had their bark chipped or torn away in great numbers, not to mention the upheaved soil around. Even with the muscles of a conkeldurr among them, it was still evident it would take some time to restore the village back into the neatly kept hamlet it was before. “So while I’m sure it’d be fun to do nothing and be a bum with you all day, I’m gonna help my mom reopen shop today… and also beg her to make that idea happen ,” she quickly added.

Felix planted his face into the palm of his hand. “...Do I even wanna know what you’re being so giddy about?”

She nodded. “Trust me, you’ll love it! And stop by our place tonight! If everything works out as I so masterfully planned, you’ll- you know- wanna be there!”

“What, just like that? Show up unannounced?” 

“It wouldn't be unannounced! By the time you show up, mom should be on board with this!”

Felix and Star leered at her, though her posture remained self-assured. “ Should be?” Star asked in his place, sitting down. Her face scrunched as she hunched over, as if taken by a cramp. She quickly recomposed herself; straightened her posture, and cleared her throat. “Sorry, small cramp.”

Petal looked at her, and if Felix had not known better, he swore he could see the cognitive gears behind Petal’s honey-glazed-eyes begin churning as her gaze narrowed. “Please stop thinking,” he jokingly asked with small concern. He began chuckling. “You’re scaring me.”

“Okay-okay, hear me out: you come tonight too, Star!” Petal finally blurted.

“Huh?” Star murmured. “Me?”

“Yeah, you! Let’s get the whole gang together for this… awesome thing! Me, Blue, you, and yeah, even that little fella!” she explained. “I’ll let the bugger know when I see him.”

Star’s head listed to the side. “...You’re not too far off from his size, you know…” she mumbled under her breath. After her remark Petal had failed to hear, she nodded. “But sure! I’d love to come tonight! I have some things I’ll be attending to beforehand, but I’ll be there.”

Petal hopped on over to them, rubbing the top of Star’s lowered head whilst the two smiled sympathetically to each other. “Heck yeah, you will! And you!” Her attention snapped to Felix. “You better come! This whole thing is for you!”

“Bah…” Felix grumbled, kicking the dirt. “Sure, why not. Not like I have anywhere better to be, anyhow.”

“Great! Alright, I’ll see you all there, then!” Having said her piece, Petal gave a brief bow and turned to return to her mother’s stall, waving her leaves as she left. “Toodles!”

Felix and Star watched as Petal returned to her mother’s side, helping her lift a box of colorful fruits with the splay of her leaves and placing it on the low countertop, a conversation resuming between the pair.

“Should I be worried about this idea of hers?” Felix half-jokingly asked.

“It should be fine,” Star dismissed. A low hum tranquilly left her as she gave the idea a second thought. “Should be, anyway.” She raised herself off the ground, shaking herself vigorously to be rid of any dirt on her coat. “How are you holding up, if you don’t mind my asking? You took some hits last night, last I recall.”

“Me?” Felix repeated. “Last I recall, you got sent flying into the ceiling from some rock attack below you. But I’m fine.” He rolled his shoulders as if to demonstrate. “How about you?”

She let out a small snort of fire. “A little winded. The occasional ache here and there, but nothing I won’t recover from.”  She took a deep breath and leaned forward in a great stretch, then stood firm again. “I’ve got some things I need to do, but I will try to make it for… whatever it is Petal has planned- or is planning- tonight. I want to help clean up around the location for a bit, see how everyone is doing, and there is a group prayer I’ll be leading this evening beneath the briar.”

“Sounds like quite the plan for you today, then,” Felix remarked.

“Oh, certainly! It’s busy work, but work I enjoy.” She cocked her head away for a moment in thought. “Actually…” she mumbled, “you aren’t too busy today, right?”

“Besides moping around without money to get home, sure, guess I ain’t too busy.”

“Good!” she beamed. “Distinctly not that first part! But good! Want to come with me until the night, then?”

“I…” he grumbled. He looked around. A number of creatures were loading a small cart ahead with rubble and torn canvas ahead, likely to dispose of it later. It was a mess he was partly responsible for with his plan. And some work might help to keep his mind off his situation. At least, for a time. “Sure.”

Star’s tails flicked, and a smile crept onto her face. Turning towards the bustling crowd down the path, she began walking with Felix joining her. “Excellent,” she continued. “Let’s make ourselves useful.”

—-

They had worked for quite some time: heaving rubbish and ruin into carts, gathering debris scattered about the area, and with the time remaining, Star had guided them from home to home to help how they could. From those small like metapods suspending themselves from trees, or those larger like a zebstrika. Star had taken herself and Felix to listen to their grievances from yesterday’s attack or daily troubles, and she responded kindly with counseling and a smile. Truthfully, Felix felt out of his element in these social calls, and opted to excuse himself off to the side whilst they occurred, leaving him with time to himself to think and reflect.

Before all this had transpired- before he had found himself transported to his unfamiliar land in the body not of his own- he would had never even fathomed the possibility of these Pokémon being capable of such human actions or ideas. Every single creature and beast he had ever known ever only acted like animals should. Yet here he was, in a budding village constructed by their own actions, and holding their own ideas and thoughts. The world had been bigger than he knew.

But that was this afternoon. Now, in the darkening evening, he found himself pushing through a growing crowd, all murmuring about the event or discussing recent events. They had gathered at the foot of the blazing briar, forcing many to take off their cold-wear underneath its influence of heat. The tower alone had been heavily focused on by many during the cleaning process, leaving it near pristine by the work-day’s end.

Rope had been strung up from branch to branch between trees, holding above glowing lantern fruits hung by their stems and painted wooden tabs, reflecting those oh-so familiar colors of red, green, and white he had always seen displayed here. It was a sight he had grown to appreciate, and one he might have commented on were he not left alone.

Star had excused herself some time earlier whilst the sun still rested on the horizon. His patience worn thin as the night encroached and the crowd grew, he now found himself searching for her, squeezing past legs that towered over his small form as he headed towards the tower.

Filing past the clean, silk-smooth coat of a persian, something caught his eye: Dimas, the gholdengo merchant; and Jeral, the hakamo-o who had assisted Felix and his team before, both appeared to be carrying something between them he could not see as they walked through the crowd, heading away from the briar. It was something small and silvery- he knew that much.

“Wait- you?” a light, crisp voice pierced Felix from behind. Turning around, there was Lyniar and her son, Trace. The linoone’s child had scampered up onto her head and was fidgeting with his mother’s sturdy pair of goggles, not that she cared much. “Felix? That you?” she asked again.

“Maybe,” he replied. “Why?”

“Ha! Your mask of indifference betrays you, Felix!” she smiled. Reaching up with her elongated claws, she grabbed her squirming child and placed him back on the ground, patting him as he gnawed on a claw. “Last I heard, you went after Cobb finally, right?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. ‘Didn’t really go our way, but he should be out of the picture for now.”

“Right, right,” Lyniar murmured. Her attention was latched onto Trace. The zigzagoon had thoroughly latched onto her claw, and remained attached even as she lifted her palm into the air, taking the little biter with it. “Now, I’m not sure you remember,” she continued as she tried to pry Trace off with a free claw, “but Cobb stole a little valuable something from me: a little round device used by the Paldean Empire back in their era.”

He scoffed at those last words. Time and time again, they alluded to the empire he himself had been a part of as a thing of the past, but he knew better.

He had too.

“Now, I know you wouldn’t know exactly what it was, but I am professionally obligated as someone who’s worked her tail off over old stuff like this to tell you that this thingamabob was very important to my research, both in relevance to our understanding of the distortion-phenomenon we see here today, and to better grasp the technology of an empire past,” Lyniar emphasized. “For, you see, that thing was-”

“A tera orb,” Felix interrupted.

Lyniar blinked in surprise. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “You… know about it?”

“Let’s just say I read about it,” he lied. “What about it?”

Lyniar had finally pried Trace off of her, and had now been fidgeting with her claws, softly clacking them together. “Well…” A pensive, sour expression had taken hold of her. “Was it there, when- you know- when you got there?”

Felix cupped his chin as he thought back to what he had overhead the previous night, recalling the conversation he had overheard from Cobb. “No, it’s long gone by now,” he bluntly stated. “Got taken hold of by some sandcastle or the like.”

“Oh…” Lyniar breathed. She balled up her paw into a fist, lightly beating her head over and over again as she groaned. “I’m so gonna get fired over this.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation… Cobb didn’t exactly get paid for the orb,” Felix feebly consoled. It had only taken a second after those to leave his mouth for him to realize that was no help.

Lyniar looked up, her eyes peering out from between the spread of claws. “You know… that actually makes me feel a bit better.”

Felix’s cheeks puffed up, and he shrugged. Looks like it did help.

Picking up her son, she twisted and placed the squirming zigzagoon on her back, then readjusting the goggles on her pointed head. “I mean, I’m probably not gonna get fired over this; I’m like one of the only gals or who-have-you around who can even begin to understand how it functioned!”

“Well, good for you!” he congratulated, having felt obligated to. “I’m sure they’re glad to have an egghead like you around.”

“Yeah, thanks!” The smile of her face held for a brief moment, but seemed to fade. “ Though they’re definitely gonna cut some of our funding …” she whispered, rubbing her head. “ Ugh, this was supposed to be a quick trip .”

The chime of a pure bell chimed through the air, ringing softly and clearly. At once, the murmurs and the shuffling of the crowd ceased, their attention focused on the source at the height of the briar.

Up on high, at a platform seated just below the iron-cast basin which held the emerald blaze, the figure of a vulpix stood at the floor’s edge. Nestled behind her ears were a pair of holy feathers, reflecting the flicker of torchlight flame stationed around her. Around her neck, a gold talisman: simple in its form and function, it was round at its center, with the sprouting of smooth wings and tail feathers on its sides and bottom. And grasped between her jaws, twine that held up a small silver bell.

“ That’s her! ” Felix heard from somewhere within the crowd, in muffled tones.

“ Quiet! ” a voiced hushed. “ This is the first time she’s done this in a long while! I want to pay attention! ”

The crowd fell silent.

“ Wait …” Felix whispered underneath his breath. “ Star ?”

Moving regardfully, Star silently placed the silver bell down beside herself, then sitting. At once, the crowd followed suit and knelt if they were able, or sat humbly down otherwise. Be it perched in the breadth of the trees above, or amongst the mass below, all submitted. Be it the strong and tall, or the weak and small.

Save for Felix.

Star looked down from above, spying Felix with a cold focus he had never seen from her before. She stared at him for but a second, then lowered her head and closed her eyes serenely. 

All present, but one, mirrored her action.

“Knowledge most fruitful,” Star recited clearly.

“ Enlighten us ,” the crowd echoed back.

“Honor most virtuous.”

“ Save us .”

“Faith most enduring.”

“ Steel us .”

“Wisdom most understanding.”

“ Compose us .”

“Fellowship most bonded.”

“ Unite us .”

“Duty most sacred.”

“ Deliver us .” 

“Justice most assured.”

“ Protect us .”

“Loyalty most absolute.”

“ Lead us .”

“Compassion most true.”

“ Inspire us .”

Star stood back up, opening her eyes, which seemed to relieve the crowd of the same pious posture. The brief recitement had left Felix feeling somewhat unnerved, especially in his absence of their practice around him.

“I thank you all who have come to attend today’s brief prayer,” Star announced. “I know very well that many of you are busy: taken by obligations for your work or your family, or for the village itself in selflessly volunteering for its repair and helping those who’ve come to need of it. Sincerely,” Star knelt down on one front leg, “I thank all you who’ve worked tirelessly for everyone around you.”

“ Yeah, I think I did a pretty good job! ” came in hushed words from an unself-aware timburr nearby, an equally unaware grin worn on its face.

She stood upright once more. “As we are all undoubtedly aware, the terrible raid led by the outlaw Cobb had left this village in tatters. But I bring most welcome news: as of yesterday night, Cobb and his gang will no longer prey on the village or her commerce, for Cobb has fled east for the depths of the Undercast!”

A small round of applause rose from the crowd, as did a few cheers. A modest clap was given by Felix as well. He looked over at Lyniar, who had been clapping as well with the base of her paws. Trace was lying on her back, seemingly not understanding the occasion as he simply remained laying still and wide-eyed. 

“Once more, thanks to everyone’s cooperation and goodwill, I believe we can recover in no time!” she continued, to more sustained applause.

Felix leaned closer to the spec’ed linoone, careful not to startle her. “ Hey ,” he whispered. Lyniar looked at him, still clapping and smiling. “ What’s she doing up there ?” he asked, pointing a thumb up towards Star.

The genuine smile Lyniar wore became seamlessly replaced by a more sarcastic one. “I don’t know,” she teased. “You tell me: what is she doing up there?”

The applause had died down, allowing the faint sound of clattering metal to reach Felix’s ears. From where he stood, he could scarcely see a silver pot being dragged near the ledge by its thick wooden handles by Star. A scalding red-hot glow had turned the lid and its handle atop a bright cherry-red, though the base retained its silver sheen. Just by looking at her, Felix felt uncomfortable with how close the incinerating metal was to her.

“I will not hold you all for long, and so, I will be brief in this prayer,” she explained. 

Opening her mouth, she gently grabbed the scorching red-hot handle of the pot and lifted it off. Taken by shock and surprise, as well as feeling his own mouth seemingly feel torched by the mere sight, Felix quickly looked away, a pained exhale being blown through his clenched teeth.

Once a second had passed- and having not heard a scream or the like brought by the scalding iron-, he cautiously looked back up. Star had reseated herself, the scorching lid beside her, and the crowd once more had begun kneeling. “When we pray,” she instructed clearly, “pray not simply for good fortunes to be swung your way, or for favors or pleasantries.” Star looked down directly into Felix’s eyes, the serene gaze of her eyes gently melting over him like honey. “Pray for those around you, who had not yet experienced their just reward, who have been swept into ill-tidings. For those who need a light to look towards.” She stopped, though she held her stare. As everyone else had been holding their heads down, only Felix noticed as Star’s brows furrowed. The mental debate within herself was apparent as her ears twitched and tails flicked, dueling with her own thoughts. A soft sigh escaped her, and the subtle movements ceased. “And if I may be so bold,” she announced, “if you struggle to find who to pray for, or find yourself with goodwill to spare, then please: pray for my own good friend, Felix.”

“What?” Felix blurted out.

The heads of some members of the crowd began slowly creeping up from Star’s sudden request, forming a jagged outline of the gathering as pointed and rounded ears from Pokémon big and small, soon formed an irregular askew pattern of heads raising up. 

“ Psst, hey, ” Lyniar whispered over to him. Her head had remained low on her hunched back, but her eyes still were sneakily peering over towards him. “ She means you, right ?” she grinned. Overhearing the not-so-subtle conversation, a cramorant perched on branches overhead and the persian he had squeezed past shot him a quick glance, but quickly looked back down when Felix caught them. Looking back at Lyniar with a soft glare, she returned the expression with her own smirk, then shutting her eyes gently.

Star returned to focus, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and prayed.

“O, Heavenly Sacred Fire, vigilant and without end.

Sacred is one’s body, mind, spirit, and mission.

Divine is your providence, over seas, mountains, and heavens.

Who has self-sacrificed in the name of all.”

“Grant us mercy when we fall.

That we may have lived our matchless life.

And for those who have lived with flaw,

Deliver them not into strife and sin,

But into embrace and purpose.

For yours is the cycle of eternal return.”

Star finished her recitement of the prayer. While she had spoken, the crowd below had softly murmured the prayer alongside her, word for word.

Without a single word more, Star stood and delicately brushed her tails within the circumference of the pot, pulling them out grayed and heavily layered with ash. “Our prayer has concluded,” Star announced. With a great spin, she swung her tails outward and dispersed much of the ash over the crowd, which tenderly floated down like snowflakes in the wind. “Go now, and bring peace.” Presenting a final bow, she withdrew herself from the ledge.

Everyone rose back up and began softly speaking amongst themselves, discussing small trivialities, and the crowd began to slowly disperse.

“Hey,” Lyniar called Felix’s attention. She plucked her son off her back and tucked him close to her furry chest, smiling. “This one has something to say to you, doesn’t he?” she babbled as she rubbed her nose against his.

“Felix!” Trace squeaked out.

At once, his mother gave him a small, playful flick on his beady black nose, making him flinch. “Nuh-uh,” she reminded, “is that how you address grown-ups?”

Trace squinted, his small claws rolling along his paws as he growled in thought. His eyes then lit up and his face perked in glee. “Oh! Mister Felix!” he babbled. He looked back up to his mother for her approval, and she nodded with a pleased smile. “Mister Felix! I prayed for you!”

He blinked. “Huh… Well, thank you, I guess.”

“Mm-hm! Hope you feel better, mister Felix!” Trace gave him a genuine, toothy grin from his pointed face.

Lyniar patted his head, then nuzzled him. “That’s my boy.” Heaving him back onto her back to latch onto, she gave Felix her own smile. “I’m not sure what sort of trouble you’re in that you can have miss fuzzypants up there asking for everyone here to spare a thought for you, but keep on chugging, right?”

A small smile was coaxed out him. “Right.”

“That’s the spirit! Take care, alright? I’ve gotta make dinner for two of us, so see ya!” With a flick of her wrist, she turned and began walking away on all fours. On her back, Trace turned to face him on last time, and gave a small wave before the two vanished from sight, lost in the chatting crowd.

“Felix!” he heard Star call out to him. Looking behind himself, he could see Star just departing off of the winding wooden ramp that had led up to the platform she had been on. The tip of her tails were still darkened by ash- not that she seemed to particularly care. “Felix, sorry for the sudden… attention, just then,” she continued. “It was a spur of the moment idea. I want to help you anyway I can, so maybe- I thought- I could send some good wishes your way.”

“Huh,” was his immediate response. “I… appreciate it.”

A sudden thought seemed to cross Star’s mind as her eyes seemed to slightly widen. “Oh, I suppose I should’ve asked that and another thing beforehand,” she abashedly stated. “Considering your… unique situation, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you don’t practice the same faith as us. And I probably should’ve asked if you wanted the attention, too.” A forced smile was now on her.

He snorted. “Or any, for the record. But still, I do appreciate it. Really.” His lips shifted back and forth. There was something else on his mind. “Say, why were you up there? Some kind of volunteer work you were happy to fill?”

“Huh?” She cocked her head, but immediately shot right back up. “Oh! That! This wasn’t meant to be a secret, but I suppose I just…”

“Just what?”

“Just sort-of, maybe, perhaps… sort of forgot.” She winced and pulled her ears flat. “Without exception, everyone I’ve met already knew about me and my station, so I’ve never had to state this. Truly! I never intended to hide this from you.”

“Don’t worry, I know you meant nothing by it. You’re smart, you’ve got a good head on your shoulders…” He playfully pointed a finger at her, a smirk crossing his lips. “But you ain't wise. We know this.”

Star lowered her head, and nodded. A self-aware smile beamed from her. “Ha. I suppose that’s one way to put it.”

“Come on, get on with it, then,” Felix said as he motioned for her to continue, “what’s so important?”

Star sat herself down before him, fixing her posture into a sublime curve and proudly displaying her six tails behind her. Her wonderfully kept scarlet fur coat and curls shined brilliantly in the lights that encompassed them. Even the feathers nestled on her head seemed to glow in the serene atmosphere. 

Putting on a soft, compassionate smile, she looked into Felix’s eyes with a fire behind her own. “I am the next Illumini.”

He was speechless. Truly, he had no words to express how he felt at her grand reveal. “Wow,” he said. “I have no idea what that means,” he said bluntly, dropping the facade.

Star began giggling. “Heh, I suppose that’s to be expected; you’re not really accustomed to our customs.” She got off the ground and began walking, Felix joining her as they navigated their way around those who had remained and were speaking with one another.

“So… is this a recent development sort of thing? Or-” In that instant, he remembered his conversation with the gholdengo merchant back when he and Wimpod were gathering supplies: how Dimas had remarked about the previous Illumini’s passing. The strange remarks as well form Cobb last night, and the exasperation that tyrogue had when he had realized something Felix had not, as well. And of course, Star’s own very apparent devoutness. “...You’re her kid? And now you’re sort of… picking up for her? As this Ill-lum-i?” He fumbled that last word; it was still new to him.

“First of all,” she fondly leered at him, “it’s not ill-lum-i ,” she mocked in his voice, “ it’s ill-loom-in-ai.”

“Ill-loom-in-ai. Illumini,” he repeated back.

She smiled at his grammatical accomplishment. “There you go. And secondly: yes, I am her kin.” She turned her head away from him and leaned a bit closer, showing off the feathers tucked behind her ears: a brilliant red bottom, a pure white middle, and emerald green top colored them. “See these feathers? I’ve had them for just about a year now. They were worn by my mother before me. I received them last year when she had… suddenly passed away.”

“Well, I’m… sorry to hear that.”

She gave him a solemn shake of her head. “Don’t be. I’ve had time to grieve. And I know I’ll meet her again… in this life, or the next. But these feathers are important to our faith. They come from the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh themself, when they had gifted them to her early in her duty as the first Illumini. They signified by divine providence her duty to spread the faith.” Her eyes fell to the ground, as if suddenly weighted. “And now, the task falls to me.”

“Ho-Oh?” Felix repeated with a tinge of doubt. “As in the legend? Went and gave those feathers itself to her?”

“Believe what you will,” she smiled, “I know I have, and I know the story, these feathers, and my faith to be genuine.”

“ Excuse me! ” a voice called out to them. Just up ahead, a persian was coming to them eagerly alongside a machop, both looking to Star with respect. “Sorry to interrupt, miss, but we were wondering if you could do something for us,” the machop explained. He reached behind his back and pulled out an amulet similar to the one Star was presently wearing.

Knowing what they wanted, she gave Felix a nod and excused herself from him. “This will be a moment, Felix,” she explained. “I remember our mutual planty friend inviting us over to her house tonight for a… event. Why don’t you go there now? I’ll be there soon.”

—-

A brisk walk later, through the towering trees and through the dark bush, Felix found himself at Petal’s house for the second time. It was much the same since his last visit: the wooden planks that made up the walls were still darkened and chipped through their years of service, the roof still was weathered and had holes here and there, and the windows were as ever, cracked or outright shattered. Warm, inviting yellow light poured from the inside, and fine smoke seemed to be billowing out the bricked chimney above. A modest home, in the optimistic sense. Further still, the expansive garden beside the home still held a myriad of colorful fruits and plants that either glowed, or pulsed, or sometimes both, something that Felix still could not wrap his head around.

Standing in front of the old latched door, he raised his hand to knock, but hesitated. Clattering pots and pans ringed hollowly beyond the old walls, and the air carried the scent of rich spices and the sweet aroma of meat and fat put to flame. Quite busy, he imagined; maybe for the Petals’ line of work as a catering family.

Nonetheless, he was invited- by one member of the Petal lineage, at least- to this home. All he had to do was knock.

Clearing his throat, he knocked thrice on the rattled door, putting some extra force behind his knuckles to overcome the chorus of kitchen-work. There was a brief cease on the racket, which resumed at a lesser intensity nearly instantaneously. Having thought that perhaps he was not heard, Felix raised his hand to knock once more but stopped once he saw the custom, elongated handle of the door begin to turn.

The door ached open, spilling gentle light onto the damp grass and Felix, momentarily making him squint away. “Still keeping up with the busy work, huh, Petal?” he casually asked.

“I suppose we are,” a more mature voice than he expected answered. Looking back up, he could see a lilligant holding the door open, examining him up and down with focused, beady eyes. Noticing his hesitant stance, the old lilligant chuckled. “I’m guessing I’m not the Petal you expected to answer?” Petal the twelfth asked.

He rocked his head to the side. “Something like that,” he admitted.

Petal continued holding her gaze on him, making Felix feel quite uncertain as to what he might have been expected to do.

“Well… your daughter invited me here, so…”

The lilligant opened the door fully and stepped aside, easing the tense stare on him she had held. “I’m aware. Please, come on in and have a seat at the dining table. We’re nearly done fixing up dinner.” She motioned to her side, towards a modest wooden table draped in a white cover, and tall chairs seated nearby. 

“Oh… thanks.” He stepped through the doorway and into the warm interior of the house, Petal closing the door behind him. He had half expected her to close the door on him like the last time.

He made his way past her after presenting a courteous nod as she returned to the kitchen, and headed for the table. Opposite the way was the kitchen, where he could hear the unmistakable racket of the culinary creation process, as well as some steam that was exfiltrating out a cracked window he could spy around the corner. He passed the upwards stairway that led to the bedrooms above, and was once more focused on the frames of various other lilligants that had come before, all with similar placid expressions. Twelve in all, he counted, with enough space left open for one more.

“Blue?” he heard from behind. Before he even had the opportunity to turn around, he felt something small collide with the back of his legs, wrapping its little nubs for arms around legs. “Blue!”

“Good to see you, too, Petal,” he smiled, knowing exactly who it was. Looking behind his raised arms, he could see the little petilil hugging him tightly from behind. She was covered in dull white flour and spots of tantalizingly rich brown and red sauces, her nubs-for-arms especially caked with the material. This close, he could smell how a sweet aroma wafted from her. “Where’s this coming from?” he asked, patting her on the back.

Petal released her embrace, and releasing what she had done, quickly looked away and cleared her throat. “Oh, you’ll see!” she beamed. “I did it, Blue! No, I mean, we did it!”

Felix squinted at her suspiciously, though as he looked at her unusually bashful form, it softened into something less inquisitive. “Just what have you gone and done...?” he asked with a smile.

“Bup-bup-bup!” she instantly hushed him, pushing her triage of leaves up to his mouth. “We’ll talk about that soon when everyone’s here! Promise!” Walking back and away, she shot him a wink as she hurried back to the kitchen. “Wait at the table with the bug ‘til then, Blue!” And with that, she vanished around the corner.

“The bug…?” he repeated back to himself.

“She means me,” a voice as smooth as sandpaper answered from the table. Turning to the dining room, he could scarcely see the purple antennas of Wimpod standing out from the tabletop, the bug’s eyes focused on him unassumingly. “Humble little performance the brat put on tonight,” he commented.

Felix climbed up the chair’s lower rungs, seating himself at the table opposite the bug. Were he back in his old body, he would had simply have to sit himself down normally, but this one was vertically-challenged for the time being. He leaned forward, planting his arms beside some utensils and folded napkins on the table. “What, Star? Can’t say I expected a service today, but it was fairly interesting to see, I suppose.” He lifted a tall glass of water to his lips.

“Don’t doubt it was,” Wimpod agreed. “Tried to watch, myself. Couldn’t.” The tells of contempt fell onto Wimpod, burrowing his brows into a scowl. “But it must have been quite a strange sight, especially to a foreigner like you.”

Felix stopped drinking, and softly placed the glass back down. “Suppose I am foreign to this place and its cultures and comforts,” he admitted. “Can’t help not knowing what I not know.”

“Mmm, right. I won’t beat around the bush,” Wimpod grumbled. “What’s your story, human?”

Felix froze. Uneasily, he slowly slid his gaze unto Wimpod, scanning the bug up and down as if searching for how he could have known.

His stare must have betrayed his feelings, as a sly chuckle rose out of the bug. “I know what you’re thinking: ‘How did he know?’ you’re wondering. ‘I thought he was just some insignificant bug.’”

“...Something like that,” Felix grumbled. 

“Not even going to try and deny it?” Wimpod slowly nodded in recognition. “Good. I hate people who commit to sinking ships. I’m guessing you already told the brat; it would explain the subtle phrases she uses for you. But the shrub? No, you didn’t. I can tell by the way she looks at you she thinks you’re just a riolu… but not just any other riolu to her,” he smirked.

Felix continued suspiciously leering at the bug, one glaring question in his mind. “What gave it away?”

“Everything,” Wimpod simply replied. “Just from our one little afternoon together, it was as clear as crystal. You had all the tells: this fish-out-of-water look, that desperation for a job out of your depth, your general lack of skill in the most simple of moves that any other real riolu would have grasped by now, not to mention showing up around here- lost as only a stranger could- right around when a distortion appears close by. I look at all that, then I look at you.” Wimpod twitched his antennas, as if to shrug. “Hasn’t failed yet.”

A certain part of that speech stuck to Felix. “I had ‘all the tells?’” he repeated.

A smug grin creased the small bug’s flat face. “Did you think you were the only one?”

“Wait,” Felix breathed. “Then are you…?”

“No,” Wimpod replied flatly. “I’m not one of you. Born a bug, will die a bug. But I’ve been around enough to pick up on these things. You’re not exactly a singularity. Though we are not the same, we do share one thing: bad luck around dimensional holes.”

A series of small thuds rocked the door, making their conversation grind to a halt. The clattering of someone hastily dropped a pan onto a countertop rang out from the kitchen, and from the corner came Petal the thirteenth eagerly running to the door and grabbing the elongated handle that just narrowly reached her diminutive stature. With a heavy grunt, she swung the handle down and pried open the door, revealing a well-groomed Star standing in the night air behind it.

“I believe I was invited?” she asked with a smile. Looking at the well-seasoned and sauced petilil, her smile seamlessly transitioned into a look of half concern. “And I believe you’ve confused yourself for the salad,” she joked as Petal ushered her in.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve got jokes, fluffbutt. But you came just in time! We’re about to set food out, so get your hind to a seat!” Petal broke away from Star as the vulpix made her way to the table, the small petilil making her way back to the kitchen. “Be back soon!”

With a simple leap, Star had pounced up to a free chair next to Wimpod, and sat herself politely with perfect posture. Spotting the two who had come here before her, she once more pulled back the corners of her lips and gave a tender smile. “Nice to see we all could make it!”

Wimpod looked away, his face clouded in a sudden downcast. “I suppose it is nice,” he grumbled.

Star opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped when a chorus of clattering plates and a tidal wave of strong, rich scents of seared fatty meats and sweet bread washed over them. “Ding ding ding, bozos!” Petal announced, carrying a wide tray on her head, laden with meats and appetizers. It looked like she had cleaned herself, as well. “Food’s on!”

From behind her, her mother came out carrying two trays in her arms: one topped with robust white breads and rich cheeses, and the other carrying mugs that remained perfectly upright as she moved.

Together, they presented the dishes onto the table and the mugs in front of them, bringing that oh-so tempting smell right in front of them, feeling the heat of the freshly baked meals rise to their faces.

Felix, Star, and Wimpod all looked at the wonderful spread in astonishment. This was far more than they had ever expected.

“Oh my god,” Felix finally said quietly.

Her mother lightly scoffed. “Please, Petal. You can at least pretend to take tonight seriously.”

Petal painstakingly hopped up the rung on the last free chair beside Felix, seating herself with the others. “Right, right!” she bubbled. She cleared her throat. “ Right ,” she said again in a jokingly deep voice.

Standing at the head of the table, the old lilligant cleared her throat herself. “Now, to address the reason for such an occasion tonight,” she spoke. She turned to a meager counter that lay against the wall, grabbing a modest chest off from it. In one brisk movement, she hefted the container onto the edge of the table beside Felix. It was slight, but a barrage of loose, dull clinks seemed to rise from within it. “The riolu… Felix, is it?”

Felix briskly cleared his throat and straightened his back. “Sometimes go by ‘Blue,’ but that is me.” It was just a quick glance, but he could swear he had seen Petal intently watching him.

“Now… me and my daughter… we had a discussion. She’s been rattling off many, many small things and pieces about you: what you’re like, the jobs you’ve been pulling with…” the lilligant seemed lost for words as she looked at the four seated before her. “Your little friend group,” she chuckled as she waved her hand over them. “And of course, your predicament.” She stared at Felix contemplatively with her beady brown eyes.

He rocked his head in despairing agreement. “Yeah, sort of… find myself here for the foreseeable future.”

Briskly with no more words, the lilligant flipped the latch of the chest and creaked the lid open, then gently pushing the opened coffer across the table to Felix. 

He glanced between her and the chest. Only when she raised an arm towards it and motioned for him to look did he move to peer inside.

He became still.

A dazzling array of gold and silver coins lined the coffer wall to wall. Each so brilliantly gleaning, every one perfectly round and uniform. All so precious. He had never seen anything like it in his entire life. Why, if he were human, these prized metals could buy an estate with change to spare.

His neck slowly turned itself back at the lilligant at a rate which made molasses envious. Like her daughter, she had no mouth to form smiles or frowns with, yet he knew- felt - an aura of prestige, pride, and charity from her.

“This ride or ferry or what-have-you to get you back to this home of yours: it was five thousand total, yes?”

Felix meagerly nodded, his mouth still partially agape.

“Good,” she proudly said. “Eat well tonight, Felix. You’ve a ride to catch tomorrow morning. And feel free to spend the night with your friends. Enjoy the evening with them fully.”

Felix was fixated on the coins. Then he was smiling. After that, he was laughing, and laughing, and laughing. Looking around the table everyone else seemed to be in chaotic mix of sheer astonishment and sympathetic joy as well.

“Why, I…” Star stammered through her own giggles, a broad smile seizing her. “Felix! This… This is just excellent! Our prayers have come to pass!”

He felt as Petal leaned over and squeezed him tightly on his side, patting him on his back as she did so. “See, Blue?” she laughed. “Told ya I had an awesome idea stewing!”

During the excitement and jubilation he felt in the moment, he looked across the table and saw Wimpod. The bug’s eyes seemed just in awe as he was, almost entranced or envious of the treasure within. It took a moment for Wimpod to join in on the joy around him, but a small smile seemed to break through under his carapace’d body. “Good for you,” he said.

Having shown the goods, Petal’s mother locked the chest and pulled it back to the edge, giving the container a firm pat. “But of course, this isn’t quite settled, yet,” she announced. The laughs and smiles around the table came to a halt, as Felix and the others came to focus on her.

Except for Petal. Despite her best efforts to control herself, small tremors of excitement seemed to rock her body every moment or so, quite joyously.

The old lilligant clasped her arms together behind her back, and began pacing the floor. “As you know, I’m something of a business owner: for generations, the Petals have operated this establishment, worked her fields, and served her bounty.” She came to a stop, twisting her body to face Felix and Petal. “But before I am an owner, I am a mother first,” she said whilst lifting an arm to Petal. “And in recent times, I’ve come to realize that perhaps… too much love can be stifling for my daughter to grow into the wonderful woman I know she can be. That sometimes, I need to trust her and her wishes.”

“Dang right you do,” Petal said.

A quick, affectionate leer hushed her. “So, Felix, you must understand that from my perspective, this money isn’t just considered a gift, but perhaps also an investment into the growth of my daughter.” 

Felix’s eyes began to narrow. “Alright,” he calmly spoke. “What?” That’s all he could ask: a simple ‘what.’ By his side, he could hear as Petal seemed to shift in her seat excitedly.

“If I am to give this money to you, I must ask you to consider one great favor for me and my family: permit my daughter to travel with you.”

Felix blinked. Had he heard that right? Even Star and Wimpod seemed to be stunned. “Excuse me?”

Petal jumped in her seat, and laughed heartily. “You hear that, Blue? We get to travel to your homeland together! Aw, this is gonna be so great!” she giggled.

“Yeah, I heard that part! But…” Petal? Joining with him to Marea? He was worried how just he might be received there himself given his transformation, how he might be reacted to if he showed up back home and luck be had, it was still there, but along with a true-blooded Pokémon? He had grown to overcome his own biases towards them, but he knew the sentiment back home was far more glacial. But there were also doubts stirring within him… and not towards Petal. For a while now while he has been here, all around him were passing snips and pieces of people referring to his homeland as a relic of the past; a memory. If dimensional hole had transported him across space, what of time? 

If what he dare not dream to happen had occurred… 

He shook the thought out of his head. But he knew he might need help if the worst had happened. “I’m not sure…” he mumbled.

“Oh, come on Blue!” Petal chimed. “Think of it like this: we could call it, ‘The Tale of Petal! …Plus that one guy.’ If you say you’ll bring me, I’ll help your butt off! And maybe offer some snarky commentary to help the miles travel.”

Truth to be told, he knew he did not have much choice. It was either take an insurmountable risk and go into a likely dangerous pile of the unknown alone, or take a slightly-surmountable risk and go into a likely dangerous pile of the unknown with a friend. “Alright,” he lightly sighed. “I’ll keep her safe.”

Petal squealed in delight. “You hear that, mom? I’m actually going to go see the world!” 

“I’ve heard, dear,” her mother responded. “If all’s been settled, then I wish you all a pleasant dinner,” she said with a bow, then turning to the main entrance.

Felix was puzzled. “Wait, you’re not gonna spend the last night you’ll see your daughter for who-knows-how-long with her?”

The lilligant shrugged. “We discussed this, as I had said. This evening, the night is yours for you and your friends who you will also not be seeing for ‘who-knows-how-long’ after tomorrow morning.” 

That gave Felix pause. He had not thought of that. Looking across the table at Star and Wimpod as they listened intently- well, Star had at least- he might never see them again if all went to plan.

“And I’m not going to leave her tonight completely, anyhow,” she continued at the base of the stairs. “Much as my baby-girl won’t like it, we’ll be having a good talk once you all settle down for the night. I could use the time to explore town, maybe visit the briar while you all mingle. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, don’t sweat it, Blue,” Petal reassured. “I think we’re starting to get this ‘family’ thing down to a tee.” 

Fair enough, he supposed.

“Have a good evening, everyone.” A tinge of bittersweet acceptance seemed to cross the lilligant’s voice. Before long, she had opened the door and left, leaving the team alone.

The four sat for a moment, glancing between each other almost as if wondering who would be the one to break the silence and kickstart their extravagant dinner. Once they all came to that same realization, all eyes fell to Petal.

“You guys really volunteering me for this?” she cheerfully asked.

“I don’t think it could happen any other way,” Star smiled.

Petal shrugged and clasped a mug with her leaves. Felix followed suit and grabbed his own cup. “Well, gang,” she announced as the two lifted their mugs together. “Here’s to us kicking butt, and taking names!”

“And to good health!” Star added.

“Sure, that too!”

“Let’s add some luck for money, while we’re at it,” Wimpod suggested.

“Yeah, okay I guess! Let’s add that!”

“Maybe a cheer for you not to get in over your head on this trip?” Felix offered.

“Let’s not push it!” 

Petal raised her mug to the center of the table alongside Felix. Star carefully grasped the handles of her drink and lifted it to them, whilst Wimpod meagerly slid his drink towards them.

“Here’s to us!”

—-

It had been a hearty and wonderful meal, that much was certain. The still-hot seasoned sausages packed a wonderful sizzled texture and marvelous, meaty juice beneath their plump skin; the mild cheeses and fluffy white bread paired wonderfully with the spiced sausages, serving to temper their addictive flare; and the sweet milk within the mugs provided much needed relief within their nectar. This beautiful culinary assortment had been both a treasure for their mouths and noses. Truly, they were well-fed this night as they exchanged small stories and recounted their time together.

Even if Petal’s unique method of consumption left dried husks of meat and cheese, as well as one slightly disturbed Felix at seeing her roots again.

Star licked up a small slick of juice on her plate left from one of the sausages, still relishing their taste. “Oh, that was so good,” she breathed, having had her fill.

Felix slouched over after finishing his cold drink, firmly stuffed himself. “Now that… was a meal. Better than anything they served me back in training,” he let slip.

Petal picked her head up off the table, looking at him curiously. “Wait, you were in some kind of training? You can’t even do stuff most riolus can do, but you had training?”

He scratched his nose, wondering if he should continue, but found no harm in doing so. “Yeah, it was… training. Joined up with a pal in it, thought we’d be doing our home a service,” he continued, wincing at the memories. “Boy-oh-boy, did they put us through the ringer. Hardly got any sleep the first week, and not for a lack of trying. But hey, felt… good being a part of something bigger than you are. We were the Toreros, we were to defend our homes from her enemies, should the need had ever risen.”

“Yeah?” Petal asked as she stacked her own dishes. “And who was this bud of yours, exactly? Kept hearing you peep about him here and there. We gonna meet him back at your home?”

“He was an old friend of mine named Jhett,” he reminisced. “Not much to say about him, really. He was always the upbeat sort-of type.” A smile began to form as he thought. “You know, he always loved the idea of flying up in the clouds, weaving through gusts and gale, knowing true freedom up in the open air, like the flocks of birds he’d always seen. Or at least, that’s how he’d always describe it. Always was sort of the romantic type in that regard.”

“Sounds like a pleasant guy to be around!” Star added. “I’m sure you’ll see him soon.”

“How about moves? Unlike you, I’m guessing he knew moves,” Petal teased.

“I’ve got moves,” Felix smiled. Petal shot him a look that made it clear she did not believe him. “I’ve been told I could hold my own on the floor for some late-night song and dance. That counts as ‘moves,’ right?” he joked with a shrug.

“Oh, ha-ha ,” Petal dryly said. “You know what I meant. Did this Jhett dude at least have a grasp on how to actually fight and not throw punches, you know, unlike a certain Blue I know?”

Felix sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Well…”

“Like, seriously, Blue. How did you get this far in life without knowing stuff like that ‘aura’ thing, or that ‘force hand’ or whatever? Like, and I’m not trying to be mean, but like isn’t all that stuff learned by even little tykes by about now?” she continued, exasperated. “How old even are you, Blue?”

“Me? Twenty-one. Why?”

A sharp, blubbering exhale left Petal as she heard what he had said, followed by her trying to control some bewildered laughter. “ No way you’re a twenty-something! Look, I may be situationally air-headed and may not give off the best smarty-pants impressions, but even I know that riolus only live like fifteen years tops . If you really are like twenty-whatever, you’d be a skeleton by now.”

“Well- I-” Felix stammered. “What’s it matter, anyhow? How old even are you , shrub?”

“One. What’s it to you?”

Felix began hacking, almost as if that absurd statement were a punch to his gut. “ Ooh , me being twenty-one is a wild thing, but you being a wee sprout is much better?” He looked over to Star, and saw as she was looking away trying to contain her amusement. “Hey, come on,” he said to get her attention. “Tell me if she’s pulling one over on me or not.”

“Well… she’s not lying,” Star said.

“Oh, come off it,” Felix replied. “How does that even work?”

“Listen good, Blue, cause I ain’t repeating this,” Petal cut in. “Petilils like me and lilligants like my mom? Three years. We’ve got three years at the most of it with a good run.”

That made him shut up. “Three years?”

“Yeah,” Petal murmured. “I mean, like… I don’t really want to go into it, but it’s a big part of why I just… want to get out there, you know?” Glancing around the table, Petal noticed how everyone’s looks seemed to be far less happy and jovial than they were a moment ago. “ Anyway! ” she blurted. “What’s the deal with you guys, huh? You know about Blue being a fossil and me being normal, but what about you guys?”

Star hummed. “I’m nine, myself.”

“Nine?” Felix repeated in disbelief. He shook his head. “Okay, what about you?” he asked Wimpod. “What single digits are you in?”

Wimpod grumbled, thinking if he should answer or not. “Ten.”

“Of course…” Felix chuckled, his head hanging low. “I’ve been leading a team of preschoolers!”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Star said. “We’re all adults here, Felix.”

Felix lifted his arm towards Petal with a placid look. “She’s one.”

“And if I were twenty, Blue, I’d be a pile of dust on the floor,” Petal shot back. “Come on, it isn’t that complicated. You can’t expect petilils or riolus or whatever to be like… you just can’t expect them all to have the same life cycles! Okay?”

“I mean… I guess.”

Amidst their friendly jabberings, one could notice as Wimpod shifted in his seat, hunched over the table with his eyes searching every inch of the room, as if they were following some specter only he could see.

“Hey, bug-boy,” Petal called to him. “You feeling okay? We got ghosts in here or something?”

“No,” Wimpod said. “But gatherings like this one, haven’t been to many. They just make me twitchy. I’m not happy with crowds.”

“I’d hardly call this a crowd…”

Star looked beside herself to Wimpod, leering half-jokingly, and half seriously, humming again to draw his attention.

He leered back. “What?”

“Nothing,” she sung, “just thinking about how it’s strange we know your age, but not your name.”

“Oh, that.” He looked away again. “Calling me ‘Wimpod’ has worked this long. Why change it?”

“Why not just tell us your name?” she countered back. “We’ve been through a fair bit together as a small team. Surely you can trust us with at least your name?”

“It goes deeper than that.” A heavy glower fell upon him.

“Well, we’ve gotta call you something ,” Petal said. “If we’re not gonna see you for a while, and you end up evolving or something, I don’t think ‘Wimpod’ is gonna cut it. Or make sense.”

Felix rubbed his nose, entertaining a thought in his head. Wimpod had been following them- well, Star- for a fair while now. The bug made it clear he was not a fan of it, but still felt an obligation, always trailing behind her heels and watching over her. If that was not loyalty, then what was? “You know, I think I have an idea for a name for him,” Felix stated, garnering everyone’s attention. “Why not ‘Perro’?”

“Perro?” Wimpod repeated back.

“Yeah, ‘Perro.’ It’s Paldean. Don’t worry, it mostly fits. I think it might suit you.”

“Perro…” Petal said, letting the world tumble out of her. “Perro… What do you think?”

Star’s lips shifted back and forth, her brows dancing upon her forehead as she lingered on the idea. “It would certainly be an improvement.”

The bug’s antennas twitched. His eyes seemed to flicker off to the side, running through the idea again and again in his head. “Fine,” he said. “Perro will do for now,” Perro said.

“Hey, now we’re getting somewhere!” Petal beamed. She hopped down from her chair and stretched her petite, stubby limbs to the sky. “Hey, you guys want to try a little something before we settle down for the night?”

Everyone else climbed down as well, though Felix was the first to speak. “Why? What do you have in mind?”

Petal crossed into a wide-open room next over towards a closet embedded in a buckled wall. Pulling the cover to the side, she dragged out an old phonograph, and used her leaves to fan off a coat of dust. By the time the others had reached her, Petal had already reached behind it the old music player. She pulled out a thin paper package and -satisfied by its title- retrieved a disc and set it on the player. “You said you could dance, right?” She flipped its modest lever, sputtering the box to life. “Show a girl a good time.”

The old record player daintily dropped its spindle onto the black-as-coal disc, gently spinning the plate, spitting out old scratches and dings from the disc.

And began singing.

Through the bent horn of the historied player, soft, slow pings and plucks of a piano tenderly glided out alongside the serenade of violins and swooning flutes and robust horns, filling the room around them, the soft words of a woman guiding them through rhythm and order.

A human’s voice, though one speaking in a language he had not known. Unovian, if he hazarded a guess. It still was a pleasant and most welcome sound to his now perked ears, though.

“Me? Dance with you?” he asked as he stepped up. “You know, this isn’t quite the music I was talking about. It was much more… strung.”

“I’m sure you’ll manage,” she reassured. She planted herself in front of him, offering up one of her small, knotted arms. She raised her brows, looking at him expectantly with beady, honeyed eyes. “Going once…” she muttered. “Going twice…”

He blew out a wrangled chuckle through his nose. He gently grabbed her offered hand and placed his palm on her side. “You get one.”

“That’s more than enough, Blue.” 

Together- though mostly led by Felix- the two swept across the room, shifting their weight back and forth on their feet like the pendulum of a metronome, swinging softly with the rhythm of the melody. Star and Perro both remained quiet on the sidelines: one watching with an empathetic smile, and the other studying their movements.

“You know, Blue,” Petal murmured as Felix spun her, “looking back, it’s kinda hard to believe we ended up here, considering how we first met.”

He threw them apart from one another, though they remained tethered at the hand and receded back into each other’s embrace. “What do you-” The memory struck him like a cold slap. “Oh, that,” he winced.

“Yeah-huh, that ,” she mimicked in his voice.

“I’ve got to hear this,” Perro sneered. “What’d he do?”

Petal broke away in a spin, rejoining Felix after a flourish. “Oh, you know, the usual friendly-things he does, like trying to steal from my family’s farm and running away from me and I jokingly said I was gonna spore him. The usual.”

Wimpod’s face lit up in a dry chuckle, in a way they had never seen before. “Nice.”

Star was not as amused. “Felix!” 

“It was one time!” he countered. He suddenly dipped Petal down, making her yelp.

“Yeah, it’s all in the past and whatever,” Petal added. She rebounded back up and gently pried herself loose, giving Felix a bow. “Thanks for the dance, good sir,” she said wryly.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Hey, Star, you want a turn?” Petal asked, stepping away.

Felix raised his arms in protest, but before he could get in a word, Star’s tails were already swaying as she crossed the carpet to him. “Oh, that sounds fun!”

“Now hold on, now!” Felix said, looking Star in the eye. She knew he meant to object, but her face displayed no intent of faltering behind her unusually wry smile. “She’s a dog! You’re vaguely person-shaped, but she’s mutt through-and-through! I don’t know how to dance with a dog!”

Star raised herself up, planting her paws into Felix’s hands as he instinctively raised and grabbed them in defense. His face turned sour: he knew he had made a mistake.

“Looks like we’re already well on the way to adapting around that, aren’t we?”

Felix grunted, and once more, he moved to the rhythms and swings of the music, guiding his awkwardly stanced partner through the notes and holds.

“On the topic of first impressions…” Star remained smiling, though her furrowed brows betrayed her slight frustration or perhaps disbelief. Regardless, Felix himself picked on what she had been referring to and clenched his teeth.

“Ooh, this should be good,” Petal laughed. “Spill the beans, fluffbutt. I wanna hear about Blue-boy here.”

Felix swung Star away on her stumbling feet. “We don’t really need to-”

“I think we need to,” Star continued unimpeded. “From what I recall, you struck me across the face with a tree branch!”

Perro broke out into open laughter. “Nice.”

Petal, on the other hand, was far less amused. “Wait- Blue did what now?!” She leered over to him, eyes like daggers threatening to bore through his skull. 

“Alright, look-” he began stammering. “I had just woken up in someplace I didn’t know, she startled me, I panicked and swung, okay?” His feet became tangled as he frantically explained his side of the story, threatening to topple himself over along with Star with one more misstep.

Star shook her head, fits of giggles sewn into between her sigh. “It’s okay, Petal. I don’t fault him for it.” She looked at him with a pondering stare. “ Even if I had approached more slowly and told him in quiet words I was there to help, several times by that point ,” she quickly added under breath.

“What?” Petal asked.

Star reeled her paws from Felix’s grasp, kneeling on one leg with a curt bow. “I said ‘this has been quite fun,’ to our good friend here,” she sung, wiggling her ears. “Just saying my thanks.” She rejoined the others, but as soon as she and Perro locked eyes, a most sinister, sly smile born of an instantaneous thought became smeared across her pointed face. “Say, these dances you know are quite nice, Felix. I’m quite happy to have experienced them with you.”

He made no effort to move. A dire warning bell had been sounded in his mind, rattling between the marrows of his skull. “Yeah… They’re pretty fun, right?”

She glanced over to Perro with a modest grin, unnerving even him by the sudden attention. “It’d be hardly fair for just us girls to have all the fun. Why don’t you and Perro here have a go as well?”

Both Felix and Perro seemed to recoil back at the suggestion, glancing between themselves and Star in haste.

“What do you think-”

“He’s a bug! ”

“I did not come here for-”

“How would that even-” The two kept yammering over one another. Star sat calmly back down, maintaining her warm smile as the two either kept pointing at problematic limbs or irritably quaked antennas.

“Yeah, do it, Blue!” Petal chimed, looked perked herself. Try as she might, she could not conceal her excitement at the prospect like Star had. She may have not even cared, openly reveling in the idea. “Come on, it’s the last chance you guys will see each other for who knows how long!”

Both Felix and Perro leered at them.

“Just this once?” Star asked with a small tilt of her head. “Please?”

Felix took in a long, deep breath. He could at the very least humor them, considering the generosity shown to him. Looking over to Perro, he could see the same mental tug-of-war being fought between his rounded head. 

“Fine,” Perro growled, scuttling to Felix with no urgency. “But not a word to anyone.”

The two fiends began lightly cheering and laughing happily with each other as Perro and Felix looked at one another awkwardly, unsure how to proceed, the beckoning of the earnest, reposeful music calling them to act.

Lowering his hands down to Perro’s stubby front legs, grasping and twisting his palms in the air as he various frowns and grunts of confusion rose out of the flustered two like steam from boiling water.

Steeling himself, Felix plucked Perro’s cold, carapace’d legs up off the ground, electing to focus on the rhythm cast by its belled owner, than the shiver down his spine. The girls seemed over the moon over their dance, despite its performance being a stark contrast from the ones before; the fluid footsteps and grand posturing Felix had displayed seemed to have faltered, becoming as stiff and awkward as their dancers.

Between their unintended mockery of the art of dance, Wimpod seemed to have accepted his own situation, and looked Felix dead in the eyes- though he tried to glance away. “So, how’s your day been?” Perro dryly asked.

Felix rocked his head to the side. “Been pretty good, all things considered.” 

He tried to think of any sort of flourish he could attempt with the bug to appease the girls’ insatiable appetite for their artistic suffering, but thankfully, the music began warbling and warping, becoming an incoherent mess of lyric and rhyme that faded into scratches, then silence. Seeing their opportunity, the two broke away from each other.

“Your hands are sweaty,” Perro growled.

“At least I’ve got hands,” Felix countered as he wiped his palms on his sides.

“Tch, and it was a great performance, too,” Star sighed. She leaned forward and opened her chops in a large yawn.

Petal crossed the carpet, giving the phonograph a half-hearted kick. At its failure to respond, she grumbled and began packing it back inside the closet. “Consider yourself lucky, Blue. I would’ve loved to see you dance some more.”

“Oh, I’m sure you would’ve.”

—-

After some chatter through the night whilst the team helped Petal clean up, they all had decided to finally settle down for the night.

Petal’s room was just as drafty and cold as Felix had remembered it, which was a given considering the late fall weather, her room’s seating on the second floor, and the gaping hole that had taken out a whole corner of her room when it had collapsed who-knows-when. Not that it mattered too much as he and Star lay in separate bundled heaps on the floor, courtesy of some wonderfully soft and insulating blankets their shrub friend had provided. Perro seemed to have found comfort in simply resting on the ceiling, and Petal was absent for the moment, waiting downstairs for her and her mother’s talk. 

For all the nipping cold and piercing gales the hole had offered, he was still thankful for it, as it presented Felix an opportunity to better gaze heavenwards into the clear night sky.

There it was, just where it had always been: nine stairs, brightly gleaming and arranged in the night sky to guide his way home: the Splintered Seat constellation. It still had not quite hit him how he would be leaving tomorrow; he could only be transfixed as he pondered the stars above, either thinking fathomless thoughts or simply appreciative of their existence, thankful for their shine and simple beauty.

He was not quite sure himself. But these flares in the night, these beacons of hope that he might get home and see his old house, his friends, family, and the sanded plains he grew up in… It gave him a simple idea.

Just in the floor below, the soft thud of a door closing disclosed that Petal’s mother was home. Try as he might to be a better person and ignore their conversation, he could not help but roll over in his cotton-sewn fortress and peep down the very same gash in the floor board he and Petal had snooped on prior. It was simply in his nature to be in the know, one way or another.

Just below through the waning board, he could see Petal and her mother patrolling the floor back and forth, making minor adjustments and brushing here or there to satisfy their need of clean. Once well and truly happy with the floor’s state, the old lilligant gently placed a hand on her proud petilil’s shoulder, guiding them to a worn couch in the living space and seating themselves. The two looked to each other.

“So…” Petal murmured. She looked down and away. To her surprise, her mother began fixing the leaves on Petal’s head, rubbing them back and straightening them out, then carefully brushed her daughter’s green collar she had for a neck. “Hey, what are you-” she began to lightly protest. Her mother’s gentle stare hushed her. She knew what was coming. And she intended to listen.

“We aren’t blessed with years and years of life like many others have been. It’s something of our ‘thousand-day’ curse, our great-great-great-” She shook her head. “The very first Petal liked to call it,” the twelfth Petal said with a dry chuckle. Her daughter remained silent, but slowly nodded. “Whereas linoones or musharnas or what-have-you get these precious years to spend with family, friends, to have fun and live their lives with the world around them… We’ve only got the thousand days or so. I thought maybe, like all our mothers before me, we could make a name for ourselves with this humble little farm. For all of their lives, and most of mine, we thought we could be something greater than who we are by ourselves. They lived, they died, and they gifted this land from one Petal to the next. And soon, we had ourselves a wonderful family business.”

Petal’s tensed shoulders relaxed. “I mean…” she breathed. “I guess that was always pretty cool.”

“So when I heard you say you wanted to leave this home- our home- I didn’t want to see you make a mistake. We’ve only got so little time here in this big, beautiful world, and I had wanted you to have the best life you could here. There are Pokémon who can burrow through the planet’s crust, those who can soar where clouds can’t reach, and I have always been fine knowing that. Sure, I could sell the land, or travel with a merchant’s group, or whole number of other things. But would I want to? We have everything we need, right here.”

“And that’s great and all,” Petal stammered, “but-”

“But that’s not the life for you. I know that now. You want to explore dark chams, want to feel the whip of the wind below heaven. You want to experience it all. And this village, this home, but most of all, me: we can’t give my baby girl that. I’ve always tried to make sure she had a home she could come home to, knowing she was loved and safe, always tried to make sure she knew she had a future here, where she could prosper and grow. That she belongs here. But that was the life for me. Not for you. I know my baby girl wants something that can’t be found here. She wants to do great big things and live the best life she can. What I worried about most was that no one would look out for you, no one will come and help you when you need it. But now I see not only friends around you who can do all of that, but what I see now most of all…” She gave Petal a light nudge. “Is that my baby girl is strong.”

At those words, Petal could not look her mother in the eyes, nearly turned away so she could not see something.”

“So-” the old lilligant lovingly grabbed her cheek, pulling her face back towards her so she could see her.

Her eyes were wet.

 “When you go out there, into that wide open world with these friends of yours, I want a promise: promise me that you’ll never stop being this baby girl. That she never feels alone, never doubts she is loved, and that she never lets anyone she meets at these new places ever tell her that she isn’t wonderful.”

Petal solemnly nodded.

“And when my baby girl finally comes home, I want her to tell her mother about all these places she’s been, all the people she met, all the fun and challenges she’s experienced: to tell the story of her life.” Petal remained silent. She was slightly trembling. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

That pledge came out quiet, but it never lacked resolve.

The pair held a reflective stare at each other, until the old lilligant hugged her daughter close. Though she had no true limbs of her own, Petal pressed herself close into her mother’s embrace, soaking in every ounce of her mother’s love while she still could. The faint glimmer of a small stream of tears ran from her.

“Now go on,” she warmly said, ending their embrace. “Get yourself to sleep. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

Petal nodded, a weak sniffle coming from her. “Wait, give me a sec,” she asked, wiping her tears with her stubby arms. “I, uh… don’t want them to see.”

Her mother patted her on the head, and let herself off the beaten couch. “Of course, dear. We can’t let the others know about you and your beating heart, can we?” she teased.

“Shut it, mom,” she giggled. After another moment of drying herself, she got off as well. She glanced to her mother, and quickly gave her one last hug at the base of the lilligant’s dress-like bulb. “Love you, mom.”

She happily lowered herself down, giving Petal one last quick hug as well. “Love you, too. Now, come along now. You’ll need every last bit of sleep.”

Together, the two left the living room, vanishing from sight from Felix’s surveillance crack. The slow, rhythmic pacing of creaks of the stairs outside the room told him they were coming up. Rolling himself back into place, he waited.

The old door creaked open at its hinges and clicked shut soon after, followed by the meek footsteps of Petal’s small body coming closer to him. “Hey uh- Blue?” she whispered. “You still up?”

He stretched his limbs and yawned. “Just woke up,” he lied. “Why?”

“Okay, good. You mind making space in that blanket? Kinda don’t want to sleep out in the cold.”

Felix frowned. “Weren’t there three blankets in that closet up here? Me and her got one,” he said, pointing to Star’s slumbering sprawl on the floor. “Why don’t you just-”

“Nope!” Petal interrupted, drawing even closer. “Nah, I lived here my whole life, Blue. There’s never been three blankets in there. Believe me, I would know.”

“Really? Could’ve sworn-”

“Scoot!”

Begrudgingly at her request, and thinking he may have been mistaken, he slid across inside the bundle of the blanket to make room for her, lifting up a corner which she dove right into. “Aah, so this is what being a furry-little thing like you is like,” she remarked, shifting her body around within the warm sheet. “Nice and toasty!”

“You know, I just thought of something,” Felix said, staring up to the shining stars in the great night sky. “We never really did have a name for our little gang, did we?”

“Huh? Oh, right. Ain’t my fault.”

These constellations, these flares in the night that would guide him home. They had given him comfort and security both, and a flash of inspiration to tie up one last loose end in his time here at Fango.

“Something that tells people this team will help them, something that tells them that we will guide them. A shining light that leads out of darkness,” he murmured. “How does Team Beacon sound?”

Petal remained silent, turning her head towards him and giving him an absent stare.

“Pretty good, right?”

“We waited a week for that? ”

“I mean… is it not good?”

“It’s fine! It works good, but right when we finish everything here, that’s when we get a team name going? Not before we chased an outlaw or defended the village? You know, when we could’ve used the name to spread how great we are?”

He just passed her a hollow stare. He had no retort.

“Never change, Blue,” she giggled. “Never change.” She tossed and turned underneath the blanket, getting comfortable. “Goodnight, Blue. We’ve got one last big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah. Night.”

Pulling his half of the sheets closer, he nestled into the warmth around him, and closed his eyes. 

Tomorrow was his final day here. He had met some strange characters here, but most of all, allies who had helped him: a strong-willed vulpix of faith, a headstrong petilil who ironically had a running mouth despite not having a mouth at all, and a begrudging wimpod who seems to know more than he lets on.

They all had helped him secure a way home back to Marea. And that made them dear friends to him, who still liked him in spite of how he may have treated them when they first met.

Knowing this, he let himself ease into slumber, surrounded by these close friends, feeling a whir of change within him.

Tomorrow would come.

Chapter Text

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream 

Chapter 17

Send-Off

It was a much cooler morning than Felix had anticipated. He had nestled his small body underneath the wraps and warmth of a blanket’s embrace, last he recalled, finally able to find sleep last night despite his anticipation for the next day.

Yet his limbs were still cold. Likely because Petal might have stolen much of his half of the blanket throughout the night, he humored with a thought. It also probably did not help that they had been sleeping on the creaking wooden floor.

He tried to throw his arms behind his lying head in a great stretch as he yawned with clenched eyes, but the unmistakable sudden thud of his hands stopped him. Strange, he thought with a frown. They had been sleeping near the wall, but not next to it, and definitely not close enough to bump the old, rotting planks. 

He opened his eyes.

A soft streak of light illuminated the room in morning’s glow, having entered through the collapsed corner of the room. Once his eyes had adjusted to the waking sunlight, he took a small look around: Star was still entrapped in sleep’s hold, curled against the opposite wall and blanketed by her tails, the Ho-Oh feathers adorning her flitting against small sweeps of wind as her body rose and fell in repetition; to his surprise, Perro had remained firmly planted to the ceiling all night, his antennas hanging freely like ceiling ornaments; and to his side, Petal’s robust head peeked out from the cover the blanket had provided, still sleeping soundly.

But as he looked at her, he noticed she had not been stewing in stolen comfort like he had thought, still covered in her fair share of their blanket. He then looked down. Where his chest would be, a large protrusion rose from the blanket like a mountain miniature of fleece and wool. Lying beyond the knitted range, two black legs were exposed to the cold morning air of dawn, far bigger than the two legs he had known and had grown somewhat accustomed to during his time here. To a confusing mixture of his surprise, yet also meeting his expectations, he found he was able to bend and twist these longer legs just as he controlled the shorter ones before.

His arms were a similar story as he sat up from the cold floor. They too were longer, and his hands were now black as if dipped in ink. Pulling back the blanket and haplessly throwing it over Petal, he found a fuzzy, golden-brown coat of fur and metallic spike jutting out from him. Like his chest, two spikes had grown where the ovals had been on the back of his hands. He held his black palms out in front of him, bending his fingertips and examining them as if they were not his own, as if he had possessed someone else’s form. But this was well and all his, made evident by a large chip on the spike on his left hand, reminiscent of the large gash he possessed on the metal bead there previously.

He was… not sure what he felt. Excitement? No, he hardly knew what had happened to be excited or joyous about it. Frustration? Not that. If anything, he appreciated the newfound size closer to his original height. Satisfaction? Nada. Not even confusion could accurately describe what he was feeling right now. He knew exactly what had happened: he evolved, just as Pokémon do. But he still could not place what emotion he was feeling right now. Or simply, it was a lack of response from him.

As he continuously examined his hands as though they might change again any second, the strewn blanket beside him began shifting as an irritable plant awoke beneath, throwing the blanket off her head. “Gee, thanks Blue,” Petal murmured, still blinking the sleep from her eyes. “Nice of you to throw-” She stopped her snark abruptly, able to see Felix himself as she finally spared a glance over to him. Just like him, she seemed to hold a blank stare at his new form, unsure how to respond.

He finally noticed her attention on him. Holding out his hand between them, he turned it over as if to let her gawk some more at his new look. “This would’ve been handy a couple days ago,” he casually commented. 

Petal shook her head, snapping out of her trance. “Heh, I’ll say.” She threw the rest of the covers off herself, standing up in her small body and stretching out towards the sunlight, basking in its glow. “So, big bad Blue finally feels like we’re his friends, huh?”

“Hm? I mean… we’ve been on good terms for a while now, I suppose,” he remarked as he himself got up off the cold planks. “Wouldn’t say we just now became friends.” 

“I know, Blue,” she said, patting his heel with her leaves. “Just pulling your leg.”

Standing up fully now, the two could see how he towered over Petal now, much to both their discord. A new surge of strangeness washed over him; just yesterday night, they had been about equal-eye level with one another. Now, he felt like a giant next to her, but he knew he was only between three or four feet tall. Taking a glance around the room and thinking about his size relative to it all told him that much.

“Geez, you’re tall now…” she continued, looking him up and down.

Bending down, Felix picked her up with both his hands and held her up, much to her bewilderment. “And you’re still as ever a pint-sized little shrub, now aren’t you?” he smirked.

“Ah, shut up, Blue. You’re just lucky you need a handful of buds to evolve. It isn’t so casual for the rest of us.” Wriggling herself free from his grip, she dropped to the floor without a sound and began making her way to a slumbering Star. “Come on, I wanna see how Fluffbutt and the bug react to you. Might be funny.” Leaning over the vulpix’s side, she began gently prodding her with the tips of her leaves. “Wakey wakey, sunshine,” she mockingly sung. “We got a big day today.”

Star began to stir, and soon awoke. She stretched her limbs out in a grand stretch and opened her jaw in a great yawn, releasing a small wisp of flame that flickered in the chill air. “Good morning to you, too,” she mumbled, eyes still closed and head still resting in her dark corner.

Petal leered at her lazing friend’s form. “Oh, please, I ain’t gonna wait for you to decide when to get up,” Petal said. “Get up, get up!” With a small, swift nudge from her stubby foot into Star’s hind, the vulpix’s eyes begrudgingly opened and she raised her head to them.

“I’m up, I’m up,” she repeated. “Really, it isn’t like you to be waking me up early. What’s the ru-” Star’s eyes flicked over to Felix. In an instant, her eyes shot open. She scrambled to her feet and caught a sharp exhale of breath in her cheeks, frantically trying to back away and bumping into a shelf behind her, rattling it. The hair on her back stood alert. As quickly as it started, her nose twitched and caught the scent of the familiar friend, and she relaxed. “Oh, my heart…” she breathed.

An amused smile had formed on Felix’s face. “Oh, I’m sorry!” he chuckled. “Didn’t mean to startle you. Never seen you so spooked before. Is that a fun perk of this Illumini job?”

Star took a deep breath and recomposed herself. “It’s a fun perk of having wonderful friends,” she replied.

“Geez, Fluffbutt!” Petal lightheartedly added, checking on her friend. “How’d you end up chasing after a career crook and his cronies if you’re gonna spook so easily?”

“At least when I’m in the hunt, I expect trouble,” she explained. “Getting caught off-guard… it’s just a frightening thing, especially when you’ve made a presence of going after criminals who’d be more than happy to play unfair in return, skulking in shadows, cowering behind corners, and…” Her attention fell to the floor, her gaze overcast by thoughts. “Nevermind,” she dismissed, shaking her head. Looking back at Felix, she put on a warm smile. “So, you’ve warmed up to us during your time here, huh?”

“Unfortunately, I have,” he humored. “I’ve had the fortune to endure the displeasure of the little shrub calling me ‘Blue’ for some time now, and had to work alongside a religious fox and a scheming bug, so I suppose I was owed my dues.” 

“Ooh, is that how it is? You just found out you’ve evolved not even five minutes ago, and you’re already calling me ‘little shrub,’ is that it? Petal lightly sneered. “Just you wait until I find a shiny new stone for me. I’ll get hands, and those hands will get you ,” she smiled. “And strangle you. And… you know… and stuff.”

Up above, the faint scuttling of Perro reached its way towards them, followed shortly by the wimpod himself scaling down the length of the chipped and broken wall. From his place near the destroyed corner of the room, he examined Felix thoroughly through beady eyes. “Evolved?” he asked.

“Evolved,” Felix replied.

“Nice.”

Petal made her way to the opposite wall of the room and stooping down to grab something. “Yeah, yeah, Blue-boy here evolved, right after we did all the life-threatening chasing-criminal-gang stuff. Whoopy.” Clasping Felix’s poncho off the floor, she swiftly swung her head around and launched it into Felix’s unsuspecting head, enwrapping his face in the self-made clothing. Pulling the handle on an especially low drawer, she opened it and pulled out a small woven bag that dangled flimsily from her grasp. “But now that we’re all awake, give me a sec to grab something.”

Wrangling the crude poncho over his head, Felix tugged it down and found it to be… not as covering as before. When he was a riolu, the garment easily enveloped his whole body, having become a lucario has left the same wear quite inadequate, only coming to rest on the spike on his chest. He grumbled to himself. It was a pitiful sight, he assumed; he would need something better sometime.

Scaling down the wall, Perro reached Felix’s side, eyeing him with focused eyes he had not seen before as the wimpod visually frisked him, taking in every detail that could be gleaned. “So tell me,” Perro started, “how does it feel?”

“Taller, for one,” Felix replied.

“Could’ve figured that much. I mean it: what do you feel?”

Felix paused for a moment, taking in that question. “How do you mean?”

Perro’s gaze slipped to the side, as if he himself thought on the very question he had asked. “I’ll phrase it differently. Power. What is it to you?”

“Well, I suppose…” He thought to his time in Marea. The Paldean Empire being a close, neighboring nation, he thought what power was in the scope of the world; what power was to the empire he had served within the Toreros before coming here, within a band of brothers. “You see, I guess ‘power’ isn’t one man or anything. Now, I ain’t the philosophical type- that’s more-so something for the eggheads- but I’d say power is in steel and numbers. Better weapons and forces, that sort of thing. Have that, and I’d say you’re pretty darn powerful.”

Perro nodded. “Fair. And did evolving make you feel more powerful?”

Felix held his hands out in front of him. It was basic knowledge that evolving made Pokémon stronger. A well of strength had been tapped within him, but could he draw upon it? “Why does it matter to you?”

“Had my eye on evolving for a while now,” Wimpod frowned. His antennas clicked together, fervently rubbing against one another as he thought. “It’s taken some years to get to a point where I can think about it seriously. It’s not easy getting the experience I need to evolve like…” He shifted around, glancing at parts of himself as best he could in his curt body. “...This.”

A low groan tumbled out of Star’s throat as she listened. Her mouth opened to speak, but she hesitated.

Perro took notice, switching his attention to her. “Got something to say?”

Her lips wavered briefly. “Well, I disagree with Felix. ‘Power’ isn’t might. Power is something more than brute force and advantages. It lies within the common-folk and street dwellers, in the gilded and the misfortune alike. It’s there you’ll find the unwavering strength of the beating heart of the people, which can win conflicts and soothe tensions before they can rise. An iron-grip may be strong, but golden hearts do not rust within the river of time.”

“Ain’t that a pretty way of looking at it,” Felix chuckled.

Perro hummed, reflecting on her input. “I could see an argument for that.”

Beside them, Petal was still rummaging in the lowest drawer, her small body hoisted off the ground as she leaned inside the shelf to grab something. Yet from inside, her voice still could echo out. “Ha!” She raised her head out, looking between the three with unproven confidence on the subject matter. “I mean, I don’t wanna interrupt your guy’s little philosophical session or whatever, but I also kind of want to. Power is anything that gets you remembered, plain and simple. Might ain’t right, the power of the people ain’t your power, but doing something with your life? Having people think about you when you ain’t even there or… around anymore, and I’d say that’s power. Being there without being there, you know?”

“Maybe,” Perro grumbled.

Petal stuck her head back in the drawer, pulling out a small rigid pouch that clinked as she threw it on the floor, then dropping herself back onto the floor. “Why do you care about this ‘power’ stuff anyway? It’s too early in the morning for debates.” She looked at Perro with an exaggerated look of suspicion, leaning in close enough to his face that they nearly touched. “Unless you’re thinking about how powerful you’ll be when you evolve and ain’t a wittle bug, is that it?” she joked.

“Yes.”

Petal pulled herself back. “Oh.” Shaking her head, she picked up the bag of coins and held it aloft on her head. “Anyway, I got us some pocket money for the trip, Blue,” she explained as she made towards the door. “I was gonna suggest we strap my mom’s chest of money on your back like a mudbray so we can get it to where we’re meeting this guy, but seeing as how you’ve…” she looked him up and down, “changed, I think you can just regularly carry it.”

“Fine by me,” Felix replied, opening the door for her.

“That’s a good Blue,” she teased. “Now come on. You up for some breakfast?”

—-

With a strained huff, Felix dropped the cumbersome, heavy chest into the sand below him, kicking up a cloud of the shore into his face, making him hack and cough as he wiped the offending particulates away.

“Thank you for offering to carry that,” Petal’s mother said as she came around his side. “It was hard enough to move that bloated box last night, so really, thank you.”

“Weren’t no thing,” he replied with a small wave. “Least I can do, considering your help.” 

“Oh! Oh!” Petal squealed out, hunched over a small tide pool a small distance away. “Hey, mom! Check this out! There’s a bunch of shells in this one! Come on!”

The old lilligant offered Felix a shrug, and gingerly made her way over to her bouncing daughter, looking over the small pool together.

He wiped a bead of sweat off his brow, leering at the surprisingly heavy chest as it lay indented in the sand, a safe distance away from the laps of foaming waves. He had originally thought it would be easy for him to heave it the way here given his new strength, but now, he supposed he must have forgotten that there was something about a hardwood chest being filled to its cuffs with gilded coins that made it heavy that must have slipped his mind. It also likely did not help that he had taken a tumble down the stairs as they went for breakfast, having not yet come to grips with the length of his new legs.

Looking out beyond the shore, he looked to the amber horizon, scanning it for any sign of his ride home. He found only the evening atmosphere of the dull ocean. Waves lapped the smoothed shore ahead of him, rocking sticks tangled in kelp and seaweed, and glistening shells back and forth between the breaks of the wake. Fair weather had accompanied them that day with robust silver clouds and modest wind that carried the salty scent of ocean spray: great conditions for travel. Around him, a bright-eyed vulpix enjoyed the breeze and its scents; a spry petilil living in the moment with her mother; and a shrewd wimpod biding time at the foot of the waves; all were… nice sights to him.

“You know,” Felix began rattling off, “I suppose it just quite hasn’t hit me yet.”

Star let go of the ocean breeze she had taken in, and focused her attention on him. “About going home?” she guessed.

“Yeah.”

Star remained silent.

Something was bubbling within him; a pang of doubt and worry still seemed to gnaw at his insides like a parasite. If there was anytime to bring it up, it would be now. A small frown weighed his lips down. He made an effort to speak to her, but his new height made it difficult to comfortably speak so close without looking down on her. So, he kneeled in the sand, staring into Star at an equal level. “So, about my… situation. Tell it to me straight: what should I expect when I get back home?”

“That…” Star’s head listed, flopping her ears to the side. She took a glance around themselves and ensured no wandering ears were around. Once satisfied their conversation was in fair privacy provided by the cover of collapsing waves, she continued. “That is a difficult thing to answer,” she frowned. “If you well and truly come from the past from when humans were still present, before the Darkest Days… You won’t find anything you’ll like, to be blunt. Ruins and rubble are all that are left of the whims of man. My old tutor, Caelum, said as much. She’s the musharna we met some time back, and she’s well-versed on the topic. Something terrible happened a century ago, and the world was polluted by choking soot so thick, it snuffed out the sun for decades. The world ended , Felix. And yet…” 

She looked around. In spite of her words, the breach of waves and embracing breeze of fair tides all signaled a breathing world, a world that endured. Just in the distance, a flock of wingulls seemed to be making for the horizon, unburdened by what they could not care for a hundred years ago.

“The end of the world came and went. The sun and the moon still take shifts in eternity. The grass still grows and wilts with passing seasons. Deerling, pidoves, and more and more, forage in forests that have long buried their scars and bruises, just as they have done for lifetimes before. The world has healed, as it always has, as it always will.” 

Felix began tapping his shin with his knuckle. “And what does that all mean for me?”

“It means that when you go back home, you’ll find these ruins, these blemishes of history. You… won’t find the homesteads and people you remember. Like all things in life, they rose and fell to the earth.” She lowered her head, sympathetically rubbing her cheek against his lowered hand. “I’m sorry, but… that’s how it will be. How it is.”

“I know,” he murmured. “I know. But I still need to go see it for myself. I just… need confirmation.”

Star mimicked his frown, but discarded it soon after and began pawing at the top of her head where one of her pristine feathers lay tucked behind an ear. Soon, the shimmering plume of red, white, and green became dislodged and floated down to the beach below, coming to rest on sand. “Here,” she stated, prodding at the fallen crest with her nose towards him. 

Felix picked up the feather and examined it in the golden light. It shone brilliantly in the sun’s rays, reflecting the evening’s glow in a prismatic display like a rainbow. “What’s this for?”

“I know you’ve already said that you weren’t a believer in much of any higher power, but I do have faith that there is something greater than all of us in this world and beyond,” she smiled. “This feather once decorated the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh, and was a gift from the same divinity to my mother who first championed the faith as the first Illumini. After she passed… they were given to me, for when I succeed her.” She looked at the feather fondly, a sincere smile made evident on her face. “They are quite important to me.”

He brushed his fingertip across the length of the feather, feeling a latent warmth rise to his digit as he held the soft down. “And you want me to have it?

“I do.”

A sincere, small smile crested him. “Thanks.” Taking the feather, Felix dutifully tucked into the band of the satchel he wore, ensuring it was snuggly fit and would not fall away. As he did so, a fact resurfaced in his memory. “Say, before shrub and I- you know- go…” He patted the worn satchel he wore around his waist. “Do you want this back?”

Star shook her head. “No, I feel as though it will serve you better than me right now. When I return to the Undercast, I don’t see any fighting or the like in my future.” She hung her head on the thought, squinting her eyes. “Or at least, not soon, anyway. I do want to pursue justice and ensure peace more proactively, like my mother had. Sometimes, we are the answer to others’ prayers.”

“Heh, good luck with that. You really think whoever-cares or what-not will be fine with their religious icon scrapping with thieves and rogues?”

She lifted her chin to the setting sun, blowing out a tongue of flame that flickered in the salty air. “I’d like to see them dissuade me.”

“What? That place?” a meeker, more irate voice joined. To their side, Perro was scuttling to them, a deeply grooved furrow sitting above his eyes. “Why head back there? Shouldn’t you be going on some spiritual journey of improvement? Traveling the land? Visiting backwater villages? Staying away from that hole of self-pity and self-righteous jerks? That sort of junk?”

“I fully intend on going. I feel as though it’s been long enough, and I am ready to succeed. You know, you don’t have to follow me,” Star said, a wry smirk made apparent.

Perro scoffed. “I know I don’t have to. But I need to.” The wimpod’s shifting eyes darted all over the area, his antennas flicking in irritation at the thought. “Just don’t expect me to be as close in there.” 

“I’ll be mindful of it.”

“Hey!” Petal’s pepped voice called out to the group. Across the beach, the young petilil and her mother were making their way over to them in small strides, leaves and arms chock-full of colorful shells that lay flat against them or spiraled beautifully to a point. “So what? Fluffbutt here is heading to the Undercast?” Petal asked as she joined them with her mother. With a half-hearted toss, she dropped her shells to her feet in a heap. “Huh. Try to get me a souvenir, yeah?”

“Only if you remember to bring me back something,” Star smiled.

“Deal.”

Amidst the huddled group, they exchanged final quips and nothings about their time together. Felix was momentarily pressed half-jokingly by Petal for his initial encounter with Star and herself; Star sung and praised each of their efforts and contributions for the brief time they had spent together with an earnest smile; and Perro simply nodded along to each and every word the others had said, occasionally murmuring a single word either in agreement or annoyance.

But regardless of what they let on, who was openly smiling and those who were not, each one of them were truly thankful to be there, accompanied by waves and sea breeze.

During their conversation, Star’s head began to droop, her smile fading as well. “You know,” she started, gathering everyone’s attention, “what will happen to the team?”

“The team?” Felix repeated. “Oh,” he grunted. “Us. Well…” his hand instinctively rubbed his chin, grinding bits of sand between the fur as searched for the best words to express what he knew to be true. “With me and the shrub leaving, I guess… this is it. For now, at least.”

Her expression became sullen; ears sagged down to the beach. “I figured as much,” she admitted. 

“Yeah, if everything goes the way we’re hoping… guess Team Beacon can call it quits.”

A small, hushed snicker bubbled out of Star. “I still can’t believe that name.” When she looked up and saw Felix’s straightened frown, she realized she should elaborate. “Oh! Don’t get it mistaken; I like the name! It’s silly,” she smiled. “In a nice way.”

“Yeah, feel free to use it whenever you’re busting heads as a woman of the- er, as a fox of the cloth,” he shrugged.

“I think I will,” she wryly hummed.

Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave a genuine, fond smile. “And hey: it may not be my place to say this, but I think she’d be proud of you. Both your parents, really, if your father’s still around.”

She smiled sincerely. “Thank you. I’ll do all I can to succeed her. And yes, my father is still alive and well. Heh, knowing you, you’d probably just call him a mutt if you saw him. Also likely doesn’t help that he’s of the dark type.”

Petal came to Star’s side and patted her shoulder with her pitiful hands. “Don’t worry! It’s not like this is the last time you’ll see us!” They looked over to Felix. “Okay, maybe not him, but don’t count me out! I’ll visit when I can, and I’ll try dragging Blue over too if I can.”

“And if he doesn’t want to come?”

“He’ll want to, don’t worry!” Petal glanced over to Felix, then leaned in closer to Star’s ear. “If he doesn’t, I’ll just spore him and carry him over myself,” she whispered.

Star giggled. “That would be lovely.”

Perro’s purple antennas shuffled by below them, twitching. He was staring out over the horizon, an intense focus locked onto something far-flung in the distance. “They’re here.”

Everyone looked out to where he had been staring. Just over the shimmering horizon, aloft great white wings anchored to a gray body, flew a great bird crested by pink, psychic energy.

A braviary from the lands of Hisui.

Petal stepped away from her mother, coming closer to the shore beside Felix. “Is that him, Blue?” 

“Could it be anyone else?” he casually replied.

Soaring over the crashing white waves, the braviary began descending as he approached, catching ocean spray on his body. Within a few moments, the great eagle had drawn close enough and shot his legs forward as he came into contact with the beach, kicking up a shroud of sand as he slid to a stop a short distance away from the group. 

Now that he was close enough, Felix could see the small accessories the white braviary had on his person: some tightly wrapped pouches were arranged around the bird’s body, as was a marsh green scarf wrapped fashionably around his neck, and a tightly folded sack appeared to be strung to his back. 

But one thing in particular caught his attention: a pair of weathered aviation goggles he was familiar with, used by the Paldean Empire’s newly- well, new at the time- founded flight company, made possible by their leaps and strides in revolutionary technological advancements. These ‘biplanes,’ as they had come to be called, were an impressive sight when Felix had first seen them, even if they were quite flimsy and required immense precision instruments and training to operate. The braviary likely had found them one way or another, he figured.

Using a psychic power, the goggles were lifted without a touch from the braviary’s head, and left dangling from his neck by their straps. Seamlessly, a flap on one of his front pouches opened through the same radiant energy, and a penchant flew out and opened itself in the air, held before the braviary’s gaze. “Alright, alright, alright!” he happily chanted. “You wouldn’t happen to be a fellow named ‘Blue,’ wouldn’t you?”

Felix was taken aback. “I’m sorry?”

Using his wing, the braviary wiped away any latent sand that had accumulated on his goggles when he landed, and awkwardly made his way closer to the group on his clawed talons. “You’re Blue, right? I got your request some time back, and have graciously elected to accept it!” he continued. He gently batted at the telekinesis’ed paper in the air with the breadth of a wing. “Says right here a riolu named ‘Blue’ was looking for a ride overseas to Marea- and I’m here to deliver!” At once, the paper folded itself and flew back into its compartment. A confident grin pulled onto itself onto the braviary’s cheeks just before his pointed beak as he looked to the lucario in front of him. “I’m guessing you’re him? You’re not exactly a riolu, but even I can fathom a guess of what’s happened.”

Felix stepped forward, arms raised and mouth running. “Now, listen friend. I ain’t-”

“He’s Blue alright!” Petal shouted as she threw herself between the two. “I can vouch for that!”

Felix knelt closer behind Petal’s robust head. “What exactly is going on here?” he frantically whispered.

She turned around, a mockingly smug, self-satisfied look on her. “ Well …” she whispered back. “We both know you can’t read squat here, let alone write, and Fluffbutt over there has god-awful handwriting, sooo…” She saw how Felix leered at her, which just seemed to make her joy grow. “I maybe, just a little, an itty-bitty amount, may have been the one to write that request for you…” She looked at him with a hazardous stare: a look born of pride, devious teasing, and joy, all wrapped into a small, cute, puntable face. “Is that alright… Blue ?”

Felix sucked in a deep breath and belched out a long-winded groan, throwing his hands up to claw at his own face.

Though his eyes had been covered and his face stubbornly staring straight up into the dampening sky, he could hear as the white braviary shuffled closer through loose sand. “I’m here to pick up one ‘Blue,’” he announced. “You’re him, yes?”

Felix’s arms and head sagged down to the earth, having accepted his situation. “Yep, that’s sure me alright,” he tiredly said. “Blue.”

“Wonderful!” The braviary’s pink crest flared once more. On his back, the tightly roped bag unraveled itself onto the shore beside them, unfolding itself gradually. “Air-Ferrier One, proud representative of the Absolute Security Company, happy to serve you!”

“Air… Ferrier One?” Petal repeated back. “No way that’s your name.”

“Correct!” the braviary answered.

Petal and Felix waited for him to continue, but were met with only the debate the breaking waves had been having with the shore nearby. “Sooo… you gonna tell us your, like, actual name?”

The braviary had been hunched over the growing, unraveling bag, guiding psychic pulls and prods with sways of his head. “I’m afraid not. Company policy. As a security firm, I think it’s fitting that we have measures in place to keep our security force- well, secure. Don’t you? Wouldn’t do to have a sour crook or the like asking for specific names and causing trouble.”

An empathetic, bitter expression fell onto Petal at the words. “I mean… I guess I understand that,” she murmured. “Still ain’t gonna call you Air-Whatever One or whatever it is.” She examined his feathered form, and an idea sprung forth. “Mind if I just call you Fletch?”

The braviary chuckled. “You can call me whatever you want, so long as I get paid! Which I still am, correct?”

 At his not-so-subtle reminder, both hers and Felix’s attention flicked to the chest beside them.

Felix rubbed his chin, recalling his own struggle with the money. “Yeah, you’ll get your money, it’s in that box. How are you gonna carry all that anyhow? It’s heavier than it looks.”

Fletch stopped what he was doing and crossed the sand over to them. Without even touching the chest, the lid flew open on its own through a psychic power, and he peered inside, a smirk growing on his face at the shimmerings of gold. “Come on, you know me!” He held out his wing and partially curled it, as if to flex, if such a thing were possible. He dropped his display once his own words reached him. “Eh, I guess you don’t know me, actually. But I can carry loads that’d make a hearty mudsdale’s legs buckle! Don’t worry about it.” With a hearty flap, he jumped back to the mostly-unfolded bag and resumed his work. It had been laid out a surprising amount on the sand, and appeared far larger than they had initially guessed, easily bigger than Felix at this point. 

“Oh, wait wait wait!” Petal chimed, her face lighting up. “One last important thing: I know the job said it’d just be Blue here traveling, but mind if I tag along as a plus one?”

The braviary stopped. “Well, a small thing such as you should be no problem, but I’ll have to charge extra. Company policy and whatnot. And not a small amount, either, I’m afraid. Sudden changes in these sorts of agreements carry a hefty price tag.”

“Eh…” Petal dejectedly groaned. “Should’ve expected that. And we’re already kinda spending a lot for this trip.”

Fletch turned and saw her reaction. “Well…” he breathed. “Tell ya what: I’ll carry you free of charge as a courtesy of sorts. You don’t seem too heavy for any problems with the bearings, anyway.”

“Wait, really?” Petal bounced into the air joyously, splaying her leaves happily. “You’re a stand-up guy, Fletch!”

He held a corner of the stiff bag up, and removed a pin from it, allowing a metallic lock tucked away to fall. On the other side of the fabric, a length of rope fell to the sand. “No feathers off my back. Now, are we ready to depart? I’m aiming to have us depart soon.”

The pair looked behind themselves, seeing Star, Perro, and Petal’s mother waiting patiently a small distance away, talking quietly amongst themselves and sparing the occasional glance or two towards the duo.

“Actually…” Petal said.

“Give us one moment,” Felix filled in.

Fletch flicked a pair of pointed feathers from the tip of his wing towards them in acknowledgement. “No problem! Give me a holler when you two are ready. I’ll finish getting the bag ready.”

Felix returned the gesture. “Come on.” With a guiding hand, he reached down to Petal and turned her around. 

Together, they crossed the beach and arrived before their friends and family. A knowing, somber smile worn on Star, and a few streaking teardrops fell from the lilligant’s eyes. As always, it was difficult to tell how Perro was feeling.

“Well, guess this is it,” Felix started, kneeling down to Star once more.

She nodded. “We did it. We’re gonna get you home.”

Without warning, Felix lunged forward and hugged her, pulling her close. “Thank you.”

She leaned into his hug, brushing her nose against the side of his head. “I promised, didn’t I?” 

After a moment of listening to the waves and feeling the breeze, the two broke apart. “Well,” Felix quietly said, wiping his nose, “I wish you good fortune for the future. And if that future ain’t kind…” He punched the open air with a silver fist, faster than the eye could follow. “You give the world what-for.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” she smiled. She raised a paw towards him, and began making strange faces as it trembled, seemingly curling random digits until only the first index remained outright and pointed straight up. With a proud smile, she held it out to him.

“...What is that?”

“A thumbs-up!” she giggled. “Like when you showed me. I said I’d remember, didn’t I?”

With one last pat on her back, Felix stood back up. He smirked. “Keep working on it. You’ll get it down soon.”

Beside them, Petal and her mother were locked in a warm embrace.

“Just you wait, mom,” Petal said, her voice muffled in her mother’s dressage. She pulled her head back out, and looked straight up into her eyes. “I’ll do ya proud!”

The old lilligant brushed her daughter’s leaves back fondly, taking in every moment she could with the time they had left. “I know you will.” Reaching behind her back, she produced the shape of an unknotted ribbon. It shown a brilliant, singular violet stripe down the length of the band, and was trimmed with pale orange like honeydew.

“Mom?” she asked. “What’s that?”

“Our family’s heirloom,” she explained. “From the very first Petal, passed down to each and every one of us for when we are ready to inherit our family’s legacy, and carry our name.” Carefully, she wrapped the ribbon around Petal’s upper body and tied it into a neat bow at the front.

Petal’s sight remained locked on the ribbon adorning her. Its perfectly smooth silken surface clung to her form seamlessly like a veil, reflecting the faint sun’s rays in a wonderful, pristine sheen.

“I think it’ll look beautiful on you, Petal.”

Her eyes grew misty, and a small sniffle wiggled its way out of her. Realizing her presence amongst friends, Petal shook her head and cleared her throat. “I- I mean, yeah! I’d make anything look good! Just you watch! Just… Just you…” 

The tears did not cease.

Petal threw herself into her mother’s embrace one last time, and the two rocked back and forth in each other’s grasp, in perfect rhythm to the tide.

A small distance away, Perro had been watching. Observing. Taking in the sight with envy. Scrutinized the way they had spoken to each other, absorbing the finer details into his soul.

Jealous.

“Hey, Perro.” The wimpod looked behind himself. Felix was there beside him, alongside Star. “Just thought I’d say thanks to you, too. You did pretty good for a little thing such as yourself.”

Perro glanced back one more time to the Petals, then focused back onto the pair near him. “Yeah.”

Silence.

Felix rubbed the back of his head. “Just ‘yeah,’ huh? Eh, you were never much of a talker.” He offered an open hand to the wimpod. “Take care, bug.”

Perro looked to the open palm, then back to Felix, then back to the hand again. Giving in, he scuttled forth and placed one of his front legs into Felix’s grasp, and the two shook. “You too.”

“Yeah, take care, bugeyes!” Petal joined in, approaching from behind. Small, faint swiped streaks of water were around her face where she had wiped away the tears. She was adjusting her new ribbon, ensuring a snug fit. “Gonna miss ya. Don’t get into any trouble I wouldn’t! And keep Fluffbutt safe!”

Perro shrugged. “No promises.”

Felix stood back up and gave Petal a small nudge. “Well, suppose that’s everything in order.” He turned around towards where Fletch was. From where he was standing, he could see that the white braviary had finished and was patiently watching them from afar. “Come on.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Petal murmured. 

The two glanced back at the group behind them as they took slow, heavy steps away. Star gave them one final wave with her paw, and Petal’s mother was continuously fanning her flat hand towards them.

It was difficult to see if Perro was doing anything, if at all.

“Well, well, well!” Fletch said aloud as they came closer. The chest they had left behind seemed to have been wrapped tightly in crossing ropes, tethered a winch that was also tied to each corner of the large, laid out bag spread across the sand. Metal hinges and rods seemed to be bolted and stuck in place at each corner, securing the rope. “All the goodbyes sorted out? Nothing getting left behind?”

Felix and Petal exchanged content stares, nodding to each other. “All’s taken care of,” Felix answered.

“Nice to hear!” The braviary batted his wings and pointed to the stiff bag behind him. “Then step on in! Please get yourself comfortable in the dead center of the bag, and keep all limbs, tails, and accessories within the confines during the ferry!”

Felix gestured a hand towards the bag, staring at Petal. “Ladies first,” he offered.

“Oh sweet,” Petal replied. She stood there, planted in place. Waiting.

“Well…?”

“So ain’t you gonna go first?” Petal asked. 

Felix dropped his arm, and leered at her as she chuckled to herself, finally moving onto the fabric.

“It’s too fun to mess with you, Blue.”

Felix sighed, taking his turn to enter the bag and sit beside her in the middle of the rough tarp. “Yeah, yeah. And lucky me to be stuck with this class-act clown for who knows how long.”

Fletch squinted towards them, ensuring they were sat adequately in the middle. “Are we all set for lift-off?”

Felix nodded. “As set as we’ll ever be.”

“Yeah, he’s not getting any lighter!” Petal added. A small nudge poked her side, making her giggle.

The psychic crest on Fletch’s head flared. The goggles that had been dangling from his neck lifted themselves back over his eyes, reflecting the setting sun’s light. “Understood! Air-Ferrier One: on the job!” 

His wings began heartily flapping, kicking up a cloud of sand around them as the braviary lifted off the ground. In one swoop Fletch grabbed the winch with his talons, which held the tethered bag and chest, and began even more powerfully thrusting his wings. Each beat from each flap could be felt pushing down on Felix and Petal like a great gust of wind pushing down on them from above. The ropes around them became taut and strained, pulled into a straight line as they rose with the winch that bound them. Soon, the corners pulled themselves up, and the walls of the bag closed in as a now squeezed together Felix and Petal felt the ground beneath them vanish.

Petal began squirming from Felix’s side, having been pressed into him. “Gah, give me room to breathe, Blue!” she choked out. “You’re like two-thousand pounds!” The two scrambled against each other within the confines of the tightening bag, and with some effort, Petal freed herself and climbed atop Felix, gasping in relief.

Having ensured that Petal would not suffocate to death within the first five minutes of their journey, Felix reorientated himself within the bag, pulling himself up to the lip of the fabric and poking his head out.

Below, the shore and trees grew smaller and smaller as Fletch climbed, the sounds of the collapsing waves fading.

“Ay! Scooch!” As he peeked out, Petal climbed his back and rested her head over his shoulder, looking out over the furthering landscape as well.

As the two gawked, Felix’s eyes caught something on the shore below, forcing him to squint. He was met with a bright flare that shot forth off the beach, soaring into the air past them and fizzling harmlessly into the dark sky. Looking where the shot had come from, he saw them. “Hey, look down there!” The two looked to where he had pointed.

Down at the breach, Star, Perro, and Petal’s mother had gathered at the foot of the waves, doing whatever they could to get their attention through small shots of embers, or frantically waving whatever body parts they could.

And they could hear them.

“ Goodbye! ” Star shouted faintly. “ I’ll pray for your safe travel, and wish you two nothing but the best, and nothing less! ”

Beside her, Petal’s mother was waving frantically to them, arms flailing wildly. “ Be safe, you two! And have a wonderful time! ”

Next to them was Perro, awkwardly standing on his back legs. They could not hear anything he said, if he even had said anything. But they could see the short, curt wave he gave in their direction.

“ Gonna miss you guys! ” Petal shouted back down. “ We’re gonna meet up again, promise! ”

Felix reached his arm out of the bag, and gave a small salute. “ It’s been a great time, guys! ” he called out, unsure if they would ever meet again. “Thanks for everything! I mean it!”

The two groups waved at one another as their distance grew, calling out to each other and ceaselessly bidding each other farewell, even as they soon became small figures in the horizon, then becoming specks, and then… 

Nothing.

Once they were sure they could not be seen anymore, Felix let his arm sag, dangling out of the bag and over the dark ocean below them, still looking out towards the shrinking shore.

He pulled himself back into the bag, Petal retreating back inside with him.

He sighed, slouching against the curvature of the bag. “I guess… that’s that.”

“Yeah, I mean…” Petal joined him, nestling in closer to his side. “I don’t know, I guess.”

The two sat silently, listening to the whip of the wind around them.

“They seem like a friendly bunch!” Fletch called out to them above. “You two seem pretty lucky!”

“Heck yeah, we are,” Petal chuckled.

“So Marea, is it?” Fletch asked. The crest on his head flared again, and a pouch on his side flung open and shot out a compass that floated itself in front of him, the lid struggling to remain open against the punishing wind. “I happen to be quite knowledgeable on the place! Lots of history there! I’d talk your ear off about it if you gave me the chance!”

“Thanks,” Felix responded. “But I think I’d like to see it for myself, first.”

The compass clamped shut and flew back into its compartment, which sealed itself. “Fair enough! I’m not one to insist! But please feel free to ask any questions during our flight! It’ll take a day and a half of nonstop flight to reach our destination, and I’m afraid the open ocean doesn’t allow for rest stops! Something about the towering waves and frigid water never sat right with me!”

“Duly noted, Fletch,” Petal answered back. “So, you a big fan of flying?” Hearing her own words, Petal winced at the stupid question, and was unsurprised when she saw Felix giving her a half-amused, half-dumbstruck look. 

“I suppose you could say that!” he shouted back enthusiastically. “Nothing like flying, really! Weaving through gusts and gale, knowing the true freedom that only open air can offer! There isn’t a feeling like it!”

“Good for you!” 

“And a good day to be flying! Couldn’t ask for better conditions! Clear skies for miles, turbulence is being kind to us today and keeping steady, and it isn’t too cold at the moment! We fly in safety and security today!”

Petal began tapping her leaves together, trying to think of another topic to fill the air. “So… how much do you know about farming and catering?”

The two chatted with one another for some time. Felix remained silent.

Thinking.

Reflecting.

Hoping.

Marea was within reach, but would he want to know what had happened? All signs he has found pointed to him not only having been flung across space to a new land, but a distant time as well. But he needed to know for sure.

He needed to.

Grabbing pieces of the bag and pulling himself up, he stared back out to where they had left, to where they had left their journey behind. They had spent enough time on that beach that early night had fallen like a curtain, poking bits of starlight through its dark veil over them. The rush of wind was enough for the chatter behind him to be drowned out, leaving him alone in his thoughts.

A vulpix, a petilil, a wimpod.

He could not have asked for stranger friends, nor better ones.

As he gazed outside, thinking sincere thoughts of thanks and words he would have loved to have said to better express his gratitude before they left, his eyes fell to one flickering light in particular against the night sky.

Warm and welcoming, it was. An emerald green sheen flared against the night, hanging low to the horizon and shining brighter than those around it, bidding fair health and kind travels to those sheltered beneath. A place where hope and joy lay.

As the briar of Fango grew smaller in the distance, Felix slid back down the bag, got comfortable, and closed his eyes.

Tonight, he dared to dream.

—-

—-

—-

A note from the author:

This is it. The end of this fic.

Not really lol. But it is the end of this specific fic.

I’ll explain:

The short answer is this fic is ending, but the story isn’t over. We’ll continue our adventure with the cast in another fic I haven’t figured the name out for yet. But until then, a shorter prequel fic called ‘Centurnum’ will fill in the gap while I hack away at the new fic in the background!

The long answer is that this is the final chapter of Dare To Dream, but not the end of the story. I’ll be creating a new prequel fic called ‘Centurnum’ sometime, which aims to be a big worldbuilding piece of the story, set a century ago following Star’s mother through her journey as the first Illumini as the story jumps from year to year for important and critical points of her life as the new emissary for the Sacred Fire, Ho-Oh, following her through her brief time as a religious icon for Johto, the influence of the Paldean Empire, to her struggles during the Darkest Days, and up to her point of establishing the faith within the Undercast, which will be seen for the first time!

I’m excited for it, personally. As it stands, I do want to continue the adventure of everyone’s favorite Blue boy, fire fox, potted plant without the pot, and bug, and I will! It’ll just take some time before we see them again in another brand-spanking new fic (which I haven’t decided on the name of yet).

Some example of what some of these ideas are, I’m thinking of new ways to explain the Space-Time Distortion phenomena through a future and past Paradox Pokémon I won’t reveal just yet, more characters I want to write like an amnesiac, wry Spectrier, a carefree, investigative journalist Sylveon (not Riley), a crestfallen- though driven- freelance mercenary Haxorous, and a prominent return of Willow the Trevenant in both the prequel and new fic! There’s also going to be a big polishing on the main four’s characters: Felix, Star, Petal, and Perro, who will all hopefully be much more enjoyable and flesh-out when this new fic arrives. If you want a reason as to why I’m ending this fic here and continuing the story in another, I suppose it’s more-so for myself than anything, since I’d feel better if these planned and thought out ideas and characters and environments were in their own fic rather than this one, to better mark my own progress, I think. And it also helps to better set the pacing for their adventure going forward.

‘Centurnum’ should have shorter chapter lengths than what I usually do, and less chapters overall, so hopefully the content that will be in there will be meaty enough to make it good. I’ll also be changing the summary of Dare To Dream to better represent what it’s become, rather than what I initially planned it to be, and will also be marking it as complete.

Ever since I’ve started this fic well over a year ago, I have been having a lot of new ideas and concepts and environments I want to explore, and characters to flesh out that I simply didn’t have when I first started the fic. Honestly, I’ve been firing from the hip with Dare To Dream for the most of it, since I didn’t plan it through like I should of have at the start. I couldn’t naturally introduce these new awesome ideas into the story because I never made room from them when I started, so I’ve been trying to wrangle the story into the direction I’ve wanted for some time now to help seamlessly introduce these ideas as best as possible. Like, for example, when I first started, this was a fic taking inspiration from some ideas from Legends: Arceus, like the item crafting and Space-Time Distortions. But with the release of Scarlet and Violet, I now also want to explore my own interpretation of the Paldean Empire described in the games with my fic, which I think can slot in nicely alongside my original vision. Also also, fun fact: Legends: Arceus likely takes inspiration from the post-Meiji Restoration colonization of Hokkaido, which occurred in the late 1800’s. I’m guessing quite a few of us thought the time period would be much earlier lol, since the technology of the time isn’t properly represented in the game. I also hope to better explore this facet going forward!

Right now, I’m re-entering college to complete my degree after having taken a year off for an internship, and I’ll be taking time off to reorganize my notes and plans for these new fics so that I don’t have the same troubles as last time, so it will be a hot minute before the first chapter of ‘Centurnum’ releases, but it will come, as will the continuation of the main four’s journey!

Even if I’m not done with these characters yet, I am done with Dare To Dream, and I hope you all will be with me to end of these characters’ journey, whenever that may be.

(Also one last thing that I won’t be able to talk about anywhere else: the reason I use words like ‘dog’ and ‘fox’ and other animal names like that in my fic is because I just see them and use them as a sort of generalist term to describe a creature lol. Kind of like how you can point at a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever and say ‘dog,’ I figure the same applies too if you were pointing at a Mabosstiff and Arcanine.)

Until I post again, stay safe, and I hope you’ve enjoyed my work so far! And keep an eye out for ‘Centurnum’ when I finish outlining and planning amidst college work!